Dynamic configuration management

• US 7,860,497 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2004
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Johnson, Steven A., Forbes, Ben C., Payne, Christopher R., D'Annunzio, Michael A., Phan, Tri M., Dietiker, Rolf P., Fagan, C. L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, NAM TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/973,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20050221818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,254 Days
• Field of Search: 455/431, 455/67.11, 455 95- 99, 455/423, 455/345, 455427-430, 455/9, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 340945-983, 340438-439, 701 3- 18, 701/29, 701 30- 36
• US Class Current: 455/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

Configuration of hardware and software onboard a mobile platform may be dynamically managed without significantly impacting a data stream from the mobile platform. Configuration data for equipment and resident software aboard a mobile platform is electronically reported in the form of a part number and a serial number. The configuration data is transferred to a terrestrial database via a mobile communications network. The configuration data is displayed to stakeholders, such as the network-provider enterprise and its customers. Invalid configurations may cause alerts.

Claims

1. A method for managing configuration of a mobile communications network, the method comprising:

receiving an electronic report including sensed configuration data indicating at least one of equipment aboard a mobile platform and resident software aboard the mobile platform, wherein the electronic report is generated based on sensed configuration data automatically sensed onboard the mobile platform after the mobile platform has been out of communication with a terrestrial station of a mobile communications network for a predetermined time period;

transferring the sensed configuration data to a first terrestrial database via a mobile communications network; and

generating a display of the sensed configuration data that pertains to the mobile platform, wherein the display is accessible by a particular user, and wherein the display does not enable the particular user to access historical configuration data;

wherein predetermined configuration data including the historical configuration data is recorded onboard the mobile platform and stored in a second terrestrial database, and wherein the sensed configuration data includes data that pertains to a mobile platform in a customer'"'"'s fleet and is accessible by the customer, and wherein the predetermined configuration data is not accessible by the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensed configuration data includes hardware part number and serial number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensed configuration data includes software part number and version number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensed configuration data is trackable to at least one of serialized line replaceable units and serialized line replaceable modules.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensed configuration data is accessible by an operator of the mobile communications network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the sensed configuration data with the predetermined configuration data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, when a change is determined between the sensed configuration data and the predetermined configuration data, requesting additional sensed configuration data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving another electronic report including the additional sensed configuration data.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating an alert when a difference is determined between the sensed configuration data and the predetermined configuration data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the display of the sensed configuration data comprises generating a web interface including the sensed configuration data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the display of the sensed configuration data comprises:

generating a first display including a first view accessible by a provider of the mobile communications network; and

generating a second display including a second view accessible by a user of the mobile communications network, wherein the first view and the second view are different.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first display includes information about one or more mobile platforms that are not associated with the user of the mobile communications network.

13. A system for managing configuration of a mobile communications network, the system comprising:

a terrestrial station including;

a communications component to communicate data with a communications system onboard a mobile platform, wherein the communications system onboard the mobile platform automatically gathers sensed configuration data when the communications system has been out of communication with the terrestrial station for a predetermined time period and wherein the communication system reports the sensed configuration data to the terrestrial station, wherein the sensed configuration data includes at least one of an identity of equipment aboard the mobile platform and an identity of resident software aboard the mobile platform;

a first database component configured to store the sensed configuration data received from the mobile platform; and

a display interface to generate a first display of the sensed configuration data that includes a first view accessible by a provider of the mobile communications network, and to generate a second display of the sensed configuration data that includes a second view accessible by a user of the mobile communications network, wherein the first view and the second view are different.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communications system onboard the mobile platform places the sensed configuration data in a message having a predetermined format.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the communications system onboard the mobile platform further includes a transmitter configured to transmit the message.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the terrestrial station further includes a second database component configured to store predetermined configuration data regarding equipment and software installed onboard the mobile platform.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the configuration data includes a part number and a serial number.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein hardware may be tracked to at least one of serialized line replaceable units and serialized line replaceable modules.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein configuration data is accessible by an operator of the terrestrial station.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein configuration data that pertains to a mobile platform in a customer'"'"'s fleet may be accessed by the customer.

21. A method for managing configuration of a mobile communications network, the method comprising:

receiving an electronic report via a mobile communications network, the electronic report including sensed configuration data identifying at least one of equipment aboard a mobile platform and resident software aboard the mobile platform, wherein the electronic report is generated based on sensed configuration data automatically sensed onboard the mobile platform after the mobile platform has been out of communication with a terrestrial station of a mobile communications network for a predetermined time period;

generating a first display based on the sensed configuration data, the first display including a first view accessible by a provider of the mobile communications network; and

generating a second display based on the sensed configuration data, the second display including a second view accessible by a user of the mobile communications network, wherein the first view and the second view are different.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first display includes information about one or more mobile platforms that are not associated with the user of the mobile communications network.

23. A system for managing configuration of a mobile communications network, the system comprising:

a communications system onboard a mobile platform, the communications system configured to electronically report sensed configuration data for at least one set of configuration items chosen from an identity of equipment aboard the mobile platform and an identity of resident software aboard the mobile platform, the communications system including a server having a first component configured to automatically sense the sensed configuration data responsive to the mobile platform being out of communication with a mobile communications network for a predetermined time period; and

a terrestrial station including;

a communications component configured to communicate data with the mobile platform;

a first database component configured to store sensed configuration data received from the mobile platform; and

a display device configured to generate a first view of the sensed configuration data, the first view accessible by a provider of the mobile communications network and to generate a second view of the sensed configuration data, the second view accessible by a user of the mobile communications network, wherein the first view and the second view are different.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first view includes information about one or more mobile platforms that are not associated with the user of the mobile communications network.