Registration of a personal electronic device (PED) with an aircraft IFE system using PED generated registration token images and associated methods

• US 9,143,807 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Keen, R. Michael, Frisco, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US12/820,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20110314490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,918 Days
• Field of Search: 725/23, 725 76- 78
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An aircraft communications system includes at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger, and an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. The PED includes a PED display, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller for generating a respective registration token image on the PED display. The aircraft IFE system includes an IFE video entertainment source, IFE passenger seat displays, a respective IFE optical sensor associated with each of the IFE passenger seat displays, an IFE wireless transceiver, and an IFE controller. The IFE controller is for selectively displaying video from the IFE entertainment source on the IFE passenger seat displays, and for communicating with the PED wireless transceiver via the IFE wireless transceiver based upon a respective IFE optical sensor sensing the registration token image on the PED display.

Claims

1. A communications system for an aircraft comprising:

at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger within an aircraft, the at least PED comprising a PED display, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller for generating a respective registration token image on said PED display, and for communicating via said PED wireless transceiver;

an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system comprising at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, a respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated with each of said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays for sensing the respective registration token image being displayed on said PED display, at least one IFE wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate within the aircraft, and at least one IFE controller for selectively displaying video from said at least one IFE entertainment source on said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, and for directly communicating within the aircraft with said PED wireless transceiver via said at least one IFE wireless transceiver based upon the respective fixed IFE optical sensor sensing the respective registration token image being displayed on said PED display;

said at least one PED being registered with said aircraft IFE system and assigned to the IFE passenger seat display having the respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated therewith that sensed the displayed respective registration token image, said PED wireless transceiver communicating directly with said at least one IFE wireless transceiver upon registration.

2. The communications system according to claim 1 further comprising a PED input device coupled to said PED controller and cooperating therewith for remotely controlling said at least one IFE controller upon registration therewith.

3. The communications system according to claim 2 wherein said PED input device is for selectively controlling displayed video on said IFE passenger seat display that is assigned to the at least one PED that displayed the respective registration token image used in the registration.

4. The communications system according to claim 3 wherein selectively controlling displayed video is at least one of start, stop, pause, channel selection, volume, brightness, mute, forward, reverse, guide and zoom.

5. The communications system according to claim 1 further comprising a PED video entertainment source coupled to said PED controller and cooperating therewith, said PED controller for selectively displaying video from said PED video entertainment source on said passenger seat display that is assigned to the at least one PED that displayed the respective registration token image used in the registration.

6. The communications system according to claim 5 further comprising a PED input device coupled to said PED controller and cooperating therewith for selectively controlling the displayed video from said PED video entertainment source.

7. The communications system according to claim 6 wherein said PED input device is for at least one of start, stop, pause, channel selection, volume, brightness, mute, forward and reverse.

8. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the PED display is coupled to said PED controller and cooperates therewith for selectively displaying video from said at least one IFE video entertainment source.

9. The communications system according to claim 8 further comprising a PED input device coupled to said PED controller and cooperating therewith for remotely controlling the displayed video by said at least one IFE controller.

10. The communications system according to claim 9 wherein said PED input device is for at least one of start, stop, pause, channel selection, volume, brightness, mute, forward and reverse.

11. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said respective fixed optical sensor comprises a camera.

12. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the respective registration token image is a bar code.

13. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said PED wireless transceiver comprises a PED radio frequency (RF) transceiver, and said at least one IFE wireless transceiver comprises at least one IFE RF transceiver.

14. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one IFE controller comprises a plurality of IFE seat electronic box (SEB) controllers arranged throughout the aircraft;

and wherein said at least one IFE wireless transceiver comprises at least one IFE SEB wireless transceiver in each IFE SEB controller.

15. An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for use with at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger within an aircraft, the at least one PED comprising a PED display, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller for generating a respective registration token image on the PED display, and for communicating via the PED wireless transceiver, the aircraft IFE system comprising:

at least one IFE video entertainment source;

a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays;

a respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated with each of said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays for sensing the respective registration token image being displayed on said PED display;

at least one IFE wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate within the aircraft; and

at least one IFE controller for selectively displaying video from said at least one

IFE entertainment source on said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, and for directly communicating within the aircraft with the PED wireless transceiver via said at least one IFE wireless transceiver based upon the respective fixed IFE optical sensor sensing the respective registration token image being displayed on the at least one PED;

the at least one PED being registered with the aircraft IFE system and assigned to the IFE passenger seat display having the respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated therewith that sensed the displayed respective registration token image, the PED wireless transceiver communicating directly with said at least one IFE wireless transceiver upon registration.

16. The aircraft IFE system according to claim 15 wherein the at least one PED further comprises a PED input device coupled to the PED controller;

and wherein said at least one IFE controller is remotely controlled based on receiving inputs from the PED input device upon registration.

17. The aircraft IFE system according to claim 16 wherein the PED input device is for selectively controlling displayed video on the IFE passenger seat display that is assigned to the at least one PED that displayed the respective registration token image used in the registration.

18. The aircraft IFE system according to claim 15 wherein the at least one PED further comprises a PED video entertainment source coupled to said PED controller;

and wherein said at least one IFE wireless transceiver receives video from the PED video entertainment source via the PED wireless transceiver for display on the IFE passenger seat display that is assigned to the at least one PED that displayed the registration token image used in the registration.

