U.S. patent application number 16/553004 was filed with the patent office on 2021-03-04 for passenger tailored content for vehicle entertainment systems.
The applicant listed for this patent is Panasonic Avionics Corporation. Invention is credited to Steven Bates, Anand Desikan, Samir Lad, Philip Watson.
Application Number | 20210067811 16/553004 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004362753 |
Filed Date | 2021-03-04 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210067811 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bates; Steven ; et
al. |
March 4, 2021 |
PASSENGER TAILORED CONTENT FOR VEHICLE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS
Abstract
Vehicle entertainment systems can obtain and use a list of
predicted entertainment preferences for passengers located in or
expected to be in commercial passenger vehicles. A first server can
obtain the predicted entertainment preferences and can identify a
multimedia content for at least one passenger based on a predicted
entertainment preference. A second server located in the commercial
passenger vehicle can receive and send the multimedia content to a
media playback device associated with the at least one passenger.
The second server can receive, from the media playback device, an
indication of a preference of the at least one passenger for
watching or listening to the multimedia content; update, based on
the received indication of the preference, the entertainment
preference for the at least one passenger to obtain an updated
entertainment preference; and transmit the updated entertainment
preference for the at least one passenger to the first server.
Inventors: |
Bates; Steven; (Mission
Viejo, CA) ; Watson; Philip; (Lake Forest, CA)
; Lad; Samir; (Dublin, CA) ; Desikan; Anand;
(San Ramon, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Panasonic Avionics Corporation |
Lake Forest |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004362753 |
Appl. No.: |
16/553004 |
Filed: |
August 27, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/2146 20130101;
H04N 21/4312 20130101; H04N 21/47217 20130101; H04N 21/4788
20130101; H04N 21/4532 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/214 20060101
H04N021/214; H04N 21/472 20060101 H04N021/472; H04N 21/45 20060101
H04N021/45; H04N 21/431 20060101 H04N021/431; H04N 21/4788 20060101
H04N021/4788 |
Claims
1. A system for providing infotainment to passengers on a
commercial passenger vehicle, the system comprising: a first server
configured to perform a first method comprising: receiving a list
of passenger preferences for passengers either located in or
expected to board the commercial passenger vehicle, wherein the
list of passenger preferences indicates one or more entertainment
preferences for the passengers; and identifying a multimedia
content based on a social media trend associated with: an
entertainment preference of at least one passenger, a destination
to which the at least one passenger is traveling, and a time when
the at least one passenger will be at the destination; a second
server located in the commercial passenger vehicle, the second
server configured to perform a second method comprising: receiving
the multimedia content that is based on the entertainment
preference of the at least one passenger; sending, to a media
playback device associated with the at least one passenger, a
message to display an option to watch or listen to the multimedia
content, wherein a graphical user interface (GUI) of the media
playback device displays a selectable icon for the multimedia
content along with one or more selectable passenger preference
indicators that enable the at least one passenger to indicate a
preference for watching or listening to the multimedia content;
receiving, from the media playback device, an indication of the
preference of the at least one passenger for watching or listening
to the multimedia content; updating, based on the received
indication of the preference, the entertainment preference for the
at least one passenger to obtain an updated entertainment
preference; and transmitting the updated entertainment preference
for the at least one passenger to the first server.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: the first server
configured to perform the first method further comprising:
receiving a second list of passenger preferences for a second set
of passengers either located in or expected to board a second
commercial passenger vehicle, wherein the second list of passenger
preferences indicates entertainment preferences for the second set
of passengers, and wherein the second set of passenger comprises
the at least one passenger that previously travelled on the
commercial passenger vehicle; and identifying a second multimedia
content based on the updated entertainment preference of the at
least one passenger; a third server located in the second
commercial passenger vehicle, the third server configured to
perform a third method comprising: receiving the second multimedia
content that is based on the updated entertainment preference of
the at least one passenger; and sending, to the media playback
device or a second media playback device associated with the at
least one passenger, a message to display an option to watch or
listen to the second multimedia content.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the media playback device is a
mobile device that belongs to the at least one passenger, or
wherein the media playback device is located behind a headrest of a
seat in the commercial passenger vehicle and the second media
playback device is located behind a second headrest of a second
seat in the second commercial passenger vehicle.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the list of passenger preferences
includes names of the passengers.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more entertainment
preferences includes any one of or more of a movie category, a
music genre, a television show category, and news content
category.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more entertainment
preferences for at least some passengers are obtained based on
social media information obtained for the at least some passengers
from a social media platform.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more entertainment
preferences are obtained based on social media trends, social
analytics, or press releases.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the preference includes an
indication of whether the at least one passenger likes or dislikes
the multimedia content.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first server is not located
within any passenger vehicle, and is a fixed location server and
services more than one vehicle.
10. A method implemented by a server on a commercial passenger
vehicle, comprising: receiving, by the server, a multimedia content
based on a social media trend associated with: an entertainment
preference of at least one passenger, a destination to which the at
least one passenger is traveling, and a time when the at least one
passenger will be at the destination; sending, to a media playback
device in the commercial passenger vehicle and associated with the
at least one passenger, a message to display an option to watch or
listen to the multimedia content, wherein a graphical user
interface (GUI) of the media playback device displays a selectable
icon for the multimedia content along with one or more selectable
passenger preference indicators that enable the at least one
passenger to indicate a preference for watching or listening to the
multimedia content; receiving, from the media playback device, an
indication of the preference of the at least one passenger for
watching or listening to the multimedia content; updating, based on
the received indication of the preference, the entertainment
preference for the at least one passenger to obtain an updated
entertainment preference; and transmitting the updated
entertainment preference for the at least one passenger to a first
server, the first server being a fixed location server and services
more than one vehicle.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the entertainment preferences
are obtained from a list of passenger preferences that includes
names of the passengers and one or more entertainment preferences
for each passenger.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more entertainment
preferences includes any one of or more of a movie category, a
music genre, a television show category, and news content
category.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more entertainment
preferences for at least some passengers are obtained based on
social media information obtained for the at least some passengers
from a social media platform, or wherein the one or more
entertainment preferences for at least some passengers are obtained
based on a social media trend obtained from a social media
platform, or wherein the one or more entertainment preferences for
at least some passengers are obtained based on social analytics or
press releases.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the preference includes an
indication of whether the at least one passenger likes or dislikes
the multimedia content.
15. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the apparatus
implemented on a commercial passenger vehicle and configured to
perform a method, the method comprising: receiving a multimedia
content based on a social media trend associated with both an
entertainment preference of at least one passenger, a destination
to which the at least one passenger is traveling, and a time when
the at least one passenger will be at the destination; sending, to
a media playback device in the commercial passenger vehicle and
associated with the at least one passenger, a message to display an
option to watch or listen to the multimedia content, wherein a
graphical user interface (GUI) of the media playback device
displays a selectable icon for the multimedia content along with
one or more selectable passenger preference indicators that enable
the at least one passenger to indicate a preference for watching or
listening to the multimedia content; receiving, from the media
playback device, an indication of the preference of the at least
one passenger for watching or listening to the multimedia content;
updating, based on the received indication of the preference, the
entertainment preference for the at least one passenger to obtain
an updated entertainment preference; and transmitting the updated
entertainment preference for the at least one passenger to a first
server that is in a fixed location and services more than one
passenger vehicle and is not located within any passenger
vehicle.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the entertainment
preferences are obtained from a list of passenger preferences that
includes names of the passengers and one or more entertainment
preferences for each passenger.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more
entertainment preferences includes any one of or more of a movie
category, a music genre, a television show category, and news
content category.
18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more
entertainment preferences for at least some passengers are obtained
based on social media information obtained for the at least some
passengers from a social media platform, or wherein the one or more
entertainment preferences for at least some passengers are obtained
based on a social media trend obtained from a social media
platform, or wherein the one or more entertainment preferences for
at least some passengers are obtained based on social analytics or
press releases.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the preference includes an
indication of whether the at least one passenger likes or dislikes
the multimedia content.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This document is directed generally to obtain and use
predictive lists for passengers in commercial passenger
vehicles.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Commercial travel has evolved to provide entertainment
options to passengers traveling to their destinations. For example,
in an airplane or train, entertainment options are provided on
monitors located on the back of seats, where the monitors can
enable passengers to watch movies or television shows as they
travel to their destinations. The monitors can also provide travel
related information to the passengers. For example, passengers can
view a map with the current location of the airplane or train and
an estimated time of arrival to their destinations. Thus,
in-vehicle entertainment systems can be designed to provide
passengers with a positive travel experience.
SUMMARY
[0003] This patent document describes exemplary vehicle
entertainment systems that can obtain predicted entertainment
preferences for passenger located in or expected to be in a
commercial passenger vehicle. Based on the predicted entertainment
preferences, a server located in the commercial passenger vehicle
can instruct media playback devices associated with passengers to
display multimedia content tailored to the passengers' predicted
entertainment preferences.
[0004] An exemplary embodiment describes a system for providing
infotainment to passengers on a commercial passenger vehicle. The
system comprises a first server and a second server. The first
server is configured to perform a first method comprising receiving
a list of passenger preferences for passengers either located in or
expected to board the commercial passenger vehicle, where the list
of passenger preferences indicates entertainment preferences for
the passengers; and identifying a multimedia content based on an
entertainment preference of at least one passenger. The second
server located in the commercial passenger vehicle, the second
server configured to perform a second method comprising: receiving
the multimedia content that is based on the entertainment
preference of the at least one passenger; sending, to a media
playback device associated with the at least one passenger, a
message to display an option to watch or listen to the multimedia
content, where a graphical user interface (GUI) of the media
playback device displays a selectable icon for the multimedia
content along with one or more selectable passenger preference
indicators that enable the at least one passenger to indicate a
preference for watching or listening to the multimedia content;
receiving, from the media playback device, an indication of the
preference of the at least one passenger for watching or listening
to the multimedia content; updating, based on the received
indication of the preference, the entertainment preference for the
at least one passenger to obtain an updated entertainment
preference; and transmitting the updated entertainment preference
for the at least one passenger to the first server.
[0005] In some embodiments, the first server is configured to
perform the first method further comprising: receiving a second
list of passenger preferences for a second set of passengers either
located in or expected to board a second commercial passenger
vehicle, where the second list of passenger preferences indicates
entertainment preferences for the second set of passengers, and
where the second set of passenger comprises the at least one
passenger that previously travelled on the commercial passenger
vehicle; and identifying a second multimedia content based on the
updated entertainment preference of the at least one passenger. A
third server located in the second commercial passenger vehicle,
the third server configured to perform a third method comprising:
receiving the second multimedia content that is based on the
updated entertainment preference of the at least one passenger; and
sending, to the media playback device or a second media playback
device associated with the at least one passenger, a message to
display an option to watch or listen to the second multimedia
content.
[0006] In some embodiments, the media playback device is a mobile
device that belongs to the at least one passenger, or the media
playback device is located behind a headrest of a seat in the
commercial passenger vehicle and the second media playback device
is located behind a second headrest of a second seat in the second
commercial passenger vehicle.
[0007] In some embodiments, the list of passenger preferences
includes names of the passengers and one or more entertainment
preferences for each passenger.
[0008] In some embodiments, the one or more entertainment
preferences includes any one of or more of a movie category, a
music genre, a television show category, and news content
category.
[0009] In some embodiments, the one or more entertainment
preferences for at least some passengers are obtained based on
social media information obtained for the at least some passengers
from a social media platform. In some embodiments, the one or more
entertainment preferences are obtained based on social media
trends, social analytics, or press releases. In some embodiments,
the preference includes an indication of whether the at least one
passenger likes or dislikes the multimedia content. In some
embodiments, the first server is not located within any passenger
vehicle, and is a fixed location server, e.g., a ground-based
server, and services more than one vehicle.
