Geofencing of media content delivered by transport aircraft

Abstract

A method of controlling media content provided to an on-board media system of an aircraft is provided, the method including receiving data representative of a position of the aircraft from a position system of the aircraft and providing the media content by an on-board content management system including a geofence monitor, the providing operations including determining media content to be provided by the on-board media system based on a determination whether the aircraft satisfies a geofence condition, where the satisfaction of the geofence condition is based on the received data representative of the position of the aircraft, and instructing the on-board media system to provide the media content.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Transportation vehicles often provide entertainment to passengers during transportation. The entertainment may exist in the form of pre-arranged or pre-recorded content and / or may include live entertainment. Since many content feeds are associated with geographically restricted rights that require a license, there may be difficulties in providing live content or pre-recorded content. Even when a license is obtained, the license may be restricted by parameters including geographical parameters. In some systems, in order to avoid license problems, such rights-restricted content is completely abandoned under certain circumstances.

Summary of the Invention

[0002] The described technology provides a method and a system implementation for controlling media content provided to an in-flight media system of a transportation vehicle. The method includes receiving data representing the position of the transportation vehicle from a position system of the transportation vehicle, and providing media content by an in-flight content management system including a geofence monitor. Providing includes determining media content provided by the in-flight media system based on a determination of whether the transportation vehicle meets geofence conditions, where meeting the geofence conditions is determined based on the received data representing the position of the transportation vehicle, and instructing the in-flight media system to provide the determined media content.

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, a series of concepts that are further described in the detailed description of the invention that follows. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] Other implementations are also described and recited herein. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0005] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an exemplary implementation of a geofencing system for providing media on a transport aircraft. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an exemplary implementation of a geofence system having a continuous geofence area. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an exemplary implementation of a geofence system 300 that estimates the timing of crossing the geofence boundary. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an exemplary implementation of a system for coordinating the operation of a geofence system. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows another exemplary implementation of a system for coordinating the operation of a geofence system. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an exemplary implementation of a processor-readable storage medium for an onboard content management system. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an exemplary implementation of the operation of providing media content on a transport aircraft. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example implementation of the operation to activate the geofence monitor. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an exemplary implementation of the operation for predicting crossing a geofence boundary. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an exemplary implementation of the computing system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0006] Providing entertainment subject to rights restrictions (e.g., licenses) can be problematic on a moving aircraft. An aircraft may cross geographical boundaries that define the scope of a license in order to provide access to specific content. This can be particularly problematic in live video streaming, for example, as many live broadcast licenses are granted to different entities in different geographical locations. These licenses can be complex and may involve one or more of the following: the media itself, local or global media providers, and the circumstances under which the media is delivered. In some situations, if an aircraft is no longer authorized to deliver media, it may completely remove access to the restricted rights, even if it is located in an area where access is permitted, to avoid the possibility of continuing to deliver restricted media.

[0007] For example, on an air flight where the departure point is located in a first geographical license area and the destination is located in a second geographical license area, the aircraft may choose not to provide any live media access to offerings that are licensed only in the first geographical license area by the carrier or a responsible third party. This could unnecessarily limit the media offerings that the aircraft can provide to passengers when located in the first geographical license area. While this may provide a conservative way to comply with licenses, other methods may be employed to provide a better experience for passengers while ensuring that the media offered on the aircraft does not infringe on any licenses or intellectual property rights.

[0008] In one implementation, an aircraft's onboard media system may be communicatively coupled to an onboard content management system (CMS). The onboard CMS may be controlled and / or owned by the carrier for the aircraft, or by a third party. The onboard CMS may include a geofence monitor that determines which content is sent to the onboard media system (for example, for subsequent delivery to client devices on board the aircraft). The geofence monitor may be able to operate to restrict the content provided to the onboard media system from the onboard CMS based on a set of predefined rules. The predefined rules may be based on licensing and geographical restrictions on licenses.

[0009] An onboard CMS may control the media content provided based on geographic data generated and / or received by the aircraft. This geographic data may include location data associated with the aircraft. The onboard CMS may communicate with a non-onboard CMS, which may be located remotely from the aircraft. Any determinations based on geofence data, the satisfaction of predefined rules or conditions, data indicating the aircraft's location, and one or more of the media provided to the onboard media system by the onboard CMS may be performed independently by either the onboard CMS or the non-onboard CMS, or may be shared between them. For example, determinations regarding geofences, geofence conditions, provided media content, geofence activation conditions, distance or timing conditions, licensing conditions, conditions under which media content is provided, modified conditions, cross-timing conditions, and passenger / client device conditions may be shared between the onboard CMS and the non-onboard CMS in any manner.

[0010] An in-flight CMS can provide media content to an in-flight media system. Providing content may include transmitting it to the in-flight media system and / or allowing the media content to be transmitted to passenger / client devices by the in-flight media system. The decision to provide media content to the in-flight media system may be based on the satisfaction of geofencing conditions.

[0011] A geofence can be data indicating a geographical location. A geofence may include a geofence area, which represents a geographical boundary. A geofence area can be a geographical area. A geofence can be represented in numerous ways, including geographical points, known geographical areas, or other predefined geographical areas. In implementations where a geofence is represented by points, the points may be a set of geographic coordinates. For example, a geofence may consist of a set of associated sets or tuples containing longitude and latitude values. In implementations, a geofence can conform to numerous shapes. For example, a geofence may have a boundary having one or more characteristics of a polygon, a curved shape, a circle (e.g., defined by radius or diameter and center), a triangle, etc. A geofence may also be defined by, or based on, existing geographical boundaries such as countries, cities, counties, states, territories, or local areas, areas defined by media content licensing agreements, or areas defined by other legal restrictions (e.g., areas where certain types of media content are prohibited).

[0012] Geofences may be specific to a particular media and may be stored as data associated with data representing the media. For example, a particular live streaming media event (e.g., a live broadcast of a basketball game) may have different distribution and licensing rights in a particular geographical area than another live streaming media event (e.g., a royal wedding). Associations with geofence data may be based on one or more of the following: a particular media event, a type of media content, a media content provider (e.g., an entertainment network or channel, or a particular type of media application), a channel, or a particular media content supplier to a transport.

[0013] The onboard CMS may need to facilitate changes to media content availability permissions when the aircraft approaches and / or crosses a geofence boundary. In one implementation, each geofence may have a smaller, recessed geofence that is contained within the geofence. The recessed geofence can use data representing the aircraft's position to predict when the aircraft will cross the geofence. Accordingly, certain actions may be taken, including sending instructions to the onboard media system, to warn passengers that content will become unavailable within a predicted or predefined timeframe, or to inform passengers that they must agree to new terms (e.g., additional payment) for media content whose availability is changed based on the geofence.

[0014] Using geofence data to control how media content is delivered to in-flight media systems can offer significant advantages. For example, a transport aircraft can provide media content that should be terminated when entering or leaving a specific area, until it actually leaves that area. Furthermore, such proactive control of media content based on geographical location allows for more customized content to be provided to different passengers in different zones, even if media content is restricted for part of the journey, through a complex licensing structure.

[0015] Figure 1 shows an exemplary implementation of a geofencing system 100 for providing media on a transport aircraft. As described herein, an implementation of such a geofencing system 100 can facilitate the dynamic delivery of media content in transit to passenger / client devices 120 located on a mobile transport aircraft 110. The transport aircraft 110 may include any suitable passenger transport aircraft (indicated individually as 110a-n), such as an airplane, train, bus, or cruise ship. The passenger / client devices 120 may include personal mobile devices such as smartphones, laptop computers, and tablet computers, devices installed on the transport aircraft 110 such as seatback media displays and shared cabin media displays, and / or any suitable devices on which passengers can consume media during transport.

[0016] The media content provided may include broadcast “live” media content (substantially real-time, excluding conventional transmission and buffering delays, as opposed to on-demand content), live content (i.e., content broadcast substantially simultaneously with recordings, such as live sports or political events), initial broadcast content (e.g., first screenings of new television episodes, pre-recorded events, etc.), rebroadcast content (second and subsequent screenings of television episodes, screenings of films previously released in other formats, etc.), advertisements, and / or other appropriate content. As used herein, the term “broadcast channel” generally refers to any media channel that is not dynamically generated on the transport aircraft 110, regardless of whether the channel is communicated via broadcast formats and / or protocols. For example, as used herein, a broadcast channel may be communicated (fully or partially) via OTA analog or digital broadcast as an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) stream and / or in any other appropriate manner.

[0017] Traditionally, receiving such broadcast channels by a transport aircraft 110 during transit may involve establishing and maintaining a continuous connection with a source of digital media streams via a communication network, and streaming large amounts of data over extended periods via that continuous connection. Different media content offerings are subject to different licensing and legal restrictions depending on the location of the transport aircraft at any given time. For these and other reasons, providers of in-flight media services to passengers (e.g., transport service providers) typically limit broadcast channels as part of their in-flight media offerings. If, in a particular transport aircraft, the departure and destination locations are in different geographical areas or countries with differing licensing and legal requirements, the transport operator may choose not to offer any “live” media content. This can limit the extent to which passengers can access media content, even if the transport aircraft is located in a location where there are no legal or licensing restrictions on media content.

[0018] Media content is not limited to live content. For example, media content may include predefined media content stored in the onboard system 150 (e.g., the database of the onboard media system 137 or the onboard CMS 130). Media content may not be video content. For example, media content may include websites, web applications, and remote access to remotely located computer systems. Like video content, other media content may also be subject to licensing and other legal restrictions in specific jurisdictions. For example, some applications may be illegal in certain regions. Also, accessing some applications located in foreign jurisdictions may violate the license terms of the relevant applications. Representing these jurisdictions in geofence data can facilitate restricted use of media content in the represented jurisdictions.

[0019] As shown, each transporter 110 may include an in-flight system 150, and the geopence system 100 may include an off-aircraft content management system (CMS) 140 that communicates with the in-flight media systems 150 (e.g., 150a - n) of the transporter 110 via one or more off-aircraft communication networks 105. While the in-flight media system 150 is streaming data associated with media content, components of the in-flight system 150 can obtain content suitable for streaming.

[0020] Media content may include metadata, and components of the in-flight system 150 can identify characteristics and associations based on the metadata. For example, the metadata can indicate a content title corresponding to a live program or a content type that is typically presented live (e.g., sports, news, etc.). As another example, the metadata can indicate a content segment title determined to be stored (or labeled with metadata stored) on the transporter 110. In some implementations, components of the in-flight system 150 can identify whether each media content offering is stored (or to be stored) on the transporter 110 as pre-positioned content or streamed from a live feed. To provide media content, metadata for different media content can also store an association with geopence data that defines geographically relevant boundaries.

[0021] The non-aircraft communication network(s) 105 may include any suitable communication links, such as satellite communication systems, air-to-ground communication systems, satellite / air-to-ground hybrid communication systems, and cellular communication systems. Typically, the non-aircraft communication network(s) 105 includes at least one long-range radio communication link to enable radio communication with the transport aircraft(s) 110 while the transport aircraft(s) 110 are in transit. Each component communicating with the non-aircraft communication network(s) 105 is equipped with appropriate hardware to enable such communication. In some implementation embodiments, the non-aircraft communication network(s) 105 includes a satellite communication system, and each example of the non-aircraft CMS(s) 140 and the onboard system(s) 150 is equipped with a satellite antenna and other satellite hardware and software components to enable satellite communication. In other implementation embodiments, the non-aircraft communication network(s) 105 includes a cellular communication system, and the non-aircraft CMS(s) 140 and each onboard media system(s) 150 are equipped with a cellular antenna and other cellular hardware and software components to enable cellular communication.

[0022] An implementation of the onboard media system 150 comprises a non-onboard network interface subsystem 170, an onboard network access unit 176, a non-onboard media server 135, and an onboard CMS 130. An implementation of the non-onboard network interface subsystem 170 can facilitate communication with the non-onboard CMS 140 via a non-onboard communication network 105. The non-onboard CMS 140 can efficiently establish communication with the transport aircraft 110 via the non-onboard network interface subsystem 170 (for example, and / or the transport aircraft 110 can establish communication with the non-onboard CMS 140). Such communication can be used for various purposes described herein, such as streaming broadcast channels, providing channel schedules (e.g., updating channel schedule 138), providing instructions to components of the onboard media system 150, and providing geofence data (e.g., data representing one or more geofence boundaries, determination based on the transport aircraft's position and geofence boundaries, data representing the transport aircraft's position, modifications to existing geofence data, etc.). The implementation of the non-aircraft network interface subsystem 170 may be as part of a bidirectional communication system 112 located on the transport aircraft 110, and may also include various components to facilitate bidirectional communication with the non-aircraft communication network 105.

