Systems and methods for in-flight connectivity

Abstract

Techniques are described for wireless connectivity of a mobile device. The techniques can include a method including detecting, at an agent on the mobile device, on-board connection availability of an on-board public network associated with a service set identifier (SSID) from an access point mounted on the vehicle. The method can include identifying, at the agent on the mobile device, on-board service availability of the on-board public network. The method can further include enabling, at the mobile device, a notification regarding connecting to the on-board public network based in part on the on-board connection availability and the on-board service availability. The method can include enabling, at the mobile device, a connection to the on-board public network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to Related Applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 288,165, filed on December 10, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Background Art

[0002] Passengers arriving at or departing from an airport, railway station, bus stop, port, or other transportation hub are often in a hurry and can be overwhelmed with information. Many passengers are responsible for coordinating other members of a passenger group by receiving and providing tickets for other members of the group, making sure that group members have their luggage and other personal items, and arriving at the correct location in a timely manner. Among these time - sensitive matters, passengers rely on electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. to obtain relevant travel details for their trips.

[0003] Maintaining connectivity for electronic devices is useful for facilitating a smoother travel experience, given the vast amount of information that can be obtained from them and the timeliness of updates that such devices can receive (e.g., changes in flight times, departure gates, arrival dates, connecting flights, obtaining tour packages to destinations, product purchases, etc.). When individuals travel, they want to maintain their connection to public data networks (e.g., the internet) using wireless networks that may be privately or publicly available. Furthermore, individuals often want to connect their mobile devices (e.g., cell phones, tables, laptops, and other electronic devices) to public data networks as often as possible, regardless of whether they are at a waiting point, walking through a terminal, walking through a hotel, or traveling in a vehicle such as an airplane, bus, boat, rideshare, taxi, or other vehicle. Therefore, methods, systems, and devices that facilitate the travel experience by providing connectivity to public data networks continue to provide value to individuals traveling. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0004] In an exemplary embodiment, a method for wireless connectivity for a mobile device is provided. This method may include, in an agent on the mobile device, detecting the onboard connectivity availability of an onboard public network or other services associated with a service set identifier (SSID) from an access point mounted on the vehicle (e.g., a wireless router or wireless gateway). An agent on the mobile device may identify the onboard service availability of the onboard public network (e.g., broadcast public network service availability). Partially based on the onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability, notifications regarding connecting to the onboard public network may be enabled on the mobile device. Furthermore, the mobile device may be enabled to connect to the onboard public network.

[0005] In another example, a non-temporary machine-readable storage medium containing embodied instructions is provided. The instructions, when executed by one or more processors, can cause one or more processors to execute a process. This process may include, in an agent on a mobile device, detecting the onboard connectivity availability of an onboard public network associated with a service set identifier (SSID) from an access point mounted on a vehicle. This process may also include, in an agent on a mobile device, identifying the onboard service availability of the onboard public network. This process may further include, in a mobile device, enabling notifications regarding connecting to the onboard public network, partly based on the onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability. This process may also include, in a mobile device, enabling connectivity to the onboard public network.

[0006] In yet another example, a mobile device for seamless wireless connectivity may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory device, including a data store for storing multiple data and instructions. The multiple data and instructions, when executed, can cause the mobile device's agent to discover the onboard connectivity availability of an onboard public network associated with a service set identifier (SSID) from an access point mounted on the vehicle. The multiple data and instructions, when executed, can cause the mobile device's agent to identify the onboard service availability of the onboard public network. The multiple data and instructions, when executed, can cause the mobile device's agent to enable notifications regarding connecting to the onboard public network, partially based on onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability. The multiple data and instructions, when executed, can cause the mobile device's agent to enable a connection to the onboard public network. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the process for wireless connectivity on an aircraft, using an example of existing technology. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process for achieving seamless wireless connectivity using an example of this technology. [Figure 3] Figure 3 illustrates an example of the process for wireless connectivity on an aircraft using this technology. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the process for wireless connectivity for an aircraft with user input, based on this technology. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of this technology, illustrating a system for providing seamless wireless connectivity for aircraft. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for wireless connectivity near a vehicle. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating a satellite communication system based on an example of this technology. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a block diagram providing an illustrative diagram of a computing device that may be used in this technology. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Maintaining or navigating wireless networks to maintain access to computer networks (e.g., the Internet) can be time-consuming and tiring for users who desire wireless access when moving from one location to another (e.g., while traveling for work, medical care, entertainment, or other reasons). Even if a user has the appropriate information to manually navigate between wireless networks (e.g., service set identifiers (SSIDs), passwords, estimated coverage areas, data rates, costs, etc.), tracking information about the numerous wireless networks a user might wish to connect to can involve information that may be difficult to access or provide when moving quickly between locations. Additionally, performing the necessary steps to join the appropriate wireless network at a given moment can add further inconvenience for the user.

[0009] These inconveniences can be frustrating or annoying for users while they are in transit. For example, an airline traveler who wants to use a mobile device to successfully join Wi-Fi® (Wi-Fi is a registered trademark) and access onboard services (e.g., public networks such as the Internet) may need to: (i) remember to join the aircraft Wi-Fi access point at the correct time and location; (ii) remember a number of manual software actions (e.g., user interface commands) that must be completed before connecting to the aircraft Wi-Fi access point and that must be performed before connecting to the aircraft Wi-Fi access point; (iii) remember or find the Unified Resource Locator (URL) associated with accessing the aircraft Wi-Fi access point's Network Connection Assistant; and (iv) know how to navigate the Network Connection Assistant associated with the aircraft Wi-Fi access point to access the public network again via the Wi-Fi access point. The Network Connection Assistant may be a mobile device feature that is displayed and allows the user to log in or authenticate to the Wi-Fi access point or network connection without manually browsing and opening a web browser.

[0010] Even if the user is aware of all these actions and completes them correctly, timing can be a concern. For example, the timing at which a user is notified about their ability to connect to an aircraft Wi-Fi access point may be another factor that affects the user's likelihood of successfully connecting to the aircraft Wi-Fi access point or accessing services provided through the Wi-Fi access point. For example, there may be many points in time at which an airline passenger may be warned about the availability of aircraft Wi-Fi on their flight, including, but are not limited to: 1) during the ticket booking process (which may occur days, weeks, months, or even years before the flight time); 2) shortly before the flight (e.g., on the day of the flight) as a reminder via one or more of the following during the flight check-in process: email, text, alert, or notification; or as generally available information about upcoming flights; 3) at the airport terminal or gate while the passenger is waiting to board; 4) after the passenger has boarded and is seated, but before the aircraft doors are closed; and / or 5) when the aircraft is in flight (e.g., when the aircraft is flying above a threshold altitude).

[0011] Systems and processes that can facilitate transitions between wireless networks can be useful due to the number of factors involved in the seemingly simple activity of connecting to a Wi-Fi access point and / or using the corresponding services provided by the vehicle by a user or passenger. However, even such systems and processes may prove difficult for passengers to adopt in order to connect to Wi-Fi access points and / or vehicle services. The difficulties involved in connecting to a vehicle's Wi-Fi access point and the services provided therein can be illustrated with an example. Figure 1 shows an existing exemplary process for connecting to a Wi-Fi access point or gateway using a mobile device (e.g., a cell phone, tablet, laptop, etc.). Later, a discussion of this technology will be provided with reference to Figure 2 and subsequent figures.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for connecting to a vehicle's Wi-Fi access point using existing systems and processes includes several actions that can be initiated by the user (i.e., blocks 102, 104, 106, 110, 112, and 122) and other actions that can be automatically performed by a device with executable instructions (i.e., blocks 108, 120, 124, and 130). Certain actions, such as those that can be automatically performed by a device (i.e., blocks 108, 120, 124, and 130), may be customized by the airline (or other passenger transport operators such as train operators, cruise operators, bus operators, etc.).

