Sony Corporation

Sony Trans Com Inc.

Marc Booth

Richard Sagey

Pierre Schuberth

Ed Scott

James E Wicks

Loi Quang Ninh

Robert V Troxel

Kunjan Zaveri

Toshiharu Fukui

Edward W Scott

Bruce M Wakai

Kaz Takata

Karen Louise Evensen

Hussein F Akasheh

Howard Allen Williams, Jr

Hironori Kobayashi

An in-flight passenger entertainment system has a first digital network for communication among components of a headend system including a data server, media controller, one or more media servers, system interface unit, system manager unit and attendant control panel. The in-flight entertainment system is coupled to an aircraft's existing systems through the system interface unit and the system manager unit. The components of the headend system are all coupled to a network switch for routing data within the first network. The network switch is also coupled to one or more zone bridge units, each of which is coupled to multiple seat electronics units. The zone bridge units and the seat electronics units together form a second digital network. The first digital network is preferably an ATM network with fibre optic cables used to carry the data. The second digital network is preferably an IEEE 1394 serial bus network. The zone bridge units control all communications between the networks, converting all communications into the format required by the respective network. A first audio path for transmitting audio content from the headend system is routed to predetermined seat entertainment units through the network switch and the zone bridge units. A second audio path for transmitting audio from the system interface unit is routed to the seat entertainment units through the zone bridge units.

Combined digital audio/video on demand and broadcast distribution system

An integrated electronic system that provides telephone, interactive entertainment and other amenities on a vehicle of transportation. The integrated electronic system includes a passenger control unit coupled through a multiple seat electronic unit via a universal interface. The integrated electronic system further includes a passenger control handset directly coupled to the passenger control unit to provide telephony and display control information to the passenger control unit. The passenger control unit appropriately routes the information to the multiple seat electronics unit through the universal interface.

Integrated electronic system utilizing a universal interface to support

An entertainment and/or information network including a CD-ROM player at each of a number of user stations. The network can be installed in a multi-passengervehicle (such as an aircraft), an auditorium, a stadium, or the like. Audio and video and application software (such as interactive multimedia software) stored on CD-ROM disks can be accessed by playing the disks in a CD-ROM player at each user station. Each user station includes a display device, headphones (or another audio output device), and preferably circuitry for interfacing the CD-ROM player with the network. Typically, large volumes of data are transferred within each user station (e.g., from CD-ROM disk to display device) during execution of interactive applications software, but little or no data is transferred over the network to or from each user station to support such software execution. Thus, the network can have a simple, inexpensive, low bandwidth implementation. Another aspect of the invention is a device for interfacing each CD-ROM player to the network. The interface device has small size and low weight and power requirements, and can be connected to a conventional user station of a conventional video distribution network to enable convenient connection of a CD-ROM player to such user station, and optionally also convenient connection of the CD-ROM players to the computer local area network of the invention. Other aspects of the invention are a CD-ROM player modified for tethered connection to a user station, and a passenger armrest including two CD-ROM players and other components of two user stations.

Device for interfacing a CD-ROM player to an entertainment or

An interactive applications generator is utilized to generate an interactive application environment for use on a single server multi-client network computer system. The interactive applications generator permits a user to define a graphical user interface (GUI), that contains one or more display screens, for a customized interactive application environment. The interactive applications generator contains a screen template editor, a media frame editor, a screen editor, and an interactive presentation editor. The screen template editor is utilized to create generic screen templates, that contain generic screen template elements. The media frame editor is utilized to generate media frames by combining multimedia component elements in a time synchronized manner. The screen editor is utilized to generate the display screens including assigning functionality. In order to create a unique instance for each display screen for a particular interactive applications environment, the screen editor references generic screen templates and media frames. The interactive presentation editor is utilized to create the hierarchical structures that defines presentation of the display screens for the particular interactive presentation environment.

Interactive applications generator for an interactive presentation

An entertainment and/or information network including a CD-ROM player at each of a number of user stations. The network can be installed in a multi-passenger vehicle (such as an aircraft), an auditorium, a stadium, or the like. Audio and video and application software (such as interactive multimedia software) stored on CD-ROM disks can be accessed by playing the disks in a CD-ROM player at each user station. Each user station includes a display device, headphones (or another audio output device), and preferably circuitry for interfacing the CD-ROM player with the network. Typically, large volumes of data are transferred within each user station (e.g., from CD-ROM disk to display device) during execution of interactive applications software, but little or no data is transferred over the network to or from each user station to support such software execution. Thus, the network can have a simple, inexpensive, low bandwidth implementation. Another aspect of the invention is a device for interfacing each CD-ROM player to the network. The interface device has small size and low weight and power requirements, and can be connected to a conventional user station of a conventional video distribution network to enable convenient connection of a CD-ROM player to such user station, and optionally also convenient connection of the CD-ROM players to the computer local area network of the invention. Other aspects of the invention are a CD-ROM player modified for tethered connection to a user station, and a passenger armrest including two CD-ROM players and other components of two user stations.

Growing community of inventors

La Habra, CA, United States of America

Marc Booth