[0023] In the illustrated implementation, the off-aircraft network interface subsystem 170 includes an antenna system, a transceiver, a modem, and a network access unit 176. For example, if the off-aircraft communication network 105 includes a satellite communication network, the off-aircraft network interface subsystem 170 can provide reception of a forward downlink signal from the satellite and transmission of a return uplink signal to the satellite to support bi-directional data communication between components on the transport aircraft 110 and components remote from the transport aircraft 110 (e.g., between the on-aircraft CMS 130 and the off-aircraft CMS 140). In this case, the modem can generate uplink data (e.g., a transmitted intermediate frequency (IF) signal) that is modulated for distribution to the transceiver, and the transceiver can up-convert and amplify the modulated uplink data to generate a return uplink signal for transmission to the satellite via the antenna system. Similarly, the transceiver can receive a forward downlink signal from the satellite via the antenna system, and the transceiver can amplify and down-convert the forward downlink signal to generate downlink data (e.g., a received IF signal) that is modulated for demodulation by the modem. The demodulated downlink data from the modem can be provided to the network access unit 176 for routing to the on-aircraft CMS 130 and / or for direct routing to the passenger / client device 120.

[0024] The onboard network access unit 176 is implemented in a configuration where it is located on the aircraft 110 and can communicate with passenger / client devices 120 located on the aircraft 110 via the onboard communication network 179. The onboard network access unit 176 may also be part of a bidirectional communication system 112 located on the aircraft 110 and may include various components to facilitate bidirectional communication with passenger / client devices 120 located on the aircraft 110 via the onboard communication network 179. In some implementations, the network access unit 176 enables the onboard CMS 130 to communicate with both elements of the onboard system 150 and elements of the non-onboard network interface subsystem 170, and in some implementations, also enables direct communication between elements of the onboard system 150 and elements of the non-onboard network interface subsystem 170. The network access unit may also include any other suitable components to form an onboard communication network that facilitates communication coupling between the network access unit 176 and passenger / client devices 120. For example, since the onboard communication network is typically illustrated as a wireless link, the onboard communication network may include any appropriate number and type of physical ports and / or logical ports, wired links and / or wireless links, routers, switches, and / or other components. In some implementation embodiments, the network access unit 176 includes wireless access points (WAPs) 178 that can establish bidirectional wireless communication with passenger / client devices 120 via a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. One or more WAPs 178 may be distributed around the aircraft 110 and, in cooperation with the network access unit 176, can provide traffic switching and routing functions, for example, as part of a WLAN Extension Service Set (ESS). For simplicity, some elements of the onboard system 150 are illustrated as being communicatively coupled by the network access unit 176, but implementation embodiments in which numerous different networks are used to couple the illustrated elements are conceivable.The various components of the bidirectional communication system 112 can be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, although shown as separate components, in different implementation embodiments some or all components may be integrated into a single component (for example, the modem may be integrated into the network access unit 176), or they may be separated into additional components.

[0025] The onboard CMS 130 can communicate with one or more of the following: the non-onboard network interface subsystem 170, the onboard network access unit 176, the aircraft status monitor 190, and the onboard media system 137. While elements of the onboard system 150 are illustrated as individual elements, one or more elements of the onboard system 150 may be integrated. The onboard CMS 130 may include a geofence monitor 135. The geofence monitor 135 may be implemented as dedicated integrated circuit hardware or as a software module executable by a computing system (e.g., an implementation of computing system 1000). The geofence monitor 135 is responsible for determining the media content that the onboard media system 137 can provide to the passenger / client device 120. The geofence monitor 135 can control the media content provided based on data representing the location of the aircraft 110 (hereinafter referred to indistinguishably as location data).

[0026] A geofence is data that represents a geographic area (i.e., a geofence area). A geofence can virtually enclose a geofence area that represents a geographic boundary. A geofence can be represented by data in various ways, including geographic points, known geographic areas, or other predefined geographic areas. In an implementation where a geofence is represented by points, a point may be a set of geographic coordinates. For example, in one implementation, geofence data may include a set or tuple of longitude and latitude values. In one implementation, each tuple contains one longitude value and one latitude value. A set of tuples can define nodes or points whose connections or edges represent one or more boundaries of a geofence area. Each part of a geofence may be alternatively or additionally defined by one or more piecewise and continuous functions based on one or more of the following as inputs: geographic location, predicted trajectory, departure time, arrival time, transit time, and location data. In an implementation, a geofence can fit into a number of shapes. For example, a geofence may include a boundary having one or more characteristics such as a polygon, a curved shape, a circle (e.g., defined by radius or diameter and center), or a triangle. A geofence may be defined by, or based on, existing geographical boundaries such as one or more countries, cities, counties, states, territories, or local areas, areas defined by media content licensing agreements, or areas defined by jurisdictional restrictions (e.g., areas where certain types of media content are prohibited). A geofence may further include a temporal element. For example, certain media offerings may be available at different times even within a particular geofence, and the geofence itself may shift geographically over time (e.g., permits within a continuous area shift, and areas merge or separate).

[0027] Location data may be generated and provided by the aircraft status monitor 190. In one implementation embodiment, the aircraft status monitor 190 is a component of the aircraft's navigation system (e.g., the aircraft's tail system) or communicates with the aircraft's navigation system. Other implementation embodiments of the aircraft status monitor 190 include other geolocation devices such as a Global Positioning Service (GPS) device. Location data may include one or more of the following: the current position of the aircraft 110, the vector or trajectory of the aircraft 110, data representing the path already taken by the aircraft 110, deviation from a predefined route, the speed of the aircraft 110, the altitude of the aircraft 110, time delay, traffic updates, the longitude of the aircraft 110, and the latitude of the aircraft 110. Location data can be used in combination with geofence data to determine whether geofence conditions are met. Geofencing conditions may include one or more of the following: the transport aircraft 110 is located within a geographic location represented by geofencing data; the transport aircraft 110 is located outside a geographic location represented by geofencing data; the transport aircraft 110 is located within a predefined distance from the boundary of a geofencing area; the transport aircraft 110 is located within a reduced geofencing area; and the transport aircraft 110 is approaching the boundary of a reduced geofencing area. In different implementation embodiments, the reception, transmission, and associated determination of location data and geofencing data may be distributed and / or assigned between the onboard CMS 130 and the non-onboard CMS 140. In implementation embodiments, location data may be received by a location data module of the onboard CMS 130, which is executable by a computer system (e.g., an implementation of computer system 1000).

[0028] In an implementation embodiment in which the geofence monitor 135 is operable to determine whether geofence conditions are met, the geofence monitor 135 can utilize location data in its determination. For example, the geofence monitor 135 can receive geofence data from the non-onboard CMS 140 (e.g., via the non-onboard communication network 105) and location data from the aircraft status monitor 190. Based on the received geofence data and location data, the geofence monitor 135 can determine whether geofence conditions are met. In this implementation embodiment, location data may be transmitted from the aircraft status monitor 190 to the onboard CMS 130 (e.g., via the network access unit 176).

[0029] In an implementation embodiment in which the geofence monitor 135 is operable to determine whether geofence conditions are met, the onboard CMS 130 and / or geofence monitor 135 can receive geofence data at different frequencies. In one implementation embodiment, geofence data may be loaded once before the transport aircraft 110 departs. In another implementation embodiment, geofence data may be updated periodically or dynamically depending on the circumstances. For example, one or more of the geofence data and location data may be received and / or updated at a predefined frequency (e.g., the frequency of the number of times updates are provided, rather than the frequency of signals). In another implementation embodiment, the predefined frequency may be dynamic based on the location data and one or more of the geofence data and reduced geofence data. For example, the update frequency may be lower if it is unlikely that the transport aircraft 110 will cross one or more of the geofence boundaries and reduced geofence boundaries. In one implementation embodiment, the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the location of the transport aircraft 110 (e.g., provided with location data) and the geofence boundary indicated by data representing the geofence area decreases. The frequency of the decisions that are executed or received may vary in the same way, or in a different way.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, location data may be transmitted from the aircraft status monitor 190 to the non-aircraft CMS 140 (e.g., via one or more of the non-aircraft CMS 130, network access unit 176, and non-aircraft network interface subsystem 170). For example, in an alternative implementation, the non-aircraft CMS 140 determines whether geofencing conditions are met. In this implementation, location data is transmitted from the onboard system 150 to the non-aircraft CMS 140. The non-aircraft CMS 140 uses locally available geofencing data and the transmitted location data to determine whether geofencing conditions are met. In this implementation, the determination of whether geofencing conditions are met is transmitted to the onboard CMS 130 via the non-aircraft communication network 105. In this implementation, the geofencing monitor 135 receives the determination and can determine, based on the received determination, what media content the onboard media system 137 can provide to the passenger / client device 120. The frequency of the determinations performed or received may be continuous, periodic, in response to predefined events, or in response to locations within a geofence area, among other things.

[0031] One or more of the onboard CMS 130 and non-onboard CMS 140 may determine which media content the onboard media system 137 can provide to the passenger / client device 120 based on whether geofencing conditions are met. In one implementation, a media control module executable by a computing system (e.g., an implementation of computing system 1000) may determine which media content the onboard media system 137 can provide to the passenger / client device 120 based on whether geofencing conditions are met.

[0032] In one implementation, there may be multiple media content pieces, each associated with different geofencing conditions. In this implementation, for example, live content provided by different providers under different legal or licensing conditions may have different requirements depending on the geographic location of the transport aircraft 110. Therefore, geofencing data specific to media content may be associated with, stored with, or linked to data representing the media content. The association may be with the media content itself, or with metadata representing the media content that is independent of the media content data itself.

[0033] The geofencing system 100 can also determine when and / or under what circumstances to activate the geofencing monitor 135. One or more of the determinations and activations may be distributed between or facilitated by the onboard CMS 130 and the non-onboard CMS 140. One or more of the geofencing monitors 135 of the onboard CMS 130 and the non-onboard CMS 140 (e.g., determination entities) can determine whether the geofencing activation conditions are met. In an implementation embodiment, the determination of whether the geofencing activation conditions are met is based on data representing the route or trajectory of the transport aircraft 110 and / or other location data. Predefined geographic data relating to the transport aircraft's route or path may be transmitted to the determination entity. For example, the predefined geographic data may include the origin and destination. In this implementation embodiment, the geofencing activation conditions may include the origin and destination being located in different geofencing areas. For trips where licensing rights and other legal restrictions remain unchanged, a geofencing monitor may not be required. The same content may be transmitted during a trip. In this case, the determination entity can determine that the geofencing activation conditions are not met. Therefore, the geofence monitor 135 (or at least its geofence monitoring activity) does not need to be activated during a particular travel period. Conversely, if the origin and destination are located in different geofence areas, the determination entity may determine that the geofence activation conditions are met and activate or trigger the geofence monitor.

[0034] Alternative implementations are conceivable in which the geofence monitor 135 is still activated and / or remains activated at all times during the transport of the transport aircraft 110, even in travel circumstances where legal rights and licensing rights remain unchanged. Furthermore, geofence activation conditions may include a temporal element. For example, the transport aircraft 110 may travel during more relaxed time periods for licensing. Thus, the activation of the geofence monitor 135 may depend on the time of day when the travel occurs. In one implementation embodiment, the travel may occur over a period in which the temporal dimension of the licensing scheme related to the media content changes. In such a situation, the geofence activation conditions may be met. Also, in another implementation embodiment, the transport aircraft may unexpectedly cross a geofence boundary based on a detour, and the detour may trigger a re-determination (e.g., by the determination entity) of whether to activate the geofence monitor 135.

[0035] The geofence system 100 may also be capable of estimating a temporal metric associated with when the transport aircraft crosses the boundary of the geofence area represented by the geofence data. This can be determined by one or more of the onboard CMS 130 and non-onboard CMS 140 (i.e., a determination entity specific to the time determination). The temporal metric may include one or more of the crossing time, time to cross, or predicted crossing time or deviation from time to cross. In one implementation embodiment, the determination entity stores data representing a reduced geofence associated with the geofence. A reduced geofence is smaller than the geofence and may be contained within the geofence. A reduced geofence can function as a set of subboundaries, where a subboundary indicates that when the transport aircraft 110 crosses one of the subboundaries, it takes a certain amount of time or distance for the transport aircraft 110 to cross the corresponding geofence. In one implementation embodiment, a reduced geofence may be defined by a predefined distance from the geofence at all relevant points and / or edges. In one implementation embodiment, a reduced geofence is substantially geometrically similar to the geofence. An implementation is conceivable in which the shrinking geofence takes into account the conditions that can occur in different parts of the geofence, such that some points in the shrinking geofence are further from the nearest point on the geofence than other points on the geofence. For example, some areas may have stronger winds or more severe weather. Also, the shrinking area may be smaller based on the trajectory of travel, for example, on the side where the transport aircraft is traveling against the prevailing wind pattern. Based on the location data and the shrinking geofence, the decision entity can estimate the time when the transport aircraft is most likely to cross the geofence boundary.

