Multi-user disparate system communications manager

• US 9,406,236 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Saccone, Gregory T., Bailey, Louis J., Hale, Ryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Jimmy H
• Application Number:
  US13/911,398
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking

Abstract

A computer-based communications management system for managing multiple requests made by different users, in abstract or generalized formats, for data to be provided by various systems of interest. This computerized system is programmed to perform operations which ensure that requests from different users do not interfere with each other and that all information requested from the systems of interest is retrieved without missing or additional (i.e., not requested) information. Additionally, the system accommodates the functional differences between various systems of interest, and also uses relevant related data from other systems of interest to achieve greater data usefulness.

Claims

1. A communications management system for managing requests made by users for flight information originated by aircraft, comprising a computer system which is not disposed on any one of the aircraft and which is programmed to execute the following operations:

(a) store flight information representing data and the status of various aircraft in a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium;

(b) receive user requests from one or more users seeking flight information regarding an aircraft;

(c) determine whether a user request from a first user seeks flight information that is stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium or flight information that is not stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium;

(d) if a determination is made in operation (c) that the user request from the first user seeks flight information that is not stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium, then create a messaging profile for messaging to obtain flight information from at least said aircraft;

(e) determine whether said messaging profile conflicts with currently scheduled messaging requesting flight information regarding said aircraft or not; and

(f) if a determination is made in operation (e) that said messaging profile is in conflict with currently scheduled messaging requesting flight information regarding said aircraft, then execute a conflict resolution process.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said conflict resolution process is capable of determining whether the conflict can be resolved without affecting other messaging or not.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein if said conflict resolution process determines that the conflict cannot be resolved without impacting other messaging, said conflict resolution process is further capable of formulating a replan comprising a revised messaging profile, said replan being formulated to optimize impacts on messaging for users and the aircraft.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said formulating a replan comprises merging conflicting requests for flight information, the results of said merger being included in said revised messaging profile.

5. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said formulating a replan comprises substituting one conflicting request for flight information for another conflicting request for flight information, the results of said substitution being included in said revised messaging profile.

6. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said conflict resolution process is further capable of determining whether the replan should be approved by the requesting user or not, and if the replan should be approved by the requesting user, then constructing a conflict notice message containing flight information notifying the affected users of the conflict and the impact of the replan on the flight information sought by the requesting user.

7. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said computer system is further programmed to execute the following operations:

(g) construct one or more messages requesting flight information in accordance with said revised messaging profile; and

(h) send said one or more messages requesting flight information to said aircraft and any more messages requesting flight information to one or more other aircraft.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said computer system is further programmed to execute the following operations:

(i) receive flight information responsive to said sent messages;

(j) filter out from said received flight information any flight information not relevant to the user requests of the one or more users; and

(k) send the relevant flight information remaining after filtering to the appropriate user.

9. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein said computer system is further programmed to execute the following operations provided that said conflict resolution process has determined that the conflict can be resolved without impacting other messaging:

(g) construct one or more messages requesting flight information in accordance with said messaging profile; and

(h) send said one or more messages requesting information to said aircraft and any more messages requesting flight information to one or more other aircraft.

10. A communications management system for managing requests made by users for flight information originated by aircraft, comprising a computer system which is not disposed on any one of the aircraft and which is programmed to execute the following operations:

(a) store flight information of various aircraft in a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium;

(b) receive user requests from one or more users seeking flight information regarding an aircraft;

(c) determine whether a user request from a user seeks flight information that is stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium or flight information that is not stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium;

(d) if a determination is made in operation (c) that a user request seeks flight information that is not stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium, then create a messaging profile to update the current messaging and future messaging to obtain flight information from at least said aircraft;

(e) construct one or more messages that will be used as the current messaging requesting flight information;

(f) send said one or more messages requesting flight information to said aircraft and any more messages requesting flight information to one or more other aircraft in order to establish the current messaging;

(g) establish or update rules for continued processing of said future messaging for one or more aircraft;

(h) construct one or more future messages requesting flight information in accordance with said rules for continued processing as appropriate; and

(i) send said one or more future messages requesting flight information to said aircraft and any more future messages requesting flight information to one or more other aircraft.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein said computer system is further programmed to execute the following operations:

(j) determine whether said messaging profile conflicts with currently scheduled messaging requesting flight information regarding said aircraft or not; and

(k) if a determination is made in operation (j) that said messaging profile is in conflict with currently scheduled messaging regarding said aircraft, then formulate a replan comprising a revised messaging profile, said replan being formulated to optimize impacts on messaging for users and said aircraft.

12. A method for managing requests made by users for flight information originated by aircraft, comprising:

(a) storing flight information representing data and the status of various aircraft in a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium;

(b) receiving user requests from one or more users seeking flight information regarding an aircraft;

(c) determining whether a user request from a user seeks flight information that is stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium or flight information that is not stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium;

(d) creating a messaging profile for messaging to obtain flight information from at least said aircraft if it was determined that the user request from the user seeks flight information that is not stored in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium;

(e) determining whether said messaging profile conflicts with currently scheduled messaging requesting flight information regarding said aircraft or not; and

(f) executing a conflict resolution process if it was determined that said messaging profile is in conflict with currently scheduled messaging requesting flight information regarding said aircraft.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said conflict resolution process comprises determining whether the conflict can be resolved without affecting other messaging or not.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein if said conflict resolution process determines that the conflict cannot be resolved without impacting other messaging, said conflict resolution process further comprises formulating a replan comprising a revised messaging profile, said replan being formulated to optimize impacts on messaging for users and said aircraft.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said formulating a replan comprises merging conflicting requests for flight information, the results of said merger being included in said revised messaging profile.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said formulating a replan comprises substituting one conflicting request for flight information for another conflicting request for flight information, the results of said substitution being included in said revised messaging profile.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said conflict resolution process further comprises determining whether the replan should be approved by the requesting user or not, and if the replan should be approved by the requesting user, then constructing a conflict notice message containing information notifying the affected users of the conflict and the impact of the replan on flight information sought by the requesting user.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

(g) constructing one or more messages requesting flight information in accordance with said revised messaging profile; and

(h) sending said one or more messages requesting flight information to said aircraft and any more messages requesting flight information to one or more other aircraft.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

(i) receiving flight information responsive to said sent messages;

(j) filtering out from said received flight information any flight information not relevant to the user requests; and

(k) sending the relevant flight information remaining after filtering to the appropriate user.

20. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

(g) constructing one or more messages requesting flight information in accordance with said messaging profile; and

(h) sending said one or more messages requesting flight information to said aircraft and any more messages requesting flight information to one or more other aircraft.