Method and system for visualizing performance indicators of onboard services provided during similar trips

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method includes: identifying past trips, each of the past trips having past trip characteristics similar to specific trip characteristics of a specific trip; obtaining a vehicle identification used during each of the past trips; obtaining a status of one or more onboard services provided during each of the past trips; generating interface data, the interface data representing: a past trip header, past trip characteristics for each of the past trips, the vehicle identification used during each of the past trips, an icon for each of the past trips having characteristics indicating the status of one or more onboard services provided during the past trip, and an additional icon indicating the status of the onboard services provided during the specific trip; and sending the interface data to enable a display device to generate / display a viewer.

Description

[0001] BENEFICIARY CLAIMS; CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of provisional application No. 63 / 049,788, filed on July 9, 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. Background Art

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to mobile communication systems, and more particularly to monitoring communication systems that provide onboard services on vehicles such as airplanes, trains, ships, cruise ships, buses, etc. Onboard services may include various communication and entertainment services, such as access to the Internet and computer-based entertainment.

[0004] The quality of onboard services provided on a vehicle is typically measured in terms of bandwidth, availability, reliability, practicality, and speed. As the quality of services provided on a vehicle improves, passenger and crew satisfaction and enjoyment also increase. However, providing high-quality onboard services often requires continuous monitoring of the service and resolving service problems as quickly as possible. U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2020 / 0005639 to Walsh (claiming priority on June 27, 2019) discloses a method for generating a vehicle data interface that depicts performance data associated with communication services provided on the same vehicle during one or more previous trips of the same vehicle.

[0005] To effectively monitor onboard services, service-specific status and metric data is collected and compared to determine which vehicles or trips are experiencing problems in providing onboard services.Therefore, there is a need for an improved method for monitoring the performance of onboard services provided on a vehicle during a trip. Summary of the invention

[0006] In some embodiments, a method for visualizing performance indicators of onboard services provided during past trips similar to a specific trip is presented. The past trips and the specific trip may be, for example, flights operated by commercial or military aircraft. The specific trip may be an ongoing trip, and the past trip may be a trip that has been completed and is similar in some way to the ongoing specific trip. Two trips may be similar when they both have the same departure time or the same arrival time, etc. A detailed definition of similar trips is provided later.

[0007] The method may also include generating a past trip viewer that includes performance indicators of onboard services provided during past trips similar to the particular trip. The performance indicators for a trip may capture numerical values ​​that represent a measure of the quality of the corresponding onboard services provided during the trip. Particularly important performance indicators may be referred to as key performance indicators. The performance indicators may be represented in the viewer using icons that graphically and / or textually represent the status of the onboard services provided during the past trip.

[0008] Providing a past trip viewer provides a number of benefits. For example, a control center operator can compare the status of onboard services provided during past trips with the status of onboard services provided during a particular trip to determine whether the quality of onboard services provided during the trip has degraded, and if so, the source or cause of the degraded quality. This comparison may allow the operator to, for example, quickly understand whether an onboard service problem is related to a particular trip, a past trip, a network-related problem that occurred during the trip, the vehicle on which the service was provided, or a changing demand for onboard services provided during the trip.

[0009] A variety of methods may be used to determine the similarity between a past trip and a particular ongoing trip. For example, similarity may be determined by comparing characteristics of a past trip to characteristics of a particular trip to determine whether the corresponding characteristics are similar. Examples of characteristics may include a trip origin, a trip destination, a trip departure time, a trip arrival time, a trip identification, a vehicle identification of a vehicle used during the trip, and the like. The origin of a trip may correspond to an airport from which the trip originates, while the destination of a trip may correspond to an airport from which the trip ends. Characteristics of a past trip are similar to characteristics of a particular trip when, for example, both trips originate from the same location, or when both trips end at the same destination. Different ways of determining similarity between trips are described in detail below. Fig. 6A Described in .

[0010] Once one or more past trips similar to a particular trip are identified, a trip identifier for the one or more past trips is obtained. In addition, for each of the past trips similar to the particular trip, a status of an onboard service provided during the past trip is obtained. Examples of onboard services may include in-flight communications (IFC), default communication sessions, paid sessions, messaging sessions, free sessions, Wi-Fi sessions, TV sessions, data usage, and the like. The status of the onboard services provided during the trip may correspond to a performance indicator of the corresponding onboard services provided during the entire duration of the trip. The status may be represented as a numerical value. In some embodiments, the status is represented as a percentage of time selected from the range [0%, 100%], where 0% indicates no service and 100% indicates excellent quality of service.

[0011] The information obtained for the past trips may be used to generate the first graphical interface data. The first graphical interface data may include past trip characteristics for each of the past trips, a vehicle identification for each of the past trips of the vehicles used during the past trips, and an icon for the past trips. The icon for the past trip may have one or more features indicating the status of the onboard services provided during the past trip. In addition, the first graphical interface data may include a past trip header, which includes labels for the past trip characteristics, the vehicle identification, and the onboard services.

[0012] The first graphical interface may further include an additional icon for indicating, for the specific trip, a status of an onboard service provided during the specific trip. The additional icon may be displayed in a specific trip viewer generated for the specific trip.

[0013] The features of the icons and / or the features of the additional icons may vary from one embodiment to another. For example, some features may include a colored object and / or an alphanumeric string indicating a status. The colored object may be a colored circle, where the color is used to graphically indicate whether the status of the onboard service provided during the trip is excellent, good, fair, or poor. The alphanumeric string may numerically indicate a percentage value representing the percentage of time during which the onboard service was provided during the trip.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first graphical interface data is sent to a display device so that the display device generates and displays a past trip viewer. The past trip viewer includes a past trip header and past trip characteristics, a vehicle identifier, and an icon for each of one or more past trips arranged in a row under the past trip header.

[0015] In some embodiments, sending the first graphical interface data to the display device further causes the display device to generate and display a specific trip viewer including additional icons for the specific trip. The additional icons displayed in the specific trip viewer can be used to indicate the status of the onboard services provided during the specific trip.

[0016] Both the past trip viewer and the specific trip viewer may be used to help visualize the quality of onboard services provided during past trips and the quality of onboard services provided during specific trips. Because visual comparison of icons indicating the status of onboard services provided during past trips and specific trips may be easy and intuitive, this visual comparison may allow a user to easily determine, for example, whether the quality of onboard services has degraded over time, and if so, on which trips.

[0017] In some embodiments, each past trip displayed in the past trip viewer is selectable, and selection generates a request to display the past trip viewer for that past trip. For example, in response to determining that the pointing device is hovering over departure information displayed for a past trip in the past trip viewer, information about the past trip may be obtained and used to generate second graphical interface data representing information about the past trip. The second graphical interface data may be sent to the display device to cause the display device to generate a past trip viewer for the past trip.

[0018] In some embodiments, each vehicle identification displayed in the past trip viewer is selectable, and selection causes a request to display a past vehicle viewer for a vehicle used during the past trip. For example, in response to determining that the pointing device is hovering over a vehicle identification of a vehicle used during the past trip and displayed in the past trip viewer, information about the vehicle having the vehicle identification is obtained and the information is used to generate third graphical interface data representing information about the vehicle. The third graphical interface data can be sent to a display device to cause the display device to generate a past vehicle viewer to depict information about the vehicle.

[0019] In some embodiments, an apparatus for generating a past trip viewer including performance indicators of onboard services provided during past trips similar to a specific trip is provided. The apparatus includes a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform the steps of the method described herein.

[0020] In some embodiments, one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media are provided that store one or more instructions for generating a past trip viewer that includes performance indicators of onboard services provided in past trips similar to a particular trip. The instructions of the storage media may be stored in a memory and, when executed by one or more processors, may cause the processors to perform the steps of the methods described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] A further understanding of the nature and beneficial effects of the method of the present invention may be achieved with reference to the following drawings. In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference label. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by adding a second label after the reference label, which second label may distinguish similar components.

[0022] In the attached picture:

[0023] Figure 1is an example of a block diagram of a network communication system according to one or more embodiments.

[0024] Figure 2 is an example of a block diagram of a ground server according to one or more embodiments.

[0025] Figure 3 is an exemplary block diagram of an onboard system according to one or more embodiments.

[0026] Figure 4A is an example of a graphical interface depicting an example detailed trip viewer for a particular trip and an example past trip viewer that includes performance indicators of onboard services provided during past trips similar to the particular trip in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0027] Figure 4B is an example of a graphical user interface for generating and displaying a past trip viewer for past trips similar to a particular trip.

[0028] Figure 5A is an example of a graphical interface for depicting a past transportation viewer showing information about a particular transportation and generated when a pointing device is hovering over a past transportation identification shown in a past trip viewer according to one or more embodiments.

[0029] Figure 5B is an example of a graphical interface for depicting a specific past trip viewer that shows information about past trips and that is generated when a pointing device is hovering over a past trip feature shown in the past trip viewer, according to one or more embodiments.

[0030] Fig. 6A Examples of trip characteristics and examples of conditions for determining similarity between trips are depicted.

[0031] Figure 6B An exemplary process for generating a graphical user interface for visualizing a past trip viewer having similar past trips is provided.

[0032] Figure 6C An exemplary process is provided for generating a graphical user interface showing a past trip viewer when a pointing device is hovering over a past trip in the past trip viewer, and generating a graphical user interface showing a past vehicle viewer when a pointing device is hovering over a past vehicle identification in the past trip viewer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the methods described herein. However, it will be apparent that the inventive method can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the inventive method.

[0034] Exemplary Communication System

[0035] Used to generate a past trip viewer with similar past flights

[0036] Vehicles, such as airplanes and ships, may be equipped with onboard systems that are configured to provide communication services during a trip. The user experience associated with consumption of onboard communication services provided during a trip may be affected by the performance of the communication server and the communication connections established between the vehicle, satellite, and ground systems. As used herein, the term "trip" may refer to a travel segment and / or a time period of a travel segment, and may include a flight, cruise, cruise, or excursion carried by a vehicle.

[0037] In some specific implementations, embodiments of the present disclosure are provided to generate first graphical interface data that includes status information of in-flight services provided during past trips similar to a specific trip. The first graphical interface data may also include status information of in-flight services provided during a specific trip.