[0036] In an implementation, with or without a reduced geofence, the determination entity may additionally or alternatively determine the estimated time when the transport aircraft 110 crosses the geofence boundary based on one or more of the following: location data, geofence data, predefined data representing the route taken, known deviations from the planned trajectory, weather conditions near the transport aircraft 110, traffic metrics, and other delays, detours, or deviations. For example, in one implementation, the determination entity may be able to operate to estimate when the transport aircraft crosses the boundary of the geofence area based on the transport aircraft's movement vector contained in the received data representing the transport aircraft's location.

[0037] In one implementation, the onboard CMS 130 (e.g., via one or more of the geofence monitor 135 and media control modules) may transmit changes to the media content provided to the passenger / client device 120 by the onboard media system 137. This may be based on the satisfaction of geofence conditions, or the predicted satisfaction of geofence conditions (because the aircraft is approaching the geofence boundary). The onboard CMS 130 may further transmit instructions to the onboard media system 137 to notify the passenger / client device 120 of changes to the provided media content. For example, the notification may include the predicted end of the media content being provided to the passenger / client device 120. In an implementation where the determination entity estimates the time it takes for the aircraft 110 to cross the geofence boundary, the notification may include an estimated time until the end of the program broadcast based on the estimated time of crossing.

[0038] In one implementation, the geofence monitor 135 can modify the media content provided to the passenger / client device 120 by the onboard media system 137 in advance or in anticipation of crossing the geofence boundary. For example, geofence conditions may include position data representing the location of the aircraft 110 that satisfies distance or timing conditions with respect to the geofence boundary. Distance conditions may include the position data indicating that the aircraft 110 is located within a predefined distance of the geofence boundary, and / or that the vector (or on another projected trajectory based on a non-straight route) of the aircraft 110 is traveling along a distance of a predefined distance from the aircraft 110 to the geofence boundary along the vector (or trajectory). Timing conditions include the estimated time of crossing one or more of the geofence boundaries or reduced geofence boundaries being within a predefined time. Determining the distance and time that satisfy these conditions may differ between aircraft and land-based aircraft, as altitude and the curvature of the Earth are more important factors. In the case of aircraft, curved trajectories may be more appropriate than straight trajectories. For land-based aircraft, the trajectory may be based on available roads and the artificial curves and bends of those roads. When evaluating vectors and / or trajectories, distance and timing conditions may take these factors into account.

[0039] Geofence data can represent boundaries for specific licensing conditions. For example, even if media content can still be provided in two geofence areas, the conditions under which the media content can be provided may differ between the geofence areas. For instance, media content may be available for free in a first geofence area, but licensing may require payment for the same content in a second geofence area. In one implementation, the onboard CMS 130 may determine that acceptance of modified conditions (e.g., passengers must pay a fee) is required for access to specific media content. The onboard CMS 130 may transmit the modified conditions for providing the media content to the onboard media system 137 (e.g., via one or more of the geofence monitor 135 and media control modules). The onboard CMS may further transmit instructions to the onboard system requesting the user device to provide data representing acceptance of the modified conditions for providing the media content.

[0040] Broadcast channels 146 can be obtained from the non-onboard CMS 140 via the non-onboard communication network 105. In some implementations, the non-onboard CMS 140 includes one or more sources of broadcast channel content. For example, the non-onboard CMS 140 directly partners with one or more content broadcasters, content aggregators, etc. (for example, the non-onboard CMS 140 is implemented as part of a cable provider headend, etc.). In other implementations, the non-onboard CMS 140 is coupled with one or more content sources 180 (e.g., content servers) via one or more content networks 160. The content source(s) 180 may include content broadcasters, content aggregators, and / or any other suitable sources of broadcast channel content. In some such implementations, the content source(s) 180 and content network(s) 160 include one or more commercial terrestrial television networks, satellite television providers, OTA television broadcasters, OTT internet television providers, etc. The non-airborne CMS 140 can communicate with the broadcast channels 146 in any suitable manner. In some implementations, each broadcast channel 146 is communicated via the non-airborne communication network 105 as a corresponding Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) stream. In other implementations, each broadcast channel 146 is communicated via the non-airborne communication network 105 as unicast communication, multicast communication, via an established logical communication link (such as a tunnel), or in any other suitable manner.

[0041] As used herein, “broadcast channel 146” is a channel communicated by a non-aircraft CMS 140 to an onboard CMS 130 via a non-aircraft communication network 105 (and a non-aircraft network interface subsystem 170). In some implementations, when a particular broadcast channel 146 is communicated from a non-aircraft CMS 140 to one or more transport aircraft 110, the broadcast channel 146 directly corresponds to television channels broadcast at the same time via conventional broadcast television networks (e.g., cable networks, satellite television networks, etc.). In other implementations, one or more broadcast channels 146 are generated by aggregating broadcast channel content, resulting in some or all of the availability, order, and / or other characteristics of the broadcast channels 146 differing from television channels broadcast on conventional broadcast television networks. In one such implementation, broadcast channel content is selected by a commercial television network and delivered to the non-aircraft CMS 140 for use on the broadcast channel 146 (e.g., at a specific time, in a specific order, with specific restrictions, etc.). In another such implementation, broadcast channel content is aggregated from one or more affiliates of a commercial television network. For example, a commercial television sports network may aggregate licensed content relating to sports teams associated with the departure and / or destination regions of the aircraft 110. The commercial television network may aggregate licensed television programs and / or movies that are likely to be of interest to a specific passenger audience on the aircraft 110. In some implementations, the non-onboard CMS 140 receives broadcast channel content that is already in a format suitable for communication with the aircraft 110, and the non-onboard CMS 140 can communicate the received broadcast channel content as broadcast channel 146. In other such implementations, the non-onboard CMS 140 receives broadcast channel content in a first format, converts the broadcast channel content to a second format suitable for provision by the onboard CMS 130, and communicates the converted content as broadcast channel 146.

[0042] An implementation of the non-airborne CMS 140 can operate to communicate broadcast channel 146 via the non-airborne communication network 105 only when broadcast channel 146 is being used by one or more on-airborne CMS 130s. By stopping communication of broadcast channel 146 when it is not being used by any on-airborne CMS 130, resources (e.g., bandwidth) of the on-airborne communication network 105 that would otherwise be used to continue communication (e.g., streaming) of broadcast channel 146 can be freed up. In some implementations, the non-airborne CMS 140 can instruct the communication of broadcast channel 146 via the non-airborne communication network 105 and the stopping of such communication at an appropriate time. For example, in some implementations, the non-airborne CMS 140 can independently determine when and whether to communicate (e.g., generate) one or more broadcast channels 146 via the non-airborne communication network 105. In other implementations, the onboard CMS 130 instructs the non-onboard CMS 140 to communicate on broadcast channel 146 via the non-onboard communication network 105 by instructing it to start and stop the communication at appropriate times. For example, in one implementation, the onboard CMS 130 can generate instructions (e.g., a request to start transmission on broadcast channel 146, a request to stop transmission on broadcast channel 146, etc.) and communicate these instructions to the non-onboard CMS 140 via the non-onboard communication network 105.

[0043] In one implementation, no instructions or other actions are taken regarding the current program time slot's end, and a particular broadcast channel 146 is allowed to continue to be communicated by the non-onboard CMS 140 via the non-onboard communication network 105 and received by the onboard CMS 130. In another implementation, the onboard CMS 130 and / or non-onboard CMS 140 communicate instructions to allow continuous communication of a particular broadcast channel.

[0044] The onboard media system 137 is implemented on a transport aircraft and may store a large number of pre-configured content segments (e.g., hundreds, thousands, etc.). The onboard media system 137 may include one or more hard disk drives, solid-state drives, removable storage media, or any other suitable type of data storage. The pre-configured content segments are stored in the onboard media system 137. In some implementations, some or all of the pre-configured content segments are stored in the onboard media system 137 when the transport aircraft 110 is not in transit, for example, while the transport aircraft 110 is parked or at anchor. In other implementations, some or all of the pre-configured content segments are pushed to the onboard media system 137 as needed. For example, opportunistic multicast, trickle cast, or other techniques can be used to take advantage of detected availability of surplus capacity on the non-onboard communication network 105 while the transport aircraft 110 is in transit. The pre-configured content segments may include any suitable content segments such as television program episodes, movies, movie previews, transport information, and advertisements. In some implementations, some or all of the pre-configured content segments can be accessed on demand by some or all passengers of the transport aircraft 110 using passenger / client devices 120. In some implementations, some or all of the pre-configured content segments are stored associated with a corresponding set of (one or more) content parameters. The content parameters can be stored as metadata or (for example, using a relational database structure) associated with the pre-configured content segments.Each set of corresponding content parameters may include, for example, content type (e.g., TV show episode, movie, advertisement, etc.), genre (e.g., comedy, drama, documentary, reality, family, etc.), content descriptor (e.g., title, keywords, running time, director, rating, etc.), content format (e.g., resolution, file type, device compatibility, etc.), content association (e.g., distributor, network or other ancillary equipment, associated pre-configured content segment, etc.), rights information (e.g., rights holder, distribution requirements or restrictions, encryption information, etc.), and any other appropriate information describing the associated pre-configured content segment(s).

[0045] The onboard CMS 130 can automatically generate one or more customized channels for streaming to passenger / client devices 120 via the onboard network interface subsystem 177, according to one or more linear channel schedules. Each linear channel schedule can define a set of program broadcast time slots, including multiple program broadcast time slots and multiple pre-configured program broadcast time slots. The linear channel schedule can be formatted and stored in any suitable manner. In some implementations, the linear channel schedule is stored by the onboard media system 137. In other implementations, the linear channel schedule is stored by a non-onboard CMS 140 (e.g., generated and / or maintained by the non-onboard CMS 140).

[0046] Figure 2 shows an exemplary implementation of a geofence system 200 having a continuous geofence area. The geofence system 200 may be an implementation of the geofence system 100, and the transporter 210 may be an implementation of the transporter 110 (e.g., one of 110a to n). The illustrated geofence system 200 includes two pentagonal geofences 216 and 218. Each of the geofences 216 and 218 may virtually surround geofence areas 226 and 228 where the geofences indicate geographical boundaries. Although the geofences 216 and 218 are illustrated as continuous and sharing boundaries, they do not necessarily have to be continuous. For example, in an implementation, there may be areas where there are no restrictions on the content presented, so the geofences 216 and 218 are separated by areas where there are different licenses or legal restrictions on the media content provided. In some implementations, geofences may be drawn conservatively so as not to violate restrictions on media content (e.g., there may be spaces between geofences that essentially represent no-man's-land for media content). Furthermore, in the implementation, since geofences are specific to and / or associated with the data of a particular media content, geofences 216, 218 for a particular media content may partially overlap with geofences 216, 218 for other media content.

[0047] Although illustrated as a pentagon, geofences 216, 218 can be of any shape. For example, a geofence may include boundaries having one or more characteristics of a polygon, a curved shape, a circle (e.g., defined by radius or diameter and center), a triangle, etc. Geofences 216, 218 may be the same shape (e.g., geofences 216, 218 may be divided into a uniform grid) or they may be different shapes. Geofences may be defined by or based on existing geographical boundaries such as a country, city, county, state, territory, or local area, an area defined by a media content licensing agreement, or an area defined by jurisdictional restrictions (e.g., an area where certain types of media content are prohibited). Geofences 216, 218 may further have a temporal element. For example, certain media offerings may be available at different times even within a particular geofence, and the geofence itself may shift geographically over time (e.g., permits within a continuous area shift, and areas may merge or separate). Furthermore, geofences 216 and 218 may be discontinuous, as they are conservatively formed to be smaller than the area where media content may be provided by license or law, in order to further ensure that restrictions on media content are not violated. Although not shown in Figure 2, geofences 216 and 218 may additionally or alternatively include reduced geofences that virtually surround the reduced geofence area (see, for example, system 300).

[0048] Geofences 216, 218 can be represented in data in numerous ways, including geographic points, known geographic areas, or other predefined geographic areas. In one implementation, the geofence system 200 includes points 214a-h (or nodes). Points 110a-n can be connected to define the boundaries (or edges) of geofences 216, 218. In an implementation where geofences are represented by points 110a-n, points 110a-n can be sets of multiple geographic coordinates. For example, in one implementation, geofence data may include points 110a-n, each having a set or tuple containing longitude and latitude values. In one implementation, each tuple contains one longitude value and one latitude value. A set of tuples can define points 110a-n and / or connections (or edges) representing one or more boundaries of a geofence area. Parts of the geofences 216 and 218 may be defined alternatively or additionally by one or more piecewise and continuous functions (e.g., between predefined points) based on one or more of the following inputs: geographic location, predicted trajectory, departure time, arrival time, transit time, and location data. Furthermore, the piecewise and / or continuous functions may be defined for one or more of the points 110a to n.

