Method, system and computer program product for aircraft multimedia distribution

• US 7,610,602 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2001
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ficco, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Sumaiya A
• Application Number:
  US09/978,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,932 Days
• Field of Search: 725/76, 725/77, 725/75, 725/79, 725/82
• US Class Current: 725/76
• 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 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for aircraft multimedia distribution, including a multimedia server provided within an aircraft of an airline and a multimedia communications network within the aircraft coupled to the multimedia server. The multimedia server is configured to distribute, over the aircraft multimedia communications network, multimedia in-flight to a device of a passenger for at least one of viewing, listening and purchasing by the passenger.

Claims

1. A system for aircraft multimedia distribution, comprising:

a multimedia server provided within an aircraft of an airline; and

a multimedia communications network within said aircraft coupled to said multimedia server; and

wherein said multimedia server is configured to distribute, over said aircraft multimedia communications network, multimedia in-flight to a device of a passenger, the multimedia being selected, pre-flight, for purchase via a web server coupled to the multimedia server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said multimedia comprises one of streaming video, streaming audio, video for download, audio for download, software, games, digital literary works, data, sports statistics, trivia, encyclopedia information, served software applications or graphical images.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said device comprises one of a laptop computer, a palmtop computer, moving pictures experts group (MPEG) audio layer 3 (MP3) player, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said multimedia communications network comprises one of an Ethernet communications network, or an IEEE 1394 communications network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said multimedia server is configured to distribute said multimedia in-flight to said device of said passenger via a network interface device coupled between said device of said passenger and said multimedia communications network.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said multimedia is encrypted or compressed, and

said network interface device comprises one of a custom device or plug-in device configured to decrypt or decompress said multimedia.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said network interface device is one of proprietary or specific to said airline.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said multimedia server is configured to distribute said multimedia in-flight to said device of said passenger via software device stored on said device of said passenger.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said multimedia is encrypted or compressed, and

said software device comprises one of a custom software device or plug-in software device configured to decrypt or decompress said multimedia.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said software device is specific to said airline.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said multimedia server is configured to distribute simultaneously said multimedia in multiple streams to said device of said passenger.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said multimedia server is configured to provide a menu on said device of said passenger for selection of one or more of said multiple streams of said multimedia.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an airline server coupled to said multimedia server via a server communications network and configured to transmit, over said server communications network, said multimedia to said multimedia server.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said airline server is configured to communicate with said device of said passenger via a passenger communications network to provide pre-flight functions with respect to the in-flight multimedia distribution.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said passenger communications network comprises the Internet.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said pre-flight functions comprise one of selection of said multimedia for in-flight distribution, previewing of said multimedia for said in-flight distribution, or downloading of a software device to enable said in-flight distribution of said multimedia.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said software device is one of proprietary or specific to said airline.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein said airline server is configured to communicate with said device of said passenger via a passenger communications network to provide post-flight functions with respect to the in-flight multimedia distribution.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said post-flight functions comprise organizing said multimedia for selection by said passenger.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein said airline server is configured to provide copies of said multimedia to said passenger on one of CD ROM, DVD or video CD (VCD) based on a selection by said passenger.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein said airline server is configured to provide copies of said multimedia to said passenger via download to said device of said passenger based on a selection by said passenger.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said multimedia server is configured to store passenger-specific information relating to one of a multimedia selection history for said passenger or demographic information for said passenger.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said multimedia server is configured to distribute said multimedia based on said passenger-specific information.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein said multimedia server is configured to distribute passenger-specific advertisements included in said multimedia based on said passenger-specific information.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said advertisements are provided to said airline as part of a co-marketing agreement.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein said passenger-specific information is provided to said airline as a new marketable asset.

27. A method for aircraft multimedia distribution, comprising:

providing a multimedia server within an aircraft of an airline; and

coupling a multimedia communications network within said aircraft to said multimedia server; and

distributing, via said multimedia server, over said aircraft multimedia communications network, multimedia in-flight to a device of a passenger, the multimedia being selected, pre-flight, for purchase via a web server coupled to the multimedia server.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said multimedia comprises one of streaming video, streaming audio, video for download, audio for download, software, games, digital literary works, data, sports statistics, trivia, encyclopedia information, served software applications or graphical images.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said device comprises one of a laptop computer, a palmtop computer, moving pictures experts group (MPEG) audio layer 3 (MP3) player, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said multimedia communications network comprises one of an Ethernet communications network, or an IEEE 1394 communications network.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

distributing, via said multimedia server, said multimedia in-flight to said device of said passenger via a network interface device coupled between said device of said passenger and said multimedia communications network.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

encrypting or compressing said multimedia,

wherein said network interface device comprises one of a custom device or plug-in device configured to decrypt or decompress said multimedia.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein said network interface device is one of proprietary or specific to said airline.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

distributing, via said multimedia server, said multimedia in-flight to said device of said passenger via software device stored on said device of said passenger.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

encrypting or compressing said multimedia,

wherein said software device comprises one of a custom software device or plug-in software device configured to decrypt or decompress said multimedia.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein said software device is specific to said airline.

37. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

distributing simultaneously, via said multimedia server, said multimedia in multiple streams to said device of said passenger.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

providing via said multimedia server, a menu on said device of said passenger for selection of one or more of said multiple streams of said multimedia.

39. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

transmitting, via an airline server coupled to said multimedia server via a server communications network, said multimedia to said multimedia server.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

communicating, via said airline server, with said device of said passenger via a passenger communications network to provide pre-flight functions with respect to the in-flight multimedia distribution.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein said passenger communications network comprises the Internet.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein said pre-flight functions comprise one of selection of said multimedia for in-flight distribution, previewing of said multimedia for said in-flight distribution, or downloading of a software device to enable said in-flight distribution of said multimedia.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said software device is one of proprietary or specific to said airline.

44. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

communicating, via said airline server, with said device of said passenger via a passenger communications network to provide post-flight functions with respect to the in-flight multimedia distribution.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said post-flight functions comprise organizing said multimedia for selection by said passenger.

46. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

providing, via said airline server, copies of said multimedia to said passenger on one of CD ROM, DVD or video CD (VCD) based on a selection by said passenger.

47. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

providing, via said airline server, copies of said multimedia to said passenger via download to said device of said passenger based on a selection by said passenger.

48. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

storing, via said multimedia server, passenger-specific information relating to one of a multimedia selection history for said passenger or demographic information for said passenger.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

distributing, via said multimedia server, said multimedia based on said passenger-specific information.

50. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

distributing, via said multimedia server, passenger-specific advertisements included in said multimedia based on said passenger-specific information.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising:

providing said advertisements to said airline as part of a co-marketing agreement.

52. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

providing said passenger-specific information is to said airline as a new marketable asset.

53. A system for aircraft multimedia distribution, comprising:

means for providing a multimedia server within an aircraft of an airline; and

means for coupling a multimedia communications network within said aircraft to said multimedia server; and

means for distributing, via said multimedia server, over said aircraft multimedia communications network, multimedia in-flight to a device of a passenger, the multimedia being selected, pre-flight, for purchase via a web server coupled to the multimedia server.

54. A method for receiving multimedia, comprising:

accessing a multimedia server over a communications network within an aircraft;

displaying a menu of options corresponding to a plurality of multimedia;

selecting, pre-flight, one of the options for purchase of a corresponding one of the plurality of multimedia via a web server coupled to the multimedia server; and

receiving the corresponding one of the plurality of multimedia transmitted over the communications network by the multimedia server.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the web server is resident within a data network that is different from the communications network.