[0038] The first graphical interface data may be used to generate a past trip viewer that indicates the status of onboard services provided during past trips similar to the specific trip. The first graphical interface data may also be used to generate a specific trip viewer that indicates the status of onboard services provided during the specific trip. The status of onboard services provided during the specific trip (which is depicted in the specific trip viewer) may be compared to the status of the same onboard services provided during past trips (which is depicted in the past trip viewer) to determine whether the quality of the onboard services provided during the trip has degraded, and if so, what may have caused the degraded quality.

[0039] As used herein, the terms "graphical interface data" and "interface data" may refer to any data in a computer system that is related to the representation of one or more graphical user interfaces or portions thereof. The graphical interface data may represent, for example, various graphical icons and / or other visual identifiers or features. In addition, the graphical interface data may include data or code that provides instructions for generating or displaying / presenting various graphical icons and other visual identifiers and features on a display device.

[0040] Graphical interface data may also refer to any type of user interface page or portion of a page having any type of content. Graphical interface data may refer to, for example, a page of a website, a page of a network-supported application, or any type of code used by a user interface to generate a web page, content page, or interface. Graphical interface data may include code conforming to any suitable or desired language, such as hypertext markup language (HTML) code, Java or JavaScript code, Android code, iOS code, other embedded device operating system code, etc.

[0041] The status information of the onboard services provided during the trip may correspond to performance indicators of the onboard services provided during the trip and may be represented in the graphical interface using icons or other visual objects.

[0042] User input (such as clicking, tapping, hovering, etc.) associated with an icon or other representation of a vehicle, trip, etc. may trigger or cause the generation, provision and / or presentation of graphical interface data related to communication services provided on the vehicle and / or associated hardware devices regarding trips carried by the vehicle.

[0043] The icons may have one or more characteristics, including, for example, visual characteristics. Certain visual characteristics of the icons may indicate the status level of hardware devices and / or communication services provided on the vehicle. Thus, the user may be prompted to provide user input associated with the vehicle icon or the user may be otherwise informed of the communication service status. By allowing user input and interaction associated with icons displayed in the graphical interface, the user may be able to access, for example, vehicle data and / or trip data for the vehicle by interacting or contacting the icons represented in the interface.

[0044] Vehicle data associated with communication services provided on a vehicle may include any type of communication service related information associated with the vehicle. For example, vehicle data may indicate service instances that are open for a vehicle during a period of time. Vehicle data may also provide information about communication service hardware replacement or maintenance. Such information may provide insight into whether equipment replacement may help the performance of communication services on the vehicle.

[0045] The trip data associated with the communication services provided during the trip may include any type of communication service related information associated with the trip. For example, the trip data may indicate a passenger experience reporting an event captured during the trip or a passenger experience reporting the availability of an onboard service provided during the trip.

[0046] The state of a service type for an onboard service provided on a vehicle may be represented in a variety of ways. For example, the state may be represented by a single value (e.g., a number) and / or by a set of measurement values ​​(e.g., a set of numbers). A single state value for a service type may be calculated by aggregating different measurement data values ​​that are determined for the type of service provided during, for example, multiple trips performed by the vehicle within a time period. For example, state information for network connectivity provided by a vehicle may be a single value that represents an aggregation of measures of the connection between the vehicle and a network during all trips performed by the vehicle within a time period. According to another example, the state of network connectivity provided by a vehicle may be represented by a set of measurement values, each of which is calculated by aggregating measures of the connection provided during a particular trip or multiple trips performed by the vehicle within a time period.

[0047] The count and type of service types of onboard services provided to passengers during the trip can vary from one embodiment to another. Examples of communication service types may include network connectivity to the Internet and / or other networks. Examples of onboard entertainment service types may include streaming TV services, onboard entertainment services that provide access to content stored on board (such as movies, performances, etc.). The availability and utilization of onboard services can be collected by a computer server installed in, for example, a vehicle. The server installed in the vehicle can be referred to as an onboard server. The onboard server can send the collected measurement data to one or more ground systems, which can then process and aggregate the data, and display the aggregated data on a display device in the form of, for example, a past trip viewer, a specific trip viewer, a trip data viewer, and a vehicle data viewer.

[0048] Communication System

[0049] In some specific implementations, the present disclosure provides a method for visualizing performance indicators of airborne services provided during similar trips. The method can be implemented as part of the communication system described herein. A graphical interface can be used to visualize the performance indicators of airborne services, which is configured to generate and display, for example, a past trip viewer that depicts status information of communication services provided during one or more past trips similar to a specific ongoing trip. A past trip is a trip with characteristics similar to the characteristics of a specific ongoing trip. For example, if a specific ongoing trip is a trip between Los Angeles CA and Mesa AR, which is carried by a vehicle with tail identification V943AV and starts at 7 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Tuesday, examples of similar past trips may include a trip from Los Angeles to Mesa at 7 a.m. on any day, or a trip from Los Angeles to Mesa at any time on Tuesday, or a trip from Los Angeles at 7 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on any Tuesday, and so on. Fig. 6A Examples of specific definitions of similar trips are provided in .

[0050] Figure 1 is an example of a block diagram of a network communication system 100 according to one or more embodiments. In some embodiments, the communication system 100 includes one or more communication satellites 102A-102B, one or more vehicles 104A-104B, one or more network gateways 108A-108B, one or more network performance monitoring units 110A-110B, one or more ground systems 112, one or more display devices 114, and one or more data communication networks 116. Other embodiments may include fewer or more components.

[0051] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 supports two-way communications between vehicles 104A-104B, gateways 108A-108B, network performance units 110A-110B, network 116, ground system 112, and potentially other components of the system 100 (not shown) via air-to-ground connections or otherwise.

[0052] The display device 114 may be configured to display content such as a past trip viewer, a specific trip viewer, a vehicle data viewer, a trip data viewer, etc. For example, the display device 114 may be configured to generate a graphical user interface for presenting a past trip viewer that visualizes performance metrics of onboard services provided during past trips similar to the specific trip.

[0053] Satellites 102A-102B may be configured to provide network communication connections to communication systems implemented in vehicles 104A-104B, including target devices implemented and / or present in vehicles 104A-104B. Target devices may be mobile devices operated by crew members and passengers of vehicles 104A-104B, and may include smart phones, tablet computers, iPods, laptop computers, PDAs, etc. Satellites 102A-102B may, for example, facilitate network communications to and from target devices to provide Internet access, TV programs, movies, data news delivery, etc.

[0054] Vehicles 104A-104B may be mobile machines configured to carry crew, passengers, and cargo, and provide communication network connectivity and onboard services. Figure 1 The vehicles 104A-104B are depicted as airplanes, but the vehicles 104A-104B may include any type of vehicle, including ships, trains, buses, cars, cruise ships, etc. The vehicles 104A-104B may be configured to provide passengers with onboard services, such as, for example, access to the Internet and / or in-flight entertainment.

[0055] In some embodiments, vehicles 104A-104B include location determination equipment, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or a global positioning system (GPS). If such equipment is installed, it can allow the vehicle to determine its physical location. The location information can be used by ground system 112 to perform certain functions disclosed herein.

[0056] Alternatively, other techniques for determining the location of a vehicle may be used. For example, in an embodiment where satellites 102A-102B are spot beam satellites, vehicles 104A-104B may be able to derive their location based on the spot beams used to communicate with satellite network 116.

[0057] In some embodiments, vehicles 104A-104B may send their location information to ground system 112. The location information may be associated with vehicle-specific measurements collected at or near the reported location. This may allow ground system 112 to correlate specific vehicle-specific measurements with specific network service areas based on the associated location. In some embodiments, the vehicle-specific measurements collected by ground system 112 from Figure 1 An independent entity or server not shown in the figure obtains location data for one or more of the vehicles 104A to 104B. Such an entity or server may receive the location data from the vehicle or derive the location data in some way.

[0058] The vehicles 104A-104B may include onboard computer systems and sensor systems configured to collect and monitor measurement data regarding various events reflecting onboard services. The measurement data may include information regarding network connectivity available on the vehicles 104A-104B and / or the availability and utilization of onboard entertainment services. Events may include receiving a request for an Internet connection, a data communication session, downloading a TV program from a content provider, downloading a movie from an onboard movie content server, etc.

[0059] The metric data collected by the onboard servers of the vehicles 104A-104B may include, for example, metrics showing network connectivity and availability and utilization of onboard services on individual vehicles, individual trips, and / or various portions of a trip. The metric data may also include web browsing scores, video streaming scores, customer satisfaction scores, etc. The metric data may include upload speed metrics, download speed metrics, latency metrics, etc.

[0060] The collected metric data may be sent from the onboard server of the vehicle 104A-104B to the ground system 112 and / or the network performance monitoring units 110A-110B. The metric data may be sent via, for example, the network gateway 108A-108B.

[0061] The network performance monitoring units 110A-110B may be configured to collect measurement data of onboard services provided on the vehicles 104A-104B. The measurement data may be collected by the network performance monitoring units 110A-110B themselves, by the satellites 102A-102B and / or by the vehicles 104A-104B. The measurement data may be processed by any of the monitoring units 110A-110B, the ground system 112, the satellites 102A-102B and / or the vehicles 104A-104B.

[0062] Ground system 112 may be configured to process the collected metric data, aggregate the data, and use the data to generate, for example, a past trip viewer for visualizing performance metrics of onboard services provided during past trips similar to a particular trip. The past trip viewer may be used by operators at a vehicle control center, fleet operators, service providers, and suppliers to allow them to understand the quality of onboard services provided during trips carried by a vehicle.

[0063] Ground system 112 may include one or more electronic hardware computers or components including control circuits configured to perform specific functions, as discussed in detail below.

[0064] The network gateways 108A-108B may be computer-based systems configured to perform the functions of a communication modem. These functions may include modulation and demodulation of signals communicated between the satellites 102A-102B and the network performance monitoring units 110A-110B. These functions may also include packet queuing, packet acceleration and deceleration, network address translation (NAT), firewall-based security, periodic pinging, and other signal processing functions.