[0049] As illustrated, points 214a-214d and point 214h, and the edges between them, define the first geofence 216 surrounding the first geofence area 226. As illustrated, points 214d-h and the edges between them define the second geofence 218 surrounding the second geofence area 228. Since geofences 216 and 218 are contiguous, they can share points 214d and 214h along a shared boundary. The transport aircraft 210 is illustrated to travel through the second geofence area 228 within the second geofence 218. The second geofence area 228 is one in which broadcasting of media content associated with the second geofence area 228 is permitted due to licensing restrictions or other legal restrictions (e.g., data association based on licensing or legal restrictions). Restrictions that apply while the transport aircraft 210 is located in a second geofence area 228 surrounded by a second geofence 218 may not apply when the transport aircraft 210 passes through a first geofence area 226. When the transport aircraft leaves the second geofence area 228 and enters the first geofence area 226, the rules for providing media content associated with the second geofence 218 may be superseded (or otherwise prioritized) by the rules for providing media content associated with the first geofence 216. Preferably, geofences 216 and 218 may apply to some of the media content available to passenger / client devices, while other geofences may apply to different media content.

[0050] Figure 3 shows an exemplary implementation of a geofence system 300 for estimating the timing of crossing a geofence boundary. System 300 may be one or more implementations of System 100 and System 200. The transporter may be one or more implementations of Transporter 110 and Transporter 210. System 300 includes a geofence 316 with a reduced geofence 316a. Geofence 316 virtually surrounds the geofence area 318, and the reduced geofence 316a virtually surrounds the reduced geofence area 318a.

[0051] A reduced geofence 316a may be defined relative to geofence 316. For example, one or more reduced geofences 316a may be geometrically similar to geofence 316 and may be located a predefined distance (e.g., a hypothetical representation of the same or different predefined distances) away from geofence 316. For example, a reduced geofence 316a may be concentric with respect to geofence 316 (even with respect to irregular shapes such as geographical boundaries). Alternatively or additionally, a reduced geofence 318 may be defined relative to geofence 316 based on a predefined determination of the likely times to traverse various previously used paths or routes, potentially taking into account probable trajectories, speed, and / or route conditions (e.g., weather and / or traffic). A reduced geofence 316a can be used to estimate the time it takes for a transport vehicle 310 to traverse geofence 316. For example, when a transport aircraft approaches the boundary of a reduced geofence area 318a, the geofence monitor on the onboard CMS can trigger a determination of the estimated crossing time and / or estimated time to cross. Thus, the reduced geofence 316a may act as a safety device to ensure that media content provided when crossing the boundary of geofence area 318 is permitted in the next geofence area represented by the next geofence (not shown in Figure 3).

[0052] Crossing timing can be estimated based on one or more of the following: geofence data representing geofence 316, geofence data representing the next geofence, position data, and externally provided navigation data (e.g., GPS data). In one implementation, the position data includes the trajectory 322 (e.g., transport vector) of the transport aircraft 310. The position data is based on the speed and direction of the transport aircraft 310 and a predefined distance between the boundary of the reduced offense area 318a and the boundary of the geofence area 318. Implementations can also be conceivable in which crossing timing is estimated based on position data and geofence 316 data without referring to the reduced geofence 318 or its reduced geofence area 318a. The position data used is illustrated as the trajectory 322, but other position data may be used. For example, in the case of an aircraft, crossing timing can be predefined based on the aircraft's position and historical flight data of flights using the same or similar flight paths. In the case of road vehicles, the estimated timing may be based on historical route timing, perhaps considering the nature of the road and traffic.

[0053] Crossing timing can be used to trigger actions associated with crossing or predicting crossing of geofence 316. In some implementations, a crossing preparation action may be performed when certain predefined crossing timing conditions are met. For example, a predefined crossing timing condition may include a time threshold representing the threshold estimated time to cross the boundary of geofence area 318. This determination may be triggered by crossing the boundary of reduced geofence area 318a, or by a crossing time determination unrelated to reduced geofence 316a. The crossing preparation actions potentially triggered by the satisfaction of crossing timing conditions may be one or more of the following, which can be performed by the geofence monitor: pre-modifying the content being offered (e.g., to match the restrictions of the next geofence that the transport aircraft 310 is about to enter in the next geofence area); instructing the onboard media system to modify the content being offered (e.g., immediately or within a conservative estimate of time to ensure that it does not violate any licenses or other legal restrictions); providing the onboard media system with instructions to notify passenger / client devices that the media content will become unavailable; providing the onboard media system with instructions to notify passenger / client devices that the media content may become available under different conditions; providing the onboard media system with instructions to notify passenger / client devices that the media content may become available after the onboard media system has received approval of the conditions from the passenger / client devices (e.g., agreeing to provide payment for media content for which licenses are granted that require different payment terms in the next geofence area); or providing instructions to prefetch new geofence data for the next geofence on trajectory 322.

[0054] Figures 4 and 5 illustrate two scenarios illustrating how decisions regarding one or more of the geofence, geofence conditions, provided media content, and geofence activation conditions can be distributed in any manner between the onboard CMS 430, 530 and the non-onboard CMS 440, 540. Specifically, Figure 4 shows an exemplary implementation of system 400 for coordinating the operation of the geofence system. In the illustrated implementation, the geofence monitor of the onboard CMS 430 is responsible for determining the satisfaction of specific conditions associated with the geofence (for example, based on geofence data). System 400 includes an onboard system 450 installed on the aircraft and a non-onboard system 499 located away from the aircraft. The aircraft status monitor 490 transmits location data to the onboard CMS 430 via communication 1. Location data may include one or more of the following: the aircraft's current position, the vector or trajectory of its movement, data representing the path the aircraft has already taken, deviations from a predefined route, the aircraft's speed, altitude, time delay, traffic updates, the aircraft's longitude, and the aircraft's latitude. Location data can be used in combination with geofence data to determine whether geofence conditions are met.

[0055] In communication 2, the non-airborne CMS440 transmits geofence data to the airborne CMS430 representing the geofence that virtually surrounds the geofence area. Although illustrated as occurring in a specific order, the order of operations for communication 1 and communication 2 may be reversed, and they may occur at different frequencies.

[0056] In determination 3, the geofence monitor on the onboard CMS430 determines, based on the received position data and geofence data, whether the transport aircraft (for example, its position) satisfies the geofence conditions. For example, the geofence monitor may determine that the transport aircraft's position data indicates that the transport aircraft is located at the boundary of a geofenced area represented by the geofence.

[0057] In determination 4, the onboard CMS 430 and / or its geofence monitor determine which media content is provided to or provided by the onboard media system 435 for consumption by passenger / client devices 498 on the aircraft. The media content provided may be based on the determination of whether geofence conditions are met. For example, if geofence conditions are met, media content associated with the geofence to which the geofence conditions apply may be provided in a restricted manner and may be provided under different circumstances than adjacent or other geofences within the geofence.

[0058] In communication 5, the permitted media content is provided to the onboard media system 435 by the onboard CMS 430. An alternative implementation is conceivable in which communication 6 represents an instruction indicating which of the available media content the onboard media system 435 can provide for consumption by passengers / clients.

[0059] In communication 6, the in-flight media system 435 provides media content provided and / or authorized by the in-flight CMS 430 to at least one passenger / client device 498.

[0060] Figure 5 shows another exemplary implementation of system 500 for coordinating the operation of the geofencing system. In the illustrated implementation, the non-aircraft CMS 530 is responsible for determining whether certain conditions are met, and this determination is transmitted to the geofencing monitor of the aircraft CMS. System 500 includes an aircraft system 550 installed on the aircraft and a non-aircraft system 599 located at a location away from the aircraft. The aircraft status monitor 590 transmits location data to the aircraft CMS 530 via communication 1.

[0061] In communication 2, the onboard CMS 530 transmits location data to the non-onboard CMS 540. In an alternative implementation, the aircraft status monitor can transmit the location data from communication 1 to the non-onboard CMS 540 without using the onboard CMS 530 as a medium (for example, by canceling communication 2).

[0062] In determination 3, the non-aircraft CMS 540 determines, based on the received position data, whether the transport aircraft (e.g., its position) satisfies the geofence conditions. The non-aircraft CMS 540 may include geofence data representing a geofence that virtually surrounds the geofence area, and can use the received position data to determine whether the geofence conditions are met. For example, the geofence monitor may determine that the transport aircraft's position data indicates that the transport aircraft is located at the boundary of a geofence area represented by the geofence.

[0063] In communication 4, the non-airborne CMS 540 transmits a determination to the airborne CMS 530 indicating whether the geofence conditions are met. In some implementations, this determination may be received by the geofence monitor of the airborne CMS 530.

[0064] In determination 5, the onboard CMS 530 and / or its geofence monitor determine which media content is provided to or provided by the onboard media system 535 for consumption by passenger / client devices 598 on the aircraft. The media content provided may be based on the determination of whether the geofence conditions are met. For example, if the geofence conditions are met, the media content associated with the geofence to which the geofence conditions apply may be provided in a restricted manner and may be provided in a different context than adjacent or other geofence areas within the geofence area.

[0065] In communication 6, the permitted media content is provided to the onboard media system 435 by the onboard CMS 530. In an alternative implementation, communication 6 represents an instruction indicating which of the available media content the onboard media system 435 can provide for consumption by passengers / clients.

[0066] In communication 7, the in-flight media system 435 provides media content provided and / or authorized by the in-flight CMS 530 to at least one passenger / client device 598.

[0067] Although not shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some implementations, one or more of the onboard CMS 430, 530 and the non-onboard CMS 440, 540 may make an initial determination of whether to activate a geofence monitor and / or geofence system to initiate monitoring and / or management of media content provided based on the satisfaction of conditions associated with the geofence. As described herein, the initial determination may involve determining whether the geofence activation conditions are met. It is also conceivable that other conditions associated with the geofence may be determined, and the role of determining whether the conditions are met may be distributed in any way between the onboard CMS 430, 530 and the non-onboard CMS 440, 540.

[0068] Figure 6 shows an exemplary implementation of a processor-readable storage medium 600 for an onboard content management system. The medium 600 excludes signals themselves. In one implementation, the medium is one or more of a non-temporary medium and a tangible medium. The medium 600 may be an implementation of or part of the storage 1020. The medium 600 may include one or more of a location data module 695, a geofence monitor 696, and a media control module 697, which may be stored in memory (e.g., the medium 600 and / or storage 1020) and may be executable by a processor of a computing system (e.g., a processor 1002 of computing system 1000).

[0069] The location data module 695 is a hardware and / or software-implemented logic element that manages location data for the onboard CMS. The location data module 695 can perform one or more of the following: receive, store, and determine the location data of the aircraft. The aircraft status monitor of the aircraft can transmit location data to the onboard CMS. The location data module 695 of the onboard CMS receives this data and performs processing on it. In various implementations, the location data module 695 can forward some or all of the location data to one or more of the geofence monitor 696 and / or non-onboard CMS. The location data module 695 can also reformat, delete, or otherwise filter some of the location data before transmitting it for consumption by the receiving entity. For example, the aircraft system may provide location data in a first format different from the format used by the geofence monitor 696 and / or non-onboard CMS, and the location data module 695 can convert the location data. Furthermore, since the aircraft status monitor may provide more data than when configured for use by the geofence monitor 696 or a non-onboard CMS, the location data module 695 can remove the extraneous data. One possible implementation is that the location data module 695 is an element of the geofence monitor 696.

[0070] The geofence monitor 696 is a logic element implemented in hardware and / or software that manages the geofence system operation of the in-flight CMS. The geofence monitor 696 may be an implementation of the geofence monitor 135. The geofence monitor 696 is responsible for determining the media content that the in-flight media system can provide to passenger / client devices. The geofence monitor 696 can control the media content provided based on location data representing the position of the aircraft. The geofence monitor 696 can determine changes to the available media content and / or change the conditions under which media content is available. For example, based on whether geofence conditions are met, the geofence monitor 696 determines one or more of the following: which media content should be provided, changes to media content already provided, conditions under which media content should be provided, instructions to send to the in-flight media system regarding a message to be provided to passenger / client devices regarding changes to provided media content, and instructions to the in-flight media system regarding the approval of modified conditions that the in-flight media system must obtain from passenger / client devices in order to continue providing media content.

[0071] The geofence monitor 696 can store and / or receive data associated with geofences (e.g., data representing one or more of the following: geofence, geofence conditions, provided media content, geofence activation conditions, distance or timing conditions, licensing conditions, media content provision conditions, modified conditions, cross-timing conditions, and passenger / client device conditions provided by a non-onboard CMS), and location data (e.g., location data processed by a location data module).

