On-board vessel entertainment system

• US 8,997,159 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alaska Airlines Incorporated (Alaska Air Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Virgin America Incorporated (Alaska Air Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ogilvie, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US11/853,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20080141315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,759 Days
• Field of Search: 705/22, 725/43, 725 74- 77
• US Class Current: 725/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• 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 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An improved user experience is provided for passengers on a vessel such as an airplane, train or ship. Passengers can customize their travel experience ahead of time by accessing a web-based server system to indicate preferences with respect to a number of in-flight entertainment options. The passenger'"'"'s experience is also enhanced by allowing passengers to share preferences such as media playlists with others. Meals can be ordered on-demand once on board, and seat-to-seat chat as well as group chatting is also made available through an in-seat or other proximate entertainment device.

Claims

1. A method for providing service items to an aircraft passenger, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one computer aboard an aircraft, passenger manifest data for a flight;

receiving, by the computer aboard the aircraft, passenger preference data received from passengers on the flight prior to embarkation aboard the aircraft;

receiving, by the computer aboard the aircraft, inventory information describing available food and beverage items aboard the aircraft, the inventory information including an available quantity of each item;

identifying, by the computer from the received passenger preference data, passenger preference data for a first passenger, the passenger preference data indicating a special meal type for the first passenger;

displaying to the first passenger aboard the aircraft on a first entertainment device a plurality of menu options, the menu options including an entertainment option and a food ordering option;

receiving from the first passenger at the first entertainment device a selection of the food ordering option;

responsive to the selection of the food ordering option, displaying on the first entertainment device a description of the available food and beverage items associated with the special meal type indicated for the first passenger, at least some of the items having a displayed associated cost;

receiving, at the first entertainment device, a request from the first passenger for one of the displayed food or beverage items;

receiving, at the first entertainment device, payment from the first passenger of the cost associated with the requested food or beverage item;

responsive to receiving the payment from the first passenger, displaying on an amenities module a description of the requested item and a seat location of the first passenger;

receiving, at the amenities module, an indication that the requested item has been delivered to the first passenger in response to the displaying on the amenities module of the description of the requested item;

responsive to receiving the indication that the requested item has been delivered, decrementing the available inventory of the requested food or beverage item; and

displaying on a second entertainment device accessible to a second passenger a description of the available food and beverage items, wherein responsive to a determination that the available inventory of the item requested by the first passenger is zero, the description of the available food and beverage items displayed to the second passenger does not include the item requested by the first passenger.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the amenities module includes a plurality of input buttons for receiving entry of new requests for food and beverages, and further comprising:

receiving at the amenities module a selection of an input button enabling entry of new requests for food and beverages;

receiving via an order fulfillment screen input specifying order information for a second request for food and beverages;

receiving via the order fulfillment screen input indicating that the second request has been completed; and

updating the stored inventory information based on the second request.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving via the order fulfillment screen input for viewing additional order information; and

displaying an order details screen including, for each item in the received request, a quantity, description, price, and subtotal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the described food and beverage items are available at no cost.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the amenities module is a tablet PC.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the amenities module is fixed to a galley of the aircraft.

7. An aircraft entertainment system comprising:

a vessel inventory database including inventory information describing available food and beverage items aboard an aircraft, the inventory information including an available quantity of each item, and pre-loaded with initial inventory information prior to departure of the aircraft on a flight;

a passenger database, coupled to the vessel inventory database, and including passenger manifest data for the flight;

a user preferences database, coupled to the passenger database, for storing passenger preference data received from passengers on the flight prior to embarkation aboard the aircraft, the passenger preference data indicating a special meal type for at least some of the passengers on the flight;

a plurality of entertainment devices aboard the aircraft, the plurality including a first entertainment device configured to;

display a plurality of menu options, the menu options including an entertainment option and a food ordering option;

receive from a first passenger at the first entertainment device a selection of the food ordering option;

responsive to the selection of the food ordering option and user preference data indicating a special meal type for the first passenger, obtain from the vessel inventory database the information describing the available food and beverage items aboard the aircraft and display at least a portion of the information on the first entertainment device according to the special meal type, at least some of the items having a displayed associated cost;

