Aircraft in-flight entertainment system providing passenger specific advertisements, and associated methods

• US 20030229897A1
• Filed: 05/02/2003
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Live TV Incorporated
• Inventors: Frisco, Jeffrey A., Keen, Robert M., Latta, Glenn S.
• Application Number:
  US10/428,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229897A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4185 for payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An aircraft in-flight entertainment system includes an entertainment source, and passenger displays connected to the entertainment source. A method for operating the in-flight entertainment system includes collecting information on passengers of the aircraft for generating passenger profiles, and selectively matching passenger advertisements to the passenger profiles. The method further includes monitoring at least one flight parameter of the aircraft. The selectively matched passenger advertisements are displayed based upon the monitored flight parameter.

Claims

1. A method for operating an aircraft in-flight entertainment system comprising at least one entertainment source, a plurality of passenger displays, and a signal distribution network connecting the at least one entertainment source to the plurality of passenger displays, the method comprising:

collecting information on aircraft passengers;

generating passenger profiles based upon the collected information;

selectively matching passenger advertisements to the passenger profiles; and

displaying the selectively matched passenger advertisements.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising monitoring at least one flight parameter of the aircraft;

and wherein the displaying is based upon the at least one monitored flight parameter.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the at least one flight parameter comprises at least one of geographic locations along a flight path of the aircraft, an estimated time of arrival of the aircraft, and a destination of the aircraft.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the collected information includes the assigned passenger seating list.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the collected information is updated before each flight.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the collected information is based upon at least one of frequent flyer profiles and an airline passenger database.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one entertainment source provides at least one passenger advertisement programming channel.

8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising identifying a passenger before displaying the selectively matched passenger advertisements.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the identifying is based upon an assigned passenger seating list.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein the in-flight entertainment system further comprises a plurality of token readers associated with said plurality of passenger displays;

and wherein the identifying comprises reading a token presented by the passenger.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the entertainment source comprises a satellite TV receiver.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the satellite TV receiver comprises a direct broadcast (DBS) receiver.

13. A method according to claim 1 further comprising generating map images corresponding to the selectively matched passenger advertisements on the plurality of passenger displays.

14. A method according to claim 1 further comprising storing the collected information, the passenger advertisements, and the generated passenger profiles.

15. A method for operating an aircraft in-flight entertainment system comprising at least one entertainment source, a plurality of passenger displays, and a signal distribution network connecting the at least one entertainment source to the plurality of passenger displays, the method comprising:

collecting information on aircraft passengers;

generating passenger profiles based upon the collected information;

selectively matching passenger advertisements to the passenger profiles;

monitoring at least one flight parameter of the aircraft; and

displaying the selectively matched passenger advertisements based upon the at least one monitored flight parameter.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the at least one flight parameter comprises at least one of geographic locations along a flight path of the aircraft, an estimated time of arrival of the aircraft, and a destination of the aircraft.

17. A method according to claim 15 wherein the collected information includes the assigned passenger seating list.

18. A method according to claim 15-wherein the collected information is updated before each flight.

19. A method according to claim 15 wherein the collected information is based upon at least one of frequent flyer profiles and an airline passenger database.

20. A method according to claim 15 wherein the at least one entertainment source provides at least one passenger advertisement programming channel.

21. A method according to claim 15 further comprising identifying a passenger before displaying the selectively matched passenger advertisements.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the identifying is based upon an assigned passenger seating list.

23. A method according to claim 21 wherein the in-flight entertainment system further comprises a plurality of token readers associated with said plurality of passenger displays;

and wherein the identifying comprises reading a token presented by the passenger.

24. A method according to claim 15 wherein the at least one entertainment source comprises a satellite TV receiver.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the satellite TV receiver comprises a direct broadcast (DBS) receiver.

26. A method according to claim 15 further comprising generating map images corresponding to the selectively matched passenger advertisements on the plurality of passenger displays.

27. A method according to claim 15 further comprising storing the collected information, the passenger advertisements, and the generated passenger profiles.

28. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system comprising:

at least one entertainment source;

a plurality of passenger displays;

a signal distribution network connecting said at least one entertainment source to said plurality of passenger displays; and

at least one processor connected to said signal distribution network for

generating passenger profiles based upon information collected on the aircraft passengers,

selectively matching passenger advertisements to the passenger profiles, and

displaying on said plurality of passenger displays the selectively matched passenger advertisements.

29. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein said at least one processor monitors at least one flight parameter of the aircraft;

and the displaying is based upon the at least one monitored flight parameter.

30. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 further comprising a memory connected to said at least one processor for storing the passenger profiles and the selectively matched passenger advertisements.

31. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein said at least one processor determines seating locations of the aircraft passengers based upon an assigned passenger seating list.

32. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein the collected information includes the assigned passenger seating list.

33. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein the passenger profiles are updated before each flight.

34. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein the collected information is based upon at least one of frequent flyer profiles and an airline passenger database.

35. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein said at least one entertainment source provides at least one passenger advertisement programming channel.

36. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein said at least one processor identifies a passenger before displaying the selectively matched passenger advertisements.

37. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 36 further comprising a plurality of token readers associated with said plurality of passenger displays;

and wherein said at least one processor identifies the passenger by reading a token presented by the passenger.

38. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 37 wherein said at least one processor reads data from the token, and compares the read data with an assigned passenger seating list.

39. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 37 wherein said token reader comprises a card swipe reader;

wherein the token comprises a substrate and a magnetic strip thereon; and

wherein said at least one processor reads the magnetic strip.

40. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein said at least one entertainment source comprises a satellite TV receiver.

41. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 40 wherein said satellite TV receiver comprises a direct broadcast (DBS) receiver.

42. An aircraft in-flight entertainment system according to claim 28 further comprising a map image device connected to said at least one processor for generating map images corresponding to the selectively matched passenger advertisements on said plurality of said passenger displays.