[0072] In an implementation where the geofence monitor 696 is capable of determining whether geofence conditions are met, the geofence monitor 696 can use location data in its determination. For example, the geofence monitor 696 may receive geofence data from a non-onboard CMS (e.g., via a non-onboard communication network) and location data from an aircraft status monitor. Based on the received geofence data and location data, the geofence monitor 696 can determine whether geofence conditions are met. In this implementation, location data may be transmitted from the aircraft status monitor to the onboard CMS (e.g., via a network access unit). In an implementation where the geofence monitor 696 is capable of determining whether geofence conditions are met, the onboard CMS and / or the geofence monitor 696 may receive geofence data at different frequencies. In an alternative implementation, the geofence monitor 696 may receive a determination from the non-onboard CMS whether geofence conditions are met and, based on the received determination, determine the media content that the onboard media system can provide to passenger / client devices.

[0073] The geofence system and / or the geofence monitor 696 itself may also further determine when and / or under what circumstances to activate the geofence monitor 696 in order to control the media content provided for consumption by passenger / client devices. One or more of the determinations and activations may be distributed between or facilitated by the onboard CMS and the non-onboard CMS. One or more of the geofence monitors 696 in the onboard CMS and the non-onboard CMS (e.g., determination entities) may determine whether the geofence activation conditions are met. In this implementation, the determination of whether the geofence activation conditions are met is based on data representing the aircraft's route or trajectory. For example, predefined geographic data regarding the aircraft's route or path may be transmitted to the determination entity. The predefined geographic data may include the origin and destination. In this implementation, the geofence activation conditions may include the origin and destination being located in different geofence areas. For routes where licensing rights or other legal restrictions remain unchanged, a geofence monitor may not be required. The same content may be transmitted during the journey. In this case, the determination entity can determine that the geofence activation conditions are not met. Therefore, the media content control operation of the geofence monitor 696 may be suspended for a certain period of travel. Conversely, if the origin and destination are located in different geofence areas, the determination entity can determine that the geofence activation conditions are met and activate or trigger the media content control operation of the geofence monitor 696.

[0074] In alternative implementations, the geofence monitor 696 is still activated and / or remains activated at all times while the transport aircraft is in transit, even if the legal rights and licensing rights remain unchanged during the journey. Furthermore, the geofence activation conditions may include a temporal element. For example, the transport aircraft may travel during more relaxed time periods for licensing. Thus, the activation of the geofence monitor 696 may depend on the time of day the journey occurs. In one implementation, the journey may occur over a period in which the temporal dimension of the licensing scheme associated with the media content changes. In such a situation, the geofence activation conditions may be met. Also, in another implementation, the transport aircraft may unexpectedly cross the geofence boundary based on a detour, causing a re-determination of whether to activate the geofence monitor 696.

[0075] In one implementation, the onboard CMS may transmit changes to the media content provided to passenger / client devices by the onboard media system (e.g., via one or more of the geofence monitor and media control modules). This may be based on the satisfaction of geofence conditions, or the predicted satisfaction of conditions (as the aircraft is approaching a geofence boundary). The geofence monitor 696 of the onboard CMS may further transmit instructions to the onboard media system to notify passenger / client devices of changes to the media content being provided. For example, the notification may include the predicted end of the media content being provided to the passenger / client device. In an implementation where a determination entity estimates the time it will take for the aircraft to cross a geofence boundary, the notification may include an estimated time until the end of the program based on the estimated crossing time.

[0076] In one implementation, the geofence monitor 696 can modify the media content provided to passenger / client devices by the onboard media system in advance or in anticipation of crossing an offensive boundary. For example, geofence conditions may include position data representing the location of the aircraft that satisfies distance or timing conditions with respect to the geofence boundary. Distance conditions may include the position data indicating that the aircraft is located within a predefined distance of the geographic boundary, and / or that the vector (or trajectory projected in another way based on a route that may not be a straight line) the aircraft is traveling on is within a predefined distance along the vector (or trajectory) from the aircraft to the geofence boundary. Timing conditions may include the estimated time of crossing one or more of the geofence boundaries or reduced geofence boundaries being within a predefined time. Determining the distance and timing that satisfy these conditions may differ between aircraft and land-based aircraft, as altitude and the curvature of the Earth may be more important factors for aircraft, while roads, road conditions, and surface conditions may be more important factors for land-based aircraft. In the case of aircraft, a curved trajectory may be more appropriate than a straight trajectory. For land-based aircraft, the trajectory may be based on available roads or tracks, or artificial curves and bends in those roads or tracks. When evaluating vectors and / or trajectories, distance and timing conditions may take these factors into account.

[0077] In implementations where the geofence includes a shrinking geofence, when the transport approaches the boundary of the shrinking geofence area, the geofence monitor 696 can trigger a determination of the estimated crossing time and / or estimated time to cross. Thus, the shrinking geofence may function as a safety mechanism to ensure that media content provided when crossing the boundary of the geofence area is permitted in the next geofence area, which is represented by the next geofence area into which the transport enters.

[0078] Crossing timing can be determined and / or used by the geofence monitor 696 to trigger actions associated with crossing or predicting a geofence crossing. In some implementations, the geofence monitor 696 may take a crossing preparation action if it determines that a predefined crossing timing condition is met or receives such determination. For example, a predefined crossing timing condition may include a time threshold representing the threshold estimated time to cross the boundary of a geofence area. This determination may be triggered by crossing the boundary of a reduced geofence area, or by a crossing time determination unrelated to the reduced geofence. The crossing preparation actions potentially triggered by the satisfaction of crossing timing conditions are performable by the geofence monitor 696 and may include one or more of the following: pre-modifying the content to be provided (e.g., to match the restrictions of the next geofence that the aircraft will attempt to enter in the next geofence area); instructing the onboard media system to modify the content to be provided (e.g., immediately or within a conservative estimate of time to ensure that it does not violate any licenses or other legal restrictions); providing the onboard media system with instructions to notify passenger / client devices that the media content will become unavailable; providing the onboard media system with instructions to notify passenger / client devices that the media content may become available under different conditions; providing the onboard media system with instructions to notify passenger / client devices that the media content may become available after the onboard media system has received approval of the conditions from the passenger / client devices (e.g., agreeing to provide payment for media content for which licenses are granted that require different payment terms within the next geofence area); or providing instructions to prefetch new geofence data for the next geofence on the trajectory.

[0079] The media control module 697 is a hardware or software-implemented logic element that manages media provided or permitted by the geofence monitor 696 of the onboard CMS. In various implementations, the media control module 697 is optional and can be a logic element independent of the geofence monitor 696 or an element of the geofence monitor. In one implementation, the onboard CMS can transmit changes to media content provided to passenger / client devices by the onboard media system (for example, via one or more of the geofence monitor 696 and media control module 697, depending on the implementation). This may be based on the satisfaction of geofence conditions, or the anticipated satisfaction of conditions (due to approaching a geofence boundary). In one implementation, the media control module 697 performs one or more of the following: having access to media content; acting as a gateway that enables media content to be provided to the onboard media system; buffering media content; continuously or intermittently indicating which media content is available to passenger / client devices by the onboard media system; providing media content only to passenger / client devices that accept the conditions associated with the media content (e.g., based on the satisfaction of geofencing conditions); and storing or providing pre-configured content.

[0080] Figures 7 to 9 illustrate various operations of the geofencing system. Operations can be carried out by elements and methods described elsewhere in this specification. For example, the onboard CMS, non-onboard CMS, onboard media system, geofencing monitor, aircraft status monitor, conditions associated with geofencing, geofencing, reduced geofencing, location data, aircraft, passenger / client devices, location data module, media control module, computing system, processor, memory, and media described in the operation descriptions in Figures 7 to 9 may be implementations of the elements and methods of the same name described in Systems 100 to 600 in Figures 1 to 6 and related descriptions, or any combination thereof.

[0081] Figure 7 shows an exemplary implementation of operation 700 for providing media content on a transport aircraft.

[0082] The receiving operation 702 receives data representing the position of the aircraft. The data representing the position of the aircraft (i.e., position data) may include one or more of the following: the current position of the aircraft 110, the vector or trajectory of the aircraft 110, data representing the path the aircraft 110 has already traveled, deviation from a predefined route, the speed of the aircraft 110, the altitude of the aircraft 110, time delay, updates of local traffic, the longitude of the aircraft 110, the latitude of the aircraft 110, and so on.

[0083] Location data can be received by one or more onboard and non-onboard CMSs. In various implementations, the determination of whether conditions associated with geofences (e.g., geofences, geofence conditions, provided media content, geofence activation conditions, distance or timing conditions, licensing conditions, conditions under which media content is provided, modified conditions, cross-timing conditions, and passenger / client device conditions) are met can be distributed between the onboard and non-onboard CMSs in any manner.

[0084] In an implementation where the onboard CMS determines whether conditions associated with geofences and location data are met, location data may be received from the aircraft status monitor by the onboard CMS's location data module. The location data module can perform actions on the location data. In various implementations, the location data module may forward some or all of the location data to one or more of the geofence monitor and / or non-onboard CMS. The location data module may reformat, delete, or otherwise filter some of the location data before sending it for consumption by the receiving entity. In an implementation, the location data module is an element of the geofence monitor that receives location data from the aircraft status monitor. In an implementation (for example, an implementation where the onboard CMS and the aircraft status monitor are integrated), the receive operation 702 may be omitted. The receive operation 702 may occur before and / or during transport.

[0085] In an implementation where a non-onboard CMS determines whether conditions associated with geofences and location data are met, the location data can be received by the non-onboard CMS (and in some implementations, via the onboard CMS) from the aircraft status monitor.

[0086] The determination operation 704 determines the media content to be provided based on the conditions associated with the geofence. In an implementation where the onboard CMS determines whether the geofence conditions are met, the geofence monitor of the onboard CMS can determine whether the conditions associated with the geofence are met based on the location data received from the aircraft status monitor and the geofence data received from the non-onboard CMS.

[0087] In an implementation where the onboard media system determines the media content that can be provided to passenger / client devices by the onboard CMS, the geofence monitor may store and / or receive data associated with the geofence (e.g., one or more of the following: geofence, geofence conditions, media content to be provided, geofence activation conditions, distance or timing conditions, license conditions, conditions under which media content is provided, modified conditions, cross-timing conditions, and passenger / client device conditions provided by a non-onboard CMS), and location data (e.g., location data processed by a location data module).

[0088] In an implementation where a non-onboard CMS determines whether the conditions associated with a geofence are met, the non-onboard CMS determines whether the conditions associated with the geofence are met based on stored predefined geofence data and position data received from the aircraft status monitor. The determination can then be transmitted to the onboard CMS's geofence monitor.

[0089] In any implementation, the geofence monitor can control the media content provided based on location data representing the aircraft's position. The geofence monitor can determine changes to available media content and / or change the conditions under which media content is available. For example, based on whether geofence conditions are met, the geofence monitor can determine one or more of the following: which media content should be provided, changes to media content already provided, the conditions under which media content should be provided, instructions to send to the onboard media system regarding a message to be provided to passenger / client devices regarding changes to provided media content, and instructions to the onboard media system regarding the approval of changed conditions that the onboard media system can obtain from passenger / client devices in order to continue providing media content. In implementations where a non-onboard CMS determines whether the conditions associated with the geofence are met, the determination operation 704 may be limited to determining the media content to be provided from the perspective of the onboard CMS.

[0090] The provision operation 706 provides the determined media content. In response to a geofence monitor that determines the satisfaction of conditions associated with a geofence, or receives a determination regarding the satisfaction of conditions associated with a geofence, the geofence monitor and / or media control module may, based on the satisfaction determination, determine media content that is provided to passenger / client devices or permitted to be provided to passenger / client devices by the onboard media system.

[0091] In some implementations, the onboard CMS (e.g., via one or more of the geofence monitor and media control modules, depending on the implementation) can transmit instructions regarding media content to be provided to passenger / client devices by the onboard media system, or instructions regarding changes to media content. This may be based on the satisfaction of geofence conditions, or the expected satisfaction of conditions (e.g., approaching a geofence boundary). In one implementation, the media control module performs one or more of the following: having access to media content, acting as a gateway that enables media content to be provided to the onboard media system, buffering media content, continuously or intermittently instructing which media content is available to passenger / client devices by the onboard media system, providing media content only to passenger / client devices that accept the terms associated with the media content (e.g., based on the satisfaction of geofence conditions), and storing or providing pre-configured content. An implementation is conceivable in which the media control module is an element of the geofence monitor.

[0092] Figure 8 shows an exemplary implementation of operation 800 for activating the geofence monitor.