[0013] The descriptions in blocks 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 120, 122, and 130, initiated by these users, illustrate the requested user information and the time consumption involved. When a user decides to join the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point, the user can determine the correct time when the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point is available (not explicitly indicated as an action) and may navigate to the mobile device's "Network Settings" page, as shown in block 102. After navigating to the mobile device's "Network Settings" page, the user may navigate to the mobile device's Wi-Fi menu, as shown in block 104, and choose to join the aircraft's public Wi-Fi access point, as shown in block 106.

[0014] After the user completes these activities, for airlines that use a network connection assistant for mobile device connection, as shown in block 108, the network connection assistant may be activated, as shown in block 120. The network connection assistant may allow the user to access one or more services via the Wi-Fi access point by clicking a connect button that appears when using the network connection assistant, as shown in block 122. The network connection assistant may display information requesting the user to open their browser using a specific URL, as shown in block 124, or it may automatically direct the mobile device's browser to a specific URL. Using a specific URL, the user may be directed to a page used to connect to one or more services provided via the Wi-Fi access point, such as a terms and conditions page. After this operation in block 124 is completed, the page may be displayed, as shown in block 130, and the user may accept the terms and conditions in order to access one or more services via the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point.

[0015] For airlines that do not use a network connection assistant, the user may manually identify which URL to navigate to, as shown in block 110, and then, as shown in block 112, launch the browser on their mobile device and enter the URL to access the page used to connect to one or more services. After this action is completed, as shown in block 130 and as considered in the preceding network connection assistant scenario, the terms of service page may be displayed, and the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point may be used by the user to access one or more services.

[0016] Aircraft Wi-Fi access points may be discovered by mobile devices in different ways. For example, a mobile device may continuously transmit probe requests to identify known and unknown Wi-Fi access points or gateways that can listen for probe requests. Additionally or alternatively, a mobile device may be configured to listen for incoming announcements (e.g., beacon frames) to determine a list of nearby known and unknown Wi-Fi access points or networks that the mobile device can join. Based on the identification of nearby known (e.g., previously connected to by the mobile device) or unknown (not previously connected to by the mobile device) Wi-Fi access points or networks (either via probe requests or announcements), the mobile device may provide the user with notifications about nearby Wi-Fi access points and establish a connection between the Wi-Fi access point and the mobile device. However, enabling notifications related to and / or connecting to one or more of the list of nearby Wi-Fi access points or networks (e.g., resulting from either probe requests or announcements) does not have to be customizable for a particular operating system, nor is it even available. For example, iOS® does not need to provide support for the user's device to automatically identify and connect to one or more Wi-Fi access points in a list of unknown but nearby Wi-Fi SSIDs, even if the user is otherwise permitted to connect to an unknown Wi-Fi SSID. Therefore, user notifications when a Wi-Fi access point or gateway is available do not need to be configurable, and the user does not need to be notified when their mobile device can access such a nearby Wi-Fi access point or network.As described herein, a mobile device can be any computing device that can move within range of a Wi-Fi access point, including but not limited to user devices, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices, e-readers, smartwatches, augmented reality (AR) headsets, and mobile personal computers (e.g., on a cart).

[0017] Regardless of whether an airline uses a network connectivity assistant, the time spent requesting user information and connecting to the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point, as shown in Figure 1, can prevent potential users from joining the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point. The systems and methods of this technology reduce these constraints and provide improvements that enable seamless wireless connectivity between available wireless network connections (e.g., enabling a mobile device to transition between a cellular network and an unknown Wi-Fi access point). Such seamless wireless connectivity technology can increase the number of users who are likely to join the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point after transitioning from airport Wi-Fi, cellular networks, etc., when traveling by aircraft.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is provided for seamless wireless connectivity when a mobile device connects to an unknown wireless access point. This method may include an agent on the mobile device detecting the onboard connectivity availability associated with the service set identifier (SSID) of a vehicle-mounted Wi-Fi access point, gateway, or server. In another operation, the onboard service availability of an onboard public network may be identified by an agent on the mobile device. This method may enable the mobile device to provide a notification (e.g., to the user) regarding connecting to the onboard public network, based partly on the onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability. Thus, connectivity to the onboard public network can be enabled for the mobile device.

[0019] As used herein, “onboard connectivity availability” of a wireless access point refers to the broadcast of signals or messages relating to the availability of wireless connectivity between a wireless access point (e.g., a Wi-Fi gateway) and a mobile device attempting to connect to the wireless access point. Thus, onboard connectivity availability may indicate the availability of the corresponding Wi-Fi access point. For example, the onboard connectivity availability of a Wi-Fi access point may exist or be active when the Wi-Fi access point allows a mobile device to connect to it. In contrast, the connectivity availability of a Wi-Fi access point may not exist when the Wi-Fi access point does not allow a mobile device to connect to it. The connectivity availability of a Wi-Fi access point may exist or be active even if the Wi-Fi access point does not provide access to or connectivity to services such as a public network (e.g., the Internet).

[0020] "Onboard service availability" may be a radio broadcast signal or message that a service (e.g., a public network such as the Internet) is available via or through a Wi-Fi access point. "Public network" may be a network connection to the Internet or another public packet-switched network (e.g., using the vehicle's satellite connection). Other available services may include in-flight entertainment, games, audio, or any onboard services coming from a server on the aircraft. For example, the onboard service availability of a radio access point (e.g., an aircraft's Wi-Fi access point) may exist or be active when the radio access point (e.g., an aircraft's Wi-Fi access point) allows a mobile device to connect to a public network (e.g., the Internet) via the radio access point (e.g., aircraft Wi-Fi) and receive Internet packet transfers (e.g., TCP / IP). Conversely, if a wireless access point (e.g., an aircraft's Wi-Fi access point) does not allow mobile devices to connect to a public network (e.g., the internet) via the wireless access point (e.g., an aircraft's Wi-Fi access point), the onboard service availability of the wireless access point (e.g., an aircraft's Wi-Fi access point) may be absent.

[0021] Transfer of the wireless connectivity of a mobile device can occur between any of several connection types. As used herein, "seamless wireless connectivity" refers to a wireless connectivity that can switch between wireless connections such as a wireless personal area network (WPAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless wide area network (WWAN), or a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) without substantial interruption of public network services (e.g., without interruption of Internet connectivity and services for a selected time including one or more of 200 milliseconds, 1 second, 5 seconds, 15 seconds, 60 seconds, 5 minutes, etc.). The switch can be between similar network types or different network types. Additionally, "seamless wireless connectivity" may optionally or alternatively include actions that can be taken to maintain wireless connectivity without user intervention and can automatically maintain wireless connectivity. This means that the technology can be used by a mobile device to switch between wireless networks that provide access to one or more services such as access to a public network or a private network.

[0022] A user may be more likely to connect to a local Wi-Fi access point (e.g., a Wi-Fi access point on an aircraft or another vehicle during travel) when: (1) a "Available Wi-Fi Networks" message notifies the user when a local Wi-Fi SSID is available for participation, or (2) executable data (e.g., a scannable QR code) for participating in the local Wi-Fi access point is provided to the user. By clicking on the "Available Wi-Fi Networks" message or scanning the QR code, the user can automatically: (i) participate in the Wi-Fi access point, (ii) be presented with and accept the service terms, and upon acceptance of the service terms, be redirected to the airline portal for on-board network services (e.g., Internet access and / or on-board services).

