Portable media device and method for presenting viewing content during travel

• US 7,945,934 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, John Andrew, Collins, Ross, Werner, Karen Marie, Pannenbecker, Stefan, Haak, James Allen, Margis, Paul Anthony, Lundquist, Christopher Brian, Lee, Rand W., Taylor, Mark, Singleton, Gregory, Bamford, Drew Calvin, Mack, Christoph, Plquette, Brian, Bright, Scott, Petry, Sebastian Maximilian Johannes, Osias, Henry Sugito, Pong, Skooks, Sizelove, Steven Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHNURR, JOHN R
• Application Number:
  US11/154,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20060107295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,162 Days
• Field of Search: 725/74, 725/75, 725/76, 725/81, 705/16, 705/17
• US Class Current: 725/75
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/516 connected to a local network, e.g. in a plane, hotel
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0211 for record carriers apparatus, e.g. video recorders, tape players or CD players
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0624 Arrangements of electrical connectors, e.g. for earphone, internet or electric supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1012 to domains
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems
• 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 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• 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 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 : Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 : Weight reduction

Abstract

A portable media device for use in cooperation with passenger entertainment systems installed in vehicles, such as automobiles and aircraft, and methods for manufacturing and using same. The portable media device is configured to communicate with one or more content sources, which provide viewing content and which may be proximate to, and/or remote from, the portable media device. Preferably being configured to wirelessly communicate with the content sources, the portable media device can select content from any available content source and can download and present the selected content in any conventional manner. The selected content can be streamed to the portable media device for contemporaneous presentation and/or stored by the portable media device for viewing at any time, including after disembarking the vehicle once travel is completed. As desired, the portable media device likewise can be configured to transmit appropriate upload content to the content sources.

Claims

1. A device management system for portable media devices, comprising:

a device interface docking station for preparing a selected handheld portable media device for deployment aboard a passenger vehicle, said device interface docking station including a battery charging system for recharging an internal battery system of the selected portable media device, an interface content source for updating viewing content available from a device memory system of the selected portable media device for presentation, and an interface memory system for exchanging device identification data, including device status information, with a device identification system of the selected portable media device and for receiving payment information provided via a credit card reader system of the selected portable media device each when the selected portable media device is received by said device interface docking station;

a container system for receiving the prepared portable media device at a travel location associated with the passenger vehicle and lading aboard the passenger vehicle after the passenger vehicle arrives at the travel location and having a container radio frequency identification (RFID) system for providing container lading data, including container status information, for said container system, the prepared portable media device being available for passenger use during subsequent travel;

a portable RFID reader system for receiving the container lading data from said container system; and

a device management database system for maintaining a historical record for the prepared portable media device and said container system, updating the historical record in accordance with the device identification data provided by said device interface docking station and the container lading data provided by said portable RFID reader system, and providing at least one device configuration instruction for configuring the prepared portable media device for future use,

wherein said device interface docking station and said portable RFID reader system are deployed at the travel location.

2. The device management system of claim 1, wherein said device interface docking station prepares the selected portable media device for future use automatically when the selected portable media device is coupled with said device interface docking station.

3. The device management system of claim 1, wherein the viewing content stored on the device memory system includes encrypted viewing content, the selected portable media device decrypting selected encrypted viewing content selected from the encrypted viewing content for presentation.

4. The device management system of claim 1, wherein the device memory system comprises a removable memory system.

5. The device management system of claim 4, wherein the device memory system comprises a personal memory device for providing secure storage for the viewing content.

6. The device management system of claim 1, wherein the device identification system provides the device identification data to said device interface docking station via a wireless communication channel.

7. The device management system of claim 6, wherein said wireless communication channel supports wireless communications having a protocol type selected from the group of protocol standards consisting of Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), and IEEE 802.11.

8. The device management system of claim 6, wherein the device identification system comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag system, and wherein said device interface docking station comprises a RFID reader/computer system.

9. The device management system of claim 8, wherein the device identification system comprises a passive RFID tag system.

10. The device management system of claim 8, wherein said device identification system includes a device identification memory system for storing said device status information.

11. The device management system of claim 1, wherein said battery charging system charges the battery system while said interface content source updates the viewing content and said interface memory system exchanges the device identification data.

12. The device management system of claim 1, wherein the viewing content stored on the device memory system includes advertisement information for merchandise available for purchase and wherein the payment information includes purchasing information for the merchandise.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said device management database system is deployed at the travel location.

14. The device management system of claim 1, wherein the passenger vehicle comprises an aircraft.

15. The device management system of claim 14, wherein the travel location comprises an airport terminal.

16. The device management system of claim 1, wherein the passenger vehicle is parked at the travel location.

17. The device management system of claim 1, wherein the travel location comprises one of a travel origin of the passenger vehicle and a travel destination of the passenger vehicle.

18. The device management system of claim 1, wherein said container system comprises a secure container system.

19. The device management system of claim 1, wherein said container system comprises an aircraft galley cart.