[0093] Receiving operation 802 receives geographic data representing the aircraft's route. In some implementations, the data representing the aircraft's route may include predefined geographic data relating to the aircraft's route or trajectory and can be transmitted to a decision entity. Depending on the implementation, the decision entity may include one or more non-onboard CMSs and onboard CMSs (for example, a geofence monitor may determine whether to activate its own function to determine the media content being offered). In one implementation, the predefined geographic data includes the origin and destination. In this implementation, the geofence activation condition may include the origin and destination being located in different geofence areas. Other implementations of the predefined geographic data representing the route may include one or more of the following: a predefined route, the current trajectory, any detours or deviations from the planned route, road maps, trail maps, flight paths, surface maps (e.g., for off-road land vehicles), train routes, etc. Receiving operation 802 may occur before and / or during transport.

[0094] Decision action 804 determines whether the route satisfies the geofence activation conditions. Decision action 804 may be distributed between or facilitated between the onboard CMS and the non-onboard CMS. One or more geofence monitors of the onboard and non-onboard CMS (e.g., the decision entity) may determine whether the geofence activation conditions are met. For trips where licensing rights and other legal restrictions remain unchanged, a geofence monitor may not be required. The same content may be transmitted during a trip. In this case, the decision entity may determine that the geofence activation conditions are not met. Therefore, the geofence monitor may be deactivated during a particular trip (e.g., with respect to its media content management functions). Conversely, if the origin and destination are located in different geofence areas, the decision entity may determine that the geofence activation conditions are met and activate or trigger the geofence monitor. In certain implementations, the geofence activation conditions may include whether the origin and destination are located in different geofence areas represented by different geofences (e.g., for specific media content). In this implementation, the geofence activation condition may be met if the origin and destination are located in different geofence areas. In this situation, the determination entity can determine that the geofence activation condition has been met.

[0095] In some implementations, geofence activation conditions may have a temporal element. For example, a transport aircraft may travel during a more relaxed time period to obtain a license. Thus, the activation of the geofence monitor may depend on the time of day the travel occurs. In one implementation, the travel may occur over a period in which the temporal dimension of the licensing scheme associated with the media content changes. In another implementation, a transport aircraft may unexpectedly cross a geofence boundary based on a detour, which may trigger a reassessment of whether to activate the geofence monitor (for example, based on the conditions associated with the geofence).

[0096] Activation operation 806 activates the geofence monitor in response to the satisfaction of geofence activation conditions. Activation operation 806 can be performed by one or more of the onboard CMS, non-onboard CMS, and geofence monitors. A geofence monitor can "activate" itself by activating its monitoring and management functions in response to the satisfaction of conditions associated with a geofence, and may remain dormant except when determining whether to activate itself. The decision entity may, but does not necessarily, be the entity that activates the geofence monitor. For example, a non-onboard CMS may determine that the geofence activation conditions have been met, and one or more of the onboard CMS and the geofence monitor itself can activate the geofence monitor.

[0097] In an alternative implementation, the geofence monitor would still be activated and / or remain activated at all times while the transport aircraft is in transit, even in travel situations where legal authority and licenses remain unchanged.

[0098] Figure 9 shows an exemplary implementation of operation 900 for predicting crossing a geofence boundary. Receiving operation 902 receives data representing the position of the aircraft. The data representing the position of the aircraft may include position data. The data representing the position of the aircraft is received by a determination entity configured to determine the timing of the aircraft's crossing, and the determination entity is one or more of the onboard CMS, the geofence monitor of the onboard CMS, and the non-onboard CMS.

[0099] Decision operation 904 determines when the transport aircraft crosses the boundary of the geofence area. The crossing timing can be estimated based on one or more of the following: geofence data representing a geofence, geofence data representing the next geofence, position data, and externally provided navigation data (e.g., GPS data). In one implementation, the position data includes the transport aircraft's trajectory (e.g., transport vector). Based on the transport aircraft's speed and direction, and / or a predefined distance or time to the boundary of the geofence area, the decision entity can determine the estimated crossing timing. For aircraft, the crossing timing can be predefined based on the aircraft's position and historical flight data of flights using the same or similar flight paths. For road vehicles, the estimated timing may be based on historical route timing, perhaps taking into account the nature of the road and traffic.

[0100] In implementations where geofencing includes shrinking geofencing, shrinking geofencing can be used to estimate the time it takes for a transport aircraft to cross a geofencing area. For example, as a transport aircraft approaches the boundary of a shrinking geofencing area, the onboard CMS's geofencing monitor can trigger a determination of the estimated crossing time and / or estimated time to cross. Thus, shrinking geofencing can act as a safety mechanism to ensure that media content provided when crossing the boundary of a geofencing area is permitted in the next geofencing area represented by the next geofencing.

[0101] Action 906 takes action in response to a determination of when the transport aircraft will cross the boundary of a geofence area. Action 906 may involve one or more of the onboard CMS, geofence monitor, and non-onboard CMS in triggering actions associated with geofence crossing or predicted crossing. In some implementations, a crossing preparation action may be performed if certain predefined crossing timing conditions are met. For example, predefined crossing timing conditions may include a time threshold representing a threshold estimate of the time until the boundary of a geofence area is crossed. This determination may be triggered by crossing the boundary of a reduced geofence area or by a crossing time determination unrelated to reduced geofences. Crossing preparation actions potentially triggered by the satisfaction of crossing timing conditions may be performed by the geofence monitor and may include one or more of the following: pre-modifying the content being offered (e.g., to match the restrictions of the next geofence the aircraft is about to enter in the next geofence area); instructing the onboard media system to modify the content being offered (e.g., immediately or within a conservative estimate of time to ensure that it does not violate licenses or other legal restrictions); providing instructions to the onboard media system to notify passenger / client devices that media content will become unavailable; providing instructions to the onboard media system to notify passenger / client devices that media content may become available under different conditions; providing instructions to the onboard media system to notify passenger / client devices that media content may become available after the onboard media system has received approval of the conditions from the passenger / client device (e.g., agreeing to provide payment for media content for which licenses are granted that require different payment terms within the next geofence area); or providing instructions to prefetch new geofence data for the next geofence on the trajectory.

[0102] Figures 7 to 9 each show exemplary implementations of the operations. Operations 702 to 706, 802 to 806, and 902 to 906 may be performed in any order unless otherwise specified. In the implementations, operations 702 to 706, 802 to 806, and 902 to 906 may not be separate operations but elements of a larger operation. In the implementations, operations 702 to 706, 802 to 806, and 902 to 906 may each have other steps in addition to or instead of those described. Subsets of operations 702 to 706, 802 to 806, and 902 to 906 may be used to form their own methods. Operations 702-706, 802-806, and 902-906 may be repeated any number of times, performed periodically, performed in response to the actions described herein, and may be looped continuously or selectively.

[0103] Figure 10 shows an exemplary implementation of a computing system 1000 for performing the features and operation of the described technology. The computing system 1000 can embody a remote control device or a physical control device, is an exemplary network-connected and / or network-enabled device, and may also be a passenger / client device such as a laptop, mobile device, desktop, or tablet, a server / cloud device, an Internet of Things device, an electronic accessory, or another electronic device. The computing system 1000 includes one or more processors 1002 and memory 1004. Memory 1004 typically includes both volatile memory (e.g., RAM) and non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory). The operating system 1010 resides in memory 1004 and is executed by processor 1002. The computing system 1000 may be one or more implementations of a non-aircraft CMS, an onboard system, an onboard CMS, a geofence monitor, a network access unit, a WAP, an onboard media system, an aircraft status monitor, a passenger / client device, a non-aircraft communication network, and systems 100-600.

[0104] In the exemplary computing system 1000, as shown in Figure 10, one or more modules or segments such as application 1050, onboard CMS, non-onboard CMS, geofence monitor, location data module, media control module, onboard media system, and transport aircraft status monitor are loaded into the operating system 1010 on memory 1004 and / or storage 1020 and executed by processor 1002.Storage 1020 includes one or more storage media devices and contains location data (e.g., the current location of the aircraft and one or more data representing one or more of the following: the vector or trajectory the aircraft is traveling, the path the aircraft has already taken, deviation from a predefined route, the aircraft's speed, the aircraft's altitude, time delay, traffic updates, the aircraft's longitude, and the aircraft's latitude), predefined rules, media content, associations between media content and geofence data, geofence data, reduced geofence data, geofence area, reduced geofence area, geofence conditions, geofence boundaries, reduced geofence boundaries, geofence activation conditions, distance conditions, timing conditions, passenger / client device conditions, crossing timing conditions, geofence points, longitude points, latitude points, geographic coordinates, a set of tuples or a tuple of geographic coordinates, channels, multiple media content, live content, initial broadcast content, rebroadcast content, pre-configured content, and IPTV streams. It stores one or more of the following data: geographic location, predicted trajectory, departure time, arrival time, transit time, temporal elements of geofences, predefined update frequency, geofence metadata, media content metadata, crossing time or time to cross, deviation from planned crossing time or time to cross, predefined route taken, deviation from planned trajectory, weather conditions near the aircraft, detours, notifications, predefined distance, tolls, modified conditions, content parameters, content type, broadcast time slots, linear channel schedule, media content restrictions, piecewise functions, continuous functions, previously used routes or paths, aircraft speed, aircraft orientation, historical flight data, roads, road maps, trail maps, flight paths, surface maps (e.g., for off-road land vehicles), train routes, payment terms, locally and globally unique identifiers, requests, responses, and other data, and may be local to computing system 1000 or remotely connected to computing system 1000 for communication.

[0105] The computing system 1000 includes a power supply 1016 powered by one or more batteries or other power sources, which supplies power to other components of the computing system 1000. The power supply 1016 can also be connected to an external power source to override or recharge the built-in battery or other power source.

[0106] The computing system 1000 may include one or more communication transceivers 1030 that can be connected to one or more antennas 1032 to provide network connectivity (e.g., cellular network, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®) to one or more other servers and / or passenger / client devices (e.g., mobile devices, desktop computers, or laptop computers). The computing system 1000 may further include a network adapter 1036, which is a type of computing system. The computing system 1000 may use the adapter and any other type of computing system to establish connectivity over a wide area network (WAN) or local area network (LAN). The network connectivity shown is an example, and it should be understood that other computing systems and means can be used to establish communication links between the computing system 1000 and other devices.

[0107] The computing system 1000 may include one or more input devices 1034 (e.g., a keyboard and a mouse) on which a user can input commands or information. These and other input devices can be connected to the server by one or more interfaces 1038, which include a serial port interface, a parallel port, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB). The computing system 1000 may further include a display 1022, such as a touchscreen display.

[0108] The computing system 1000 may include various tangible processor-readable storage media and intangible processor-readable communication signals. Tangible processor-readable storage can be embodied by any available media accessible by the computing system 1000, and includes both volatile and non-volatile storage media, removable and non-removable storage media. Tangible processor-readable storage media include volatile and non-volatile storage media, removable and non-removable storage media, implemented in any way or technique for storing information such as processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data, but not including communication signals (e.g., signals themselves). Tangible processor-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible media that can be used to store desired information and are accessible by the computing system 1000. In contrast to tangible processor-readable storage media, intangible processor-readable communication signals can embody processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data residing in modulated data signals such as carriers or other signal transport mechanisms. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal in which one or more characteristics are set or modified to encode information within the signal. Examples of intangible communication signals include, but are not limited to, signals traveling over wired media such as wired networks and direct wired connections, and signals traveling over wireless media such as acoustic, RF, and infrared.

[0109] The various software components described herein can be executed by one or more processors, which may include logic machines configured to execute hardware or firmware instructions. For example, a processor may be configured to execute instructions that are part of one or more applications, services, programs, routines, libraries, objects, components, data structures, or other logic structures. Such instructions may be implemented to perform tasks, implement data types, transform the state of one or more components, achieve technical effects, or otherwise obtain desired results.

[0110] The processor and storage configurations can be integrated into one or more hardware logic components. Such hardware logic components include, for example, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable application-specific integrated circuits (PASICs / ASICs), programmable application-specific standard products (PSSPs / ASSPs), systems-on-a-chip (SOCs), and composite programmable logic devices (CPLDs).

[0111] The terms “module,” “program,” and “engine” are used to describe embodiments of remote and / or physical control devices for performing specific functions. It should be understood that different modules, programs, and / or engines may be instantiated from the same application, service, code block, object, library, routine, API, function, etc. Similarly, the same module, program, and / or engine may be instantiated from different applications, services, code block, object, routine, API, function, etc. The terms “module,” “program,” and “engine” encompass individuals or groups such as executable files, data files, libraries, drivers, scripts, and database records.

[0112] Preferably, the term “service” as used herein should be understood to mean an application program executable in one or more user sessions. A service may be available in one or more system components, programs, and / or other services. In some implementations, a service runs on one or more server computing systems.

