Method and system for providing an audio/video in-route entertainment system

• US 7,100,187 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2002
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AirIQ Inc.
• Original Assignee: AirIQ Inc.
• Inventors: Pierzga, Wayne, Herbst, Carl A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US10/235,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 725/24, 725/47, 725/133, 725/134, 725/141, 725/153, 455/509, 455/517, 715/721, 715/747
• US Class Current: 725/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26616 for merging a unicast channel into a multicast channel, e.g. in a VOD application, when a client served by unicast channel catches up a multicast channel to save bandwidth data multicast over packet-switching network H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An apparatus and a method generate customized content for in-route entertainment on a mobile element, such as an aircraft. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a shared program input for receiving a shared program stream, which includes primary entertainment content (e.g., video segments) intended for a plurality of mobile elements; a supplemental content input for receiving customized supplemental content, such as advertising and branding segments; a scheduler providing scheduling information, which indicates insertion points in the shared program stream for customized supplemental input as a function of characteristics of the mobile element; and an output for outputting the shared program stream, the customized supplemental content, and the scheduling information for subsequent generation of an entertainment content stream customized for the mobile element.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating customized content for in-route communication services on a mobile element, comprising:

an input for inputting a primary content portion intended for a plurality of mobile elements, a supplemental content portion including supplemental content, an initial schedule portion, and a plurality of markers indicating where the supplemental content portion may be inserted, wherein said initial schedule portion indicates a preliminary schedule for inserting supplemental content into said primary content portion based on a transit schedule for a particular mobile element;

an intra-transit scheduler for refining said initial schedule portion to generate an updated insertion schedule for inserting supplemental content into said primary content portion based on changes to the transit schedule for said particular mobile element; and

a customizing unit, which inserts supplemental content into said primary content portion at markers in accordance with said updated insertion schedule to generate a customized communications stream for output to at least one user of said particular mobile element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said schedule portion is based on a predetermined transit and broadcast schedule for said particular mobile element.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said intra-transit scheduler refines said schedule portion based on changes to said predetermined transit and broadcast schedule.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said changes include program changes and transit delays.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said input is located at one of a mobile element or a fixed site.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a converter to convert an input communications stream into an audiovisual signal provided to a distribution system for output to said user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a converter to convert an input communication stream into machine readable data traffic to route to a distribution system for output to ancillary data communication equipment.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said supplemental content portion includes at least one of customized advertisement information, graphic overlays, text streams, and branding segments.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said supplemental content portion includes data traffic intended for ancillary onboard data communication equipment.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said input receives a communications stream using a public communications network.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said markers further indicate where content has been deleted for insertion of said supplement content portion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said deleted content includes advertising information intended for another one of said plurality of mobile elements.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said customized communications stream is generated in accordance with predetermined user preferences.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one of a plurality of mobile elements is an aircraft.

15. A method for generating customized content for in-route communication services on a mobile element, comprising:

inputting a primary content portion intended for a plurality of mobile elements, a supplemental content portion including supplemental content, an initial schedule portion, and a plurality of markers indicating where the supplemental content portion may be inserted, wherein said initial schedule portion indicates a preliminary schedule for inserting supplemental content into said primary content portion based on a transit schedule for a particular mobile element;

refining said initial schedule portion to generate an updated insertion schedule for inserting supplemental content into said primary content portion based on changes to the transit schedule for said particular mobile element; and

inserting supplemental content into said primary content portion at markers in accordance with said updated insertion schedule to generate a customized communications stream for output to at least one user of said particular mobile element.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said schedule portion is based on a predetermined transit and broadcast schedule for said one of a plurality of mobile elements.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

converting the input of said inputting step into a audiovisual signal provided to a distribution system for output to said user.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said supplemental content portion includes at least one of customized advertisement information, graphic overlays, text streams, and branding segments.