[0065] The communication network 116 may be implemented as any type of communication network or group of communication networks. The network 116 may be configured to provide support for a variety of communication protocols, including broadband protocols, wireless protocols, etc. The network 116 may support two-way communication between the gateways 108A-108B, the monitoring units 110A-110B, the ground system 112, the display device 114, and other computer systems and servers (not shown) implemented in the system 100.

[0066] Ground System

[0067] In some embodiments, a method for visualizing performance indicators of airborne services provided during similar trips is implemented in one or more ground systems. The performance indicators of airborne services can be visualized using a graphical interface configured to generate and display, for example, a past trip viewer that depicts status information of communication services provided during one or more past trips similar to a particular ongoing trip.

[0068] Figure 2 is an example of a block diagram of a ground server 200 according to one or more embodiments. The ground server 200 may be, for example Figure 1 The ground system 112. The ground system 200 may be implemented in a computer server or a network of computer servers (such as a cloud-based system and / or a virtual computing node).

[0069] In some embodiments, ground system 200 includes a single hardware computer contained within a single physical housing, while in other embodiments, ground system 200 is implemented in multiple computers installed in multiple physical housings, some of which are within the single physical housing and other computers are geographically distributed away from each other. The functionality described with respect to ground system 200 may be distributed among the various computers in a manner different than shown or described herein. Figure 1 Among the components of system 100.

[0070] In some embodiments, ground system 200 is configured to collect, monitor, aggregate, and otherwise process metric data indicating the performance of onboard services of one or more service types provided in a vehicle. Ground system 200 may be configured to use the collected and processed information to generate, for example, a past trip viewer, a specific trip viewer, a vehicle data viewer, a trip data viewer, and other viewers for visualizing performance indicators of onboard services provided during a trip.

[0071] Ground system 200 may be configured to obtain, for example, a vehicle identification of a vehicle whose onboard services are to be collected and monitored, and status information for trips carried by the vehicle. Ground system 200 may receive a request to determine one or more past trips similar to a particular trip and to obtain performance metrics for onboard services provided during the past trips and the particular trip.

[0072] The ground system 200 may use a variety of techniques to obtain the vehicle identification. For example, the ground system 200 may request a list of vehicle identifications from a vehicle control center of a fleet operator of vehicles and store the list in a storage device of the ground system 200. The ground system 200 may use the vehicle identification as a search keyword in, for example, a query issued by the ground system to request measurement data regarding airborne services provided on the corresponding vehicle. For example, the ground system 200 may use the vehicle identification as a search keyword in a query issued by the ground system to request measurement data regarding airborne services provided on the corresponding vehicle. Figure 1 104A) to request measurement data about the onboard services provided by vehicle 104A during a specific time period. In other embodiments, the measurement data about the onboard services provided on the vehicle are automatically provided by an onboard system implemented in the vehicle itself, or obtained from a ground network performance monitoring unit, or obtained in combination with an onboard system implemented in the vehicle and a ground network performance monitoring unit.

[0073] In some embodiments, ground system 200 includes one or more service monitors 202, one or more data aggregators 204, one or more performance metric generators 206, and one or more data storage units 208. System 200 may also include one or more processors 210, one or more memory units 212, one or more display devices 214, and one or more network interface cards 216. The components of ground system 200 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly via a communication bus 220. Other embodiments may include fewer or more components.

[0074] The display device 214 may be configured to display visualizations of performance indicators of onboard services provided during similar trips. The visualized performance indicators of onboard services may be included, for example, in a past trip viewer that depicts status information of communication services provided during one or more past trips similar to the particular ongoing trip. Other viewers may include a specific trip viewer, a vehicle data viewer, a trip data viewer, etc., all described in detail below.

[0075] The display device 214 can be configured to generate a graphical user interface for displaying the viewer in a concise and communicable form. The viewer can use colored objects and / or percentage values ​​described in detail below to indicate the status of the onboard services provided during the trip. An example of a graphical representation generated using the display 214 is provided in Figure 6H.

[0076] The display 214 may be implemented as an electronic display, such as a CRT display, an LCD display, a touch screen, a mobile device screen, or the like.

[0077] The service monitor 202 may be configured to collect information about Figure 1 The event may include receiving a request for an Internet connection, a data communication session, a TV program download from a content provider, a movie download from an onboard movie content server, etc. The event may also include receiving an indication of whether an Internet connection is available in the vehicle at a given time, whether a data communication session is successfully opened or closed, whether a movie is successfully downloaded to a target device operated by the vehicle, etc. The event may include receiving a request for an Internet connection, a data communication session, a TV program download from a content provider, a movie download from an onboard movie content server, etc. The event may also include receiving an indication of whether an Internet connection is available in the vehicle at a given time, whether a data communication session is successfully opened or closed, whether a movie is successfully downloaded to a target device operated by the vehicle, etc. The event may include collecting measurement data about the event when a passenger boards the vehicle, when the vehicle is traveling, when the vehicle arrives at its destination, and / or when a passenger leaves the vehicle.

[0078] In some embodiments, the data aggregator 204 generates an average, maximum, minimum, mean and / or median of two or more communication service performance metrics for the communication services provided on the vehicle for at least one trip of the vehicle. The data aggregator 204 can determine the negative variance between the communication service performance metrics of the vehicle being monitored as it advances along its route of travel. The negative variance itself can be aggregated to produce a summary measure representing the difference in performance of the communication service of the monitored vehicle compared to a specific performance target. This can provide a threshold / metric for evaluating communication service performance. In some embodiments, the aggregation of negative variances can be divided by the duration of a given trip to the current point in time to provide an average negative variance experienced during the trip.

[0079] The data aggregator 204 may be configured to process, sort, and aggregate the collected and monitored metric data. The processed data may be sorted and / or aggregated based on service type, vehicle identification, fleet identification, airline identification, airport identification, etc. The type of processing performed on the data may depend on a variety of factors. For example, if the data relates to a trip that has been completed by the vehicle, the data may be aggregated based on the type of data, the type of service represented by the data, the source providing the data, etc. However, if the data relates to an ongoing trip, the processing may include selecting the most recently received data from the collected data that reflects the current latest availability and utilization of onboard services.

[0080] The metric generator 206 may be configured to use the sorted and aggregated information to determine performance metrics that are used to determine the status of services provided to passengers while they are on a vehicle. The performance metrics may indicate, for example, the performance of onboard services of one or more service types provided on individual vehicles, individual trips, and / or individual portions of a trip.

[0081] The metric generator 206 may also be configured to encode the sorted and aggregated data into corresponding status indicators to reflect the performance provided in the vehicle. In some embodiments, the metric generator 206 determines the status of one or more service types of onboard services provided on the selected vehicle. The status of the service type may be determined based on the metric data collected for the service type provided on the selected vehicle and may include information about the service characteristics of the service provided to the passenger.

[0082] The state of a particular service type may, for example, correspond to a value (or range of values) of a service metric determined for a particular onboard service. The state may be associated with one or more features of a service icon to be displayed, for example, in a past trip viewer. Some of the features may be represented digitally, for example, as a single number or a set of metric values. A single digital state for a particular onboard service may be calculated as an aggregation of service metric data collected for a particular onboard service during a particular time period. A set of metric values ​​for a particular onboard service may include values ​​determined for a particular onboard service during different trips, etc. Other features may be represented graphically using, for example, graphical elements, such as icons with specific colors, patterns, etc. Graphical features for a particular onboard service may correspond to a value or range of values ​​determined based on a corresponding service metric for a particular onboard service, and may be depicted using a specific icon with a specific color or pattern that graphically represents a corresponding value or a corresponding range of values.

[0083] In some embodiments, the state may be determined by the metric generator 206 itself. Alternatively, the state may be determined by Figure 1The satellites 102A-102B, vehicles 104A-104B, network gateways 108A-108B and / or performance monitoring units 110A-110B shown in FIG.

[0084] The service metrics may be stored in data storage device 208. Alternatively or additionally, the information and metrics may be communicated to a computer server, such as other ground systems 200 and / or computer servers installed in ground system 200. The status and metrics may be used to generate a graphical user interface, such as a past trip viewer.

[0085] Processor 210 may be configured to provide an execution environment for performing various system-based functions and for performing the methods described herein. Processor 210 may be configured to provide, for example, support for executing an operating system and system functions implemented in ground system 200.

[0086] The memory unit 212 may include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM) units. The memory 212 may be used to store operating system instructions and computer-readable and computer-executable instructions for implementing the methods described herein.

[0087] The network interface card 216 may be configured to facilitate communications between the ground system 200 and a vehicle, a satellite, a network monitoring site, a vehicle control center, a vehicle operator center, a supplier center, etc. The interface may be implemented in hardware, software, and / or a combination thereof, and may be implemented to support a variety of communication protocols, including wireless communication protocols, broadband communication protocols, etc. The network interface 216 may also be used to provide connectivity with an input device (not shown) configured in the ground system 200. The input device may include a keyboard, a smart phone, a touch screen, an audio device, etc., and may be used to provide input, a request for service performance information for an onboard service, etc.

[0088] In some embodiments, the ground system 200 includes a web server ( Figure 2The web server may be a single server or may represent a distributed network of servers across geographic regions. The web server may store instructions for generating and displaying a web-based user interface. The web-based user interface may allow a user to provide user input for configuring one or more threshold values ​​or other performance target data discussed herein. In addition, the web-based user interface may provide graphical interface data representing the values ​​of the metrics collected by the systems / components described herein. The web server may also be configured to generate graphical interface data and / or provide it to one or more remote or local monitoring systems for generating displays and / or presentations to the user. The web server may receive user input instructions in conjunction with the graphical interface. The generation of graphical interface data may be triggered by a user input instruction, as described in detail below.

[0089] In some embodiments, the web server may send a message to one or more vehicles 104A-104B ( Figure 1 ) provides web page data and is provided by data aggregator 204 ( Figure 2 The aggregated metrics may indicate, for example, the number of seconds required to load web page data provided by a web server at vehicles 104A to 104B.

