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Entertainment system with looped daisy-chained network of docking stations

  • US 8,484,686 B2
  • Filed: 11/02/2009
  • Issued: 07/09/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A vehicular entertainment system, comprising:

  • a media server storing media content in a media database on computer readable media and having a first server port and a second server port;

    a plurality of docking stations, each of which is disposed at a seatback, bulk head, ceiling, or wall panel of a vehicle, and each having at least a first station port and a second station port, and each docking station configured to receive a media player and adapted to allow any one of a plurality of removable embeddable media players to dock with the docking station, wherein each of the plurality of media players is configured to store at least some content locally;

    wherein at least some of the plurality of docking stations comprise a media player bypass configured to direct network data between a docking stations first station port and second station port when a media player is undocked, wherein the media player bypass is configured to route network data among the first station port, the second station port, and media player port of the at least some of the plurality of docking stations when the media layer is docked;

    wherein the media server directly connects with the plurality of docking stations forming a first looped daisy-chained network where the media server and the plurality docking stations are daisy chained directly via the media server'"'"'s first server port and second server port and the plurality of docking stations'"'"' first station ports and second station ports; and

    wherein the media server and the first looped daisy-chained network of docking stations are disposed within an aircraft or a ground vehicle, wherein when the media server and the first looped daisy-chained network of docking stations are disposed within the aircraft there are at least ten docking stations, and when the media server and the first looped daisy-chained network of docking stations are disposed within the ground vehicle there are at least two docking stations.

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