[0113] The logical operations constituting the implementations of the technology described herein may be referred to in various ways as operations, steps, objects, or modules. Furthermore, unless otherwise explicitly stated, or unless a particular order is essentially required by the language of the claims, logical operations may be performed in any order, whether labeled or identified as optional, and operations may be added or omitted as needed.

[0114] An exemplary method for controlling media content provided to an onboard media system of a transport aircraft is provided. The method includes receiving data representing the position of the transport aircraft from the transport aircraft's position system and providing media content by an onboard content management system including a geofence monitor. Providing includes determining the media content to be provided by the onboard media system based on a determination of whether the transport aircraft satisfies geofence conditions, the satisfaction of geofence conditions being determined based on received data representing the position of the transport aircraft, and instructing the onboard media system to provide the determined media content.

[0115] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, the method further comprising receiving predefined geographic data representing the path taken by a transport aircraft, determining whether the predefined geographic data satisfies geofence activation conditions, and activating a geofence monitor in response to the satisfaction of the geofence activation conditions, the operation provided responding to the activation operation.

[0116] Another exemplary method of one of the preceding methods is provided, where predefined geographic data representing the route includes the origin and destination of the route the transport aircraft will take.

[0117] Another exemplary method of one of the preceding methods is provided, in which the geofence activation condition includes whether both the origin and destination of the transport aircraft are located within the same geofence area.

[0118] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, the method further comprising receiving data representing a geofence area, and determining whether a geofence condition is met based on the received data representing location and the received data representing the geofence area, the operation of determining whether a geofence condition is met is performed by an onboard content management system.

[0119] Another exemplary method of either of the preceding methods is provided, in which the operation of receiving data representing the geofence area is performed at a predefined frequency.

[0120] Another exemplary method of either of the preceding methods is provided, where the predefined frequencies are dynamic and based on data representing the represented locations and geofence areas.

[0121] Another exemplary method of one of the preceding methods is provided, in which the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the represented location and the geofence boundary represented by data representing the geofence area decreases.

[0122] An alternative exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, wherein the data representing the geofence area includes a tuple of points, each of which includes at least one longitude and at least one latitude, and the tuple of points defines at least partially the boundary of the geofence area.

[0123] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, the method further comprising receiving data representing a reduced geofence area within a geofence area, and estimating, based on the data representing the reduced geofence area, when the transport aircraft crosses the boundary of the geofence area.

[0124] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, which further includes estimating when a transport aircraft crosses the boundary of a geofence area based on the transport vector of the transport aircraft contained in the received data representing the position of the transport aircraft.

[0125] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, the method further comprising transmitting received data representing location to an onboard content management system, a non-onboard content management system being communicably connected to the onboard content management system via a non-onboard communication network and receiving a determination from the non-onboard content management system whether geofencing conditions are met.

[0126] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, and the operation of receiving a determination of whether the geofence condition is met is performed at a predefined frequency.

[0127] Another exemplary method is provided for either one of the preceding methodologies, where the predefined frequencies are dynamic and based on data representing the represented locations and geofence areas.

[0128] Another exemplary method of either of the preceding methods is provided, where the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the represented location and the geofence boundary decreases.

[0129] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, which further includes receiving an estimated time for a transport aircraft to cross the boundary of a geofence area based on data representing a reduced geofence area within the geofence area.

[0130] Another exemplary method of one of the preceding methods is provided, where geofencing conditions are particularly relevant to media content.

[0131] Another exemplary method of one of the preceding methods is provided, in which the geofence conditions include data that associates the geofence conditions with media content.

[0132] An alternative exemplary method of any one prior method is provided, where the media content is one of several media content, the geofence condition is one of several geofence conditions, and the behavior provided further includes providing the media content under different conditions than other media content of the several media content, based on a specific association.

[0133] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, the operation provided further including sending modified conditions for providing media content to an onboard media system, and sending an instruction to the onboard media system requesting a client device to provide data representing acceptance of the modified conditions for providing media content.

[0134] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, the operation provided further including transmitting changes to the media content to be provided and transmitting instructions to the onboard media system to notify the client device of the changes to the media content to be provided.

[0135] Another exemplary method of either one of the preceding methods is provided, and the media content includes media content that is transmitted substantially live.

[0136] Another exemplary method of any one of the preceding methods is provided, wherein the received data representing the location includes one or more of the following: the current position of the aircraft, the vector the aircraft is traveling on, data representing the path the aircraft has already taken, deviation from a predefined route, the speed of the aircraft, the altitude of the aircraft, time delay, traffic update, the longitude of the aircraft, and the latitude of the aircraft.

[0137] Another exemplary method of either of the preceding methods is provided, in which satisfaction of the geofence condition involves determining that the represented location lies within the boundaries of the geofence.

[0138] An exemplary system for controlling media content provided to an onboard media system within a transport aircraft is provided. The system includes an onboard content management system installed on the transport aircraft, which is communicatively coupled to the onboard media system. The onboard content management system comprises: a location data module executable by a processor and operable to receive data representing the aircraft's position from the aircraft's position system; a geofence monitor executable by a processor and operable to determine what media content the onboard media system can provide based on a determination of whether the aircraft satisfies offensive conditions, the satisfaction of which is based on received data representing the aircraft's position; and a media control module executable by a processor and operable to instruct the onboard media system to provide the determined media content.

[0139] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence monitor is further capable of receiving predefined geographic data representing the path that the transport aircraft will take, determining whether the predefined geographic data satisfies geofence activation conditions, and activating the geofence monitor in response to the satisfaction of the geofence activation conditions, with content provision responding to the activation.

[0140] Another exemplary system is provided for either one of the preceding systems, where predefined geographic data representing the route includes the origin and destination of the route the transport aircraft will take.

[0141] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence activation condition includes whether both the origin and destination of the transport aircraft are located within the same geofence area.

[0142] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence monitor is capable of receiving data representing the geofence area and determining whether the geofence conditions are met based on the received data representing the location and the received data representing the geofence area, and the determination of whether the geofence conditions are met is performed by the onboard content management system.

[0143] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence monitor receives data representing the geofence area at a predefined frequency.

[0144] Another exemplary system is provided for either one of the preceding systems, and the predefined frequencies are dynamic and based on data representing the represented locations and geofence areas.

[0145] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, where the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the represented location and the geofence boundary represented by data representing the geofence area decreases.

[0146] Another exemplary system is provided for any one of the preceding systems, where data representing a geofence area includes a tuple of points, each of which includes at least one longitude and at least one latitude, and the tuple of points partially defines at least the boundary of the geofence area.

[0147] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence monitor can further receive data representing reduced geofence areas within the geofence area and, based on the data representing reduced geofence areas, be able to estimate when the transport aircraft crosses the boundary of the geofence area.

[0148] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence monitor can further operate to estimate when a transport aircraft crosses the boundary of a geofence area based on the transport aircraft's transport vector contained in the received data representing the transport aircraft's position.

[0149] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, which further includes a non-aircraft communication network and a non-aircraft content management system that is coupled to the onboard content management system remotely from the aircraft and communicable via the non-aircraft communication network. The geofence monitor is further operable to transmit received data representing location to the non-aircraft content management system and to receive a determination from the onboard content management system whether geofence conditions are met.

[0150] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence monitor can be operated to receive determinations of whether geofence conditions have been met at a predefined frequency.

[0151] Another exemplary system is provided for either one of the preceding systems, and the predefined frequencies are dynamic and based on data representing the represented locations and geofence areas.

[0152] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, where the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the represented location and the geofence boundary decreases.

[0153] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence monitor can further operate to receive an estimated time for a transport aircraft to cross the boundary of a geofence area based on data representing a reduced geofence area within the geofence area.

[0154] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, in which geofencing conditions are specifically associated with media content.

[0155] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the data representing the geofence conditions includes data that associates the geofence conditions with media content.

[0156] Another exemplary system of either one preceding system is provided, where media content is one of several media content, geofence conditions are one of several geofence conditions, and the media control module can further operate to provide the media content under different conditions than other media content among the several media content based on specific associations.

[0157] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the media control module is further operable to send modified conditions for providing media content to the onboard media system and to send instructions to the onboard media system requesting a client device to provide data representing acceptance of the modified conditions for providing media content.

[0158] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the media control module is further capable of transmitting changes to the media content being provided and transmitting instructions to the onboard media system to notify client devices of the changes to the media content being provided.

[0159] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the media content includes media content that is transmitted substantially live.

[0160] Another exemplary system of any one of the preceding systems is provided, where the received data representing the location includes one or more of the following: the current position of the aircraft, the vector the aircraft is traveling on, data representing the path the aircraft has already taken, deviation from a predefined route, the speed of the aircraft, the altitude of the aircraft, time delay, traffic updates, the longitude of the aircraft, and the latitude of the aircraft.

[0161] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, where the satisfaction of the geofence condition involves determining that the represented location lies within the boundaries of the geofence.

[0162] An example of a system for controlling media content provided to an aircraft's onboard media system is provided. The system includes means for receiving data representing the aircraft's position from the aircraft's position system, and means for providing media content by an onboard content management system including a geofence monitor. The providing means includes means for determining media content to be provided by the onboard media system based on a determination of whether the aircraft satisfies geofence conditions, wherein the satisfaction of the geofence conditions is based on received data representing the aircraft's position, and means for instructing the onboard media system to provide the determined media content.

[0163] Another exemplary system of any one of the preceding systems is provided, the system further including means for receiving predefined geographic data representing the path taken by a transport aircraft, means for determining whether the predefined geographic data satisfies geofence activation conditions, and means for activating a geofence monitor in response to the satisfaction of the geofence activation conditions, the provision responding to the activation.

[0164] Another exemplary system is provided for either one of the preceding systems, where predefined geographic data representing the route includes the origin and destination of the route the transport aircraft will take.

[0165] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the geofence activation condition includes whether both the origin and destination of the transport aircraft are located within the same geofence area.

[0166] Another exemplary system of any one of the preceding systems is provided, the system further includes means for receiving data representing a geofence area, and means for determining whether a geofence condition is met based on the received data representing location and the received data representing the geofence area, the determination of whether a geofence condition is met is performed by an onboard content management system.

[0167] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the reception of data representing the geofence area is performed at a predefined frequency.

[0168] Another exemplary system is provided for either one of the preceding systems, and the predefined frequencies are dynamic and based on data representing the represented locations and geofence areas.

[0169] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, where the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the represented location and the geofence boundary represented by data representing the geofence area decreases.

[0170] Another exemplary system is provided for any one of the preceding systems, where data representing a geofence area includes a tuple of points, each of which includes at least one longitude and at least one latitude, and the tuple of points defines at least partially the boundary of the geofence area.

[0171] Another exemplary system of any one of the preceding systems is provided, the system further including means for receiving data representing a reduced geofence area within a geofence area, and means for estimating, based on the data representing the reduced geofence area, when a transport aircraft crosses the boundary of the geofence area.

[0172] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, which further includes means for estimating when a transport aircraft crosses the boundary of a geofence area based on the transport vector of the transport aircraft contained in the received data representing the position of the transport aircraft.

[0173] Another exemplary system of any one of the preceding systems is provided, the system further including means for transmitting received data representing location to a non-aircraft content management system which is communicably coupled to the onboard content management system via a non-aircraft communication network, and means for receiving a determination from the non-aircraft content management system whether geofencing conditions are met.

[0174] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the reception of the determination of whether the geofence conditions are met is performed at a predefined frequency.

[0175] Another exemplary system is provided for either one of the preceding systems, and the predefined frequencies are dynamic and based on data representing the represented locations and geofence areas.

[0176] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, where the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the represented location and the geofence boundary decreases.

[0177] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, which further includes means for receiving an estimated time for a transport aircraft to cross the boundary of a geofence area, based on data representing a reduced geofence area within the geofence area.

[0178] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, in which geofencing conditions are specifically associated with media content.

[0179] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, where geofence conditions include data that associates the geofence conditions with media content.

[0180] Another exemplary system of any one prior system is provided, wherein the media content is one of several media content, the geofence condition is one of several geofence conditions, and the providing means further includes means for providing the media content under different conditions from other media content among the several media content, based on a specific association.

[0181] Another exemplary system of any one of the preceding systems is provided, the providing means further including means for transmitting modified conditions for providing media content to an onboard media system, and means for transmitting an instruction to the onboard media system requesting a client device to provide data representing acceptance of the modified conditions for providing media content.

[0182] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, the providing means further including means for transmitting changes to the media content to be provided, and means for transmitting instructions to the onboard media system to notify a client device of the changes to the media content to be provided.

[0183] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, and the media content includes media content that is transmitted substantially live.

[0184] Another exemplary system of any one of the preceding systems is provided, where the received data representing the location includes one or more of the following: the current position of the aircraft, the vector the aircraft is traveling on, data representing the path the aircraft has already taken, deviation from a predefined route, the speed of the aircraft, the altitude of the aircraft, time delay, traffic updates, the longitude of the aircraft, and the latitude of the aircraft.