[0090] Web pages and / or website content may be copied to and / or provided at a web server. In this manner, the communication service performance metric may represent the communication service performance of the ground system 200 ( Figure 2 ) and the performance of the communications network of the monitored vehicle, and may not be affected by performance issues that may affect the delivery of content from an origin server (e.g., a server that creates a website).

[0091] Airborne Systems

[0092] In some embodiments, a method for visualizing performance indicators of onboard services provided during similar trips uses information provided by the vehicles 102A-102B and / or onboard systems implemented and installed in the vehicles themselves.

[0093] In some embodiments, an onboard server installed in a vehicle is used to collect service measurement data for service types of onboard services provided on the vehicle, and to send the collected measurement data from the onboard server to a ground server, which in turn uses the received measurement data to determine the status of each service type to generate, for example, a past trip viewer.

[0094] Figure 3 is an exemplary block diagram of an onboard system according to one or more embodiments. Figure 3The example depicted in FIG. 1 shows vehicle 300 as an airplane; however, in other embodiments, vehicle 300 may correspond to a helicopter, a cruise ship, a bus, a train, etc. To provide a simple example, assume that Figure 3 The vehicle 300 depicted in FIG. Figure 1 Any vehicle 104A to 104B shown.

[0095] In some embodiments, vehicle 300 includes an onboard system 350. Onboard system 350 may be configured to collect measurement data of the type of service provided onboard services on vehicle 300. Onboard system 350 may also be configured to transmit the collected measurement data to a ground system, such as Figure 2 The ground system 200 shown in FIG. The collected metric data may be associated with a unique identification of the vehicle 300 (also referred to herein as a vehicle identification or vehicle ID) by the onboard system 350 and / or by a ground network performance monitoring unit of the onboard system.

[0096] If the vehicle 300 corresponds to an airplane, the identification may include an airplane tail identification (ID), a nose ID, an airplane serial number, etc. The identification may be configured or hard-coded in a computer system implemented in the vehicle 300. Additional information associated with the vehicle may include a trip number (such as a flight number), a travel segment number (such as a route number), a crew identification of a crew member of the vehicle 300, an equipment identification (such as a serial number of an antenna or network device), a departure terminal identification, a destination terminal identification, a scheduled departure time, a scheduled arrival time, etc.

[0097] In some embodiments, the vehicle 300 includes various hardware components, software components, and / or combinations thereof. For example, the vehicle 300 may include one or more antennas 304, one or more transceivers 306, one or more modems 308, a communication and onboard service management system 312, one or more wireless access points ("WAP") 314, and one or more onboard media clients implemented in one or more personal target devices 316 and / or one or more passenger seat back media systems 318. The vehicle 300 is also equipped with a power supply unit 330 and a positioning system 332.

[0098] Antenna 304, transceiver 306, and modem 308 may be collectively referred to as two-way communication system 302. System 302 may be configured to facilitate communication with a satellite, such as Figure 1 Satellites 102A to 102B shown in the figure) conduct two-way communication.

[0099] The communication system 302 may be configured to support two-way data communication between a communication network (such as the Internet) and a target device 316, a seat back media system 318, a positioning system 332, etc. For example, the system 302 may be configured to provide uplink data received from the target device 316 and / or the seat back system 318 to the modem 308 to allow the modulated uplink data to be generated in the form of a transmit intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The system 302 may also support receiving forward downlink signals from a satellite (or other system, such as an air-to-ground system) and transmitting return uplink signals back to a satellite (or other system, such as an air-to-ground system) to support two-way communication.

[0100] Antenna 304 may be configured to communicate between vehicle 300 and a satellite or other system ( Figure 3 The antenna 304 may be mounted to an elevation and azimuth gimbal that points the antenna 304 toward the satellite and allows for active tracking of the satellite.

[0101] Modem 308 may be implemented as a separate component, such as Figure 3 As shown, or may be integrated with the network performance monitoring system 321 of the communication and airborne service management system 312. The modem 308 may be configured to generate modulated uplink data based on uplink data received from the communication and airborne service management system 312. The modulated IF signal may be delivered to the transceiver 306.

[0102] The transceiver 306 may be configured to convert and subsequently amplify the modulated uplink data to generate a return uplink signal and transmit the amplified signal to one or more satellites via the antenna system 304. The transceiver 306 may also be configured to receive a forward downlink signal from the satellite via the antenna system 304. The transceiver 306 may, for example, amplify and downconvert the forward downlink signal and generate modulated downlink data (such as a receive IF signal) that is subsequently demodulated by the modem 308. The demodulated downlink data may then be provided from the modem 308 to the communication and onboard service management system 312 for routing to the destination device 316 and / or the seat back system 318.

[0103] Target devices 316 may include smartphones, laptops, tablets, iPods, PDAs, netbooks, etc. that have been brought aboard the vehicle 300 by passengers and crew. Target devices 316 and / or seat back systems 318 may communicate with the communication and onboard service management system 312 via a communication link (not shown), which may be wired and / or wireless. The communication link may be part of a local area network (LAN) or a wireless local area network (WLAN) supported by a WAP 314. The WAP 314 may be installed in a variety of locations in the vehicle 300 and may be configured to provide traffic switching and routing functions.

[0104] Positioning system 332 may include global positioning system (GPS) circuitry configured to determine the current position or location of vehicle 300. Positioning system 332 may receive positioning information from sensors installed throughout vehicle 300. Positioning information may include readings of altitude, longitude, latitude, distance traveled relative to a departure terminal, etc. In some embodiments, each positioning reading is associated with a corresponding time value corresponding to the time when vehicle 300 was at a particular location, as well as the time when the particular positioning value was recorded.

[0105] Specific trip viewer and past trip viewer

[0106] In the context of the method of the present invention, the specific trip is an ongoing trip for which a graphical user interface is used to generate and display a specific trip viewer and a past trip viewer depicting similar past trips (i.e., trips that have been completed). The two viewers can be automatically generated when a user requests a trip detail view for the specific trip.

[0107] In some embodiments, upon receiving a request for a trip detail view for a specific trip, a system implementing the method of the present invention may generate a graphical user interface to display a specific trip viewer for the specific trip and a past trip viewer showing graphical representations of past trips similar to the specific trip. The process of collecting information to be presented in the viewer is described below. Fig. 6A The similarity between itineraries is described in detail in . Non-limiting examples of itineraries are flights operated by airplanes, helicopters, etc.

[0108] In some embodiments, the specific trip viewer further depicts an additional icon indicating the status of the onboard service provided during the specific trip, while the past trip viewer further depicts the status of the onboard service provided during each past trip in the past trips similar to the specific trip. For example, assume that the characteristic used to determine the similarity between trips is the trip departure time, and the monitored onboard service is the quality of the in-flight communication (IFC) service. In this example, the specific trip viewer may further depict an additional icon indicating the status of the IFC service provided during the specific trip, while the past trip viewer may depict the status of the IFC onboard service provided during each past trip in the past trips having a departure time similar to the specific trip.

[0109] The information depicted in the specific trip viewer and the past trip viewer may be provided by, for example, a ground system such as Figure 2 The ground system 200 corresponds to Figure 1 Alternatively, in rare cases, this information may be provided by an onboard system such as Figure 3 The onboard system 350 is provided.

[0110] The ground system may be configured to collect, monitor, aggregate, and otherwise process metric data indicative of the performance of onboard services provided in one or more service types in a vehicle. The ground system may be configured to use the collected and processed information to generate, for example, a past trip viewer, a specific trip viewer, a past vehicle viewer, a past trip viewer, and other viewers for visualizing performance indicators of onboard services provided during a trip. The ground system (such as Figure 2 The ground system 200 includes one or more service monitors 202, one or more data aggregators 204, one or more performance metric generators 206, and one or more data storage units 208. The service monitor 202 may be configured to collect information about Figure 1204 may be configured to generate an average, maximum, minimum, mean, and / or median of two or more communication service performance metrics for communication services provided on the vehicle for a trip performed by the vehicle. The data aggregator 204 may be configured to process, sort, and aggregate the collected and monitored measurement data. The processed data may be sorted and / or aggregated based on the type of service, vehicle identification, fleet identification, airline identification, airport identification, and the like. The measurement generator 206 may be configured to use the sorted and aggregated information to determine performance metrics that are used to determine the status of the services provided to the passenger while the passenger is on the vehicle. The sorted and aggregated information may be used by the service monitor 202 to determine similarities between trips, and to provide information for specific trip viewers and past trip viewers.

[0111] Examples of a specific trip viewer and a past trip viewer

[0112] Figure 4A is an example of a graphical interface depicting an exemplary specific trip viewer and an exemplary past trip viewer for a specific trip that includes performance indicators of onboard services provided during past trips similar to the specific trip, in accordance with one or more embodiments. The depicted examples of the specific trip viewer and past trip viewer are some of many possible depictions of information that may be shown for a specific trip and for past trips similar to the specific trip. In other implementations, the viewers may be arranged differently and may be displayed in a manner similar to Figure 4A The different forms shown are used to depict information.

[0113] Figure 4A The example shown in 6000 includes a specific trip viewer 6000 for a specific trip and a past trip viewer 600H for past trips similar to the specific trip. The depicted arrangement for each of the viewers should be viewed as an example of many different ways of arranging the contents of the viewer.

[0114] The specific trip viewer 6000 for a specific trip may depict various information specific to the specific trip. For example, the specific trip viewer 6000 may include a trip identification window 700 showing the departure time of the specific trip, the estimated arrival time of the specific trip, the code of the airport from which the flight departs, and the code of the airport at which the trip will end. In the depicted example, the flight departs from Salt Lake City (SLC) airport at 9UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and is estimated to end at San Diego (SAN) at 14UTC.

[0115] The specific trip viewer 6000 may also depict a map 704 that graphically represents the flight path from the departure airport to the destination.

[0116] The specific trip viewer 6000 may also depict a tail information window 706 that may provide the tail identification of the vehicle used during the specific trip, the vehicle's manufacturer, model, the version of software implemented on the vehicle, and the version of the content. Other information may also be presented in this window.