[0010] An exemplary method implemented by a server on a commercial
passenger vehicle comprises receiving, by the server, a multimedia
content based on an entertainment preference of at least one
passenger; sending, to a media playback device in the commercial
passenger vehicle and associated with the at least one passenger, a
message to display an option to watch or listen to the multimedia
content, where a graphical user interface (GUI) of the media
playback device displays a selectable icon for the multimedia
content along with one or more selectable passenger preference
indicators that enable the at least one passenger to indicate a
preference for watching or listening to the multimedia content;
receiving, from the media playback device, an indication of the
preference of the at least one passenger for watching or listening
to the multimedia content; updating, based on the received
indication of the preference, the entertainment preference for the
at least one passenger to obtain an updated entertainment
preference; and transmitting the updated entertainment preference
for the at least one passenger to a first server that is not
located within any passenger vehicle, and the first server is a
fixed location server and services more than one vehicle. In one
example, the fixed location server is a ground-based server.
[0011] In some embodiments, the list of passenger preferences
includes names of the passengers and one or more entertainment
preferences for each passenger. In some embodiments, the one or
more entertainment preferences includes any one of or more of a
movie category, a music genre, a television show category, and news
content category. In some embodiments, the one or more
entertainment preferences for at least some passengers are obtained
based on social media information obtained for the at least some
passengers from a social media platform, or the one or more
entertainment preferences for at least some passengers are obtained
based on a social media trend obtained from a social media
platform, or the one or more entertainment preferences for at least
some passengers are obtained based on social analytics or press
releases. In some embodiments, the preference includes an
indication of whether the at least one passenger likes or dislikes
the multimedia content.
[0012] In an exemplary apparatus comprising a processor and a
memory, the apparatus is implemented on a commercial passenger
vehicle and configured to perform a method, the method comprises
receiving a multimedia content based on an entertainment preference
of at least one passenger; sending, to a media playback device in
the commercial passenger vehicle and associated with the at least
one passenger, a message to display an option to watch or listen to
the multimedia content, where a graphical user interface (GUI) of
the media playback device displays a selectable icon for the
multimedia content along with one or more selectable passenger
preference indicators that enable the at least one passenger to
indicate a preference for watching or listening to the multimedia
content; receiving, from the media playback device, an indication
of the preference of the at least one passenger for watching or
listening to the multimedia content; updating, based on the
received indication of the preference, the entertainment preference
for the at least one passenger to obtain an updated entertainment
preference; and transmitting the updated entertainment preference
for the at least one passenger to a first server that is in a fixed
location and services more than one passenger vehicle and is not
located within any passenger vehicle.
[0013] In yet another exemplary aspect, the above-described methods
are embodied in the form of processor-executable code and stored in
a computer-readable program medium.
[0014] In yet another exemplary embodiment, a device that is
configured or operable to perform the above-described methods is
disclosed.
[0015] The above and other aspects and their implementations are
described in greater detail in the drawings, the descriptions, and
the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary vehicle entertainment system
installed in an airplane.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of a method of updating
passenger preferences in a vehicle entertainment system by a server
located in a commercial passenger vehicle.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary block diagram of an edge server or
a ground server that are part of an exemplary vehicle entertainment
system.
[0019] FIG. 4 shows multiple vehicle entertainment systems
operating with a ground server.
[0020] FIG. 5 shows an overview of a system to provide content to a
passenger on a vehicle based on social behavior.
[0021] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary system for presenting content to a
passenger based at least on social media trends.
[0022] FIG. 7 shows another exemplary system for presenting content
to a passenger based at least on social analytics.
[0023] FIG. 8 shows another exemplary system for presenting content
to a person in a vehicle (e.g., car) based on at least on social
trends.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] Currently, airplanes or other commercial vehicles use
conventional in-vehicle entertainment systems to broadcast audio or
video content to seatback devices located on the rear of the seat
or to personal electronic devices (PEDs) (e.g., smartphone,
laptops, or tablets) that belong to passengers. The audio or video
content may include movies, television shows, or other content such
as advertisements or flight safety video. Each seatback device has
an enclosure that can have a processor executing custom software
programs to receive messages or commands from an edge server and to
display visual content on a display of the seatback device and to
output sound to a headphone jack. Conventional in-vehicle
entertainment systems can also wirelessly transmit audio or video
content to PEDs that belong to passengers.
[0025] Conventional in-vehicle entertainment systems have several
technical drawbacks.
[0026] First, the audio or video content transmitted by
conventional in-vehicle entertainment systems to seatback device
and/or PEDs does not frequently change. For example, the audio or
video content stored on a server in the vehicle is usually updated
once a month in part because the audio or video content is not
dependent on the passengers' preferences. Thus, in the above
example, an airplane having a conventional in-vehicle entertainment
system may present to its passengers the same audio or video
content over a course of a month. Second, conventional in-vehicle
entertainment systems are not scalable to incorporate additional
software applications or functions at least because such systems
are specifically designed for individual customers, such as vehicle
manufacturers, maintenance crews, airplane companies, and
cruise-line manufacturers.
[0027] Third, the in-vehicle entertainment systems are designed to
provide all passengers traveling on a same airplane or ship with
the same set of audio or video content. Thus, conventional
in-vehicle entertainment systems present a same limited set of
options to passengers to watch or listen to a limited set of audio
or video content. Fourth, conventional in-vehicle entertainment
systems are not designed to easily integrate with social media
platforms. Social media platforms can allow people to be
communicate with each other and to be informed about current
events, latest trends in good health, latest red-carpet events,
latest business news, etc., While technology can enable people to
be constantly connected to one another via social media platforms,
people cannot easily access or benefit from social media
information with an in-vehicle entertainment system. Thus, this
patent document describes exemplary vehicle entertainment systems,
apparatus and methods to overcome at least the above described
technical drawbacks with conventional in-vehicle entertainment
systems.