[0023] The user may be reminded to participate in the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point, and such reminders may be excluded to improve or maximize the user's opportunity to connect to the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point when the Wi-Fi connection is active and the Wi-Fi public network service (e.g., the Internet accessible via the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point) is operable. In one example, a travel service provider (e.g., an airline) can determine the logic for providing user notifications on a mobile device using various notifications such as departure-time-based notifications, geolocation-based notifications, etc. In one example, for a flight departing at 7 p.m., a notification can be sent to the user at a specific time before the flight departure time so that the user is reminded to participate in the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point. In another example, a notification can be sent to the user's mobile device when the user's mobile device is detected near an airport location, departure gate, etc. In some embodiments, the notification can be used to prompt a user action or an action by an agent operating on the user's mobile device.

[0024] In addition to time-based, location-based, or other automatic or electronic notifications on the user's mobile device, various other notifications such as visual (e.g., printed posters, QR codes, etc.) or voice notifications near the departure gate, visual notifications on the aircraft, crew announcements, etc. can be used to notify the user about aircraft Wi-Fi. However, as described above, the use of manual actions that are to be completed by the user to connect to the Wi-Fi access point can result in adoption or connection reduction among some users. Therefore, an automatic or semi-automatic process that employs reduced user input to enable Wi-Fi connection on a vehicle (compared to the manual actions in the example of FIG. 1) is still useful.

[0025] An exemplary process for connecting a mobile device to a vehicle's Wi-Fi access point to access services (e.g., an onboard public network such as the internet) can be illustrated using a flowchart. Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating one exemplary process for seamless wireless connectivity. First, an agent (such as a software agent) may run on the mobile device, as shown in block 252. In one exemplary embodiment, the agent may run in the background on the mobile device's operating system, or the agent may be loaded as a background process by the operating system on the mobile device (e.g., when the operating system starts). In an alternative embodiment, the agent may run on the mobile device because the user has launched an application that contains this agent embedded in the application. For example, the user may launch the application as follows: 1) via the mobile device's operating system (e.g., by selecting the application from other applications), 2) by scanning a QR code and clicking a link, or 3) by clicking a notification that a Wi-Fi access point may be available.

[0026] The agent may detect the presence of onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability for a service set identifier (SSID) broadcast by an airplane, vehicle, or Wi-Fi access point or gateway at a given location, as shown in block 254. If onboard connectivity availability is present but onboard service availability is not (e.g., it is turned off or not broadcasting) and there is no onboard public network access yet (e.g., no internet connectivity), the agent may delay attempting to connect to the Wi-Fi access point until onboard service availability is present.

[0027] Under current technology, when a user attempts to connect to an onboard public network (e.g., the Internet) via a Wi-Fi access point on a vehicle, the mobile device may typically display prompts from a Network Connectivity Assistant (e.g., Apple® Captive Network Assistant (CNA)) to redirect the user to a specific webpage for authentication or login and to enable access to the onboard public network after the mobile device connects to the Wi-Fi access point. This can be useful for reminding the user of a specific website URL or directing the user to a specific website. However, when the onboard public network (or the Internet) is unavailable, or when there is a disruption in the Network Connectivity Assistant process flow, the Network Connectivity Assistant prompts are more likely to confuse the user and even hinder connection to and authentication to the public network (e.g., the Internet) than to enable the user to connect to and authenticate to the public network. In one example, the agent described herein may be configured to suppress or bypass such Network Connectivity Assistant prompts or use associated with connection to and authentication to the onboard public network, partly based on the presence of onboard service availability at the Wi-Fi access point.

[0028] When an onboard public network is available, the presentation of the network connectivity assistant may provide additional actions to connect to the onboard public network, further hindering user adoption. Therefore, to further facilitate the process of connecting to the onboard public network, the agent may be configured to suppress the network connectivity assistant and automatically authenticate or log in to the Wi-Fi access point and the services provided by the Wi-Fi access point, partly based on whether the onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability are currently active or exist. In the method shown in Figure 2, the agent may suppress the network connectivity assistant on the mobile device and authenticate or log in to the Wi-Fi access point and services, as shown in block 256. By authenticating to the Wi-Fi access point in the background, the user can connect to the onboard public network without any additional effort on the part of the user, as shown in block 258.

[0029] In one exemplary embodiment, this suppression of the network connectivity assistant may be implemented by bypassing the network connectivity assistant, allowing the agent to make programmatic calls (e.g., API calls) to connect to, authenticate, and / or log in to the Wi-Fi access point and the corresponding service being accessed. The agent may have already received authentication credentials from an entity such as an internet service provider, a transport vendor (e.g., an airline), a travel website, a venue manager, or another party. The connection to the onboard public network (e.g., the Internet) may then be made via a wireless access point, as shown in block 258. The wireless access point may be a Wi-Fi access point, a Wi-Fi gateway, a wireless gateway, a wireless router, a wireless switch, and the like.

[0030] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the technology for seamless connectivity of a mobile device (e.g., a cellular phone) to an aircraft's wireless access point. This example illustrates a mobile device switching from a wireless cellular connection (e.g., 3GPP LTE, 3GPP 5G, etc.) to a Wi-Fi access point installed on the aircraft or another vehicle. At the airport, or before approaching the aircraft or vehicle, an agent 302 running on the mobile device may connect the mobile device to the wireless cellular connection, as described in item 310. Alternatively, the agent 302 may detect or recognize that the mobile device is already connected to a wireless cellular connection (e.g., a cellular connection, etc.).

[0031] When a user is inside or at the gate of an aircraft, agent 302 may detect that onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability are active for the service set identifier (SSID) broadcast by the onboard Wi-Fi access point for in-flight Wi-Fi. This means that Wi-Fi connectivity and public networks (e.g., the Internet) are available and detectable.

[0032] Therefore, agent 302 can connect a mobile device to in-flight Wi-Fi, as illustrated in item 320, and item 320 can automatically switch the mobile device's connectivity from a wireless cellular connection (e.g., 3GPP LTE, 3GPP 5G, etc.) to the aircraft's in-flight Wi-Fi access point, and connect to services via the Wi-Fi access point with no or minimal user intervention. To automatically connect a mobile device to a Wi-Fi access point, agent 302 may suppress or bypass the network connectivity assistant.

[0033] When a mobile device connects to a Wi-Fi access point, it may access web portals, onboard public networks (e.g., the internet), etc., on the aircraft 330. For example, a user may access web portals or web services such as captive end user interfaces, captive airline portals, captive internet service provider portals, web services, entertainment service portals, advertisements, e-stores, duty-free shops, games, travel services, vacation service bookings, educational microsites, and the internet. Optionally, there may be terms of service that the user may need to accept in order to receive internet services via the Wi-Fi access point. In addition, an initial free session may be provided to the user on the mobile device, and additional internet time may then be purchased.

[0034] Figure 4 illustrates another example of seamlessly connecting to a Wi-Fi access point, where a user initiates agent activation on a mobile device and user input may be received at other points in the process. More specifically, the user may activate the agent within an application (app), as shown in block 460. There may be at least three alternative forms in which the user may be notified to join a wireless connection using an application with an agent. In the first scenario, the user may launch the app via the operating system interface, which may involve launching the app by tapping, clicking, double-clicking, or otherwise selecting an app to run on the mobile device. The app may be a third-party app associated with a travel service provider (e.g., Expedia®, Travelocity®, Kayak®, etc.), a first-party app associated with an airline (e.g., Delta®, American®, United®), an operating system-associated app, or an event provider or ticket distributor (e.g., Ticketmaster®, StubHub®, sports venues, etc.), a healthcare provider, etc. In an alternative configuration, the app may be implemented in relation to, or may include, an operating system (e.g., iOS®, Android®). After the app is launched or started (or even if the app or agent is running in the background or a background process), the app may present the user with a button to join the vehicle's Wi-Fi access point, and the app may allow the user to click the join button.