[0117] In addition, the specific trip viewer 6000 may depict a key flight metrics window 710. Window 710 may include flight metrics information about various onboard services provided during the specific trip. Assuming that the characteristic used to determine similarity between trips is the trip departure time, and the onboard service being monitored is the quality of the in-flight communications (IFC) service, window 710 may further depict icons (also referred to herein as additional icons) 712 indicating the status of the IFC services provided during the specific trip, while the past trip viewer 600H may depict the status of the IFC onboard services provided during each past trip in the past that had a departure time similar to the specific trip. Figure 4A , icon 712 indicates that IFC onboard service was available 95% of the time during a particular trip. As will be described in detail later, past trip viewer 600H may show several past trips (already completed) that departed at a time similar to the departure time of the particular trip. For each of the past trips depicted in past trip viewer 600H, the viewer may depict the departure time, the vehicle tail logo of the vehicle used during the trip, and the IFC availability performance indicator. Details are described in Figure 4B Described in .

[0118] Referring again to the particular trip viewer 6000 , the viewer may also include an event timeline window 714 , a hardware status window 716 , an IFC availability window 719 , an IFC session window 722 , an IFE availability window 724 , and an IFE session window 726 .

[0119] Windows 702-726 may depict information specific to a particular trip, and may not necessarily appear in every implementation. Some other implementations may include additional windows, while other implementations may include fewer windows.

[0120] Determine similarity between trips

[0121] A variety of methods may be used to determine the similarity between a particular trip (i.e., a trip in progress) and past trips (i.e., trips that have been completed). In some embodiments, determining the similarity between a particular trip and past trips may include comparing characteristics of the particular trip with characteristics of past trips to determine whether corresponding characteristics are similar. This may include checking whether characteristics of past trips and characteristics of the particular trip satisfy conditions for determining similarity between trips.

[0122] The process of identifying similar flights may include identifying a group of similar past flights that meet the criteria. The group of past flights may then be sorted based on one or more criteria to create a sorted list. In some embodiments, a specific number of past flights at the top of the sorted list may be selected to be included in the past trip viewer. For example, in Figure 4B In the example of FIG. 1 , the group of similar past flights is those flights having the same origin and destination. The group is then sorted based on the departure time of the past flights, and then the ten most recent past flights can be selected to be included in the past trip viewer.

[0123] Depending on the type of characteristic, this may include, for example, determining whether corresponding characteristics are the same, or whether corresponding characteristics are within a predetermined time interval, or whether corresponding characteristics are within a predetermined distance. Detailed examples are described below.

[0124] Each trip can be assigned multiple characteristics. These characteristics can be determined by, for example, ground systems (such as Figure 2 The ground system 200 depicted in FIG. 1 may correspond to Figure 1 to obtain the ground system 112 depicted in FIG.

[0125] Examples of similar trips

[0126] Fig. 6A Depicted are examples of trip characteristics 634 and examples of conditions 636A through 636F for determining similarity between trips. In some embodiments, examples of trip characteristics 634 include: a starting location 634A for the trip, a departure time 634B for the trip, a destination location 634C for the trip, an arrival time 634D for the trip, a trip identifier 634E, and a vehicle identifier 634F for a vehicle used in the trip. In other embodiments, additional characteristics may also be considered when determining whether a past trip is similar to a particular trip. Fig. 6A Arrows are used to depict the correspondence between the stroke characteristics 634A to 634F and the conditions 636A to 636F.

[0127] In some embodiments, exemplary conditions 636A to 636F are used to determine whether a past trip is similar to a particular trip. Typically, one of conditions 636A to 636F is pre-selected and used to determine the similarity between trips. The selection of a condition for determining the similarity between trips can be modified or overwritten, for example, by an operator of the trip management system.

[0128] exist Fig. 6A According to condition example 636A, if both trips originate from the same location, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The starting location of the trip may correspond to the airport where the trip originates. According to condition example 636AA, if the starting location of the past trip and the starting location of the specific trip are within a predetermined distance, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The predetermined distance may be expressed in miles, tens of miles, etc.

[0129] According to condition example 636B, if both trips have the same departure time, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The departure time of the trip may be indicated using date, time, date / time, month, year, etc. According to condition example 636BB, if the departure time of the past trip and the departure time of the specific trip are within a predetermined time period, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The predetermined time period may be expressed in minutes, hours, etc.

[0130] According to condition example 636C, if both trips have the same location as the destination, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The destination location of the trip may correspond to the airport where the trip ends. According to condition example 636CC, if the destination location of the past trip and the destination location of the specific trip are within a predetermined distance, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The predetermined distance may be expressed in miles, tens of miles, etc.

[0131] According to condition example 636D, if both trips have the same arrival time, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The arrival time of the trip may be indicated using date, time, date / time, month, year, etc. According to condition example 636DD, if the arrival time of the past trip and the arrival time of the specific trip are within a predetermined time period, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The predetermined time period may be expressed in minutes, hours, etc.

[0132] According to conditional example 636E, if the trip identifier of the past trip is the same as the trip identifier of the specific trip, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. The trip identifier may be a coded identifier assigned to the trip by an airline, an airport, etc. According to conditional example 636F, if the vehicle identifier of the vehicle used during the past trip is the same as the vehicle identifier of the vehicle used during the specific trip, the past trip is similar to the specific trip. Examples of vehicle identifiers include vehicle tail ID, nose ID, aircraft serial number, etc.

[0133] In some other embodiments, additional conditions may be used to determine the similarity between trips. For example, in some implementations, a condition uses more than one characteristic. An example of such a condition may include a condition that checks both the departure time for the trip and the arrival time for the trip. Another example of such a condition includes a condition that checks both the departure time for the trip and the vehicle identification of the vehicle used during the trip. Other conditions may include Fig. 6A Additional features of the trip not depicted in .

[0134] A past trip viewer that visualizes performance metrics of onboard services provided during similar past trips

[0135] In some embodiments, the past trip viewer indicates the status of onboard services provided during past trips similar to the particular trip. The viewer may be generated and displayed using a graphical interface. The graphical interface may be used as, for example, Figure 2 200 as part of the service monitor 202 of the ground system 200 described in Figure 3 The communication and onboard service management system 312 described in the embodiment of the present invention is implemented as a part of the network performance monitoring system 321.

[0136] Generally speaking, the past trip viewer may include information about one or more past trips that have been determined to be similar to the specific trip. The specific trip may be an ongoing trip, and the past trips may be completed trips. A variety of methods may be used to determine the similarity between the past trips and the specific trip, some of which are described in detail in the following sections. Fig. 6A Described in .

[0137] Figure 4B 6 is an example of a graphical user interface for generating and displaying a past trip viewer 600H for past trips similar to a particular trip. Figure 4B In the example depicted in FIG. 6 , the past trip viewer 600H is represented as a two-dimensional table. However, in other specific implementations, the past trip viewer may be represented in a form other than a table.

[0138] In some embodiments, the content of the past trip viewer 600H may include a header 603 and information about past trips similar to the particular trip. The information about past trips may be organized into rows, where each row corresponds to a past trip, and where the information about each past trip is depicted according to a label included in the header 603 of the past trip viewer 600H.

[0139] In some embodiments, the past trip viewer 600H includes an optional viewer tag. The viewer tag may include various types of information and may be arranged in many different ways. Figure 4B The viewer identification shown in includes the name of the viewer and a graphic object 600 which may include any type of graphic or image. Figure 4B The name of the viewer shown in is "Previous Flights"; however, in other examples, the viewer name may be different, or may be omitted entirely. Figure 4B In the example depicted in , the graphic object 600 is a circle filled with a texture pattern. In other examples, other graphic objects may be included.

[0140] The header 603 of the past trip viewer 600H may include various tabs and may be arranged in a variety of ways. Figure 4B , header 603 includes a "Departure" label 602, a "Tail ID" label 611, an interactive toggle key 612, and an onboard service type "IFC Availability" label 614. In this example, "Departure" is an example of a past trip characteristic, "Tail ID" is a vehicle identification, and "IFC Availability" is an example of an onboard service.

[0141] The onboard service type 614 may correspond to the type of onboard service whose status information is displayed in the past trip viewer 600H. However, if the operator wants to change the type of onboard service whose status information is to be displayed in the past trip viewer 600H, the operator may select another type of onboard service from, for example, a menu (not shown) provided to the operator. Available onboard service types may include "IFC availability", "default communication session", "paid session", "messaging session", "free session", "Wi-Fi session", "TV session", "data usage", etc.

[0142] Typically, multiple vehicle identifications are assigned to a vehicle. In some embodiments, vehicle identification types include tail ID, nose ID, and aircraft serial number. Some customers may refer to a vehicle by its tail ID, while some other customers may refer to the same vehicle by its nose ID.

[0143] The toggle key 612 can be used to select / change the vehicle identification type of the vehicle identification from a group of vehicle identification types. For example, by pressing the right arrow of the toggle key 612, the next vehicle identification type of the vehicle identification can be selected from the group, and the selected identification type can be displayed in the field 611, while by pressing the left arrow of the toggle key 612, the previous identification type can be selected from the group, and the selected identification type can be displayed in the field 611. Each scroll through the group of vehicle identification types can cause the vehicle identification in the column below the field 611 and according to the selected vehicle identification type to be updated.

[0144] The arrangement of the columns of the past trip viewer 600H may vary and may depend on the specific implementation. Typically, the arrangement of the past trip viewer 600H is determined by the order of the tabs included in the header 603 of the past trip viewer 600H.

[0145] exist Figure 4B In the example depicted in , the first column of the past trip viewer 600H is labeled with a "Departure" label 602, and thus the contents of that column include the departure date / time of the corresponding past trip.

[0146] Marked with "Tail ID" tag 611 Figure 4B , and thus the content of the second column includes the tail identification of the vehicle used during the corresponding past trip. If the vehicle identification type is changed from a vehicle tail ID to, for example, a vehicle nose ID using, for example, the toggle key 611, the corresponding nose ID of the vehicle used during the corresponding past trip is displayed in the second column.