receive a request from the first passenger for one of the displayed food or beverage items and payment of the cost associated with the requested food or beverage item; and

responsive to receiving the payment from the first passenger, providing to an amenities module a description of the requested item and a seat location of the first passenger;

the amenities module, coupled to the plurality of entertainment devices, adapted to;

display indicia of the requested item including the seat location of the first passenger;

receive an indication that the requested item has been delivered to the first passenger in response to the displayed indicia;

responsive to receiving the indication that the requested item has been delivered, decrementing the available inventory of the requested food or beverage item in the vessel inventory database; and

a second of the plurality of entertainment devices, the second device coupled to the first entertainment device, the amenities module and the vessel inventory database, and adapted to;

obtain from the vessel inventory database updated information describing the available food and beverage items aboard the aircraft, the updated information reflective of the decrementing by the amenities module, and to display a description of the available food and beverage items, wherein responsive to a determination that the available inventory of the item requested by the first passenger is zero, the description of the available food and beverage items displayed to the second passenger does not include the item requested by the first passenger.

8. The aircraft of claim 7 wherein the amenities module is a tablet PC.

9. The aircraft of claim 7 wherein the amenities module is fixed to a galley of the aircraft.

10. The aircraft entertainment system of claim 7 wherein the amenities module includes a plurality of input buttons for receiving entry of new requests for food and beverages, and is further adapted to:

receive a selection of an input button enabling entry of new requests for food and beverages;

receive via an order fulfillment screen input specifying order information for a second request for food and beverages;

receive via the order fulfillment screen input indicating that the second request has been completed; and

update the stored inventory information based on the second request.

11. The aircraft entertainment system of claim 10, the amenities module further configured to:

receive via the order fulfillment screen input for viewing additional order information; and

display an order details screen including, for each item in the received request, a quantity, description, price, and subtotal.

12. The aircraft entertainment system of claim 7 wherein at least some of the described food and beverage items are available at no cost.

13. A computer program product for providing service items to an aircraft passenger, the computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and including program code for performing steps comprising:

receiving aboard an aircraft passenger manifest data for a flight;

receiving aboard the aircraft, inventory information describing available food and beverage items aboard the aircraft, the inventory information including an available quantity of each item;

receiving aboard the aircraft passenger preference data received from passengers on the flight prior to embarkation aboard the aircraft;

identifying, from the received passenger preference data, passenger preference data for a first passenger, the passenger preference data indicating a special meal type for the first passenger;

displaying to the first passenger aboard the aircraft on a first entertainment device a plurality of menu options, the menu options including an entertainment option and a food ordering option;

receiving from the first passenger at the first entertainment device a selection of the food ordering option;

responsive to the selection of the food ordering option, displaying on the first entertainment device a description of the available food and beverage items associated with the special meal type indicated for the first passenger, at least some of the items having a displayed associated cost;

receiving, at the first entertainment device, a request from the first passenger for one of the displayed food or beverage items;

receiving, at the first entertainment device, payment from the first passenger of the cost associated with the requested food or beverage item;

responsive to receiving the payment from the first passenger, displaying on an amenities module a description of the requested item and a seat location of the first passenger;

receiving, at the amenities module, an indication that the requested item has been delivered to the first passenger in response to the displaying on the amenities module of the description of the requested item;

responsive to receiving the indication that the requested item has been delivered, decrementing the available inventory of the requested food or beverage item; and

displaying on a second entertainment device accessible to a second passenger a description of the available food and beverage items, wherein responsive to a determination that the available inventory of the item requested by the first passenger is zero, the description of the available food and beverage items displayed to the second passenger does not include the item requested by the first passenger.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein at least some of the described food and beverage items are available at no cost.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the amenities module includes a plurality of input buttons for receiving entry of new requests for food and beverages, and the steps further comprising:

receiving at the amenities module a selection of an input button enabling entry of new requests for food and beverages;

receiving via an order fulfillment screen input specifying order information for a second request for food and beverages;

receiving via the order fulfillment screen input indicating that the second request has been completed; and

updating the stored inventory information based on the second request.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, the steps further comprising:

receiving via the order fulfillment screen input for viewing additional order information; and

displaying an order details screen including, for each item in the received request, a quantity, description, price, and subtotal.