In-flight communications system

• US 7,466,980 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kauffman, Donald C., Anderson, Edward Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; David Q
• Application Number:
  US11/557,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20070111725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 455/431, 455/98, 455/427, 455/432.2, 455/410, 455/414.1, 455/66, 725/105, 370/316, 701/100
• US Class Current: 455/431
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0059 by communicating emergency situations to ground control or between crew members
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

An in-flight communications system and method suitable for discrete use by, e.g., an Air Marshal, includes a personal digital assistant (PDA) device having wireless communications capabilities, an aircraft cabin wireless local area network (LAN) within which the PDA device can operate, a communications management unit (CMU) associated with the wireless LAN and operable to send and receive data via ACARS, and an operations center operable to receive data that is generated by the PDA, transmitted over the wireless LAN and passed to the operations center via ACARS.

Claims

1. An in-flight communications system for securely transmitting information between a personal digital assistant (PDA) onboard an aircraft and a ground-based operations center, the system comprising:

an aircraft cabin security envelope including a wireless LAN that is in wireless communication with the PDA;

an airborne communications management unit (CMU) in operable communication with the wireless LAN and configured to transmit a first message to the ground-based operations center, wherein the first message is generated by the PDA and is encrypted;

an ACARS security envelope that is in communication with the wireless LAN via the CMU; and

a ground-based security envelope including the ground-based operations center that is in communication with the ACARS security envelope, wherein the ground-based operations center is configured to receive and decrypt the first message from the CMU.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless LAN supports a plurality of wireless devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ACARS security envelope comprises a datalinik service provided that is linked to the ground based security envelope.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein an authorized user operates within the aircraft cabin security envelope.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the authorized user utilizes the PDA to communicate with the ground-based operations center.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the authorized user utilizes the PDA to communicate with flight deck personnel on the same aircraft.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the authorized user utilizes the PDA to communicate with another authorized user on the same aircraft.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first message is encrypted by the CMU.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the ground-based operations center is further configured to transmit an encrypted second message to the CMU via the ACARS security envelope; and

the CMU is further configured to;

receive the encrypted second message from the ground-based operations center;

decrypt the encrypted second message; and

transmit the decrypted second message to the PDA via the wireless LAN.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first message is encrypted by the PDA.

11. An in-flight communications system for securely transmitting information between a personal digital assistant (PDA) onboard an aircraft and a ground-based operations center, the system comprising:

an aircraft cabin security envelope including a wireless LAN that is in wireless communication with the PDA, wherein the PDA is configured to generate and transmit a plurality of predetermined descriptive messages;

an airborne communications management unit (CMU) that is in operable communication with the wireless LAN and configured to transmit a first predetermined descriptive message to the ground-based operations center;

wherein the first predetermined descriptive message is generated by the PDA and is encrypted;

an ACARS security envelope that is in communication with the wireless LAN via the CMU; and

a ground-based security envelope including the ground-based station that is in communication with the ACARS security envelope, wherein the ground-based station is configured to receive and decrypt the first predetermined descriptive message from the CMU.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined descriptive message is encrypted by the CMU.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined descriptive message is encrypted by the PDA.