[0028] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary vehicle entertainment system 100
installed in an airplane 102. The vehicle entertainment system 100
includes an edge server 106 (or head-end server) located in the
airplane 102. The edge server 106 is communicably coupled to the
seatback devices 104 and PEDs 112 to provide multimedia contents
(e.g., audio, video, image, webpage, etc.,) to the seatback devices
104 and/or PEDs. For example, the edge server 106 includes a
content module (shown as 325 in FIG. 3) that may send multimedia
contents to seatback devices 104 via an Ethernet switch, and the
content module may send multimedia contents to PEDs 112 via one or
more wireless access points 110. The content module of the edge
server 106 can send a list of multimedia contents to be displayed
on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the seatback devices 104
and/or the PEDs 112.
[0029] After a user selects a particular multimedia content via a
seatback device or a PED, the seatback device or PED can send the
user's selection information to the content module in the edge
server 106, whereupon the content module can send the selected
multimedia content back to the user's seatback device or PED. A
seatback device and/or a PED can be considered a media playback
device at least because the seatback device or a PED can display or
play the multimedia content. The seatback devices 104 and PEDs 112
can include appropriate audio or video codecs stored thereon to
play the multimedia contents provided by the edge server 102 or
another device (e.g., media hard drive) located onboard the
airplane 102.
[0030] The PEDs 112 can wirelessly communicate with one or more
wireless access points 110. Thus, the PEDs 112 can be in
communication with the ground server 116 or another server via the
wireless access point(s) 110 and the antenna 114. This connection
can enable the PEDs to access the Internet even when the airplane
102 is flying and the PEDs do not have cellular connectivity.
[0031] The example headings for the various sections below are used
to facilitate the understanding of the disclosed subject matter and
do not limit the scope of the claimed subject matter in any way.
Accordingly, one or more features of one example section can be
combined with one or more features of another example section.
[0032] A. Obtaining and Updating List of Passenger Preferences
[0033] In FIG. 1, the edge server 106 is in communication with a
ground server 116 located on the ground (e.g., in an airport) via
an antenna 114. The edge server 106 can advantageously obtain from
the ground server 116 information about passengers so that the edge
server 106 can, based on such information, provide customized
entertainment options to passengers. For example, when the airplane
102 is waiting at an airport to board passengers or while the
passengers are boarding the airplane 102, the edge server 106 can
obtain from the ground server 116 a list of predicted preferences
about passengers that are located in or are expected to board the
airplane. The ground server 116 may store the list of predicted
preferences for the passengers in a database 118. The database 118
can be stored in the ground server 116. In addition, the edge
server 106 can be in communication with a ground server 116 through
satellites 122, 124, and 126 (for example, when at high altitude,
flying over a body of water, or area where there is limited
signaling from the ground) via an antenna 120.
[0034] As further explained in Section B below, the list of
passenger preferences may include information about passengers that
may have been collected by the airlines and/or by a third-party
(e.g., a social media platform). A list of passenger preferences
may include a table that contains the names of each passenger that
is expected to board the airplane 102, one or more predicted
entertainment preferences for each passenger, and optionally seat
number assigned to each passenger. One or more predicted
entertainment preferences for a passenger may include any one of or
more of the following entertainment categories preferred by the
passenger: movies, music, television shows, on-line training
classes (e.g., Udemy, Codecademy, edx, Coursera, Skillshare,
Udacity, and the like), and news content (e.g., business, sports,
politics, stock prices). As further explained in Section B below,
the list of passenger preferences for a passenger may include
additional or alternative entertainment categories derived based on
an analysis of the passenger's personal information (e.g., career
or age) and/or based on overall entertainment related trends from
prior passengers who have travelled on the same or similar travel
route.
[0035] The edge server 106 can include a passenger module (shown as
330 in FIG. 3) that can obtain the list of passenger preferences
from the ground server 116. The passenger module can send to the
content module the seat numbers of the passengers and the
associated one or more predicted entertainment preferences of the
passengers so that the content module can send commands or messages
to the appropriate seatback devices 104 to display entertainment
options tailored to the passengers. For example, if the predicted
entertainment preferences indicate that a passenger enjoys western
movies and football, the content module can send a command to the
seatback device located in front of the passenger to display
information about one or more western movies (if one or more
western movies are stored on the edge server 106) and to display
football related news. A seatback device can display on a GUI
information about one or more entertainment options based on the
one or more predicted entertainment preferences of a passenger that
sits behind and operates that seatback device. The edge server 106
stores the list of passenger preferences in the database 108. The
database 108 can be stored in the edge server 106.
[0036] In some embodiments where the passengers use PEDs 112 to
obtain multimedia contents, the content module can send commands to
the PEDs 112 associated such passengers to show entertainment
content based on the one or more predicted entertainment
preferences of the passengers. For example, when a passenger first
starts using his or her PED on the airplane 102, the passenger may
enter his or her seat number or name via the GUI on the PED, and
the PED can send such information along with the PED's identifier
(e.g., MAC address or IP address) to the passenger module of the
edge server 106. Based on the received seat number or name of the
passenger and the obtained list of passenger preferences, the
passenger module can associate one or more predicted entertainment
preferences of the passenger with the PED operated by the
passenger. The passenger module can send the one or more predicted
entertainment preferences and the associated PED identifiers to the
content module. Thus, for PEDs 112 operated by a plurality of
passengers, the content module can use the PED identifiers and the
associated one or more predicted entertainment preferences of the
passengers to send commands or messages to the appropriate PED to
display entertainment options tailored to the passengers. A PED can
display on a GUI information about one or more entertainment
options based on the one or more predicted entertainment
preferences of a passenger that operates that PED.
