Thales Avionics, Inc.

Sony Corporation

Sony Trans Com Inc.

Vxl Capitol Partners Corporation, Ltd.

Pierre Schuberth

Khosro Rabii

Jean-Yves Couleaud

Pankaj Trivedi

Thomas Jackson

Ed Scott

Marc Booth

Richard Sagey

Terence Lei

Cedric Le May

Winston Hodge

Jay Eggenberger

Lawrence E Taylor

Robert M Kamm

David L Hench

Kang Tsi Yam

Gary B Seaton

An in-flight entertainment system includes a plurality of static transceivers and an ISM band communication interference manager. The static transceivers are configured to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the ISM band. The static transceivers are further configured to measure signals received within the ISM band from mobile transceivers within the aircraft and to measure signals received from proximately located ones of the static transceivers, and to generate measurement reports containing the measurements and containing identifiers of the proximately located ones of the static transceivers and the mobile transceivers. The ISM band communication interference manager is communicatively connected to the static transceivers, and performs operations that include receiving the measurement reports from the static transceivers, and controlling transmission power levels used by the static transceivers and the mobile transceivers responsive to the content of the measurement reports.

Cooperative realtime management of noise interference in ISM band

An inflight entertainment system for use in an aircraft displays commands to a passenger to move a passenger electronic device (PED) between locations defined relative a seatback display device and the passenger's seat. The system measures received signal strength indications (RSSIs) from discoverable PEDs over time while the PED is moved between the locations, and selects one of the PEDs that satisfies a defined rule for an amount of change that is observed over time in the measured RSSIs for that PED. The system then establishes a connection through a Bluetooth transceiver with a Bluetooth transceiver of the selected PED.

Inflight entertainment system that selects among passenger electronic devices for connection based on power measurements

An entertainment system includes a docking station having a wired interface, a display unit, and a wireless controller. The display unit includes a video display device and a processor that communicates through a Bluetooth transceiver and the wired interface of the docking station. The wireless controller includes a processor that communicates through a wired interface and a Bluetooth transceiver. The wireless controller is releasably docked in the docking station to communicatively connect the wired interfaces of the wireless controller and the docking station. While docked in the docking station the processors of the wireless controller and the display unit communicate through the wired interfaces of the wireless controller and the docking station to establish a Bluetooth connection between the Bluetooth transceivers of the wireless controller and the display unit. The processor of the wireless controller does not operate to establish the Bluetooth connection using communications through the Bluetooth transceiver.

In-flight entertainment systems that constrain Bluetooth connection setup through docking stations

A slave Bluetooth device establishes first and second connections with first and second master Bluetooth devices, respectively, that each operate in a master mode. The slave Bluetooth device operates in a slave mode when communicating through any of the first and second connections. The slave Bluetooth device communicates connection parameter update request packets containing timeout values to the first and second master Bluetooth devices. The slave Bluetooth device alternates during non-overlapping time slots between at least: 1) monitoring the first connection for traffic transmitted by the first master Bluetooth device while not monitoring the second connection; and 2) monitoring the second connection for traffic transmitted by the second master Bluetooth device while not monitoring the first connection; and controls a rate at which the alternating is performed based on the first timeout value and the second timeout value.

Slave bluetooth device switching between active bluetooth connections with different master bluetooth devices

An in-flight entertainment system including wireless access points (WAPs) spaced apart within an aircraft and connected to antennas, proximity sensors adjacent to the antennas, and a controller. The controller controls transmissions from WAPs of traffic in communication sessions. The controller performs operations that include receiving a proximity alert signal from a first proximity sensor indicating that a passenger is proximately located to a first antenna used by a first WAP for transmission of a communication session, and identifying a remedial action responsive to evaluating a rule based on the proximity alert signal and characteristics of the communication session. The operations include performing the remedial action as one of: 1) initiating handover of the communication session from the first WAP to a second WAP; and 2) initiating a change in transmission mode that will be used by the first WAP for continued transmission of the communication session.

Controlling wireless access point handover and/or transmissions mode based on person proximity

A method and apparatus for scheduling the distribution of information so as to maximize the viewer ship of the same and, therefore, profits. Dynamic scheduling of distribution of subportions of the information, referred to as descriptors that typically correspond to a motion picture program, is achieved so that the subportions may be transmitted to end users having a high probability of perceiving the same. A subgroup of the descriptors have a weighting value assigned thereto with said subgroup of said plurality of descriptors having a weighting value differing from the weighting value associated with the remaining descriptors of said subgroup. The weighting value is a function of predetermined parameters associated with said motion picture program, such as revenue generated when released in movie theaters, comments by professional critics and contractual constraints placed upon the distributor by holders of the ownership rights of the motion picture program. Viewing population numbers are assigned to segments of a predetermined period of time, typically the different hours of the day. The descriptors are then scheduled to be transmitted to end users so that the descriptors with the greatest weighting value is transmitted during a segment which has the greatest viewing population number.

Automatic digital information and content scheduling and barkering system

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 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.

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Corona Del Mar, CA, United States of America

Pierre Schuberth