Inflight Entertainment System with Selectively Preloaded Seat End Video Caches

• US 20130055321A1
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anuvu IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Lumexis Corporation
• Inventors: Cline, Douglas, Petrisor, Gregory C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,043,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/77
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416

Abstract

An inflight entertainment (IFE) system preloads from head end equipment onto seat end video caches subsets of prerecorded video entertainment programs from a library of prerecorded video entertainment programs stored on the head end equipment. Preloading is done independent of play requests made by passengers using the IFE system. The selected subsets are selected using selection metrics such as program popularity, passenger demographics and/or passenger preferences. The same or a different subset may be selected for different passengers. As a result of the selective preloading of the seat end video caches, if the head end equipment or the distribution system becomes inoperable during the flight, the IFE system is able to continue to deliver a limited offering of popular, demographically indicated and/or passenger preferred video entertainment from the seat end video caches, without requiring a large multiplier in storage capacity or loading time.

Claims

1. An inflight entertainment (IFE) system, comprising:

head end equipment having a library of prerecorded video entertainment programs and a selection metric stored thereon; and

seat end equipment communicatively coupled with the head end equipment and having a video cache, wherein the head end equipment is configured to select a subset of the prerecorded video entertainment programs from the library using the selection metric and download the selected subset to the video cache independent of any play request made by a passenger using the IFE system.

2. The IFE system of claim 1, wherein the seat end equipment is further configured to display a video playlist including prerecorded video entertainment programs from the library that are not within the selected subset when the head end equipment is available, and display a video playlist excluding prerecorded video entertainment programs from the library that are not within the selected subset when the head end equipment is unavailable.

3. The seat end equipment of claim 1, wherein the seat end equipment is further configured to receive play requests from a passenger, access from the head end equipment and play requested video entertainment programs when the head end equipment is available, and access from the video cache and play requested video entertainment programs when the head end equipment is unavailable.

4. The IFE system of claim 1, wherein the selection metric is a program popularity metric.

5. The IFE system of claim 4, wherein the selection metric is an off-aircraft program popularity metric

6. The IFE system of claim 4, wherein the selection metrics is an on-aircraft program popularity metric.

7. The IFE system of claim 4, wherein the selection metrics is an airline-specific popularity metric.

8. The IFE system of claim 4, wherein the selection metric is a flight leg-specific popularity metric.

10. The IFE system of claim 1, wherein the selection metric is a passenger demographics metric.

11. The IFE system of claim 10, wherein the selection metric is a passenger demographics metric specific to an airline.

12. The IFE system of claim 10, wherein the selection metric is a passenger demographics metric specific to a flight leg.

13. The IFE system of claim 10, wherein the selection metric is a passenger demographics metric specific to a passenger assigned to a seat associated with the video cache.

14. The IFE system of claim 1, wherein the selection metric is a passenger preference metric.

15. The IFE system of claim 14, wherein the selection metric is a passenger preference metric specific to an airline.

16. The IFE system of claim 14, wherein the selection metric is a passenger preference metric specific to a flight leg.

17. The IFE system of claim 1, wherein the selection metric is a passenger preference metric specific to a passenger assigned to a seat associated with the video cache.

18. A method for selectively preloading a seat end video cache in an inflight entertainment (IFE) system, comprising the steps of:

selecting, by head end equipment, using a selection metric stored on the head end equipment, a subset of prerecorded video entertainment programs from a library of prerecorded video programs stored on the head end equipment; and

downloading, from the head end equipment to a video cache of seat end equipment, independent of any play request made by a passenger using the IFE system, the selected subset, wherein the selecting and downloading steps are performed independently of any play request made by a passenger using the IFE system.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

displaying, by the seat end equipment, a video playlist including prerecorded video entertainment programs from the library that are not within the selected subset when the head end equipment is available; and

displaying, by the seat end equipment, a video playlist excluding prerecorded video entertainment programs from the library that are not within the selected subset when the head end equipment is unavailable.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the seat end equipment, play requests from a passenger;

accessing from the head end equipment and playing, by the seat end equipment, requested video entertainment programs when the head end equipment is available; and

accessing from the video cache and playing, by the seat end equipment, requested video entertainment programs when the head end equipment is unavailable.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the selection metric is a program popularity metric.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the selection metric is a passenger demographics metric.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the selection metric is a passenger preference metric.