[0037] A seatback device or PED can obtain from a passenger a
request to display an entertainment option based on the one or more
predicted entertainment preferences. Continuing with the example
described above, based on a message received from the content
module to show one or more entertainment options, the seatback
device or PED can present on a GUI selectable icons for one or more
western movies and football related news. The selectable icons may
be designed to allow the passenger to select a movie to be played
or to read or watch news related to football. When a passenger
selects an entertainment option, the seatback device or PED can
send to the edge server 106 a message that includes the selected
entertainment option so that the edge server 106 can provide or
enable the selected content to be displayed on the seatback device
or PED. The passenger module of the edge server 106 stores the list
of passenger preferences in the database 108. Thus, the passenger
module can update the predicted entertainment preferences stored in
the database 108 for a passenger based on the passenger selected
entertainment option received in the message from a seatback
device.
[0038] In some embodiments, the selectable icons on the GUI can
also enable a passenger indicate whether he or she prefers the
displayed entertainment options. In an example implementation, a
selectable icon for a displayed entertainment option include one or
more selectable passenger preference indicators such as a "like"
and/or "dislike" button(s) displayed adjacent to (e.g., top or
bottom of) the selectable icon. If a seatback device or PED
receives indications via its GUI that a passenger "likes" a western
movie and "dislikes" another western movie, the seatback device or
PED can send to the passenger module of the edge server 106 a
message that includes such updated preferences. Since the passenger
module stores the list of passenger preferences in the database
108, the passenger module can update the predicted entertainment
preferences stored in the database 108 for a passenger based on the
one or more updated preferences received in the message from a
PED.
[0039] The edge server 106 can update the one or more predicted
entertainment preferences of passengers stored in the database 108
based on receiving messages that indicate whether passengers have
selected entertainment options to be displayed or whether
passengers have provided updated preferences. In some embodiments,
the edge server 106 can update the list of passenger preferences
in-flight based on entertainment related selections indicated by
the passengers. The edge server 106 may transmit to the ground
server 116 via the antenna 114 the updated list of passenger
preferences so that the ground server 116 can update the list of
passenger preferences stored on database 118. For example, after
the airplane 102 has landed at its destination, the edge server 106
may transmit the updated list of passenger preferences to the
ground server 116. In some embodiments, the edge server 106 can
transmit the updated entertainment preference of one or more
passengers to the ground server 116 so that the ground server 116
can update the list of passenger preferences stored on the database
118.
[0040] The edge server 106 and/or the ground server 116 updating
the list of passenger preferences is an advantageous technical
feature at least because such a list can enable the edge server 106
to provide tailored entertainment options to each passenger for
whom one or more predicted entertainment preferences is known and
updated. Thus, for example, if a passenger updates one or more
predicted entertainment preferences during a flight on a first
airplane and then subsequently travels on a second airplane, the
edge server of the second airplane can use the updated passenger
preference to better provide entertainment options tailored to that
passenger. In this example, the ground server 116 may provide to
the edge server of the second airplane multimedia content for the
passenger that is related to the updated passenger preference.
Thus, the entertainment content stored in the edge server 106 can
be frequently updated based on entertainment preferences of
passengers every time a new set of passengers come aboard the
airplane 102.
[0041] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of a method of updating
passenger preferences in a vehicle entertainment system by a server
located in a commercial passenger vehicle. Operations 202 to 204
can be performed by a first server, and operations 206 to 214 can
be performed by a second server. At the receiving operation 202, a
list of passenger preferences for passengers either located in or
expected to board the commercial passenger vehicle is received. The
list of passenger preferences indicates entertainment preferences
for the passengers. At the identifying operation 204, a multimedia
content is identified based on an entertainment preference of at
least one passenger.
[0042] At the receiving operation 206, the multimedia content that
is based on the entertainment preference of the at least one
passenger is received. At the sending operation 208, a message is
sent to a media playback device associated with the at least one
passenger, where the message can instruct the media playback device
to display an option to watch or listen to the multimedia content.
Upon receiving the message, a graphical user interface (GUI) of the
media playback device displays a selectable icon for the multimedia
content along with one or more selectable passenger preference
indicators that enable the at least one passenger to indicate a
preference for watching or listening to the multimedia content.
[0043] Operation 210 is performed to receive, from the media
playback device, an indication of the preference of the at least
one passenger for watching or listening to the multimedia content.
At the updating operation 212, based on the received indication of
the preference, the entertainment preference for the at least one
passenger is updated to obtain an updated entertainment preference.
At the transmitting operation 214, the updated entertainment
preference for the at least one passenger is transmitted to the
first server.
[0044] In some embodiments, the first server is configured to
further perform the following operations: receiving a second list
of passenger preferences for a second set of passengers either
located in or expected to board a second commercial passenger
vehicle, where the second list of passenger preferences indicates
entertainment preferences for the second set of passengers, and
where the second set of passenger comprises the at least one
passenger that previously travelled on the commercial passenger
vehicle; and identifying a second multimedia content based on the
updated entertainment preference of the at least one passenger. In
such embodiments, a third server located in the second commercial
passenger vehicle is configured to perform the following
operations: receiving the second multimedia content that is based
on the updated entertainment preference of the at least one
passenger; and sending, to the media playback device or a second
media playback device associated with the at least one passenger, a
message to display an option to watch or listen to the second
multimedia content.
[0045] In some embodiments, the first server is not located within
any passenger vehicle, and is a fixed location server, e.g., a
ground-based server, and is configured to service or services more
than one vehicle.
[0046] In some embodiments, the media playback device is a mobile
device that belongs to the at least one passenger, or the media
playback device is located behind a headrest of a seat in the
commercial passenger vehicle and the second media playback device
is located behind a second headrest of a second seat in the second
commercial passenger vehicle.
[0047] In some embodiments, the list of passenger preferences
includes names of the passengers and one or more entertainment
preferences for each passenger. In some embodiments, the one or
more entertainment preferences includes any one of or more of a
movie category, a music genre, a television show category, and news
content category. In some embodiments, the one or more
entertainment preferences for at least some passengers are obtained
based on social media information obtained for the at least some
passengers from a social media platform.
