Smartsky Networks, LLC

Ryan Mitchell Stone

Elbert Stanford Eskridge, Jr

Blane Edward Rockafellow

Douglas A Hyslop

Bryan S Trainum

Brian Rudloff

Charles Jason Rinker

A network for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication in various cells may include an in-flight aircraft including an antenna assembly, a plurality of ATG base stations, a plurality of terrestrial base stations. Each of the ATG base stations defines a corresponding radiation pattern, and the ATG base stations are spaced apart from each other to define at least partially overlapping coverage areas to communicate with the antenna assembly in an ATG communication layer defined between a first altitude and a second altitude. The terrestrial base stations are configured to communicate primarily in a ground communication layer below the first altitude. The terrestrial base stations and the ATG base stations are each configured to communicate using the same radio frequency (RF) spectrum in the ground communication layer and ATG communication layer, respectively.

Architecture for simultaneous spectrum usage by air-to-ground and terrestrial networks

An aerospace commerce exchange system may include a network, a plurality of clients operably coupled to the network, and an aerospace commerce exchange platform operably coupled to the network to provide exchange services to the clients. At least one of the clients may be operably coupled to the aerospace commerce exchange platform via an air-to-ground wireless communication link or satellite link (or other links with which an aircraft may be associated) to provide or receive data associated with at least one of the exchange services.

Aerospace commerce exchange

A system may include an access network comprising at least two base stations configured to communicate with a wireless communication device via dynamically steerable or formable beams, a resource manager disposed at a location accessible via the access network or at the wireless communication device, and an experience tester configured to determine a qualitative assessment of capabilities of the access network relative to different categories of services or applications for the wireless communication device via a first beam formed or selected to serve the communication device. The resource manager may be configured to initiate a handover based on both location-based criteria and user experience based criteria. The user experience based criteria may be associated with the qualitative assessment.

Method and apparatus for optimizing of beamforming based on user experience

An information manager may include processing circuitry configured to receive dynamic aircraft information associated with operation of an in-flight aircraft, receive a message from a communication device on the in-flight aircraft for transmission to a ground based content server via a wireless communication network capable of communicating with in-flight assets, and generate an aviation cookie for communication to the content server along with the message. The aviation cookie may be generated based on the dynamic aircraft information and may enable the content server to generate content based at least in part on the dynamic aircraft information.

Smart aviation dynamic cookie

An aircraft communications system may include a RF-transparent enclosure, a plasma antenna element and a controller. The RF-transparent enclosure may be disposed substantially conformal with a portion of the aircraft. The plasma antenna element may be housed within the RF-transparent enclosure. The controller may be operably coupled to the plasma antenna element to provide control of operation of the plasma antenna element. The plasma antenna element may include one or more RF-conductive plasma devices that are selectively ionized to a plasma state under control of the controller.

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Charlotte, NC, United States of America

Ryan Mitchell Stone