[0035] In another example, a second scenario for launching an app could involve launching a camera app (e.g., by the user). The camera could be configured to scan a QR code (or a different type of machine-readable optical label) to automatically access and launch a URL or app by the device without user intervention. After the URL or app has been launched, the app could launch as shown, as in block 460.

[0036] In a third exemplary scenario, a user may receive a notification from an agent on their mobile device that the vehicle's Wi-Fi access point is available. The user can either click on the notification (e.g., a pop-up window) or address the notification without user intervention.

[0037] In a third scenario for launching the app, the presentation of a notification may depend on one or more factors, such as the wireless access point (WAP) geographic location, WAP altitude, WAP speed, onboard public network signal strength, vehicle door status, vehicle occupancy data, vehicle check-in data, and other factors considered in this explanation.

[0038] When the app is launched, an agent on the mobile device may be configured to attempt to connect to a wireless access point (e.g., vehicle Wi-Fi), as shown in block 460, and as shown in block 462. The agent may be a process created or launched from a software development kit (SDK) which has libraries that can be embedded in the app. In one exemplary embodiment, an agent from the SDK library may discover data such as geographic location data that can be used to inform the user about Wi-Fi availability. The agent from the SDK library may also use other data such as signal-to-noise ratio, incoming Bluetooth beacon signals, departure gate data, departure airport data, boarding pass data, and schedule information, which the agent may discover before informing the user about Wi-Fi availability.

[0039] Next, the agent may determine whether it has successfully joined the Wi-Fi access point, as shown in block 464. In block 466, if the agent on the mobile device is unable to successfully connect to the wireless access point or receive onboard network services (e.g., internet packets), the agent may automatically (or after receiving user intervention) attempt to connect to the Wi-Fi access point (or even another Wi-Fi access point) again, as shown in block 468. The agent may also revert to a previous or original wireless connection (e.g., a wireless cellular connection) if it determines that a Wi-Fi connection is unavailable after a defined number of reconnection attempts (e.g., two or three attempts).

[0040] After successfully joining a wireless access point following block 464, the agent may be configured to determine whether a passenger carrier (e.g., an airline) uses a network connectivity assistant (e.g., Apple® Captive Network Assistant (CNA)), as shown in block 470. When a passenger carrier or network service provider uses a network connectivity assistant, the agent may be configured to bypass or suppress the network connectivity assistant and any associated prompts, as shown in block 473. The network connectivity assistant may be associated with a Wi-Fi access point, and the agent may be configured to bypass the network connectivity assistant when connecting to a Wi-Fi access point, partly based on the onboard service availability of the onboard public network. That is, when the vehicle's onboard public network (e.g., the Internet) is available (e.g., onboard service availability exists), the agent may be configured to bypass the network connectivity assistant to reduce the time used to access the Wi-Fi access point or the onboard public network. By bypassing the Network Connectivity Assistant, the agent can also prevent the user from being notified that a wireless access point (e.g., aircraft Wi-Fi) is available when the wireless access point's service is unavailable. In some embodiments, such as when the Wi-Fi access point is not associated with the Network Connectivity Assistant or the Network Connectivity Assistant is inactive, the agent may be configured to behave as if the agent had bypassed the Network Connectivity Assistant. More specifically, if the Network Connectivity Assistant is not present or is inactive for the Wi-Fi access point, the action of bypassing or suppressing the Network Connectivity Assistant may be skipped.

[0041] In some embodiments, the network connectivity assistant is bypassed regardless of the presence of onboard service availability. For example, if a passenger carrier (e.g., an airline) uses the network connectivity assistant to authenticate and otherwise activate onboard services, and the agent bypasses the network connectivity assistant, the agent may be further configured to enable or activate onboard services by authenticating or logging into a Wi-Fi access point (e.g., to access the onboard public network). Authentication or login may proceed in part on the wireless access point connectivity availability (more specifically, the connectivity availability of the onboard public network) and / or the wireless access point service availability (more specifically, the service availability of the onboard public network, or the service availability of the onboard services), as shown in Block 475.

[0042] If the agent bypasses the Network Connectivity Assistant and is authenticated using the Network Connectivity Assistant, the agent may be configured to launch a browser and present the user experience to the user as shown in User Experience 471 block. Alternatively, if the passenger carrier (e.g., an airline) does not use the Network Connectivity Assistant, the agent may be configured to launch a browser and provide User Experience 471 without performing any additional Network Connectivity Assistant actions, or the agent may perform those additional Network Connectivity Assistant actions in the background without user input or user involvement. Part of the user experience may optionally include displaying a Terms of Service page. After the user accepts the Terms of Service, the mobile device may connect to the onboard public network (e.g., the Internet) and / or other available services. Examples of other types of user experience may include connecting to the Internet or web portal (e.g., a captive web portal) for other onboard services, such as accessing entertainment, video, audio, shopping, games, microsites, or other onboard electronic experiences.

[0043] In one exemplary embodiment, a system for seamless wireless connectivity is illustrated in Figure 5. In this example, the aircraft 500 may be configured to include a server 510 and a wireless access point 540. The wireless access point 540 may be configured to connect to one or more mobile devices 550. The server 510 may include a context service 512 and a database 514. A user's mobile device 550 can retrieve information from the context service 512 about services available on the aircraft, flight service context, or flight information (e.g., altitude, speed, information from the aircraft bus, etc.). The server 510, the wireless access point 540, and access to a public network (e.g., the Internet) are also illustrated in Figure 7.

[0044] As mentioned above, the wireless access point 540 can provide a wireless local area network (WLAN). More specifically, the wireless access point 540 may be a Wi-Fi access point or gateway for vehicles, including, but not limited to, aircraft, buses, trains, and ships. In other examples, the wireless access point 540 may operate using the Wi-Fi protocol (or a suitable WLAN), the Bluetooth® protocol (or a suitable WPAN), or another suitable wireless protocol (e.g., a beacon-based protocol such as iBeacon®).

[0045] The mobile device(s) 550 may be, for example, a processor-based system. The mobile device(s) 550 may be, but are not limited to, a mobile phone, a laptop or notebook computer, a tablet computer, a mobile device, a handheld computer, or other device with similar functionality. The mobile device(s) 550 may be a personal electronic device or may be the property of an aircraft operator. In one configuration, the server 510 may communicate with the mobile device(s) 550 via a wireless network, such as one provided by a wireless access point 540.

[0046] The various processes and / or other functionalities contained within the server(s) 510 may run on one or more processors communicating with one or more memory modules. The server(s) 510 may include several computing devices, for example, located in one or more server banks or computer banks or other arrangements. The server(s) 510 may also include several data stores for capturing and storing passenger information, flight information, destination information, transaction information, media, etc.

[0047] The term "datastore" can refer to any device or combination of devices capable of storing, accessing, organizing, and / or retrieving data, which may include any combination and number of data servers, relational databases, object-oriented databases, cluster storage systems, data storage devices, data warehouses, flat files, and any centralized, distributed, or clustered data storage configurations in any centralized, distributed, or clustered environment. The storage system components of a datastore may include storage systems such as a SAN (Storage Area Network), cloud storage network, volatile or non-volatile RAM, optical media, or hard drive-type media. A datastore may represent multiple datastores. In some embodiments, a datastore may be used to store data associated with one or more services provided via a wireless access point 540.

