In-vehicle services through attendant devices, user-provided devices, and/or an in-vehicle computer system

• US 9,577,907 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kwivo, LLC
• Original Assignee: Kwivo, LLC
• Inventors: Heron, Alexandra Kathleen, Silva, Julio Toro, Mendis, Manimeldura Janaka
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US14/954,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/203, 709/204, 709/233, 709/248, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00155 Individual entertainment or communication system remote controls therefor, located in or connected to seat components, e.g. to seat back or arm rest
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

An approach to facilitating in-vehicle services through attendant devices, user-provided devices, and/or an in-vehicle computer system is provided. In one implementation, one or more communication sessions with the in-vehicle computer system may be facilitated by an attendant device. Passenger information relating to one or more passengers of a vehicle and service information relating to one or more services to be provided to the one or more passengers may be obtained by the attendant device from the in-vehicle computer system via the one or more communication sessions. The passenger information and the service information may be provided by the attendant device. An indication that at least one service is in progress or is complete is received by the attendant device.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating services by an attendant to a passenger on a vehicle through an attendant-operated wireless mobile device, the method being implemented on the attendant-operated wireless mobile device that includes one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, by the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, passenger service request information related to one or more services to be provided to one or more passengers of the vehicle;

obtaining, by the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, based on the passenger service request information, at least a first request from a first passenger, the first request comprising identifying information that indicates an identity of the first passenger or a seating location of the first passenger; and

causing, by the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, based on the passenger service request information, a presentation of one or more service tasks to be performed by at least one attendant, wherein the one or more service tasks include at least a first task relating to the first request and the first task is associated with the identity of the first passenger or the seating location of the first passenger.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, a user input specifying an assignment of the first task to a second attendant associated with a second attendant-operated wireless mobile device;

assigning, by the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, the first task to the second attendant; and

receiving, at the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, an indication that the first task is in progress or is complete based on a second user input received at the second attendant-operated wireless mobile device, wherein the second user input specifies that the first task is in progress or is complete.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation of the one or more service tasks specifies one or more passenger preferences associated with the one or more service tasks, and wherein the one or more passenger preferences are based on one or more previous passenger service requests of the one or more passengers during one or more previous trips taken by the one or more passengers, the one or more previous trips being taken by the one or more passengers prior to transport of the one or more passengers on the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

providing, by the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, one or more of emergency information or safety-related instructions to one or more passenger-operated wireless mobile devices associated with the one or more passengers.

5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

facilitating, by the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, one or more peer-to-peer communication sessions between the attendant-operated wireless mobile device and one or more passenger-operated wireless mobile devices associated with the one or more passengers; and

providing, by the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, to the one or more passenger-operated wireless mobile devices via the one or more peer-to-peer communication sessions, a communication related to servicing the one or more passengers.

6. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, one or more passenger communications from one or more passenger-operated wireless mobile devices associated with the one or more passengers,

wherein the one or more passenger communications comprise one or more of voice communications, video communications, or text communications from the one or more passenger-operated wireless mobile devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an intermediary computer device located at a facility for boarding of the vehicle is programmed with one or more computer program instructions for communicating with a computer system on the vehicle, wherein one or more passenger service requests of the one or more passengers are received at the intermediary computer device from one or more passenger-operated wireless mobile devices associated with the one or more passengers before boarding of the vehicle, wherein the one or more passenger service requests are received at the computer system from the intermediary computer device, and wherein the passenger service request information is based on the one or more passenger service requests.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, history information about one or more previous passenger service requests of the one or more passengers during one or more previous trips taken by the one or more passengers, the one or more previous trips being taken by the one or more passengers prior to transport of the one or more passengers on the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the passenger service request information further comprises receiving the passenger service request information in response to one or more passenger service requests being initiated at one or more passenger-operated wireless mobile devices associated with the one or more passengers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an airplane, and wherein the one or more passengers are scheduled for a flight on the airplane, and wherein the one or more services are to be provided to the one or more passengers during the flight.

11. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, an indication that the first task is in progress or is complete.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the indication that the at least one service task is in progress or is complete comprises receiving the indication that the at least one service task is in progress or is complete from at least one passenger-operated wireless mobile device associated with at least one passenger of the one or more passengers.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the passenger service request information further includes preference information, history information, and/or status information associated with the one or more passengers.