[0048] In some embodiments, the one or more entertainment
preferences are obtained based on a social media trend obtained
from a social media platform. In some embodiments, the preference
includes an indication of whether the at least one passenger likes
or dislikes the multimedia content. In some embodiments, the first
server is a ground-based server. In some embodiments, the first
server is not located within any passenger vehicle, and is a fixed
location server, e.g., a ground-based server, and is configured to
service or services more than one vehicle.
[0049] B. Generating List of Passenger Preferences
[0050] In FIG. 1, the ground server 116 stores in a database 118 a
list of passenger preferences for passengers that are located in or
expected to board the aircraft 102. As mentioned above, the list of
passenger preferences may include information about passengers that
may have been collected by the airlines and/or by a third-party
(e.g., a social media platform). In some embodiments, for each
flight, a passenger module of the ground server 116 may obtain
names of the passengers that are expected to board the airplane 102
and the one or more predicted entertainment preferences previously
indicated by at least some of the passengers who they signed up for
the airplane's frequent flyer program. In such embodiments, the one
or more predicted entertainment preferences may be stored in a
database on a server that manages an airlines' frequent flyer
program. This server's database associates the predicted
entertainment preferences of the passengers with their frequent
flyer membership identifiers. When passengers enter their names and
frequent flyer identifiers to purchase their tickets, the
passengers' names and frequent flyer identifiers can be sent to the
ground server 116 whereupon the ground server 116 can retrieve the
predicted entertainment preferences associated with the frequent
flyer identifiers from the frequent flyer program related server.
The passenger module of the ground server 116 can store in the list
of passenger preferences the names of the passengers that are
expected to board the airplane 102 and one or more predicted
entertainment preferences of at least some of the passengers.
[0051] In some other embodiments, for each flight, the passenger
module of the ground server 116 may obtain names of the passengers
that are expected to board the airplane 102 and one or more
additional personal information about the passengers (e.g.,
birthdate, country of birth, social media followings of the
passenger, career interest, etc.,) to be included in the list of
passenger preferences. Based on the additional personal
information, the content server of the ground server 116 may
include in the list of passenger preferences, information about
multimedia content that the edge server 106 can present to the
passengers. In some embodiments, the ground server 116 can identify
the multimedia contents that are relevant to the list of
passengers. For example, if a passenger's country of birth is
Sweden, the content server of the ground server 116 may identify
the latest news articles (or their weblinks) about Sweden that can
be shown to the passenger. In this example, the ground server 116
can send the list of passenger preferences with the multimedia
content for the passenger to the edge server 106 so that the edge
server can send a command to the seatback device or PED associated
with the passenger to show the latest news articles about events
happening in Sweden.
[0052] In yet some other embodiments, for each flight, the content
module of the ground server 116 may include in the list of
passenger preferences the names of the passengers that are expected
to board the airplane 102 and one or more types of social trends,
social analysis (or social analytics), or social predictions
related to current pattern of press releases of the type and
machine learning associated with them. In such embodiments, the
content module of the ground server 116 may, upon approval from a
passenger, retrieve the passenger's social media information (e.g.,
birthdate, likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc.,) from a social media
platform server. Based on the passenger's social media information,
the ground server 116 may identify multimedia content relevant to
that passenger. For example, the content module of the ground
server 116 may employ machine learning techniques to identify
multimedia contents that are identified as being relevant to other
people who have similar social profile as the passenger whose
social media information provides the passenger's social
profile.
[0053] FIG. 5 shows an overview of a system to provide content to a
passenger on a vehicle 528 (e.g., aircraft, bus, train, or the
like) based on social behavior. In this example, the system a media
playback device 508 located on an airplane (e.g., aircraft 528) and
in communication with an edge server 506 that is in communication
with a ground server 502 through an antenna 526 (on aircraft 528)
via a satellite or a terrestrial communication station 504 and/or
one or more satellites 518, 520, 522 through ground server antenna
516 to antenna 524 (on aircraft 528). The ground server 502 can be
communicably coupled to the Internet 510 to retrieve social
behavior 512 related information to provide content to the edge
server 506 on the airplane, where the content can be displayed to
the passengers based on the techniques described in this patent
document.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 5, social behavior 512 can include press
releases, social trends, social analysis, social predictions, and
machine learning based on information provided by social media
platforms (e.g., Facebook or Twitter servers). Social behavior 512
can also be relevant to the passengers in an airplane. For example,
an audio company may issue a press release on a new audio product.
In this example, if the ground server 502 determines that a
passenger on an airplane has a preference for products manufactured
by the audio company, then the ground server 502 may retrieve the
press release and display it to the passenger along with
information about pricing and availability for that audio product.
In another example, if a social trend for a destination to which a
passenger is traveling is a prestigious new award received by a
restaurant at the destination, then the ground server 502 may,
based on a passenger's preference for culinary events, display the
news of the award to the restaurant along with information to allow
the passenger to make reservation at the restaurant while the
passenger is on the airplane.
[0055] FIG. 5 shows machine learning that can be performed by
obtaining social behavior 512 information from the social media
platform. In some embodiments, the ground server 502 may obtain
social behavior information 512 and perform machine learning
techniques (e.g., Naive Bayes) to determine whether social trend,
social analytics, or social preference relate to preferences of
passengers located in an airplane.
[0056] Social trends can be defined as any type of activity that is
participated in by society as a whole. Social trends can be derived
from social media platforms and can be referred to as social media
trends. For example, using social media platforms, certain
populations can indicate social trends as to whether they prefer
certain types of music, fashion or activity. These trends can be
indicated to a ground server from social media servers belonging to
social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn). For
example, social trend in the United States around 2007 time-frame
can include mortgage crisis which can indicate that U.S. population
may be more inclined to saving their income and improving their
financial literacy. Social trends can change as time passes so that
what is popular at one time may be not be popular at another time.
As technology progresses, the changes in social trends do as well.
For instance, beepers and cordless phones were once all the rage
but were eventually replaced with cell phones and iPads.
[0057] Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have
introduced new ways to identify and use social trends by
introducing a new way to connect with people from far and near.
