Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Alan J Weinberger

Rick Neugaubauer

Joseph Renton

Douglas C Infiesto

Mark Ackland

A system server is used to manage communication over a network between the system server and a plurality of physical devices of a passenger entertainment system. The system is configured and operated using software to provide passenger entertainment. The system server comprises software for instantiating a dispatch object to open a framework network addressable unit objects, for instantiating one or more virtual line replaceable unit objects to manage communication between a network address unit and physical devices, and for communicating network messages through the dispatch object to the physical devices. The dispatch object tracks messages to the physical devices utilizing a queue and tracks messages from the physical devices utilizing a queue. The dispatch object maintains the status of related devices. The dispatch object also adds and removes one or more of the virtual line replaceable units. The network addressable unit objects move data from one storage location to another.

Virtual line replaceable unit for a passenger entertainment system, method and article of manufacture

A computer is used to manage communication over a network between one or more network addressable units and a plurality of physical devices of a passenger entertainment system. The system is configured and operated using software to provide passenger entertainment services including audio and video on-demand, information dissemination, product and service order processing, video teleconferencing and data communication services. The system includes a system server and a network supporting multiple computer processors. The processors and the server comprise application software that control telephony applications and network services. The server is coupled by way of the network to physical devices of the system. The server comprises software for instantiating a dispatch object to open a framework for one or more network addressable unit objects, for instantiating one or more virtual line replaceable unit objects to manage communication between a network address unit and one or more physical devices, and for instantiating a message processor for moving messages to the one or more network addressable unit objects for delivery to the one or more physical devices. The message processor receives messages containing network routing address from one or more device drivers. The message processor utilizes the network routing address to and a physical device type to access a table and determine the ultimate destination for the message. The message processor has at least one input named pipe and one output named pipe, and utilizes the named pipes to translate messages from a first format to a second format. The message processor logs invalid destination addresses in a storage medium. The message processor instantiates each device driver from a device handler class member.

Message processor for a passenger entertainment system, method and article of manufacture

A computer is used to manage communication over a network between one or more network addressable units and a plurality of physical devices of a passenger entertainment system. The system is configured and operated using software to provide passenger entertainment services including audio and video on-demand, information dissemination, product and service order processing, video teleconferencing and data communication services. The system includes a system server and a network supporting multiple computer processors. The processors and the server comprise application software that control telephony applications and network services. The server is coupled by way of the network to physical devices of the system. The server comprises software that instantiates a network addressable unit server that interfaces to one or more network addressable units, that instantiates a services server that interfaces to one or more service clients that provide services of the passenger entertainment system, and that instantiates a router and one or more mail slots comprising a lookup table that identify each of the clients. Data comprising a network routing address and a physical device type are used to access the lookup table to determine message destinations. The respective servers interface to their clients by way of named pipes that translate messages from a first format to a second format. The server also comprises software that instantiates intranodal thread processors that route messages between processes on the physical devices and the one or more service clients to route services of the passenger entertainment system to the processes on the physical devices.

Transaction dispatcher for a passenger entertainment system, method and article of manufacture

A passenger entertainment system operates using system software to provide services including audio and video on-demand, information dissemination, product and service order processing, and video teleconferencing and data communication. The system software routes and processes passenger transactions and dispatches resources to respond to the transactions. A database contains data relating to services provided by the system and the resources that provide the services. A processor stores object oriented application programming interface calls corresponding to the services provided by the system. The processor receives a passenger transaction requesting a particular service and processes it to generate a database query using a selected object oriented application programming interface call. A database server queries the database using the selected object oriented application programming interface call to generate an appropriate response to the passenger transaction. Appropriate resources are dispatched that are defined in the response to the query to service the passenger transaction.

Passenger entertainment system, method and article of manufacture employing object oriented system software

A passenger entertainment system is configured and operated using system software to route and process passenger transactions from requesting computer processors and dispatch appropriate resources to fulfill the transactions. To achieve this, passenger transactions are transmitted to a message processor, which decodes them and generates a request in a predetermined format. The request is transmitted to a transaction dispatcher that routes the request to a passenger entertainment service manager. The passenger entertainment service manager generates a response to the request message by querying files in a database. Appropriate resources are dispatched to service the passenger transactions that are defined in the response to the query.

System software architecture for a passenger entertainment system, method and article of manufacture

System software that enable a passenger entertainment system on a vehicle. The passenger entertainment system is configured and operated using the system software to provide passenger entertainment services including audio and video on-demand, information dissemination, product and service order processing, video teleconferencing and data communication services between passengers on-board the vehicle using a local networks, and between passengers and people and computers off-board the vehicle using a communications link. The system software is used to route and process passenger transactions (requests for services) from requesting computer processors and dispatch appropriate resources to fulfill the transactions. To achieve this, a passenger transaction is transmitted from a passenger-controlled component to a message processor. The message processor decodes the passenger transaction and generating a request in a predetermined format. The request is transmitted to a transaction dispatcher for routing. A database query is then generated in response to the request. The database query is transmitted to a database server having a database containing data regarding resources of the system that allow communication with and/or control of the communications devices and information relating to products and services offered by the system. An appropriate response is generated in response to the query. Appropriate resources defined in the response are then dispatched to the query to service the passenger transaction.

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Monrovia, CA, United States of America

Alan J Weinberger