[0147] Can be labeled with the name of the onboard service being monitored Figure 4B The third column of the past trip viewer 600H is shown in FIG. 6. Assume that the monitored onboard service is IFC availability. Figure 4B In the example of , the third column is labeled with an "IFC availability" label 614, and thus the content of the third column includes the status of the IFC onboard service provided during the past trip. If the type of onboard service is changed or otherwise modified to another onboard service type, the corresponding status information of the other onboard service type corresponding to the past trip is displayed in the third column. For example, if "TV session availability" is selected as the key performance indicator of the onboard service, the label of the third column may be changed to a "TV session availability" label, and the content of the third column of the past trip viewer 600H may be updated to include the status information of the onboard TV session provided in the corresponding past trip.

[0148] In some embodiments, the status of the onboard services provided during the past trip is depicted in the past trip viewer 600H as an icon having one or more visual features. The one or more visual features of the icon may vary from one embodiment to another and may, for example, include one or more of the following: a colored object and / or an alphanumeric string representing the status. For example, one feature of the icon may include a colored circle that is used to graphically indicate whether the status of the onboard services provided during the past trip is excellent, good, fair, or poor. The circle may have an associated color or an associated texture pattern that allows the status of the onboard services for the trip to be distinguished based on the color or pattern of the corresponding circle. For example, a green circle may depict an excellent status that may range from 100% to 96%, a yellow circle may depict a good status that may range from 95% to 78%, an orange circle may depict a fair status that may range from 77% to 70%, and a red circle may depict a poor status that may range from 69% to 0%. Other color schemes and other status ranges may also be implemented.

[0149] Other features of the icon may include an alphanumeric string that is used to numerically indicate the percentage of time during the past trip that network services were available to the communication service management system.

[0150] See again Figure 4B , a past trip with a departure date / time indicated in field 604 and a tail ID V943AV indicated in field 616 has an icon including the following two features: a circle 618 and a numerical value of 99% shown in field 620. Since the value in field 620 is 99%, which is excellent, a texture pattern has been assigned to circle 618, which indicates an excellent status of the onboard service provided during the particular past trip. Another example of a past trip with an excellent performance indicator is a trip with a departure date / time indicated in field 608.

[0151] However, a past trip with a departure date / time indicated in field 606 and tail ID V943AV has an icon with a circle 622 and a value of 95% in field 624. Since the value in field 624 is 95%, which is good but not excellent, circle 622 has been assigned a texture pattern indicating a good status of the onboard service provided during the particular past trip.

[0152] Other texture patterns may be assigned to circles representing average or poor conditions. For example, circle 626 has been assigned a texture pattern indicating an average condition of the onboard service provided during the corresponding past trip (as indicated by 72% in field 628), while circle 630 has been assigned a texture pattern indicating a poor condition of the onboard service provided during the corresponding past trip (as indicated by 69% in field 632).

[0153] Despite Figure 4B Although not shown in the figure, in some embodiments, the graphical interface also generates and displays a specific trip viewer (not shown) including icons for the specific trip (also referred to herein as additional icons). The additional icons displayed in the specific trip viewer can be used to indicate the status of the onboard services provided during the specific trip. The additional icons can have one or more characteristics indicating the status of the corresponding onboard services provided during the specific trip. The characteristics can include, for example, a percentage value representing the actual value of the performance indicator of the onboard services provided during the specific trip and a circle with a color corresponding to the status range.

[0154] One of the benefits of visualizing the performance indicators of the onboard services in the past trip viewer 600H and the specific trip viewer (not shown) in a simple and communicable manner is to allow the performance indicators of the past trip to be easily compared with the performance indicators for the specific trip. Displaying both the past trip viewer 600H and the specific trip viewer (not shown) can be used to indicate and compare the quality of the onboard services provided during the specific trip and the quality of the onboard services provided during the past trip. For example, the performance indicators of the onboard services provided during the specific trip depicted in the specific trip viewer can be compared with the performance indicators of the onboard services provided during the past trip depicted in the past trip viewer 600H. This comparison can be used to determine whether the quality of the onboard services provided during the specific trip and the past trip has been degraded, and if so, what may have been the source of the degraded quality. For example, the status of the onboard services provided during the specific trip can be compared with the status of the same onboard services provided in similar past trips to allow the user to quickly understand whether the service problems associated with the specific trip may be caused by network-related problems, problems with the past trip, problems with the specific trip, etc.

[0155] Interactivity capability – Generate a past vehicle viewer

[0156] In some embodiments, the past trip viewer 600H implemented in a graphical interface provides interactivity capabilities with respect to the content displayed in the interface.

[0157] Figure 5Ais an example of a graphical interface for depicting a past transportation viewer that shows information about transportation used during past trips and that is generated when a pointing device is hovering over a past transportation identification for a past trip shown in the past trip viewer, according to one or more embodiments.

[0158] Assume that the graphical interface application detects that the pointing device is hovering over a vehicle identifier associated with a past trip and displayed in a past trip viewer. Hovering is equivalent to selecting (step 555) the vehicle identifier in this article. In response to selecting the vehicle identifier of the past trip from the past trip viewer, the graphical user interface application can request information about the vehicle identified by the selected vehicle identifier and used during the past trip from, for example, a ground system. Upon receiving this information, the application can generate and display a past vehicle viewer 500 that depicts information about the vehicle used during the past trip.

[0159] The past vehicle viewer 500 may include various details about past vehicles. Figure 5A The example of a past vehicle viewer 500 is shown in FIG. 5 merely to illustrate one of many possible past vehicle viewers that may be implemented herein.

[0160] Exemplary Past Vehicle Viewer

[0161] See again Figure 5A , graphical interface 500 and / or associated interface data may be generated in response to receiving a user input corresponding to hovering a pointing device (such as a cursor) over a vehicle identifier of a past trip shown in past trip viewer 600H.

[0162] The vehicle data interface 500 may include a vehicle health status table 502 , which may include a vehicle identification 504 , data related to open instances 506 , data related to equipment changes 508 , and / or data related to passenger contacts 510 .

[0163] Instance 506 can be any report generated by a passenger and / or person associated with a vehicle. For example, instance 506 can represent a reported problem associated with a vehicle. The number of instances 506 open for a vehicle can be included in vehicle health status table 502, and a list of instances reported within a given time period can be included in instance table 522. Each listed instance can have an identification number, type, category, and subject. Instance table 522 can also include progress information for each instance, such as priority, status, date / time of creation, and last status date / time.

[0164] The vehicle data interface 500 may also include a hardware device table 512, which may include various data related to various hardware devices of the vehicle. For example, the listed hardware devices may be associated with communication services provided on the vehicle. Each device may be provided in conjunction with a data entry including one or more of an associated device name, identification number, status, hardware information (which may include a part number and / or revision number), software information (which may include a revision number), and firmware (which may include a revision number).

[0165] The information included in the vehicle data interface 500 can be used to diagnose problems with the vehicle. For example, a large number of instances open for the vehicle can indicate a possible problem, and specific response measures can be taken. For example, equipment installed in the vehicle can be replaced based on the vehicle data presented in the vehicle data interface 500. Using the equipment status information on the vehicle equipment table 512 can indicate whether replacement of the equipment has corrected a known problem.

[0166] See again Figure 5A The vehicle data interface 500 may also include performance data associated with communication services provided on the vehicle during one or more previous trips of the vehicle. The performance data may be vehicle-specific performance data and / or trip-specific data.

[0167] In some embodiments, the performance data may indicate one or more metrics including one or more of the following regarding the communication service during one or more previous trips of the vehicle: the number or average number of dropped packets, the average throughput or latency during a time period, the availability of the communication service during a time period, data rate, signal quality value, delay, packet loss rate, and the maximum number of connected PEDs. In some embodiments, the availability of the network service may be expressed as the percentage of time that the network service was available to the communication service management system during one or more previous trips of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle-specific performance data may indicate the availability of one or more of uplink and / or downlink communications.

[0168] Interactivity capability – Generate a past trip viewer

[0169] In some embodiments, the past trip viewer 600H implemented in a graphical interface provides interactivity capabilities with respect to the content displayed in the interface.

[0170] Figure 5B 577 is an example of a graphical interface for depicting a specific past trip viewer according to one or more embodiments, the specific past trip viewer showing information about past trips and generated when a pointing device is hovering over a past trip feature of a specific past trip shown in the past trip viewer. Assume that the graphical interface application detects that the pointing device is hovering over a past trip feature of a past trip displayed in the past trip viewer and associated with the past trip. Hovering is equivalent to the selection of the past trip feature in this article (step 577), and the subsequent selection of the corresponding past trip. In response to selecting the past trip feature of the past trip from the past trip viewer, the graphical user interface application can request information about the past trip from, for example, an onboard system. Upon receiving this information, the application can generate and display a past trip viewer 579 that depicts information about the past trip.

[0171] The past trip viewer 579 may include various details about past trips. Figure 5B The example of a past trip viewer 579 is shown in for purposes of illustration only of one of many possible past vehicle viewers that may be implemented herein.

[0172] Example Past Trip Viewer

[0173] Reference again Figure 5B , the past trip viewer 579 and / or associated interface data may be generated in response to receiving a user input corresponding to hovering a pointing device (such as a cursor) over a past trip feature of a past trip shown in the past trip viewer 600H.

[0174] In some embodiments, to some extent, Figure 5B The past trip viewer 579 shown in Figure 4A ; however, this is not the case in every implementation. For example, windows 700A to 726A of past trip viewer 579 may depict information specific to past trips, while windows 700 to 726 of specific trip viewer 6000 may depict information specific to a specific trip. Some other implementations may include additional windows, while other implementations may include fewer windows.

[0175] A past trip viewer 579 for a past trip may depict various information specific to the past trip. For example, the past trip viewer 579 may include a trip identification window 700A showing the departure time of the past trip, the estimated arrival time of the past trip, the code of the airport from which the flight departed, and the code of the airport at which the trip will end. In the depicted example, the flight departs from San Jose (SJC) airport at 9 UTC and is estimated to end at San Diego (SAN) at 11:30 UTC.

[0176] The past trip viewer 579 for the past trip 702A may also depict a map 704A that graphically represents the flight path from the departure airport to the destination.