Social networking began a long-lasting type of social trend unlike
some shorter-lived trends like tennis shoes with built-in roller
blades and disco music. Social trends are constantly changing, and
many companies use their ability to anticipate the social change as
part of their business marketing campaign.
[0058] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary system for presenting content to a
passenger based at least on social media trends. In FIG. 6, a
passenger who has previously indicated that he or she has a
preference for motorcycles is flying in an airplane 602 from Los
Angeles to North Dakota for business for one-week. The ground
server described in this patent document can, based on press
release and according to social media trends, determine that the
passenger's preference is for motorcycles and that there is a
motorcycle convention being held at the destination to which the
passenger is travelling and during the time when the passenger will
be visiting the destination. In some embodiments, the ground server
can determine that the motorcycle convention is relevant to or
related to the passenger's preference based on machine learning
techniques (e.g., Naive Bayes) as shown in 604.
[0059] The ground server can send to the edge server in the
airplane 602 content related to the motorcycle convention (e.g., a
brochure or flyer) to inform the passenger about the motorcycle
convention. The media playback device 606 associated with the
passenger can display to the passenger on the airplane 602 the
social media posting (e.g., alert or content about the motorcycle
convention). In some embodiments, the displayed social media
posting can also provide to the passenger an option to purchase a
ticket and/or obtain other information about the motorcycle
convention event on aircraft during flight.
[0060] Social analysis can be described as the practice of
examining a social problem, issue or trend, with the possible aim
of prompting changes in the situation being analyzed. A social
problem can be a situation that is viewed by a group or population
as being undesirable. For example, a group of people may consider
climate change to be a social problem, and another group of people
may consider a lack of healthy diet to be a social problem. Social
analysis can address such issues through qualitative research
and/or quantitative multivariate approaches. Multivariate analysis
is a field of statistical analysis and data analytics that deals
with variables and their relationships. Social analysis can be used
to identify strategies and policies that can have positive social
impact. For example, after analyzing the result of a customer
survey, a computer may determine using machine learning techniques
that increased efforts to identify recipes to prepare nutritious
meals would be viewed positively to the population that considers
lack of healthy diet in the United States to be a social problem.
Social analysis is different from social media analytics, which
studies data collected from social networking sites.
[0061] Social media analytics is the practice of gathering data
from social media websites and analyzing that data using social
media analytics tools to make business decisions. The most common
use of social media analytics is to mine customer sentiment to
support marketing and customer service activities.
[0062] FIG. 7 shows another exemplary system for presenting content
to a passenger traveling in an airplane 702 based at least on
social analytics. In FIG. 7, a media playback device 702 associated
with a passenger flying from Bakersfield to New Zealand for
chocolate convention may receive a social media press release on
dance related shows in New Zealand. The social media press release
is sent by a ground server based on social analytics as described
in this patent document. The social analytics can be based on prior
square dancing lessons and training and latest trends on dance at
New Zealand. The ground server can also send to the media playback
device 704 information about availability of tickets during the
time that the passenger stays in New Zealand and/or other events in
New Zealand based on the passenger's social media preferences
(e.g., friends listing) provided by the passenger's social media
platform (e.g., Facebook).
[0063] In some embodiments, social behavior may provide to the
ground server metrics related to passengers' engagement. For
example, the ground server can determine the identity and the
number of passengers that follow an airline company on its social
media platform or mention the airline company's name on social
media platform. Such a social media monitoring can enable the
ground server to determine what passengers are saying about the
airline company or their experiences on the airplane.
[0064] In some embodiments, the ground server can perform social
media analysis based on sentiment analytics. This practice involves
natural-language-processing machine learning algorithms used by the
ground server to parse a text in a passenger's social media post
about an airline company to understand the meaning behind that
passenger's statement. These algorithms can create a quantified
score of the passenger's feelings toward a company based on social
media interactions and give reports to management on how well the
company interacts with passengers.
[0065] There are several social media analytics tools (e.g.,
TensorFlow) for analyzing data found in social media platforms
content (e.g., Twitter or Facebook posts).
[0066] As shown in FIG. 5, a press release (e.g., news release,
media release, press statement or video release) can be an official
statement delivered to news media platforms or social media
platforms for the purpose of providing information to the
population at large or to specific groups within the population.
For example, as mentioned above, if a passenger has indicated that
she or he prefers to receive content about new audio products from
an audio company, then a press release from such a company can be
sent to the passenger's media playback device by the ground
server.
[0067] FIG. 8 shows another exemplary system for presenting content
to a person in a car 504 based on at least on social trends. In
FIG. 8, a media playback device 804 in the car 802 belonging to
person who has previously indicated that she prefers content will
be sent content to alert the person about social trends at the
destination to which the person is driving. For example, a ground
server described in this patent document can determine that the
passenger is traveling from Tucson, Ariz. to Las Vegas, Nev. (as
shown in FIG. 8) in his or her Porsche and can determine social
trends for Porsche owners in Las Vegas and latest tune up
techniques for summer driving during above 100-degree weather in
Vegas and convention information. The ground server can send to the
media playback device 804 in the person's car 802 the content
relevant to the person's travel. For example, as shown in FIG. 8,
the ground server can send articles to help the person keep his or
her car in the best condition while driving in the hot desert
environment.
[0068] In some embodiments, for each flight, the content module of
the ground server 116 may include in the list of passenger
preferences one or more multimedia contents based on information
from social media platforms and based on information about the
flight. For example, information from social media trends may
indicate similar, complementary, or conflicting social media
trends, social analytics, or systems characteristics of any or all
the following: information, ideas, career interests, other forms of
expression, socialization offerings, number of blogs, age, failure
social networks, successful social networks. Information about the
flight may include any one or more of the following: date in
service of the airplane, last service date of the airplane, type or
length of flight, total flight time on a current airplane, weather
activities, past maintenance records or activities of an airplane,
time(s) of flights, number of consecutive day(s) of flight, reasons
or any recorded circumstances for flight (e.g., cargo drop off,
mission to a particular geographical area, taxi overseas for repair
or maintenance, or battery particulars), number of passengers,
number of stops, or the like.
