System and method for displaying air traffic information

• US 7,907,067 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flightaware LLC (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Flightaware LLC (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Baker, Daniel, McNett, David Cameron, Lehenbauer, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Lam P
• Application Number:
  US12/836,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 243 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945, 340/988, 701/1, 701 14- 18, 715769-771
• US Class Current: 340/971
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan

Abstract

A computer-implemented system and method for the processing and presentation of customizable aviation information is disclosed. At plurality of flight information is received over a digital network and is stored in at least a database. The database includes aviation information as well as aviation related content and advertisements. The user is able to customize a series of screen layouts for display using a combination of screen segments containing content stored at least partially in the database. In addition, the user may create personalized messages and status update for display in response to a variety of flight conditions. In one form, the results may be presented using a large display monitor by an aircraft service provider. Additionally, the display may include only flight tracking information relevant to recent and future customers.

Claims

1. A method of readily customizing the display of near real-time flight information derived from flight tracking in which the display uses a client computer connected to a monitor, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying on the monitor of the computer, a first list of at least four arrival flights to an airport, with each flight having associated data based on near real-time flight tracking, so as to allow the user to select from said first list, a second subset list of several flights each having associated data based on near real-time flight tracking and being of particular interest to a person viewing the display, and

receiving, from the user, a selection selecting from said first list several flights, but less than all, to be used in displaying the second list of said several flights including associated data for each of said several flights that is based on near real-time flight tracking, and displaying said second list without including display in said second list of those flights in the first list that were not selected for display, whereby a user can readily customize the display to include an independent message for each of several flights particularly suited to the user, without including other flights to the same airport that are not particularly suited to the user and;

determining an arrival time determined from the near real time flight tracking data along with an identification of the aircraft type for each of said several flights in said second list, and

automatically triggering said independent message when the time to arrival for one of said several flights in said second list reaches a predetermined threshold, said independent message containing personalized information beyond flight characteristics.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said second list is made by a user viewing the first list on one portion of a display and by selecting flights on the first list to generate the second list on an adjacent portion of the display.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the selection can be made by dragging and dropping flights from the first list to the second list.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the selection can be made using buttons to add flights from the first list to the second list.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the user can both select from the first list flights to be included on the second list and deselect from the second list, flights to be removed from the second list.

6. The method of claim 5 which includes simultaneous lists of both arrivals and departures from which to create smaller lists of both arrivals and departures.