19. The aircraft IFE system according to claim 15 wherein the PED display is coupled to the PED controller;

and wherein said at least one IFE wireless transceiver provides video from said IFE video entertainment source to the PED wireless transceiver for display on the PED display via the PED controller.

20. A personal electronic device (PED) to be carried by an aircraft passenger within an aircraft for use with an aircraft IFE system comprising at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, a respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated with each of the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, at least one IFE wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate within the aircraft, and least one IFE controller for selectively displaying video from the at least one IFE entertainment source on the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, and for directly communicating within the aircraft via the at least one IFE wireless transceiver, the PED comprising:

a PED display;

a PED wireless transceiver; and

a PED controller for generating a respective registration token image on said PED display, and for communicating with the at least one IFE wireless transceiver via said PED wireless transceiver based upon a the respective fixed IFE optical sensor sensing the respective registration token image being displayed on said PED display;

the PED being registered with the aircraft IFE system and assigned to the IFE passenger seat display having the respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated therewith that sensed the displayed respective registration token image, said PED wireless transceiver communicating directly with the at least one IFE wireless transceiver upon registration.

21. The PED according to claim 20 further comprising a PED input device coupled to said PED controller and cooperating therewith for remotely controlling the at least one IFE controller upon registration therewith.

22. The PED according to claim 21 wherein said PED input device is for selectively controlling displayed video on the IFE passenger seat display that is assigned to the PED that displayed the registration token image used in the registration.

23. The PED according to claim 20 further comprising a PED video entertainment source coupled to said PED controller and cooperating therewith, said PED controller for selectively displaying video from said PED video entertainment source on said passenger seat display that is assigned to the PED that displayed the registration token image used in the registration.

24. The PED according to claim 20 wherein the PED display is coupled to said PED controller and cooperates therewith for selectively displaying video from the at least one IFE video entertainment source.

25. A method for operating an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for use with at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger within an aircraft, the at least one PED comprising a PED display, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller for generating a respective registration token image on the PED display, and for communicating via the PED wireless transceiver;

the aircraft IFE system comprising at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, a respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated with each of the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays for sensing the respective registration token image being displayed on the PED display, at least one IFE wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate within the aircraft, and at least one IFE controller coupled to the at least one IFE video entertainment source, the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, the respective fixed IFE optical sensors, and the at least one IFE wireless transceiver, the method comprising;

operating the least one IFE controller for selectively displaying video from the at least one IFE entertainment source on the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, and

for directly communicating within the aircraft with the PED wireless transceiver via the at least one IFE wireless transceiver based upon the respective fixed IFE optical sensor sensing the respective registration token image being displayed on the PED display;

the at least one PED being registered with the aircraft IFE system and assigned to the IFE passenger seat display having the respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated therewith that sensed the displayed respective registration token image, the PED wireless transceiver communicating directly with the at least one IFE wireless transceiver upon registration.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein the at least one PED further comprises a PED input device coupled to the PED controller;

and wherein the at least one IFE controller is remotely controlled based on receiving inputs from the PED input device upon registration.

27. The method according to claim 26 wherein the PED input device is for selectively controlling displayed video on the IFE passenger seat display that is assigned to the at least one PED that displayed the registration token image used in the registration.

28. The method according to claim 25 wherein the at least one PED further comprises a PED video entertainment source coupled to the PED controller;

and further comprising operating the at least one IFE wireless transceiver to receive video from the PED video entertainment source via the PED wireless transceiver for display on the IFE passenger seat display that is assigned to the at least one PED that displayed the registration token image used in the registration.

29. The method according to claim 25 wherein the PED display is coupled to the PED controller;

and wherein the at least one IFE wireless transceiver provides video from the IFE video entertainment source to the PED wireless transceiver for display on the PED display via the PED controller.

30. A method for operating a personal electronic device (PED) to be carried by an aircraft passenger within an aircraft for use with an aircraft IFE system, the aircraft IFE system comprising at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, a respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated with each of the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, at least one IFE wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate within the aircraft, and least one IFE controller for selectively displaying video from the at least one IFE entertainment source on the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, and for directly communicating within the aircraft via the at least one IFE wireless transceiver;

the PED comprising a PED display, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller coupled to the PED display and the PED wireless transceiver, the method comprising;

operating the PED controller for generating a respective registration token image on the PED display, and for communicating with the at least one IFE wireless transceiver via the PED wireless transceiver based upon the respective fixed IFE optical sensor sensing the respective registration token image being displayed on the PED display;

the PED being registered with the aircraft IFE system and assigned to the IFE passenger seat display having the respective fixed IFE optical sensor associated therewith that sensed the displayed respective registration token image, the PED wireless transceiver communicating directly with the at least one IFE wireless transceiver upon registration.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein the PED further comprises a PED input device coupled to the PED controller and cooperating therewith for remotely controlling the at least one IFE controller upon registration therewith.

32. The method according to claim 31 wherein the PED input device is for selectively controlling displayed video on the IFE passenger seat display that is assigned to the PED that displayed the registration token image used in the registration.

33. The method according to claim 30 wherein the PED further comprises a PED video entertainment source coupled to the PED controller and cooperating therewith, the PED controller for selectively displaying video from the PED video entertainment source on the passenger seat display that is assigned to the PED that displayed the registration token image used in the registration.

34. The method according to claim 30 wherein the PED display is coupled to the PED controller and cooperates therewith for selectively displaying video from the at least one IFE video entertainment source.