Data delivery to devices on vehicles using multiple forward links

• US 9,634,753 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gogo Business Aviation LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gogo LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lauer, Bryan Adrian, Loganathan, Rukmani, Sasi, Sajit, Walsh, Patrick J., Chari, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/876,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20160036517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 455431, 4554351, 4554352, 455437
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

Data content that is to be utilized, as a whole, at a target device on-board a vehicle is apportioned for delivery onto the vehicle via multiple forward links, each of which is included in a different frequency band and/or used a different protocol. A mapping or selection of a specific portion of the data content for a specific forward link may based on a data content type of the specific portion, as well as on other dynamic or static criteria. The target device may operate on the subsets of the data content as it receives each subset. Thus, time critical/foundational portions of the data content may be delivered using a faster forward link, larger elements of the data content may be delivered using a higher-bandwidth forward link, and/or portions of the data content requiring a higher degree of accuracy may be delivered using a more robust forward link, for example.

Claims

1. A method of distributively delivering content to devices being transported by vehicles, comprising:

selecting, at a processor of a hybrid communications distributor disposed in a terrestrial location, a first portion of content that is to be delivered to a device, the device being a mobile computing device that is temporarily being transported by a vehicle that is in-flight, and the selection based on a type of data included in the first portion;

selecting, at the processor of the hybrid communications distributor and based on the type of data included in the first portion of the content, at least one of a first forward link supported by a first frequency band or a second forward link supported by a second frequency band;

causing a first transmission to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the first forward link, the first transmission including the first portion of the content; and

causing a second transmission to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the second forward link, the second transmission including a second portion of the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one of the first forward link or the second forward link comprises selecting the at least one of the first forward link or the second forward link based on a type of data that is included in one of the first portion of the content or the second portion of the content and that is excluded from the other one of the first portion of the content or the second portion of the content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one of the first forward link or the second forward link comprises selecting the at least one of the first forward link or the second forward link based on a size of a data stream in which the content is included.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one of the first forward link or the second forward link comprises selecting the at least one of the first forward link or the second forward link based on at least one of:

a current capacity of the first forward link;

a current capacity of the second forward link;

a current availability of the first forward link;

a current availability of the second forward link;

a transmission quality of the first forward link;

or

a transmission quality of the second forward link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one of the first forward link or the second forward link comprises selecting the at least one of the first forward link or the second forward link based on at least one of a time requirement for delivery of the first portion or a time requirement for delivery of the second portion.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of the first portion of the content or the second portion of the content based on at least one of:

a type of data that is to be included in one of the first portion of the content or the second portion of the content and that is to be excluded from the other one of the first portion of the content or the second portion of the content;

a time requirement for delivery of the type of data;

an application corresponding to the content;

a user of the device;

or

a socket used by the first communication link or by the second communication link.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content to be delivered to the device is first content, and wherein the method further comprises:

multiplexing the first portion of the first content with other content to be delivered to the device or to another device that is temporarily being transported by the in-flight vehicle; and

including, in the first transmission sent to the in-flight vehicle, the multiplexed contents.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein multiplexing the first portion of the content with the other content comprises multiplexing the first portion of the content and the other content at at least one of:

an application level, a packet level, a stream level, a level based in geographical location, or a level corresponding to a user of the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

causing the first transmission to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the first forward link comprises causing the first transmission to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using a forward link included in at least one of;

an L band communication link, a K_u band communication link, a K_a communication link, a Wi-Fi communication link, a WiMAX communication link, a communication link supported by one or more satellites, or a communication link supporting a broadband protocol;

or

causing the second transmission to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the second forward link comprises causing the second transmission to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using a forward link of an air-to-ground (ATG) communication link that is configured to deliver data directly between the in-flight vehicle and terrestrial ground stations while the in-flight vehicle is in-flight.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the content that is to be delivered to the device comprises content that includes at least one of:

information that is to be presented, as a whole, on a user interface of the device;

a web page;

a response to a request generated at the device;

or

streaming data.

11. A system for distributively delivering content to devices that are being transported by vehicles, comprising:

a hybrid communications distributor that is communicatively connected to a vehicle via a plurality of communication links while the vehicle is in-flight, wherein each communication link of the plurality of communication links uses a different respective wireless communication protocol, the hybrid communications distributor including;

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the hybrid communications distributor to;

select a first portion of content that is to be presented, as a whole, at a user interface of a device being transported by the in-flight vehicle, the selection of the first portion based on a type of data included in the first portion;

select a first communication link based on the type of data included in the first portion of the content;

cause a first transmission to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the first communication link, the first transmission including the first portion of the content that is to be presented, as a whole, at the user interface of the device; and

cause a second transmission to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using a second communication link, the second transmission including a second portion of the content that is to be presented, as a whole, at the user interface of the device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the hybrid communications distributor further to select at least one of the first communication link or the second communication link based on a type of data that is included in one of the first portion of the content or the second portion of the content, and that is excluded from the other one of the first portion of the content or the second portion of the content.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein one or more associations between particular types of data and particular communication links are predetermined, and wherein the selection of the at least one of the first communication link or the second communication link is based on the one or more associations.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the selection of the at least one of the first communication link or the second communication link is further based on:

a size of a data stream in which the content is included;

at least one of a current capacity, a current availability, or a current transmission quality of the first communication link;

at least one of a current capacity, a current availability, or a current transmission quality of the second communication link;

or

feedback information received by the hybrid communications distributor, the feedback information corresponding to a previous forward transmission.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the hybrid communications distributor further to:

multiplex, at at least one of an application level, a packet level, a stream level, or a user level, the first portion of the content to be delivered to the device with other content to be delivered to the device or to another device being transported by the in-flight vehicle; and

include the multiplexed contents in the first transmission that is caused to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the first communication link.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein each communication link included in the plurality of communication links is supported by a different frequency band selected from:

an L frequency band, a K_u frequency band;

a K_a frequency band;

a first other frequency band allocated to support satellite communications, a second other frequency band allocated to support another wireless broadband communication protocol;

or a frequency band allocated for direct wireless communications between in-flight vehicles and ground stations.

17. A system for distributively delivering content to devices that are being transported by vehicles, comprising:

a hybrid communications distributor comprising;

a first interface communicatively connecting the hybrid communications distributor to a ground-based communication network;

a second interface communicatively connecting, via a plurality of forward links, the hybrid communications distributor to a vehicle that is in-flight, wherein each forward link of the plurality of forward links utilizes a different respective wireless communication protocol; and

a selector configured to;

(i) select, from a content that is received via the first interface and that is to be presented, as a whole, at a user interface of a device being transported by the in-flight vehicle, a first portion of the content, the selection of the first portion of the content based on a type of data included in the first portion; and

(ii) select a first forward link of the plurality of forward links based on the type of data included in the first portion of the content,

wherein one of the first portion of the content or a second portion of the content is delivered to the in-flight vehicle via the second interface using the selected first forward link, and the other one of the first portion of the content or the second portion of the content is delivered to the in-flight vehicle via the second interface using another forward link of the plurality of forward links.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the content that is received via the first interface that is to be presented, as a whole, at the user interface of the device being transported by the in-flight vehicle comprises at least one of:

a webpage, a response to request received at the user interface of the device, or streaming data.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the selector comprises computer-executable instructions stored on one or more non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage media of the hybrid communications distributor.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the selector is further configured to select a third forward link of the plurality of forward links, and wherein a third portion of the content is delivered to the in-flight vehicle using the third forward link.