High bandwidth delivery and internet access for airborne passengers

Abstract

A method and a communications system in which a request for data transmitted by an airborne transmitter over a low-bandwidth air-to-ground communication system uplink and received by a ground-based receiver. The requested data is then transmitted over a high-bandwidth communication system downlink, such as a DBS satellite system downlink, preferably using an MPEG-2 compression technique, and received by an airborne receiver located on the same aircraft as the airborne transmitter. The received request for data is transmitted to a data network that contains the requested data, such as the Internet or a private data network, using circuit-switched techniques. According to the invention, the requested data includes one of video information, audio information and textual information.

1. A method for air to ground communication, comprising the steps of:
 (a) transmitting a request for a data session from an air borne terminal via an airborne transceiver and first antenna using a low bandwidth downlink to a ground based gateway linked to a server connected to a data network;    (b) transmitting a service initiation acknowledgement from the server to the airborne terminal via the ground based gateway, the low bandwidth downlink, the airborne transceiver and first antenna;    (c) transmitting a data request from the airborne terminal to the data network via the airborne transceiver and first antenna, low bandwidth down link, the ground based gateway and the server; and    (d) transmitting the requested data from the data network to the airborne terminal via a high bandwidth satellite uplink, an airborne receiver and second antenna.    
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the uplink is part of a DBS satellite system. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the data network is the Internet. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the data network is a private network. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of transmitting the requested data over the high-bandwidth communication system uplink includes the step of using an MPEG-2 compression technique for transmitting the requested data over the high-bandwidth communication system uplink using the second antenna. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the requested data includes one of video information, audio information and textual information. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 (e) using an access management server to obtain the requested data from the data network and transmit the requested data to the airborne terminal via the high bandwidth satellite uplink and the airborne receiver and second antenna.    
     
     
       8. An air to ground communication system, comprising
 (a) an airborne terminal coupled to an airborne transceiver and first antenna;    (b) a low bandwidth downlink provided by the airborne transceiver and first antenna;    (c) a ground based gateway for receiving the low bandwidth down link;    (d) a data network coupled to the ground based gateway via a server;    (e) a high bandwidth satellite uplink coupled to the data network; and    (f) an airborne receiver and second antenna coupled to the uplink whereby a data request from the airborne terminal is transmitted to the data network via the airborne transceiver and first antenna, the low bandwidth down link, the ground based gateway and the server and the requested data is transmitted by the data network to the airborne terminal via the high bandwidth satellite uplink and the airborne receiver and second antenna.    
     
     
       9. The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the uplink is part of a DBS satellite system. 
     
     
       10. The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the data network is the Internet. 
     
     
       11. The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the data network is a private network. 
     
     
       12. The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the DBS satellite system uses an MPEG-2 compression technique for transmitting the requested data over the high-bandwidth communication system uplink using the second antenna. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the requested data includes one of video information, audio information and textual information. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 8  further comprising:
 (g) an access management server coupled to the data network for obtaining and transmitting the requested data via the high bandwidth satellite uplink and the airborne receiver and second antenna.    
     
     
       15. An air-to-ground communication system for use with an airborne computer, the air-to-ground communication system comprising:
   an airborne transmitter coupled with the airborne computer and a first antenna, wherein the airborne transmitter and first antenna provides a low bandwidth communication link, and wherein the airborne transmitter and first antenna are configured to provide a request for ground-based data by the airborne computer over the low bandwidth communication link;        an airborne receiver and a second antenna coupled with a high bandwidth communication link, wherein the airborne receiver and second antenna are further configured to transmit the requested ground-based data over the high bandwidth communication link;        an airborne data server mechanism coupled with the Internet and configured to provide the requested ground-based data available from the Internet to the airborne computer;        an airborne API  ( application programming interface )  configured to communicate with the airborne computer and the airborne data server mechanism; and        an airborne data transport mechanism at least logically coupling the low bandwidth communication link, the airborne data server mechanism, and the high bandwidth communication link to facilitate delivery of the requested ground-based data to the airborne computer via the high bandwidth communication link, based on the request for the ground-based data by the airborne computer.     
     
     
       16. The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the high bandwidth communication link is a satellite communications channel. 
     
     
       17. The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the receiver and transmitter are a single transceiver. 
     
     
       18. An air-to-ground communication system for use with a portable airborne computer, comprising:
   data server means for providing data to, and being coupled with, the portable airborne computer, wherein the data server means is configured to be located within an aircraft;        wherein the data server means is configured to receive a request for ground-based data from the portable airborne computer;        data transport means for communicating with a wireless uplink channel, a wireless downlink channel, the data server means, and the airborne computer;        wherein the data transport means is configured to receive the request for the ground-based data, and provide the request for the ground-based data to the wireless uplink channel;        wherein the data server means is configured to receive the requested ground-based data from the wireless downlink channel, and to facilitate delivery of the requested ground-based data to the portable airborne computer;        airborne transmitter means coupled with a first antenna and the data transport means, wherein the wireless downlink channel includes a low bandwidth communication link, the airborne transmitter means and first antenna are configured to provide a request for ground-based data by the airborne computer over the low bandwidth communication link; and        airborne receiver means coupled with a second antenna and the data transport means, wherein the wireless uplink channel includes a high bandwidth communication link, the airborne receiver means and second antenna are configured to transmit the requested ground-based data over the high bandwidth communication link, in response to the request for data from the portable airborne computer.     
     
     
       19. The system according to  claim 18 , further comprising:
   API means configured to communicate with the portable airborne computer and the data server means.     
     
     
       20. A communication system for use with an airborne passenger computer, the system comprising:
   means for receiving, at a ground-based location, and over a low bandwidth air-to-ground communication downlink, a request for data from the airborne passenger computer via an airborne transceiver and a first antenna;        means for providing the request for data to a ground-based gateway linked to a server, wherein the server is coupled to an Internet website, and wherein the requested data is available via the Internet website;        means for providing the requested data from the Internet website to the airborne passenger computer via a high bandwidth ground-to-air communication uplink, wherein the requested data is transmitted to the airborne passenger computer, via an airborne receiver coupled with a second antenna, in response to the request for data from the airborne passenger computer; and        means for communicating with the low bandwidth air-to-ground communication downlink, the high bandwidth ground-to-air communication uplink, the server and the airborne passenger computer.     
     
     
       21. The system according to  claim 20 , wherein the high bandwidth ground-to-air communication uplink includes a satellite communication downlink. 
     
     
       22. The system according to  claim 20 , wherein the low bandwidth air-to-ground communication downlink is received from a first airborne antenna associated with an aircraft, and the high bandwidth ground-to-air communication uplink is associated with a second airborne antenna associated with the aircraft.