[0048] Figure 5 illustrates how a specific processing module or subsystem may be used in connection with this technology. In one exemplary configuration, a module or subsystem can be considered to provide a service having one or more processes running on a server or other computer hardware. For example, the service-providing module or subsystem may be hosted on a server. Each module or subsystem may be provided with an application programming interface (API) to enable a second module or subsystem to transmit requests to a first module or subsystem and receive output from it. Such APIs may also enable third parties to interface with the modules or subsystems, make requests to them, and receive output from them.

[0049] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a system that can implement the above technology, and many other similar or different environments are possible. The exemplary environments discussed and illustrated above are merely representative and not limiting.

[0050] The mobile device 550 may include an application 552 which may have an agent 520. The agent 520 may be used to detect and connect to a Wi-Fi access point, such as a wireless access point 540, in order to access services provided via the Wi-Fi access point (e.g., the Internet), if available, and may be used to suppress the network connection assistant, as previously considered.

[0051] As illustrated in Figure 5, the notification server 530 may include a notification service 534. The notification service 534 may be used by an entity to initiate and send notifications regarding the connection of a mobile device 550 to an onboard Wi-Fi access point. Notifications may be sent to the user's mobile device 550 based in part on the user being in a defined area at the airport, the aircraft's geographical location, time data, event information, other triggers described in this description, and similar data (or data triggers) stored in the data store 532.

[0052] The notification service 534 can send notifications to a notification proxy 572 hosted in the airline system 570 (or owner system, physical venue system, vehicle management system, etc.). The notification proxy 572 can forward notifications regarding Wi-Fi availability to the mobile device 550 via device push notifications 544. Device push notifications 544 may be managed or provided by a wireless carrier, cloud messaging provider, or other server-based messaging service. In addition, device push notifications 544 may be sent via a wireless cellular connection, a ground-based Wi-Fi access point at the airport or venue, or another network, for example, before connecting to a Wi-Fi access point on the aircraft. The notification service 534 and the notification proxy 572 may be separate, as the airline app may not have an agent and / or the airline may not be the sender of the notification. In some embodiments, one or more of the notification service 530 and the airline system 570 may be combined with their corresponding services, etc. In some embodiments, the device push notification 544 may indicate that onboard service availability exists, the authentication information used by agent 520 when accessing the onboard service, and so on.

[0053] Optionally, the service availability module 526 may be provided to application 552, and the service availability module 526 may connect using a wireless cellular connection to a cloud service or cloud data store that reports whether onboard Wi-Fi access point connectivity and / or onboard services are available. For example, the service availability module 526 may receive device push notifications 544 from airline system 570 and determine whether onboard services are available or active, at least in part, based on these device push notifications 544. If the service availability module 526 determines that Wi-Fi and / or onboard services are available, the agent may initiate the process of connecting to the Wi-Fi access point 540. In some embodiments, the service availability module 526 may determine that Wi-Fi and / or onboard services are available based on timing information and event or schedule information available via mobile device 550. For example, agent 520 may have access to the user's schedule or email on or via mobile device 550, and may use event information obtained therefrom to determine if Wi-Fi and / or onboard services are available, where onboard services may correspond to services provided at any location where the event does not involve the user being in transit when using Wi-Fi and / or onboard services.

[0054] In an exemplary embodiment, agent 520 may be configured to detect onboard connectivity availability (i.e., availability to connect to aircraft Wi-Fi in the case of an aircraft) of an onboard public network (e.g., an internet service) from a Wi-Fi access point mounted on a vehicle (e.g., an aircraft). Agent 220 may detect onboard connectivity availability by using probe requests or announcements when a mobile device is within range of the aircraft Wi-Fi. Such detection by agent 220 is not limited to in-transit or in-vehicle connectivity availability detection but may be applied to any environment where Wi-Fi connectivity may be available (e.g., a venue, a transport center, a reservation location, etc.).

[0055] In another exemplary embodiment, agent 520 may be further configured to detect onboard service availability of an onboard public network. Onboard service availability may be broadcast when the onboard public network (e.g., the Internet) is available via a Wi-Fi access point. For example, in the case of an aircraft, the in-flight entertainment service may be operational before the aircraft doors are closed or before the flight reaches a suitable cruising altitude (e.g., about 10,000 feet), and therefore, the in-flight entertainment service, which can operate using the aircraft's Wi-Fi connection, can provide content to the user. Thus, for a user who wishes to browse or access in-flight media, an agent on the user's mobile device may automatically connect the mobile device to a Wi-Fi access point where the in-flight entertainment service is active and available for use. However, the Wi-Fi access point may not enable connectivity to the onboard public network (e.g., the Internet) until the aircraft has acquired a satellite connection to the public network and is above 10,000 feet. Therefore, for users who wish to browse or access the internet, an agent on the user's mobile device may delay connecting the device to a Wi-Fi access point until the onboard public network is active and available for use. Thus, agent 220 may be configured to detect when the onboard public network connection is actually connected to the internet (i.e., when the onboard public network service is available). Such detection by agent 220 is not limited to service availability detection on a vehicle, but can be applied in any environment where the Wi-Fi connection can provide services such as the internet.

[0056] To prevent users from joining the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point before the onboard public network is connected to the internet, which could cause user frustration and concern, agent 520 may be configured to enable notifications regarding connecting to the onboard public network (e.g., the internet), partly based on onboard connectivity availability (e.g., whether a client device can connect to the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point) and onboard service availability (e.g., whether the aircraft's Wi-Fi is actually connected to the internet). More specifically, mobile device 550 may be configured to provide a notification to the user when the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point actually has a functional internet service. This avoids a situation where the Wi-Fi bar appears on mobile device 550 and the user might think they can use the internet, but when the user launches their browser, they find no data because the aircraft's Wi-Fi access point is not connected to the internet. In another example, agent 520 may allow the connection to the onboard public network (e.g., the internet) to be made after a notification regarding connecting to the internet is displayed to the mobile device user and accepted by the user.

[0057] When a user departs from an aircraft to connect to a different flight or to leave the airport, seamless wireless connectivity during the transition from being on board the aircraft to being at the airport and / or to another aircraft may also be desirable. For example, an agent 520 on a user mobile device 550 may be configured to switch from an onboard public network connection (e.g., aircraft Wi-Fi) to an offboard public network connection (e.g., airport Wi-Fi or 3GPP 4G, 3GPP LTE, or 3GPP 5G network) based in part on the termination of onboard connection availability (e.g., aircraft Wi-Fi connection terminated) or onboard service availability (e.g., aircraft Wi-Fi is no longer connected to the internet) and the availability of offboard public network connections and internet services.

[0058] Agent 520 may be configured to determine onboard service availability or onboard connectivity availability in various ways, as introduced above. For example, onboard service availability and / or onboard connectivity availability can be determined using the geographical location or GPS coordinates, altitude, speed, flight status, state, time information, etc., of a radio access point. For example, when the user's mobile device 550 enters a specific range of a radio access point defined by GPS coordinates or geofencing, Agent 520 may be configured to determine that onboard connectivity and / or onboard services are available. In some embodiments, Agent 520 of the user's mobile device 550 may determine onboard connectivity availability based on the ability to exchange handshake information with the radio access point. Agent 520 may further determine that onboard services are available based on, for example, receiving a push notification 544, determining that a desired data packet can successfully communicate with a desired target via the onboard connectivity.