[0177] The past trip viewer 579 may also depict a tail information window 706A that may provide the tail logo of the vehicle used during the past trip, the vehicle's manufacturer, model, the version of software implemented on the vehicle, and the version of the content. Other information may also be presented in this window.

[0178] The past trip viewer 579 may also depict a past trip viewer 700HA that includes information about past trips similar to the past trip.

[0179] Additionally, the past trip viewer 579 for past trips may depict a key flight metrics window 710A. Window 710A may include flight metrics information regarding various onboard services provided during past trips. Figure 4A Described in .

[0180] Referring again to the past trip viewer 570 , the viewer may also include an event timeline window 714 , a hardware status window 716 , an IFC availability window 719 , an IFC session window 722 , an IFE availability window 724 , and an IFE session window 726 .

[0181] Example Process for Generating a Past Trip Viewer

[0182] Figure 6B is an exemplary process for generating a graphical user interface for visualizing a past trip viewer having similar past trips. The steps of process 640A to 640B may be performed by control circuitry of an apparatus for monitoring network communication services on a vehicle and / or at least in part by a ground communication service monitoring server (such as described in detail above). Figure 1 Ground system 112 or Figure 2 The ground system 200) is used to carry out.

[0183] In some embodiments, the device that performs some or all of steps 640A to 640B can be part of a ground server configured to monitor network communication services for multiple vehicles. With respect to the various methods and processes disclosed herein, although a specific order of operations or steps is described and / or illustrated, it should be understood that the various steps and operations shown and described can be performed in any suitable or desired time sequence. In addition, any operation or step in the operations or steps described and / or illustrated can be omitted from any given method or process, and the methods and processes described and / or illustrated can include additional operations or steps that are not explicitly illustrated or described.

[0184] In some embodiments, an exemplary process may include, for example, Figure 2 Step 640A performed by the service monitor 202 of the ground system 220 shown in FIG. Figure 2 In some other implementations, steps 640A to 640B may be performed by the display device 214 of the ground system 220 shown in FIG. Figure 2 or by other components of the ground system 200 shown in Figure 3 Some components of the onboard system 350 are shown.

[0185] In step 650, the service monitor identifies one or more past trips, each of the one or more past trips having past trip characteristics similar to the specific trip characteristics of the specific trip. Various types of trip characteristics and various ways of determining similar trips are described in detail in Fig. 6A Described in .

[0186] In step 652, the service monitor obtains one or more vehicle identifications used during one or more past trips. The vehicle identification may be a tail ID, nose ID, aircraft serial number, etc.

[0187] In step 654, the service monitor obtains a status of one or more onboard services provided during each of the one or more past trips. The status of the onboard services provided during the past trips may correspond to a performance indicator determined for the onboard services provided during the past trips.

[0188] In step 656, the service monitor generates first graphical interface data representing: a past trip header including a label for past trip characteristics, a vehicle identification, and one or more onboard services. The first graphical interface data may also represent past trip characteristics for each of the one or more past trips, a vehicle identification of a vehicle used during each of the one or more past trips, an icon for each of the one or more past trips having a feature indicating a status of one or more onboard services provided during the past trip, and an additional icon for a particular trip indicating a status of one or more onboard services provided during the particular trip.

[0189] In some embodiments, the service monitor further includes in the first graphical interface data additional icons for a particular trip. The additional icons may indicate the status of the onboard services provided during the particular trip.

[0190] In step 658, the service monitor sends the first graphical interface data to the display device, so that the display device: receives the first graphical interface data (step 660), and generates and displays a past trip viewer (step 662). In some embodiments, the past trip viewer includes: a past trip header; and past trip characteristics, a vehicle identifier, and an icon for each of the one or more past trips arranged in a row under the past trip header. An example of a past trip viewer is shown in FIG. Fig. 6A Described in .

[0191] In addition, based on the first graphical interface data, the display device generates an additional icon indicating the status of the onboard service during the specific trip, and displays the additional icon in the specific trip viewer (step 664). Figure 4A , the additional icons correspond to the icons 712 shown in the particular trip viewer 6000 .

[0192] In step 680, the service monitor determines whether input has been received from a pointing device via the graphical user interface. The input may be detected when the service monitor detects, for example, that a pointing device (such as a cursor) is hovering over a particular element displayed in the past trip viewer. If the service monitor determines that input has been received, then a Figure 6C Otherwise, proceed to step 650.

[0193] Exemplary Process for Implementing Interactivity Based on Pointing Device Detection

[0194] Figure 6Cis an exemplary process for generating a graphical user interface showing a past trip viewer when a pointing device is hovering over a past trip in the past trip viewer, and generating a graphical user interface showing a past vehicle viewer when a pointing device is hovering over a past vehicle identification of a vehicle used in a past trip and shown in the past trip viewer. In some embodiments, the device that performs steps 6079 to 6086 may be part of a ground server configured to monitor network communication services for multiple vehicles. With respect to the various methods and processes disclosed herein, although a specific order of operations or steps is illustrated and / or described, it should be understood that the various steps and operations illustrated and described may be performed in any suitable or desired time order. In addition, any of the operations or steps illustrated and / or described may be omitted from any given method or process, and the methods and processes illustrated and / or described may include additional operations or steps that are not explicitly illustrated or described. In the examples below, it is assumed that Figure 2 These steps are performed using the service monitor 202 shown in FIG.

[0195] The process starts in step 6079 and proceeds to step 6080.

[0196] If the service monitor detects in step 6080 that the pointing device is hovering over a vehicle logo of a vehicle used during a past trip in the past trips shown in the past trip viewer, the service monitor proceeds to step 6082. Otherwise, the service monitor proceeds to step 6084.

[0197] In step 6082, the service monitor determines that the pointing device has hovered over a vehicle identification of a vehicle used during a particular past trip. In this context, hovering is equivalent to selecting the vehicle identification of the vehicle herein. In response to receiving a selection of a vehicle identification of a past trip from the past trip viewer, the service monitor may request information about the vehicle corresponding to the selected vehicle identification from, for example, an onboard system.

[0198] Upon receiving this information, the service monitor may generate data for a past vehicle viewer 500, an example of which is shown in FIG. Figure 5A 500. The service monitor may then send the past vehicle viewer data to the display device to cause the display device to display the past vehicle viewer 500. An example of the past vehicle viewer 500 is shown in FIG. Figure 5A Described in .

[0199] See again Figure 6CIn step 6084, the service monitor determines whether the pointing device has hovered over a specific feature of one of the past trips shown in the past trip viewer 600H. In this context, hovering is equivalent to selecting a past trip with a specific feature from the past trip viewer 600H.

[0200] In step 6086, in response to receiving a selection of a feature of a past trip from the past trip viewer, the service monitor may request information about the past trip from, for example, an onboard system. Upon receiving this information, the service monitor may generate Figure 5B 579. The past trip viewer 579 may depict information about past trips. The service monitor may send the past trip viewer data to a display device so that the display device displays the past trip viewer 579. Figure 5B An example of a past trip viewer 579 is shown in FIG.

[0201] However, if no input is received, the service monitor proceeds to step 650 .

[0202] General considerations

[0203] Although some of the various figures may illustrate multiple logical stages in a particular order, stages that are not dependent on order may be reordered, and other stages may be combined or split. Although some reordering or other groupings may be specifically mentioned, others will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and thus the ordering and groupings presented herein are not an exhaustive list of alternatives. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the stages may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof.

[0204] The foregoing description has been described with respect to specific embodiments for purposes of explanation. However, the above exemplary embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the claims to the precise forms disclosed. In light of the above teachings, many modifications and variations are possible. The embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles upon which the claims and their practical application are based, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to best use the embodiments with various modifications suitable for the intended use.

[0205] In the foregoing description, embodiments of the method have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. Accordingly, the description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. The sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of the method, and intended by applicants to be the scope of the method, is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims issued from this application (in the specific form in which such claims issue), including any subsequent corrections.

[0206] Any definitions set forth herein for terms contained in a claim may affect the meaning of such terms as used in the claims. No limitation, element, property, feature, advantage, or attribute that is not expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of the claim in any way. The specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0207] As used herein, the terms "include" and "comprise" (and variations of these terms, such as "including", "includes", "comprising", "comprises", "comprised", etc.) are intended to be inclusive, and are not intended to exclude additional features, components, integers or steps.

[0208] References to "embodiments" in this document indicate that the described or illustrated embodiments may include certain features, structures, or characteristics, but each embodiment does not necessarily include certain features, structures, or characteristics. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when certain features, structures, or characteristics are described or illustrated in conjunction with an embodiment, it is believed that such features, structures, or characteristics can be affected in conjunction with other embodiments within the knowledge of those skilled in the art, whether or not explicitly indicated.

[0209] Various features of the present disclosure have been described using processing steps. The function / processing of a given processing step may potentially be performed in different ways and by different systems or system modules. In addition, a given processing step may be decomposed into multiple steps and / or multiple steps may be combined into a single step. In addition, the order of the steps may be changed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0210] It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed and defined in this specification extend to alternative combinations of the individual features and components mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. These different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the embodiments.

[0211] The attached claims and their equivalents are intended to cover these forms or modifications that will fall within the scope and essence of protection. For example, the various components illustrated in the drawings may be implemented as software and / or firmware on a processor, ASIC / FPGA or dedicated hardware. In addition, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the present disclosure provides specific preferred embodiments and applications, other embodiments that are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art (including embodiments that do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein) are also within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to be limited only by reference to the attached claims.

