Methods, devices, and systems for automatic flight logs

• US 7,072,746 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2004
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Burch, Matthew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/848,911
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/15, 701/16, 701/201, 701/209, 701/3, 701/14, 701/213, 701/208, 701/211, 434/47, 340/971, 340/973
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods are provided for automatic flight logs. One method includes receiving one or more location data points associated with a flight, automatically recording the one or more location data points in a flight log, and allowing access through a display user-interface to view and operate on the flight log. Receiving the one or more location data points includes obtaining the location data points from a global positioning system (GPS).

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having a set of computer readable instructions, the set of computer readable instructions comprising instructions for:

commencing a flight log record upon a first event, wherein commencing a flight log record upon a first event includes automatically commencing the flight log record when an aircraft exceeds a predetermined speed and a predetermined altitude;

ending a flight log record upon a second event, wherein ending a flight log record includes automatically ending the flight log record when an aircraft decelerates to less than a predetermined speed and descends to less than a predetermined altitude; and

accessing the flight log record via a user interface, such that commencing, ending, and accessing may be performed on a single device running the set of computer readable instructions.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein accessing the flight log record via a user interface includes selectably accessing the flight log record from a list of saved flight log records using a display user interface.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein selectably accessing the flight log record includes accessing flight log detail including departure and arrival airports, an aircraft identifier, a flight date, a flight distance, a time of day of the flight, and a flight duration.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, the set of computer readable instructions further comprising instructions for selectably editing flight log entries.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein accessing the flight log record includes downloading a list of flight logs to a non-volatile memory.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein ending a flight log record upon a second event includes ending the flight log record once an aircraft has touched down and remained landed for more than a set period of time.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further including computer readable instructions for appending one flight log record to another when an aircraft is grounded less than a set period of time between a previous and a next flight log record.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein accessing the flight log record via a user interface includes accessing the flight log record without restrictions.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations of commencing, ending, and accessing are all performed by a single stand alone set of computer readable instructions.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further includes selectably editing flight log entries through the user interface.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further includes editing flight log entries through the user interface.

12. A computer readable medium having a set of computer readable instructions, the set of computer readable instructions comprising instructions for:

automatically commencing a flight log record when an aircraft exceeds a predetermined speed and a predetermined altitude;

automatically ending the flight log record when the aircraft decelerates to less than the predetermined speed and descends to less than the predetermined altitude;

accessing the flight log record via a user interface;

editing flight log entries through the user interface; and

wherein the operations of commencing, ending, accessing, and editing are all performed by a single stand alone set of computer readable instructions.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein accessing the flight log record via a user interface includes selectably accessing the flight log record from a list of saved flight log records using a display user interface.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein selectably accessing the flight log record includes accessing flight log detail including departure and arrival airports, an aircraft identifier, a flight date, a flight distance, a time of day of the flight, and a flight duration.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein accessing the flight log record includes downloading a list of flight logs to a non-volatile memory.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein ending a flight log record upon a second event includes ending the flight log record once an aircraft has touched down and remained landed for more than a set period of time.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further including computer readable instructions for appending one flight log record to another when an aircraft is grounded less than a set period of time between a previous and a next flight log record.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein accessing the flight log record via a user interface includes accessing the flight log record without restrictions.

19. A computer readable medium having a set of computer readable instructions, the set of computer readable instructions comprising instructions for:

commencing a flight log record upon a first event;

ending a flight log record upon a second event;

accessing the flight log record via a user interface; and

appending one flight log record to another when an aircraft is grounded less than a set period of time between a previous and a next flight log record.