[0059] In another example, the altitude of a wireless access point can be used to determine onboard service availability and / or onboard connectivity availability. When the wireless access point reaches a selected altitude threshold (e.g., 10,000 feet), the agent may be configured to determine that onboard services and / or onboard connectivity are available.

[0060] Agent 520 may also be configured to determine onboard service availability when a wireless access point reaches a specific speed threshold, altitude threshold, or direction of travel. In this scenario, mobile device 550 may be connected to a Wi-Fi access point and receive information from onboard services (e.g., in-flight entertainment system (IFE)) or information from the aircraft bus regarding speed or direction, but mobile device 550 may not yet have access to the onboard public network (e.g., the Internet). For example, an aircraft may reach a speed threshold of approximately 288 mph (miles per hour) above an altitude of 10,000 feet, which would indicate that the onboard public network (e.g., the Internet) and / or onboard network services are available. Also, when the aircraft has reached a sufficient cruising altitude for Wi-Fi services, it may be moving in a specific direction. In both cases, the speed of travel and / or direction of travel can be used by Agent 520 to determine onboard service availability.

[0061] Onboard connectivity availability can also be determined using the signal strength of the wireless access point. The agent can use the wireless access point's signal strength to determine when a selected signal threshold is exceeded and when onboard connectivity is available.

[0062] The vehicle door status can also be used to determine whether onboard services or onboard connectivity are available. For example, aircraft Wi-Fi may not function until the aircraft's cabin doors are closed. Therefore, Wi-Fi services or connectivity may be assumed to be inactive when the cabin doors are open, and agent 520 may act accordingly.

[0063] The agent 520 can use vehicle boarding data or vehicle check-in data to determine whether onboard services or onboard connectivity are available. Vehicle boarding data may include at least one of the following: boarding time, boarding priority, seat interaction, baggage check-in, etc. Vehicle check-in data may include at least one of the following: check-in time, check-in priority, etc.

[0064] Onboard service availability of an onboard public network can also be determined by querying a cloud computing environment. For example, when a mobile device connects to an offboard radio service, a query can be made to the cloud computing environment, which may include obtaining a service availability indicator. Agent 520 may be configured to identify the onboard service availability of a Wi-Fi access point on the vehicle by querying the cloud computing environment. Thus, before enabling the mobile device 550 to connect to the radio access point and onboard services, Agent 520 may determine one or more of the onboard connectivity availability and / or service availability using one of several methods.

[0065] If a Wi-Fi access point is present at the venue and provides service and connectivity, agent 520 may use event data to determine whether the service or connectivity is available at the venue. The event data may include at least one of the following: start / end time, priority associated with the user (e.g., level of purchased ticket, seat interaction, etc.), current time, and venue check-in. The venue check-in data may include at least one of the following: check-in time, check-in priority, etc.

[0066] For example, agent 520 may be configured to enable notifications regarding connecting to the onboard public network by providing an onboard service availability notification on the mobile device 550 indicating that an onboard public network connection is available. The notification may be local to the mobile device 550 and may be an auditory notification, a visual notification (e.g., a pop-up window), or a haptic notification (e.g., vibration).

[0067] To avoid user frustration, connection to the public network (e.g., the Internet) can be blocked until onboard public network connectivity and services become available. For example, agent 520 may be configured to provide notifications regarding connection to the onboard public network by displaying an unavailability notice on the mobile device while onboard public network connectivity (e.g., the Internet) is unavailable.

[0068] In addition to switching from an offboard public network (e.g., airport Wi-Fi, or a WWAN such as 3GPP 4G, LTE, or 5G) to an onboard public network (e.g., aircraft Wi-Fi), an agent 520 on a mobile device can switch between different offboard public networks. For example, the agent 520 may be configured to switch from a first offboard public network connection to a second offboard public network connection, partly based on the availability of a first offboard connection and a first offboard service, and / or a second offboard connection and a second offboard service, the location of the mobile device 550, the expected movement of the user of the mobile device 550, and so on.

[0069] In one exemplary embodiment, the first offboard public network connection may be a WWAN network (e.g., a 3GPP 5G network), and the second offboard public network connection may be a WLAN network (e.g., airport Wi-Fi). In another example, the first offboard public network connection may be a WLAN network (e.g., airport Wi-Fi), and the second offboard public network connection may be a WWAN network (e.g., a 5G network). Thus, agent 520 may be configured to switch the mobile device 550 from the airport Wi-Fi network to the 3GPP 5G network when the user is about to leave the airport, or to switch the mobile device 550 from the 3GPP 5G network to the airport Wi-Fi network when the user is about to arrive at the airport, or to switch from the 3GPP 5G network to the WLAN network at a clinic or other scheduled / event location. In another exemplary embodiment, the user's mobile device 550 may switch between multiple Wi-Fi access points at the airport. In a further exemplary embodiment, the user's mobile device 550 may switch between Wi-Fi provided on a bus or ride-sharing vehicle and Wi-Fi provided at an airport or the like.

[0070] In Figure 5, one dotted box (labeled "On Vehicle") illustrates a device, server, or other hardware that may be physically located on a vehicle (e.g., an airplane). A mobile device 550 may be inside or outside a vehicle, depending on the device's movement. For example, a mobile device 550 (e.g., a cell phone) may be physically located on a plane but may be moving from the airplane. Some of the servers, devices, or modules are part of a data infrastructure that may be located in various locations within a computer network as needed, and therefore may not be physically located on the airplane and may be outside the airplane. This ground location of a device is illustrated in Figure 5 by a second dotted box (labeled "Ground"), which represents a system or device that may not be in a Wi-Fi access point location and / or may be on the ground.

[0071] Figure 6 illustrates an example of a method for seamless wireless connectivity for a mobile phone in a vehicle. An agent on a mobile device may be configured to detect the onboard connectivity availability of an onboard public network associated with a service set identifier (SSID) from a wireless access point (e.g., a wireless gateway, wireless access device, server, wireless router, switch, modem, etc.), as shown in block 610. For example, an agent on a mobile phone may detect the SSID and onboard connectivity availability of a Wi-Fi access point on an airplane. The agent used for this operation may be the same agent illustrated as 520 in Figure 5 and as 302 in Figure 3. An agent on a mobile device may be configured to identify the onboard service availability of an onboard public network, as shown in block 620. Onboard service availability may represent the availability of internet access to the mobile phone via the Wi-Fi access point.

[0072] An agent on a mobile device may be configured to enable notifications regarding connecting to an onboard public network, partly based on onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability, as in block 630. For example, when both onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability are active (e.g., turned on), the agent may provide a pop-up notification on the phone about either an already made automatic connection or the user's ability to authorize a connection to a Wi-Fi access point. An agent on a mobile device may be configured to enable a connection to an onboard public network, as in block 640. Thus, the agent can, in this example, connect the mobile phone to a Wi-Fi gateway and ultimately to the internet. The methods and corresponding blocks (610, 620, 630, 640) considered herein may be implemented and stored on a machine-readable storage medium having embodied instructions, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause one or more processors to execute a process including the method.

[0073] While much of this technology description focuses on aircraft Wi-Fi and vehicles, it may also be applied to Wi-Fi access point connections and internet service connections that can be automatically performed by a user at any location where there is a valid reason. Examples of locations where this technology may be used may include hotels, public venues (concerts, sporting events, entertainment venues), clinics, reservations, theaters, gyms, or other locations. Thus, this technology can provide a streamlined way for users to connect to Wi-Fi access points and corresponding services, and can be used whenever a user is in a location that provides such Wi-Fi connectivity and corresponding services.