[0185] Another exemplary system of either one of the preceding systems is provided, where the satisfaction of the geofence condition involves determining that the represented location lies within the boundaries of the geofence.

[0186] This specification provides detailed descriptions of several specific implementations, which should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the art or the claims, but rather as descriptions of features specific to the particular implementation of the disclosed art. The specific features described in each implementation of this specification can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, the various features described in a single implementation can be implemented individually in multiple implementations, or in any appropriate sub-combinations. Furthermore, features operate in specific combinations as described above, and while initially claimed, one or more features from a claimed combination may be removed from the combination, and the claimed combination may be a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination.

[0187] Similarly, while the diagrams depict operations in a specific order, it should not be understood that the operations must be performed in the specific order or sequential order shown, or that all of the illustrated operations must be performed, in order to obtain the desired result. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore, the separation of various system components in the implementation embodiments described above should not be understood as necessary in all implementation embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems are generally integrated in a single software product or packaged in multiple software products.

[0188] The above describes specific implementations of the present invention. Other implementations are covered in the following claims. Depending on the circumstances, the actions enumerated in the claims may be performed in a different order, and the desired effect may still be obtained. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily have to follow the specific or sequential order shown to obtain the desired effect. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0189] Multiple implementations of the described technology have been explained. However, it should be understood that various modifications may be made without deviating from the intent and scope of the claims described herein.

Claims

1. A method (700) for controlling media content provided to an onboard media system (150) of a transport aircraft (110) for distribution to multiple client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), Receiving data representing the position of the transport aircraft (110) from the transport aircraft (110) position system (190) (902), The provision includes (706) providing media content for distribution to the multiple client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110) by an onboard content management system (130) including a geofence monitor (135), and the provision is Based on the determination of whether the transport aircraft (110) satisfies geofencing conditions, the determination (704) of whether the geofencing conditions are satisfied is based on the received data representing the location of the transport aircraft (110), and the determination (704) of whether the geofencing conditions are satisfied is based on the received data representing the location of the transport aircraft (110), Instructing the onboard media system (150) to provide the determined media content for distribution to the multiple client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), This includes estimating when the transport aircraft (110) will cross the boundary of the geofence area (318) based on the transport vector of the transport aircraft (110) included in the received data representing the position of the transport aircraft (110), moreover, Receiving data representing the geofence area (318), A method comprising determining whether the geofence conditions are met based on the received data representing the location and the received data representing the geofence area, wherein the operation of determining whether the geofence conditions are met is performed by the onboard content management system (130).

2. A method (700) for controlling media content provided to an onboard media system (150) of a transport aircraft (110) for distribution to multiple client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), Receiving data representing the position of the transport aircraft (110) from the transport aircraft (110) position system (190) (902), The provision includes (706) providing media content for distribution to the multiple client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110) by an onboard content management system (130) including a geofence monitor (135), and the provision is Based on the determination of whether the transport aircraft (110) satisfies geofencing conditions, the determination (704) of whether the geofencing conditions are satisfied is based on the received data representing the location of the transport aircraft (110), and the determination (704) of whether the geofencing conditions are satisfied is based on the received data representing the location of the transport aircraft (110), Instructing the onboard media system (150) to provide the determined media content for distribution to the multiple client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), This includes receiving an estimated time for the transport aircraft (110) to cross the boundary of the geofence area (318) based on data representing a reduced geofence area (318a) within the geofence area (318), moreover, Receiving data representing the geofence area (318), A method comprising determining whether the geofence conditions are met based on the received data representing the location and the received data representing the geofence area, wherein the operation of determining whether the geofence conditions are met is performed by the onboard content management system (130).

3. Receiving (802) predefined geographic data representing the route taken by the transport aircraft (110), (804) Determining whether the predefined geographical data satisfies the geofence activation conditions, The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising activating (806) the geofence monitor (135) in response to the satisfaction of the geofence activation conditions, wherein the providing (706) operation is in response to the activating (806) operation.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the predefined geographical data representing the route includes the origin and destination of the route taken by the transport aircraft (110).

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the geofence activation condition includes whether both the departure point and destination of the transport aircraft (110) are located within the same geofence area (318).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the operation of receiving data representing a geofence area (318) is performed at a predefined frequency.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the predefined frequency is dynamic and based on data representing the expressed location and the geofence area (318).

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the expressed location and the geofence boundary represented by the data representing the geofence area (318) decreases.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the data representing the geofence area (318) includes a tuple of points (214), each of which includes at least one longitude and at least one latitude, and the tuple of points (214) at least partially defines the boundary of the geofence area (318).

10. Receiving data representing a reduced geofence area (318a) within a geofence area (318), The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising estimating when the transport aircraft (110) crosses the boundary of the geofence area (318) based on the data representing the reduced geofence area (318a).

11. The received data representing the aforementioned location is transmitted to a non-onboard content management system (140) which is communicably connected to the onboard content management system (130) via a non-onboard communication network (105), The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising receiving a determination from the non-airborne content management system (140) as to whether the geofencing conditions are met.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the operation of receiving a determination of whether the geofence conditions are met is performed at a predefined frequency.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predefined frequency is dynamic and based on data representing the expressed location and geofence area (318).

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the expressed location and the geofence boundary decreases.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the geofence conditions are particularly associated with the media content.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the geofence condition includes data to which the geofence condition is associated with the media content.

17. The media content is one of a plurality of media contents, the geofence condition is one of a plurality of geofence conditions, and the (706) operation provided is further, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising providing the media content under different conditions from other media content among the plurality of media content based on a specific association.

18. The operation provided (706) further, Transmitting the modified conditions for providing the aforementioned media content to the onboard media system (150), The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising sending an instruction to the onboard media system (150) to request a client device to provide data representing acceptance of the modified conditions for providing the media content.

19. The operation provided (706) further, Sending changes to the provided media content, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, further comprising sending instructions to the onboard media system (150) to notify a client device of changes to the provided media content.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the media content includes media content that is transmitted substantially live.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the received data representing the position includes one or more of the following: the current position of the transport aircraft (110), the vector on which the transport aircraft (110) is traveling, data representing the path already taken by the transport aircraft (110), deviation from a predefined route, the speed of the transport aircraft (110), the altitude of the transport aircraft (110), time delay, traffic update, the longitude of the transport aircraft (110), and the latitude of the transport aircraft (110).

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein satisfaction of the geofence condition includes determining that the expressed position is located within the boundary of the geofence (316).

23. A system (100) for controlling media content provided to an onboard media system (150) of a transport aircraft (110) for distribution to multiple client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), The transport aircraft (110) is equipped with an onboard content management system (130) which is configured to communicate with the onboard media system (150), and the onboard content management system (130) is configured A position data module (695) which is executable by a processor and is operable to receive data representing the position of the transport aircraft (110) from the position system (190) of the transport aircraft (110), A geofence monitor (696) (135) that is executable by the processor and is operable to determine whether the transport aircraft (110) satisfies geofence conditions, and which determines whether the onboard media system (150) can provide media content for distribution to a plurality of client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), wherein the satisfaction of the geofence conditions is determined by the geofence monitor (696) (135) based on the received data representing the location of the transport aircraft (110), The media control module (697) is executable by the processor and is operable to instruct the onboard media system (150) to provide the determined media content for distribution to a plurality of client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), The geofence monitor (696) (135) further, Based on the transport vector of the transport aircraft (110) included in the received data representing the position of the transport aircraft (110), the transport aircraft (110) is operable to estimate when it will cross the boundary of the geofence area (318). Receive data representing the geofence area (318), A system that is operable to determine whether the geofencing conditions are met based on the received data representing the location and the received data representing the geofencing area (318), the determination of whether the geofencing conditions are met is performed by the onboard content management system (150).

24. A system (100) for controlling media content provided to an onboard media system (150) of a transport aircraft (110) for distribution to multiple client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), The transport aircraft (110) is equipped with an onboard content management system (130) which is configured to communicate with the onboard media system (150), and the onboard content management system (130) is configured A position data module (695) which is executable by a processor and is operable to receive data representing the position of the transport aircraft (110) from the position system (190) of the transport aircraft (110), A geofence monitor (696) (135) that is executable by the processor and is operable to determine whether the transport aircraft (110) satisfies geofence conditions, and which determines whether the onboard media system (150) can provide media content for distribution to a plurality of client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), wherein the satisfaction of the geofence conditions is determined by the geofence monitor (696) (135) based on the received data representing the location of the transport aircraft (110), The media control module (697) is executable by the processor and is operable to instruct the onboard media system (150) to provide the determined media content for distribution to a plurality of client devices (120) mounted on the transport aircraft (110), The geofence monitor (696) (135) further, Based on data representing a reduced geofenced area (318a) within the geofenced area (318), the transport aircraft (110) is capable of receiving an estimated time of crossing the boundary of the geofenced area (318). Receive data representing the geofence area (318), A system that is operable to determine whether the geofencing conditions are met based on the received data representing the location and the received data representing the geofencing area (318), the determination of whether the geofencing conditions are met is performed by the onboard content management system (150).

25. The geofence monitor (696) (135) further, The transport aircraft (110) receives predefined geographic data representing the route it will take (802), The predefined geographical data is used to determine whether the geofence activation conditions are met (804), The system (100) according to claim 23 or 24, which is operable to activate (806) the geofence monitor (696) (135) in response to the satisfaction of the geofence activation conditions, and the provision of the determined content in response to the activation.

26. The system (100) according to claim 25, wherein the predefined geographical data representing the route includes the origin and destination of the route taken by the transport aircraft (110).

27. The system (100) according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the geofence activation condition includes whether both the departure point and destination of the transport aircraft (110) are located within the same geofence area (318).

28. The system (100) according to claim 27, wherein a geofence monitor (696) (135) receives the data representing a geofence area (318) at a predefined frequency.

29. The system (100) according to claim 28, wherein the predefined frequency is dynamic and based on data representing the expressed location and the geofence area (318).

30. The system (100) according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the expressed location and the geofence boundary represented by the data representing the geofence area (318) decreases.

31. The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 30, wherein the data representing the geofence area (318) includes a tuple of points (214), each of which includes at least one longitude and at least one latitude, and the tuple of points (214) at least partially defines the boundary of the geofence area (318).

32. The geofence monitor (696) (135) further, The system receives data representing a reduced geofence area (318a) within the geofence area (318). A system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 31, which is operable to estimate when the transport aircraft (110) crosses the boundary of the geofence area (318) based on the data representing the reduced geofence area (318a).

33. Non-aircraft communication network (105) and The system further comprises a non-aircraft content management system (140) located away from the transport aircraft (110) and connected to the onboard content management system (130) via the non-aircraft communication network (105), The geofence monitor (696) (135) further, The received data representing the aforementioned location is transmitted to the non-onboard content management system (140). The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 32, which is operable to receive a determination from the non-airborne content management system (140) as to whether the geofence conditions are met.

34. The system (100) according to claim 33, wherein the geofence monitor (696) (135) is further operable to receive a determination of whether the geofence conditions are met at a predefined frequency.

35. The system (100) according to claim 34, wherein the predefined frequency is dynamic and based on data representing the expressed location and geofence area (318).

36. The system (100) according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the predefined frequency increases as the geographical distance between the expressed location and the geofence boundary decreases.

37. The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 36, wherein the geofencing conditions are particularly associated with the media content.

38. The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 37, wherein the data representing the geofence conditions includes data relating the geofence conditions to media content.

39. The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 38, wherein the media content is one of a plurality of media content, the geofence condition is one of a plurality of geofence conditions, and the media control module (697) is further capable of operating to provide the media content under different conditions from other media content among the plurality of media content based on a specific association.

40. The media control module (697) further: The modified conditions for providing the media content are transmitted to the onboard media system (150). The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 39, which is operable to send an instruction to an onboard media system (150) requesting a client device to provide data indicating acceptance of the modified conditions for providing the media content.

41. The media control module (697) further: Send changes to the provided media content, A system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 40, which is operable to send instructions to the onboard media system (150) to notify a client device of the changes to the provided media content.

42. The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 41, wherein the media content includes media content that is transmitted substantially live.

43. The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 42, wherein the received data representing the position includes one or more of the following: the current position of the transport aircraft (110), the vector on which the transport aircraft (110) is traveling, data representing the path already taken by the transport aircraft (110), deviation from a predefined route, the speed of the transport aircraft (110), the altitude of the transport aircraft (110), time delay, traffic update, the longitude of the transport aircraft (110), and the latitude of the transport aircraft (110).

44. The system (100) according to any one of claims 23 to 43, wherein satisfaction of the geofence conditions includes determining that the expressed location is located within the boundary of the geofence.

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