Entertainment systems utilizing field replaceable storage units

• US 9,015,776 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Passenger Innovations LLC (Safran SA)
• Original Assignee: Systems and Software Enterprises LLC (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Bird, Randall, Cote, Kevin, Farley, Rodney, Renton, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): EKPO, NNENNA NGOZI
• Application Number:
  US14/066,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 725/75, 725/77, 725/76, 725/80, 725/82
• US Class Current: 725/76
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0003 inside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0078 Quick-disconnect two-parts mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0096 Theft prevention of articles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0294 Apparatus with multi-functionalities, e.g. radio and telephone
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets

Abstract

Vehicular entertainment systems where devices in the systems can each utilize a common type of storage units are presented. A vehicular entertainment system can include a media server head unit in communication over a network with a plurality of media players that are installed about the cabin of a vehicle. Media content can be stored on a plurality of field replaceable storage units where each of the storage units can be installed in any one of the players or the server. Each of the storage units can store a substantially identical content set including passenger content, player content, server content, crew content, or other types of content. The server or players can be restricted from accessing content to which they lack rights, possibly based on a location identifier that indicates roles or responsibilities of the players at their installed location.

Claims

1. An entertainment system for a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of physically-similar, field-replaceable storage devices, each of which stores a media content set that is similar to the media content sets stored by others of the field-replaceable storage devices;

a media server having at least one receptacle for the field-replaceable storage devices, the media server configured to receive a field-replaceable storage device and access the media content set stored on the field-replaceable storage device;

a plurality of media players installed within a cabin of a vehicle, each of which is configured to receive a storage device of the plurality of physically-similar, field-replaceable storage devices; and

wherein each of the plurality of media players is configured to access at least some of the content stored on the field-replaceable storage device local to that media player.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media players comprises at least 10 media players installed within the cabin of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media players comprises at least 100 media players installed within the cabin of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the media players is communicatively coupled to a media server.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a set of passive, spare media players that are physically similar to the plurality of media players, wherein each media player of the set of passive, spare media players is configured to receive a storage device of the plurality of physically-similar, field-replaceable storage devices.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second plurality of field-replaceable storage devices that are physically-similar to the plurality of storage devices, wherein each of the second plurality of storage devices stores an updated media content set.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of media players installed within the cabin of the vehicle is configured to (a) allow the storage device of the plurality of storage devices to be removed and (b) receive in its place a storage device of the second plurality of field-replaceable storage devices, and wherein each of the media players is further configured access at least some of the updated content stored on the storage device local to that media player.

8. An entertainment system for a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of sets of physically-similar, field-replaceable storage devices, each set collectively storing media content that is similar to the media content stored by other sets of the field-replaceable storage devices;

a media server having at least one receptacle to receive a set of the field-replaceable storage devices, the media server configured to receive the set of the field-replaceable storage devices and access the media content stored on the set;

a plurality of media players installed within a cabin of a vehicle, each of which is configured to receive a set of storage devices of the plurality of physically-similar, field-replaceable storage devices; and

wherein each of the media players is configured to access at least some of the media content stored on the set of field-replaceable storage device received by that media player.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each set comprises a single storage unit that stores the media content.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein each set comprises at least two field-replaceable storage devices that collectively store the media content.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the media content is striped across the field-replaceable storage devices of each set.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a second plurality of physically-similar, field-replaceable storage devices divided into second sets of the storage devices, where each of the second sets collectively stores updated media content.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the media players is configured to receive one of the second sets of storage devices and access at least some of the updated media content.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the media players is communicatively coupled to the media server.

15. A method of updating media content stored on media players of a vehicular entertainment system, comprising:

providing access to a plurality of media players configured to be installed within a cabin of a vehicle, wherein each of the media players has an installed set of field-replaceable storage units that collectively store a digital media content set that is similar to a content set stored by others of the media players;

providing access to a media server having at least one receptacle configured to receive a set of the field-replaceable storage units, and to access the digital media content set from the set of received field-replaceable storage units;

providing access to a plurality of second sets of field-replaceable storage units, where each of the second sets collectively stores an updated digital media content set that is similar to a content set stored by others of the second sets of the field-replaceable storage units and that differs from the digital media content set;

updating the content stored on each of the plurality of media players by physically replacing the installed set of field-replaceable storage units on each media player with one of the second sets of field-replaceable storage units; and

wherein each of the field-replaceable storage units are physically similar to one another.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the media players comprises a set of receptacles, each of which is configured to receive a field-replaceable storage unit.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising a step of restricting access to the set of receptacles.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising installing the plurality of media players that each includes one of the second sets of field-replaceable storage units into a plurality of docking stations disposed within the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the second sets comprises one or more field-replaceable units.