[0074] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a satellite communication system 700. The satellite communication system 700 may include satellite(s) 720 that communicate bidirectionally with the ground station 710 via a first communication link 712 between satellite 720 and ground station 710. Satellite 720 can also communicate bidirectionally with an aircraft 750 (e.g., an airplane, helicopter, small airship, or balloon) via a communication link 714 between satellite 720 and the aircraft 750. Communication links 712 and 714 can enable communication between the aircraft 750 and the ground station 710 via satellite 720 while the aircraft 750 is stationary or in motion.

[0075] For example, the satellite communication system 700 may include multiple satellites 720, each satellite 720 providing service area coverage, and the service areas of different satellites may or may not overlap. The satellite communication system 700 may be any preferred type of satellite system, including geostationary satellite systems, mid-earth orbit satellite systems, low-earth orbit satellite systems, or a combination thereof. Satellite 720 may have several beams directed to different regions on Earth, and the coverage area of ​​each beam may or may not overlap with one or more other beams. Satellite 720 may have one or more spot beams covering different regions on Earth within the service area of ​​satellite 720. As another example, satellite 720 may have one or more wide-area coverage beams covering the service area of ​​satellite 720. As yet another example, satellite 720 may have a combination of spot beams and wide-area coverage beams.

[0076] In one configuration, the aircraft 750 may include a communication system 770 to facilitate bidirectional communication with satellite 720 via a communication link 714. The communication system 770 may include an antenna 772 for receiving downlink signals from satellite 720 and transmitting uplink signals to satellite 720 via communication link 714. The aircraft 750 may also include a transceiver 774 communicating with antenna 772, a modem 776 communicating with transceiver 774, a network access unit 778 (e.g., a router) communicating with modem 776, and a wireless access point (WAP) 780 communicating with network access unit 778. Furthermore, the wireless access point 780 may communicate with one or more client devices in the aircraft 750, such as a seatback system 785 and / or client devices 790 (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, laptop). Therefore, the communication system 770 can receive a downlink signal from satellite 720, forward the downlink signal to a client device, receive an uplink signal from the client device, and forward the uplink signal to satellite 720, thereby supporting bidirectional data communication between the client device in aircraft 750 and satellite 720. In one configuration, the network access unit 778 can communicate with a server 740 (such as the aforementioned server 510) mounted on aircraft 750.

[0077] For example, the aircraft may be equipped with a seatback system 785, which may be fixed or an on-aircraft device. The seatback system 785 can communicate with a server 740 via a wired communication link. For example, the seatback system 785 can communicate with a network access unit 778 via a wired communication link, and the network access unit 778 can communicate with the server 740 via a wired communication link. Alternatively, the seatback system 785 can communicate with the server 740 via the network access unit 778 and a wireless access point 780. The seatback system 785 can run one or more applications that provide an interface for users on the aircraft 750 to acquire and consume data.

[0078] In another example, a client device 790 can receive and display data and may be brought onto an aircraft 750 by a user (which may include a passenger or crew member). The client device 790 may run one or more applications that provide an interface for the user to retrieve and consume data. The user may have the option to select / request data to view from the interface. When a user interacts with the client device 790, the client device 790 may transmit a request for data to the network access unit 778 via the radio access point 780. The client device 790 may receive the requested data from the network access unit 778 via the radio access point 780. Thus, the radio access point 780 can provide communication between the network access unit 778 and the client device 790.

[0079] In one example, the network access unit 778 can receive data requests from a client device 790 via a wireless access point 780, multiplex the requests, and forward them to the modem 776. The network access unit 778 can also receive and demultiplex packets associated with the data via the wireless access point 780 and forward the data to the client device 790.

[0080] In one example, the modem 776 can receive a data request from the network access unit 778, and the modem 776 can generate modulated data (e.g., a transmission intermediate frequency (IF) signal) for distribution to the transceiver 774. Furthermore, the modem 776 can receive the requested data from the transceiver 774 as modulated data (e.g., a reception intermediate frequency (IF) signal) and demodulate the data for transmission to the network access unit 778. In one example, the modem 776 may be integrated with the network access unit 778, or alternatively, the modem 776 and the network access unit 778 may be separate components.

[0081] In one example, the transceiver 774 can upconvert and amplify the modulated data received from the modem 776 to generate an uplink signal for transmission to the satellite 720 via the antenna 772. Similarly, the transceiver 774 can receive a downlink signal from the satellite 720 via the antenna 772. The transceiver 774 can then amplify and downconvert the downlink signal to generate modulated downlink data (e.g., the received IF signal) for demodulation by the modem 776.

[0082] For example, the ground station 710 may also be referred to as an access node, hub, or gateway. The ground station 710 may include an antenna for transmitting uplink signals to the satellite 720 and receiving downlink signals from the satellite 720. The ground station 710 can communicate with the content server 730 via the network 760. The content server 730 may include media content, web content, etc.

[0083] For example, network 760 can be any type of network, and may include, for example, the Internet, Internet Protocol (IP) networks, intranets, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), virtual private networks (VPNs), virtual LANs (VLANs), fiber optic networks, cable networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), public switched data networks (PSDNs), public land mobile networks, cellular networks, and / or any other type of network that supports communications as described herein. Network 760 may include both wired and wireless connections, as well as optical links.

[0084] In one example, a ground station 710 may be provided as an interface between network 760 and satellite 720. The ground station 710 can receive data and information from a content server 730 accessible via network 760, directed to a seatback system 785 and / or client device 790 mounted on aircraft 750. The ground station 710 can format the data and information and transmit an uplink signal to satellite 720 for subsequent delivery to aircraft 750 (and then to seatback system 785 and / or client device 790). Similarly, the ground station 710 can receive downlink signals from satellite 720 (e.g., including requests, data, and / or information originating from seatback system 785 and / or client device 790 on aircraft 750), which may be directed to a destination accessible via network 760. The ground station 710 can format the received downlink signals for transmission over network 760.

[0085] In one configuration, the client device 790 may be installed on an aircraft 500. Alternatively, the client device 790 may be installed on other types of vehicles such as trains, automobiles (e.g., cars, trucks, buses, etc.), and ships (e.g., private boats, commercial transport ships, cruise ships, etc.).

[0086] Figure 8 illustrates a computing device 810 capable of running the aforementioned subsystem of the Technology. The computing device 810 and its components described herein can correspond to the server, client device, and / or computing device described above. A computing device 810 on which a high-level example of the Technology can be run is illustrated. The computing device 810 may include one or more processors 812 that communicate with a memory device 820. The computing device may include a local communication interface 818 for components in the computing device. For example, the local communication interface may be a local data bus and / or any associated address bus or control bus as desired.

[0087] The memory device 820 may include a module 824 executable by the processor 812 and data for module 824. Module 824 can perform the functions described above. A data store 822 may also be located in the memory device 820 to store module 824 and data related to other applications, along with an operating system executable by the processor 812.

[0088] Other applications may also be stored in memory device 820, which may be executable by processor(s) 812. Components or modules considered in this description may be implemented in software form using high-level programming languages, which are compiled, interpreted, or executed using a hybrid of methods.

[0089] A computing device may also have access to I / O (input / output) devices 814 that are available to the computing device. An example of an I / O device is a display screen that is available to display output from the computing device. Other known I / O devices may be used with the computing device as needed. Networking devices 816 and similar communication devices may be included in the computing device. Networking devices 816 may be wired or wireless network devices that connect to the Internet, LAN, WAN, or other computing network.

