Systems and Software Enterprises, LLC

Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Rodney Farley

Joseph Renton

Randall Bird

Kevin Cote

Christopher P Healy

Chris Healy

Grant E Jeffery

Laurel A Rudzik

Entertainment systems for aircraft and other vehicles are described having a plurality of media players. The media players collectively store a full content set, with each media player storing only a fraction of the full content set. Each of the media players can be configured to index the full content set, such that media players can obtain missing content.

Shared content storage

Entertainment systems for aircraft and other vehicles are described having a plurality of media players. The media players collectively store a full content set, with each media player storing only a fraction of the full content set. Each of the media players can be configured to index the full content set, such that media players can obtain missing content from other media players.

Vehicular entertainment systems where devices in the systems can each utilize a common type of storage units are presented. A vehicular entertainment system can include a media server head unit in communication over a network with a plurality of media players that are installed about the cabin of a vehicle. Media content can be stored on a plurality of field replaceable storage units where each of the storage units can be installed in any one of the players or the server. Each of the storage units can store a substantially identical content set including passenger content, player content, server content, crew content, or other types of content. The server or players can be restricted from accessing content to which they lack rights, possibly based on a location identifier that indicates roles or responsibilities of the players at their installed location.

Entertainment systems utilizing field replaceable storage units

An entertainment system comprising a media server networked with a plurality of docking stations is presented. The media server and docking stations can be networked together into a looped daisy-chained network to provide for content distribution to docked media players. The looped daisy-chained network retains connectivity or continuity when media players are undocked or when a connection is broken. In preferred embodiments, the entertainment system can be deployed within an aircraft as an in-flight entertainment system.

Entertainment system with network of docking stations

A terminal data loading device on a mobile platform includes a media unit for receiving a transportable media element containing media data and outputting a media signal to a control processor unit. The control processor unit outputs an information signal to a wireline communication unit. The wireline communication unit outputs a wireline signal to a network on the mobile platform.

Secure terminal data loader apparatus and method for a mobile platform

Entertainment system with looped daisy-chained network of docking stations

Secure terminal data loader system and in-flight entertainment management system

Methods and apparatus for collecting documents that are electronic newspapers, magazines, and books into sets (one or more objects) and distributing them to passenger vehicles. Once distributed to the vehicles, individual documents of the document sets are distributed, possibly for a fee, to the passengers.

Mobile electronic newsstand

A method and system of measuring availability of an in-flight entertainment system (&ldquo;IFE&rdquo;) on an aircraft. The method comprises designating a subsystem weight factor to each subsystem of said IFE, with the sum of all subsystem weight factors being equal to a predetermined number, selecting at least one element of the subsystem to measure its availability, designating a zonal weight factor for the at least one element based on a predetermined class to be serviced by the at least one element, assigning an element loss factor based on a level of service for at least one element, collecting performance information regarding the at least one element during a predetermined period of time, and measure the element's availability based on the subsystem weight factor, the zonal weight factor, the element loss factor and the level of service.

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Yorba Linda, CA, United States of America

Rodney Farley