Flight planning system with bookmarking

• US 8,856,673 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Dorfmann, Cindy, Sindlinger, Andreas, Barraci, Nima
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/074,413
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771, 715/856, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing vehicle information. The vehicle information is displayed on a display system for a vehicle. The vehicle information is for operating the vehicle. An item in the vehicle information is placed in a group of items of interest in response to receiving a user input selecting the item from the vehicle information as an item of interest. A number of items in the group of items of interest is displayed in association with a number of graphical indicators on the display system. The number of graphical indicators identifies the number of items as a number of items of interest.

Claims

1. A method for managing vehicle information, the method comprising:

displaying the vehicle information as an item on a display system for a vehicle, such that the vehicle information is for operating the vehicle, and displaying the item with an icon for receiving a user input selecting the item as belonging to a group of items of interest;

forming an item of interest by placing the item into the group of items of interest within an information management module in a computer system in response to receiving the user input selecting the icon with the item;

associating the item, and a location on a map for the item, with the group of items of interest;

changing a display of the icon, responsive to receiving at the icon the user input selecting the item into the group of items of interest, creating a changed icon;

displaying a number of items, each of the number of items being displayed in association with a number of graphical indicators on the display system, the number of graphical indicators comprising the changed icon identifying the number of items as being from the group of items of interest; and

displaying in a second area on the display system, in response to receiving a selection of a graphical indicator in the number of graphical indicators, a portion of the map containing the location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle information is displayed in a first area of a display device in the display system, and further comprising:

displaying the map in the second area of the display device, the map configured for use in operating the vehicle and comprising at least one of;

an indication of a current location of the vehicle; and

an orientation of the vehicle in a location on the map corresponding to the current location.

3. The method of claim 1, such that forming the item of interest comprises:

associating context information with the item to be placed in the group of items of interest for the vehicle information in response to the user input selecting the item in the vehicle information as the item of interest; and

placing the item having the context information associated with the item in the group of items of interest.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the context information comprises at least one of a period of time for the item, a phase of operation for the vehicle for the item, and the location on the map for the item.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the portion being displayed in a more prominent fashion than before receiving the selection of the graphical indicator.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the graphical indicator indicates that the location on the map is present for the item of interest.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is a first user input and further comprising:

displaying only the group of items of interest in an area of the display system in response to receiving a second user input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the vehicle information as the item on the display system comprises:

displaying the vehicle information in an area on the display system for the vehicle; and

wherein the step of displaying the number of items comprises;

displaying each of the number of items in the group of items of interest in association with the number of graphical indicators on the display system in the area, wherein the number of graphical indicators comprises the changed icon.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle information comprises at least one of a route, weather information, a notice to airmen, a radio frequency, and a waypoint.

10. A method for managing flight information for an aircraft, the method comprising:

displaying the flight information for the aircraft as an item in a first area on a display system for the aircraft with an icon for receiving a user input selecting the item into a group of items of interest within an information management module;

displaying a map in a second area on the display system, the map comprising at least one of;

an indication of a current location of the aircraft; and

an orientation of the aircraft in a location on the map corresponding to the current location;

forming an item of interest by placing the item into the group of items of interest in response to receiving at the icon the user input selecting the item, and thereby associating the item, and a location on the map for the item, with the group of items of interest;

displaying in the second area of the display system, in response to receiving a selection of a graphical indicator in a number of graphical indicators, a portion of the map containing the location;

changing a display of the icon, responsive to receiving at the icon the user input selecting the item into the group of items of interest, creating a changed icon;

displaying, in the first area, a number of items from the group of items of interest; and

displaying, in the first area, in association with each of the number of items the number of graphical indicators, the number of graphical indicators comprising the changed icon.

11. The method of claim 10,

further comprising displaying a number of other items, the number of other items each lacking a corresponding graphical indicator, in the first area, in which the number of other items is not in the group of items of interest.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of displaying the number of items comprises:

displaying only the number of items in the group of items of interest in association with the number of graphical indicators in the first.

13. The method of claim 10, such that forming the item of interest comprises:

associating context information with the item to be placed in the group of items of interest in response to the user input selecting the item in the flight information as the item of interest; and

placing the item having the context information associated with the item in the group of items of interest.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the context information comprises at least one of a period of time for the item, a phase of flight for the item, and the location on the map for the item.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the flight information comprises at least one of a route, weather information, a notice to airmen, a radio frequency, and a waypoint.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a display system for a vehicle; and

an information management module in communication with the display system, wherein the information management module is configured to;

display vehicle information in a first area on the display system as an item, wherein the vehicle information is for operating the vehicle;

place the item in the vehicle information into a group of items of interest within the information management module in response to receiving a user input, at an icon displayed with the item, selecting the item from the vehicle information as an item of interest;

associate the item, and a location on a map for the item, with the group of items of interest;

display, in a second area of the display system, in response to receiving a selection of a graphical indicator in a number of graphical indicators, a portion of the map containing the location; and

display a number of items in association with the number of graphical indicators comprising a changed display of the icon, such that the changed display of the icon identifies the number of items as being from the group of items of interest.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein in being configured to display the vehicle information on the display system, the information management module is configured to display the vehicle information in the first area of a display device in the display system and display the map in the second area of the display device, wherein the map is configured for use in operating the vehicle.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein in being configured to place the item in the vehicle information in the group of items of interest in response to receiving the user input selecting the item from the vehicle information as the item of interest, the information management module is configured to associate context information with the item in response to the user input selecting the item in the vehicle information as the item of interest;

and place the item having the context information associated with the item in the group of items of interest.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the context information comprises at least one of a period of time for the item, a phase of operation for the vehicle for the item, and the location on the map for the item.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user input is a first user input and wherein in being configured to place the item in the vehicle information in the group of items of interest in response to receiving the first user input selecting the item from the vehicle information as the item of interest, the information management module is configured to associate the item with the group of items of interest for the vehicle information in response to the first user input selecting the item in the vehicle information as the item of interest in which the item is associated with the location on the map for the item;

and display the map with the location on the display system in response to a second user input.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user input is a first user input and wherein the information management module is further configured to display the number of items, from the group of items of interest, in an area of the display system without items of the vehicle information that are unselected as items of interest in response to receiving a second user input.

22. A method for managing flight information, the method comprising:

displaying in a first area on a display, a number of graphical indicators in association with a number of items of flight information on a display device, the number of items of flight information being associated with a number of locations on a map, the map comprising at least one of;

an indication of a current location of an aircraft; and

an orientation of the aircraft in a location on the map corresponding to the current location; and

responsive to receiving a user input selecting a graphical indicator in the number of graphical indicators, displaying, in a second area on the display, at least a portion of the map, with a location in the number of locations displayed in a more prominent fashion than before receiving the user input, on the display device, in which the location is associated with the graphical indicator.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the user input is a first user input and the graphical indicator is a first graphical indicator displayed in association with an item and further comprising:

responsive to receiving a second user input selecting a second graphical indicator in the number of graphical indicators, placing the item associated with the first graphical indicator and the second graphical indicator in a group of items of interest for the flight information, and changing a form of the second graphical indicator.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the user input is a first user input and the graphical indicator is a first graphical indicator displayed in association with an item, and further comprising:

responsive to receiving a second user input selecting a second graphical indicator in the number of graphical indicators, removing the item associated with the first graphical indicator and the second graphical indicator from a group of items of interest for the flight information, and changing a form of the second graphical indicator.