14. A method of facilitating obtaining in-vehicle services through a computer system of a vehicle and/or a passenger-operated wireless mobile device, the method being implemented on the passenger-operated wireless mobile device that includes one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:

providing, by the passenger-operated wireless device, passenger information associated with a passenger for transmission to at least one of the computer system or an attendant-operated wireless mobile device, wherein the passenger information comprises identifying information that indicates an identity of the passenger or a seating location of the passenger;

presenting, by the passenger-operated wireless mobile device, one or more options related to services available on the vehicle;

determining, by the passenger-operated wireless mobile device, a selection of at least one option of the one or more options by the passenger;

providing, by the passenger-operated wireless mobile device, the selection of the at least one option for transmission to at least one of the computer system or the attendant-operated wireless mobile device, wherein the at least one option relates to at least one service of the services.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the selection of the at least one option is provided to at least one of the computer system or an attendant-operated wireless mobile device without an Internet connection.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein an intermediary computer device located at a facility for boarding of the vehicle is programmed with one or more computer program instructions for communicating with the computer system, and wherein providing the selection of the at least one option comprises:

providing, by the passenger-operated wireless device, the selection of the at least one option to the intermediary computer device before boarding of the vehicle,

wherein the selection of the at least one option is received at the computer system from the intermediary computer device.

17. The method of claim 14, the method further comprising:

facilitating, by the passenger-operated wireless mobile device, one or more peer-to-peer communication sessions between one or more attendant-operated wireless mobile devices and the passenger-operated wireless mobile device; and

receiving, at the passenger-operated wireless mobile device, via the one or more peer-to-peer communication sessions, a communication related to servicing the passenger.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle is an airplane, wherein the computer system is a fixed computer system affixed within the airplane, and wherein the one or more options are related to services available to the passenger during the flight.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein an intermediary computer device located at a facility for boarding of the vehicle is programmed with one or more computer program instructions for communicating with the computer system, and wherein providing the passenger information comprises:

providing, by the passenger-operated wireless device, the passenger information associated with the passenger to the intermediary computer device before boarding of the vehicle,

wherein the passenger information is received at the computer system from the intermediary computer device.

20. A method of facilitating in-vehicle services through a computer system of a vehicle, a passenger-operated wireless mobile device, and an attendant-operated wireless mobile device, the method being implemented on the computer system that includes one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the computer system, passenger information associated with one or more passengers, wherein the passenger information includes at least device identification that identifies a passenger-operated wireless mobile device associated with the one or more passengers;

receiving, by the computer system, at least one request from at least one passenger-operated wireless mobile device;

identifying, by the computer system, at least one passenger associated with the at least one request based on the passenger information; and

providing, by the computer system, the at least one request and information identifying the passenger associated with the at least one request to one or more attendant-operated wireless mobile devices.

21. The method of claim 20, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the computer system, from at least another attendant-operated wireless mobile device of the one or more attendant-operated wireless mobile devices that is different than the at least one attendant-operated wireless mobile device, an indication that at least one service associated with the at least one request is in progress or is complete; and

providing, by the computer system, to the at least one attendant-operated wireless mobile device, the indication that the at least one service is in progress or is complete based on the receipt of the indication.

22. The method of claim 20, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the computer system, from the at least one passenger-operated wireless mobile device, an indication that at least one service associated with the at least one request is complete; and

providing, by the computer system, to the at least one attendant-operated wireless mobile device, the indication that the at least one service is complete based on the receipt of the indication.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the passenger information associated with one or more passengers is obtained prior to boarding of the one or more passengers, prior to starting a trip to a destination, and/or after starting the trip to the destination.

24. The method of claim 20, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, acknowledgement information associated with the at least one request from at least one attendant-operated wireless mobile device of the one or more attendant-operated wireless mobile devices; and

providing, by the computer system, the acknowledgement information to the at least one passenger-operated wireless mobile device.

25. An attendant-operated wireless mobile device for facilitating services by an attendant to a passenger on a vehicle through an attendant-operated wireless mobile device, the attendant-operated wireless mobile device comprising:

one or more physical processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to;

receive passenger service request information related to one or more services to be provided to one or more passengers of the vehicle;

obtain at least a first request from a first passenger based on the passenger service request information, the first request comprising identifying information that indicates an identity of the first passenger or a seating location of the first passenger; and

cause, based on the passenger service request information, a presentation of one or more service tasks to be performed by at least one attendant, wherein the one or more service tasks include at least a first task relating to the first request and the first task is associated with the identity of the first passenger or the seating location of the first passenger.