Mesh network based automated upload of content to aircraft

Abstract

The Automated Content Upload System networks a plurality of vehicles together when they are parked at a particular location. Communications among the vehicles is guided by a content manager, resident at or near a particular location (e.g., an airport), which maintains data representative of vehicle content data presently stored on each vehicle and the list of scheduled vehicle content data available on each vehicle. The content manager guides the exchange of vehicle content data among the vehicles, as well as from the content manager to the vehicle, to automatically distribute vehicle content data to the vehicle efficiently and timely. This process includes the ability to multicast data from the content manager to multiple vehicles in a single transmission, obtaining content delivery efficiency, populating multiple vehicles via a single transmission from the content manager. Furthermore, the content manager can supplement this process via transmissions to the vehicle over an air-to-ground link.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A content network manager resident on a first vehicle from among a plurality of vehicles, the content network manager being from among a set of content network managers, each content network manager from among the set of content network managers being resident on a respective vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles, the content network manager comprising:
 a vehicle content memory configured to store vehicle content data for distribution to passengers onboard the first vehicle;   a network memory, configured to store respective identities of vehicles that respond to a wireless query transmitted by the content network manager, to define a vehicle sub-network including (i) the first vehicle, and (ii) vehicles from among the plurality of vehicles that respond to the wireless query transmitted by the content network manager; and   a vehicle node generator configured to transmit the vehicle data to a content manager via a terrestrial wireless portal, the vehicle data being indicative of (i) vehicle content data stored in the vehicle content memory, (ii) vehicle content data stored in one or more wireless communication devices, the one or more wireless communication devices being detected by the each content network manager using a wireless communication query, and (iii) data indicative of vehicles included in the vehicle sub-network,   wherein the content manager is configured to store the vehicle content data for the plurality of vehicles and includes a content processor configured to transmit, in response to receiving the vehicle data from the vehicle node generator, control signals to the first vehicle to cause the first vehicle to wirelessly distribute, to a second vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles, identified vehicle content data of at least one of (i) the vehicle content memory of the first vehicle, or (ii) the one or more wireless communication devices detected by the content network manager of the first vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . The content network manager of  claim 1 , wherein the content manager further includes a vehicle content schedule table configured to store data indicative of vehicle content presently scheduled to be resident in the vehicle content memory of the content network manager. 
     
     
         3 . The content network manager of  claim 2 , wherein the vehicle content presently scheduled to be resident in the vehicle content memory of the each content network manager as indicated by the vehicle content schedule table is compared, by the content processor, to a list of vehicle content that is presently stored in the vehicle content memory of each content network manager that is associated with each respective vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles. 
     
     
         4 . The content network manager of  claim 1 , wherein the content manager is further configured to map a wireless path from the first vehicle to the second vehicle to wirelessly distribute the identified vehicle content data, and
 wherein the wireless path includes at least one additional vehicle which functions as a bridge between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.   
     
     
         5 . The content network manager of  claim 4 , wherein the wireless path includes a series of vehicles, each of which (i) stores and forwards the identified vehicle content data, or (ii) functions as a respective bridge to pass the identified vehicle content data along the wireless path. 
     
     
         6 . The content network manager of  claim 1 , wherein each content network manager further includes a vehicle query generator that is configured to detect a presence of other vehicles within wireless communications range of each respective vehicle content network manager. 
     
     
         7 . The content network manager of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the vehicle content data for distribution to the passengers onboard the first vehicle is received from the content manager via a wireless air-to-ground link. 
     
     
         8 . The content network manager of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the vehicle content data stored at the one or more wireless communication devices is transmitted to the one or more wireless communication devices from the content manager via the terrestrial wireless portal. 
     