[0069] In some embodiments, for each flight, the content module of
the ground server 116 may include in the list of passenger
preferences one or more multimedia contents based on information
from social media platforms (e.g., a social media trend or a
trending topic) and based on information about the flight. For
example, if a ground server 116 determines that a flight is
travelling to a destination for which a trending topic on a social
media platform is news about an extreme weather event (e.g.,
hurricane) at that destination, then the ground server 116 can
include news article(s) regarding that extreme weather event in the
list of passenger preferences. In this example, the entertainment
preferences for all the passengers on the flight can include news
article(s) regarding the extreme weather event at the
destination.
[0070] In another example, the content module of the ground server
116 can provide in the list of passenger preferences social media
recommendations based on the predicted entertainment preferences of
the passengers. In another example, the content module of the
ground server 116 can provide in the list of passenger preferences
the predicted passenger preferences with waste reduction (e.g.,
time, event, or situational predictions) to others (wholesalers,
retail stores, on-line vendors, marketplace participants, or the
like) of trends, needs, and social media usage of the one or more
airlines responsive to predicted entertainment preferences.
[0071] A benefit of the exemplary vehicle entertainment systems is
that it can minimize cost based on crew maintenance personnel or
third-party personnel providing social media outcomes to the
predicted entertainment preferences listings of the passengers.
Thus, the airlines can reduce overall costs and/or improve
reliability matching accurate social media outcomes to a passenger
and/or share in social media process by following social media of
one or more items based on predicted entertainment preferences
listings.
[0072] The ground server 116 may use the combination of the
techniques described above to generate the list of passenger
preferences. For example, the ground server 116 may generate the
list of passenger preferences by using the frequent flyer related
server to obtain one or more predicted entertainment preferences
previously indicated by at least some of the passengers, and by
obtaining multimedia content for at least some of the passengers
based on the additional personal information that can be retrieved
about them.
[0073] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary block diagram of an edge server or
the ground server that are part of an exemplary vehicle
entertainment system. The edge server or ground server 300 includes
at least one processor 310 and a memory 305 having instructions
stored thereupon. The instructions upon execution by the processor
310 configure the edge server 300 to perform the operations
described in FIGS. 1 to 2, and to perform the operations described
for the content module 325 and the passenger module 330, and a
database (108 or 118 in FIG. 1). The instructions upon execution by
the processor 310 can also configure the edge server or ground
server 300 to perform the operations described in the various
embodiments described in this patent document. The transmitter 315
transmits or sends information or data to another device (e.g.,
ground server, seatback devices, or PEDs). The receiver 320
receives information or data transmitted or sent by another device
(e.g., edge server, seatback devices, or PEDs).
[0074] FIG. 4 shows multiple vehicle entertainment systems
operating with a ground server. Each of the plurality of airplanes
402a-402n include a vehicle entertainment system as shown in FIG.
1. In each airplane an edge server can communicate with a ground
server 404 via an antenna directly or through satellites 408a-408n
signaling. For a set of passengers in each airplane, the ground
server may store a list of passenger preferences that can include
names of the passengers and one or more entertainment preferences
for each passenger. The ground server 404 can also receive social
media information about at least some of the passengers in the
airplanes 402a-402n from one or more social media platform servers.
In some embodiments, the social media information can provide
passenger usage data such as messages that the at least some
passengers have posted about the airlines or their travel as they
travel to their destinations.
[0075] The edge server in each airplane can receive social behavior
content from the ground server 404. The social behavior content can
be content based on social trends, social analyses, or social
predictions, as described in this patent document. The ground
server can determine the relevant social behavior content based on
the social media information about at least some of the passengers
received from the edge server of the airplanes 402a-402n.
[0076] This patent document describes the exemplary vehicle
entertainment systems in the context of a commercial passenger
vehicle such as an airplane for ease of description. The exemplary
vehicle entertainment systems could be employed in other types of
commercial passenger vehicle such as a train, a ship, or a bus.
[0077] Some of the embodiments described herein are described in
the general context of methods or processes, which may be
implemented in one embodiment by a computer program product,
embodied in a computer-readable medium, including
computer-executable instructions, such as program code, executed by
computers in networked environments. A computer-readable medium may
include removable and non-removable storage devices including, but
not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM),
compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVD), etc. Therefore,
the computer-readable media can include a non-transitory storage
media. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs,
objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular
tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer- or
processor-executable instructions, associated data structures, and
program modules represent examples of program code for executing
steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of
such executable instructions or associated data structures
represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the
functions described in such steps or processes.
[0078] Some of the disclosed embodiments can be implemented as
devices or modules using hardware circuits, software, or
combinations thereof. For example, a hardware circuit
implementation can include discrete analog and/or digital
components that are, for example, integrated as part of a printed
circuit board. Alternatively, or additionally, the disclosed
components or modules can be implemented as an Application Specific
Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and/or as a Field Programmable Gate Array
(FPGA) device. Some implementations may additionally or
alternatively include a digital signal processor (DSP) that is a
specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the
operational needs of digital signal processing associated with the
disclosed functionalities of this application. Similarly, the
various components or sub-components within each module may be
implemented in software, hardware or firmware. The connectivity
between the modules and/or components within the modules may be
provided using any one of the connectivity methods and media that
is known in the art, including, but not limited to, communications
over the Internet, wired, or wireless networks using the
appropriate protocols.
[0079] While this document contains many specifics, these should
not be construed as limitations on the scope of an invention that
is claimed or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of
features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that
are described in this document in the context of separate
embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single
embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the
context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple
embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in
certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or
more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be
excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be
directed to a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination.
Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a
particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that
such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in
sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed,
to achieve desirable results.
[0080] Only a few implementations and examples are described and
other implementations, enhancements and variations can be made
based on what is described and illustrated in this patent
document.
* * * * *