[0212] The methods and processes described herein may be embodied in a software code module executed by one or more general and / or special computers, and partially or completely automated via the software code module. The word "module" may refer to logic embodied in hardware and / or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions written in a programming language (such as, for example, C or C++) that may have entry points and exit points. Software modules may be compiled and linked into executable programs, installed in dynamic link libraries, or written in interpreted programming languages ​​(such as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python). It should be understood that software modules may be callable from other modules or from themselves, and / or may be called in response to detected events or interrupts. Software instructions may be embodied in firmware (such as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM)). "Module" may also refer to one or more devices, components, systems, or subsystems that can conceptually implement related functions. It should also be understood that hardware modules may be composed of connected logic units, such as gates and triggers, and / or may be composed of programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays, application-specific integrated circuits, and / or processors. The modules described herein are preferably implemented as software modules, but may be represented by hardware and / or firmware. In addition, although in some embodiments, modules may be compiled separately, in other embodiments, modules may represent a subset of the instructions of a separately compiled program and may not have interfaces available to other logical program units.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing performance indicators of onboard services provided during similar trips, the method include: identifying one or more past trips (650), each of the one or more past trips having a past trip characteristic (604, 606, 608) of the one or more characteristics (634) that is similar to a selected trip characteristic of a selected trip of the one or more characteristics (634); wherein the one or more characteristics (634) include: an origin location (634A), a departure time (634B), a destination location (634C), an arrival time (634D), and a trip identifier (634E); wherein the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) of the past trip are similar to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip when the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) of the past trip are the same as the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip, or are within a predetermined time period relative to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip, or are within a predetermined distance relative to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip; obtaining a transportation identification used during each of the one or more past trips (652); obtaining a status of one or more onboard services provided during each of the one or more past trips (654); Generate first graphical interface data (656), wherein the first graphical interface data represents: a past trip header (603), the past trip header comprising tags for the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608), the vehicle identification (611), and the one or more onboard services (614); the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) for each of the one or more past trips; the vehicle identification (616) used during each past trip of the one or more past trips; an icon (618-620) for each of the one or more past trips, the icon indicating the status of the one or more onboard services provided during the past trip; and a selected itinerary additional icon (712), the additional icon indicating the status of the one or more onboard services provided during the selected itinerary; The first graphical interface data (658) is sent to a display device so that the display device: Generate and display a past trip viewer (600H) (662), the past trip viewer including: The past trip header (603); the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608), the vehicle identification (616), and the icons (618-620) for each of the one or more past trips arranged in a row under the past trip header; and A selected trip viewer (6000) is generated and displayed (664), the selected trip viewer including the additional icon (712) for the selected trip.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the status of the one or more onboard services provided during the past trip in the one or more past trips comprises aggregated status information (618 to 620) about the one or more onboard services provided during the entire duration of the past trip.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected trip viewer (6000) for the selected trip depicts information (704-726) about one or more selected trip characteristics of the selected trip (702).

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: include: In response to determining that a pointing device is hovering over (6084) a particular past trip characteristic (604) of a particular past trip of the one or more past trips displayed in the past trip viewer (600H): obtaining information about said particular past trip; generating second graphical interface data (6086) representing the information regarding the particular past trip; as well as The second graphical interface data is sent to the display device to cause the display device to generate and display a specific past trip viewer (579) (6086) depicting the information (704A to 726A) regarding the specific past trip.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: include: In response to determining that the pointing device is hovering over (6080) a specific vehicle identifier (616) of a specific past trip of the one or more past trips displayed in the past trip viewer (600H): obtaining information about a particular mode of transportation used during said particular past trip; generating third graphical interface data (6082) representing the information regarding the specific transportation used during the specific past trip; and The third graphical interface data is sent to the display device to cause the display device to generate and display a past transportation viewer (500) (6082) depicting the information (504-522) regarding the particular transportation used during the particular past trip. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each past trip displayed in the past trip viewer is selectable, and selection causes generation of a past trip viewer for the selected past trip.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the past trip's vehicle identification ( 616 ) uniquely identifies the past trip's vehicle used during the past trip; and wherein the selected trip's vehicle identification ( 706 ) uniquely identifies the selected trip's vehicle used during the selected trip.

8. A device for visualizing performance indicators of onboard services provided during similar trips, the device include: processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor; as well as instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the processor to: identifying one or more past trips (650), each of the one or more past trips having a past trip characteristic (604, 606, 608) of the one or more characteristics (634) that is similar to a selected trip characteristic of a selected trip of the one or more characteristics (634); wherein the one or more characteristics (634) include: an origin location (634A), a departure time (634B), a destination location (634C), an arrival time (634D), and a trip identifier (634E); wherein the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) of the past trip are similar to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip when the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) of the past trip are the same as the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip, or are within a predetermined time period relative to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip, or are within a predetermined distance relative to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip; obtaining a transportation identification used during each of the one or more past trips (652); obtaining a status of one or more onboard services provided during each of the one or more past trips (654); Generate first graphical interface data (656), wherein the first graphical interface data represents: a past trip header (603), the past trip header comprising tags for the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608), the vehicle identification (611), and the one or more onboard services (614); the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) for each of the one or more past trips; the vehicle identification (616) used during each past trip of the one or more past trips; an icon (618-620) for each of the one or more past trips, the icon indicating the status of the one or more onboard services provided during the past trip; and a selected itinerary additional icon (712), the additional icon indicating the status of the one or more onboard services provided during the selected itinerary; The first graphical interface data (658) is sent to a display device so that the display device: Generate and display a past trip viewer (600H) (662), the past trip viewer including: The past trip header (603); the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608), the vehicle identification (616), and the icons (618-620) for each of the one or more past trips arranged in a row under the past trip header; and A selected trip viewer (6000) is generated and displayed (664), the selected trip viewer including the additional icon (712) for the selected trip.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the status of the one or more onboard services provided during the past trip of the one or more past trips comprises aggregated status information (618 to 620) about the one or more onboard services provided during the entire duration of the past trip.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the selected trip viewer (6000) for the selected trip depicts information (704-726) about one or more selected trip characteristics of the selected trip (702).

11. The apparatus of claim 8, the apparatus storing additional instructions for: in response to determining that a pointing device is hovering over (6084) a specific past trip characteristic (604) of a specific past trip of the one or more past trips displayed in the past trip viewer (600H): obtaining information about said particular past trip; generating second graphical interface data (6086) representing the information regarding the particular past trip; as well as The second graphical interface data is sent to the display device to cause the display device to generate and display a specific past trip viewer (579) (6086) depicting the information (704A to 726A) regarding the specific past trip.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, the apparatus storing additional instructions for: in response to determining that a pointing device is hovering over (6080) a specific vehicle identifier (616) of a specific past trip of the one or more past trips displayed in the past trip viewer (600H): obtaining information about a particular mode of transportation used during said particular past trip; generating third graphical interface data (6082) representing the information regarding the specific transportation used during the specific past trip; and The third graphical interface data is sent to the display device to cause the display device to generate and display a past transportation viewer (500) (6082) depicting the information (504-522) regarding the particular transportation used during the particular past trip.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each past trip displayed in the past trip viewer is selectable, and selection causes generation of a past trip viewer for the selected past trip.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the past trip's vehicle identifier (616) uniquely identifies the past trip's vehicle used during the past trip; and wherein the selected trip's vehicle identifier (706) uniquely identifies the selected trip's vehicle used during the selected trip.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer code for visualizing performance indicators of onboard services provided during similar trips, the computer code comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: identifying one or more past trips (650), each of the one or more past trips having a past trip characteristic (604, 606, 608) of the one or more characteristics (634) that is similar to a selected trip characteristic of a selected trip of the one or more characteristics (634); Wherein the one or more characteristics (634) include: starting point Location (634A), departure time (634B), destination location (634C), arrival time (634D), and trip identifier (634E); wherein the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) of the past trip are similar to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip when the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) of the past trip are the same as the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip, or are within a predetermined time period relative to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip, or are within a predetermined distance relative to the selected trip characteristics of the selected trip; obtaining a transportation identification used during each of the one or more past trips (652); obtaining a status of one or more onboard services provided during each of the one or more past trips (654); Generate first graphical interface data (656), wherein the first graphical interface data represents: a past trip header (603), the past trip header comprising tags for the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608), the vehicle identification (611), and the one or more onboard services (614); the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608) for each of the one or more past trips; the vehicle identification (616) used during each past trip of the one or more past trips; an icon (618-620) for each of the one or more past trips, the icon having a feature indicating the status of the one or more onboard services provided during the past trip; as well as an additional icon (712) for the selected itinerary, the additional icon indicating a status of the one or more onboard services provided during the selected itinerary; The first graphical interface data (658) is sent to a display device so that the display device: Generate and display a past trip viewer (600H) (662), the past trip viewer including: The past trip header (603); the past trip characteristics (604, 606, 608), the vehicle identification (616), and the icons (618-620) for each of the one or more past trips arranged in a row under the past trip header; and A selected trip viewer (6000) (664) is generated and displayed, the selected trip viewer including the additional icon (712) for the selected trip.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 15, wherein the status of the one or more onboard services provided during the past trip in the one or more past trips includes aggregated status information (618 to 620) about the one or more onboard services provided during the entire duration of the past trip.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the selected trip viewer (6000) for the selected trip depicts information (704-726) about one or more selected trip characteristics of the selected trip (702).

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing additional instructions for: in response to determining that a pointing device is hovering over (6084) a specific past trip characteristic (604) of a specific past trip of the one or more past trips displayed in the past trip viewer (600H): obtaining information about said particular past trip; generating second graphical interface data (6086) representing the information regarding the particular past trip; as well as The second graphical interface data is sent to the display device to cause the display device to generate and display a specific past trip viewer (579) (6086) depicting the information (704A to 726A) regarding the specific past trip.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing additional instructions for: in response to determining that a pointing device is hovering over (6080) a specific vehicle identifier (616) of a specific past trip of the one or more past trips displayed in the past trip viewer (600H): obtaining information about a particular mode of transportation used during said particular past trip; generating third graphical interface data (6082) representing the information regarding the specific transportation used during the specific past trip; and The third graphical interface data is sent to the display device to cause the display device to generate and display a past transportation viewer (500) (6082) depicting the information (504-522) regarding the particular transportation used during the particular past trip.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein each past trip displayed in the past trip viewer is selectable, and selection causes generation of a past trip viewer for the selected past trip.

21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 15, wherein the past trip's vehicle identification (616) uniquely identifies the past trip's vehicle used during the past trip; and wherein the selected trip's vehicle identification (706) uniquely identifies the selected trip's vehicle used during the selected trip.

Images