     
         9 . An automated content upload method, comprising:
 operating, by one or more processors, a respective vehicle content network manager resident in each of a plurality of vehicles, the respective vehicle content network manager storing respective vehicle content data for distribution to passengers on each of the plurality of vehicles;   transmitting, by one or more processors, a wireless query on a predetermined frequency band;   storing, by one or more processors, identities of vehicles that respond to the transmitted wireless query to define a vehicle sub-network including (i) vehicles transmitting the wireless query, and (ii) vehicles that respond to the transmitted wireless query;   detecting, by one or more processors, a presence of one or more wireless communication devices having respective vehicle content data stored thereon;   storing, in a vehicle content memory, the respective vehicle content data of the detected one or more wireless communication devices; and   transmitting, to a content manager via a terrestrial wireless portal, vehicle data indicative of (i) the respective vehicle content data stored in the vehicle content memory, (ii) the respective vehicle content data of the detected one or more wireless communication devices, and (iii) data indicative of vehicles in the vehicle sub-network,   wherein the act of transmitting causes the content manager to transmit one or more control signals in response to receiving the vehicle data from the respective vehicle content network manager, to a first vehicle to cause the first vehicle to wirelessly distribute, to a second vehicle, identified vehicle content data that is stored in the vehicle content memory of the first vehicle.   
     
     
         10 . The automated content upload method of  claim 9 , wherein operating the respective vehicle content network manager further comprises:
 activating a vehicle query generator to detect a presence of other vehicles located within wireless communications range of the respective vehicle content network manager.   
     
     
         11 . The automated content upload method of  claim 9 , wherein operating the respective vehicle content network manager further comprises:
 receiving, from the content manager via a wireless air-to-ground link, at least a portion of the respective vehicle content data for distribution to the passengers on each of the plurality of vehicles.   
     
     
         12 . The automated content upload method of  claim 11 , wherein receiving the at least the portion of the respective vehicle content data from the content manager comprises:
 receiving vehicle content data that has been multicast, by the content manager, to multiple vehicles included in the plurality of vehicles.   
     
     
         13 . A vehicle content network manager, resident in a first vehicle from among a plurality of vehicles, the vehicle content network manager comprising:
 a vehicle content memory configured to store vehicle content data for distribution to passengers onboard the first vehicle;   a vehicle query generator configured to detect a presence of other vehicles within wireless communications range of the first vehicle by transmitting a wireless query on a predetermined frequency band;   a vehicle network memory configured to store a respective identity of each other vehicle that responds to the transmitted wireless query to define a vehicle sub-network that includes (i) the first vehicle, and (ii) vehicles that respond to the transmitted wireless query; and   a vehicle node generator configured to transmit, to a content manager via a terrestrial wireless portal, vehicle data including (i) data indicative of vehicle content data stored in the vehicle content memory, (ii) vehicle content data obtained from one or more wireless communication devices, the wireless communication devices being configured to store vehicle content data thereon, and (iii) data indicative of wireless connectivity, via the vehicle sub-network, between the first vehicle and a second vehicle.   
     
     
         14 . The vehicle content network manager of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the terrestrial wireless portal is configured to establish bidirectional data communications between the content manager and each of the plurality of vehicles; and   the content manager is configured to respond to the vehicle data transmitted by the vehicle node generator by transmitting control signals to the first vehicle to cause the first vehicle to wirelessly distribute identified vehicle content data stored in the vehicle content memory of the first vehicle to the second vehicle via a vehicle-to-vehicle wireless link.   
     
     
         15 . The vehicle content network manager of  claim 13 , wherein the content manager further includes a vehicle content schedule table configured to store data indicative of vehicle content data presently scheduled to be resident in the vehicle content memory of the first vehicle. 
     
     
         16 . The vehicle content network manager of  claim 13 , wherein the content manager is further configured to map a wireless path from the first vehicle to the second vehicle to wirelessly distribute the identified vehicle content data, and
 wherein the wireless path includes at least one additional vehicle that functions as a bridge between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.   
     
     
         17 . The vehicle content network manager of  claim 13 , wherein the wireless path includes a series of vehicles, each of which is (i) configured to store and forward identified vehicle content data, or (ii) function as a bridge to pass the identified vehicle content data along the wireless path via respective vehicle-to-vehicle wireless links. 
     
     
         18 . The vehicle content network manager of  claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the vehicle content data for distribution to the passengers onboard the first vehicle is received from the content manager via a wireless air-to-ground link. 
     
     
         19 . The vehicle content network manager of  claim 18 , wherein the at least the portion of the vehicle content data is multicast by the content manager to more than one vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles. 
     
     
         20 . The vehicle content network manager of  claim 13 , wherein the vehicle content data stored at the one or more wireless communication devices is received at the one or more wireless communication devices from the content manager via the terrestrial wireless portal.