[0090] Any component or module shown to be stored in memory device 820 can be executed by processor 812. The term “executable” can mean a program file in a form that can be executed by processor 812. For example, a program in a higher-level language can be compiled into machine code in a form that can be loaded into the random access portion of memory device 820 and executed by processor 812, or source code can be loaded and interpreted by another executable program to generate instructions for the random access portion of memory that can be executed by the processor. An executable program can be stored in any part or component of memory device 820. For example, memory device 820 may be random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, a solid-state drive, a memory card, a hard drive, an optical disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, or any other memory component.

[0091] The processor 812 can represent multiple processors, and the memory 820 can represent multiple memory units operating in parallel with the processing circuitry. This can provide the system with parallel processing channels for processes and data. The local interface 818 can be used as a network to facilitate communication between any of the multiple processors and multiple memories. The local interface 818 can use additional systems designed to coordinate communication, such as load balancing, bulk data transfer, and similar systems.

[0092] The flowcharts presented for this technology may imply a specific execution order, but the execution order may differ from that exemplified. For example, the order of the remaining two blocks may be rearranged relative to the order shown. Furthermore, two or more blocks shown consecutively may be executed in parallel or with partial parallelization. In some configurations, one or more blocks shown in the flowchart may be omitted or skipped. Any number of counters, state variables, warning semaphores, or messages may be added to the logical flow for utility, accounting, performance, measurement, troubleshooting, or similar enhancement purposes.

[0093] Some of the functional units described herein may be represented as modules to more specifically emphasize their implementation independence. For example, modules may also be implemented as hardware circuits, including custom very large-scale integrated circuits (VLSI) or gate arrays, logic chips, or other off-the-shelf semiconductors, transistors, or other discrete components. Modules may also be implemented as programmable hardware devices, such as field-programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, or programmable logic devices.

[0094] Modules can also be implemented in software for execution on various types of processors. An identified module of executable code may, for example, contain one or more blocks of computer instructions, which can be organized as objects, procedures, or functions. Nevertheless, the executable files of an identified module do not need to be physically located together, but may contain heterogeneous instructions stored in different locations that, when logically combined, accomplish the stated purpose of the module.

[0095] In fact, a module of executable code may be a single instruction or many instructions, and may be distributed across several different code segments, between different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and exemplified herein within a module, may be embodied in any preferred form, and may be organized in any preferred type of data structure. Operational data may be collected as a single dataset or distributed across different locations, including across different storage devices. A module may be passive or active and may include an agent capable of operating to perform a desired function.

[0096] The technologies described herein may also be stored on computer-readable storage media, including volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media, implemented with any technology for storing information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or other memory technologies, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multipurpose disc (DVD), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other computer storage media that may be used to store desired information and the technologies described herein.

[0097] Devices described herein may also include communication connections or networking devices and networking connections that enable devices to communicate with other devices. A communication connection is an example of a communication medium. A communication medium typically includes any information distribution medium that embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data in modulated data signals such as carrier waves or other transport mechanisms. A “modulated data signal” means a signal having one or more of its own characteristics set or modified in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Examples, but not limited to, a communication medium includes wired media such as wired networks or direct wired connections, as well as wireless media such as acoustic media, radio frequency media, infrared media, and other wireless media. As used herein, the term computer-readable medium includes a communication medium.

[0098] Referencing the examples illustrated in the drawings, certain terms have been used in this specification to illustrate them. Nevertheless, it will be understood that this is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Modifications and further alterations of the features illustrated herein, and the application of additional examples as illustrated herein, which would be conceivable to those skilled in the art who possess this disclosure, are considered to be within the scope of this description.

[0099] In describing this technology, the following terms are used: The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include multiple references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to one item includes a reference to one or more items. The term “ones” refers to one, two, or more, and generally applies to a selection of some or all of a quantity. The term “plural” refers to two or more items. The term “about” means that a quantity, dimension, size, formulation, parameter, shape, and other characteristic is not exact, but may be approximated and / or may be greater or less, as necessary, to reflect tolerances, conversion factors, rounding, measurement errors, and other factors known to those skilled in the art. The term “substantially” means that the listed characteristic, parameter, or value does not need to be exactly achieved, but deviations or variations may occur in an amount that does not exclude the effect the characteristic is intended to provide, including, for example, tolerances, measurement errors, measurement accuracy limits, and other factors known to those skilled in the art. Numerical data may be expressed or presented in range form in this specification. Such range formats are used merely for convenience and brevity, and should therefore be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numbers explicitly listed as the limits of the range, but also all or part ranges of the individual numbers contained within that range, as if each number and subrange were explicitly listed.

[0100] As an example, a numerical range of "approximately 1 to 5" should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly listed values ​​of approximately 1 to approximately 5, but also all individual values ​​and subranges within the indicated range. Therefore, this numerical range includes individual values ​​such as 2, 3, and 4, as well as subranges such as 1 to 3, 2 to 4, and 3 to 5. This same principle applies to ranges listing only a single number (e.g., "greater than approximately 1"), regardless of the breadth or characteristics of the range described. For convenience, multiple items may be presented in a common list; however, these lists should be interpreted as if each member of the list were individually identified as a distinct and unique member. Therefore, individual members of such lists should not be interpreted as de facto equivalents of any other members of the same list based solely on their presentation in a common group without opposing indication.

[0101] Furthermore, the terms “and” and “or,” when used with a list of items, should be interpreted broadly, meaning that any one or more of the listed items may be used alone or in combination with other listed items. The term “alternatively” refers to a choice of one of two or more alternatives and is not intended to limit the choice to only the listed alternatives or only one of the listed alternatives unless the context otherwise explicitly indicates. The term “combined” as used herein does not require that the components are directly connected to one another. Instead, the term is also intended to include configurations in which one or more other components have an indirect connection that may be present between the combined components. For example, such other components may include amplifiers, attenuators, isolators, directional couplers, redundant switches, etc. Also, when used herein, including in the claims, “or,” when used in a list of items beginning with “at least one of,” indicates a disjunctive list, such as the list “at least one of A, B, or C” meaning A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). As used herein, the “set” of elements is intended to mean “one or more” of those elements, unless the set is expressly required to have two or more, or is expressly permitted to be a null set.

[0102] Furthermore, the features, structures, or properties described may be combined in any preferred manner in one or more examples. The preceding description provided numerous specific details, such as examples of various configurations, to provide a complete understanding of the examples of the described technology. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technology may be implemented without using one or more of the specific details, or using other methods, components, devices, etc. In other instances, well-known structures or operations are not illustrated or described in detail to avoid obscuring the aspects of the technology.

[0103] While this subject matter has been described in terms specific to structural features and / or functions, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the attached claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features and functions described above. Rather, the specific features and functions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms that implement the claims. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements can be created without departing from the spirit and scope of the described technology.

Claims

1. A method for wireless connectivity for mobile devices, The agent on the mobile device detects the onboard connectivity availability of the onboard public network associated with the service set identifier (SSID) from the access point installed in the vehicle, The agent on the mobile device identifies the onboard service availability of the onboard public network, On the aforementioned mobile device, enable notifications regarding connecting to the onboard public network, based in part on the onboard connectivity availability and the active onboard service availability. A method comprising enabling the mobile device to connect to the onboard public network using the access point.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising switching from an offboard public network connection to an onboard public network connection in the mobile device, based in part on the onboard connectivity availability and onboard service availability.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising switching from the onboard public network to the offboard public network in the mobile device, in part, based on the termination of the onboard connectivity availability or the onboard service availability.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising determining the onboard service availability or the onboard connectivity availability in part based on one or more of the following in the mobile device: the geographic location of a wireless access point (WAP), WAP altitude, WAP speed, onboard public network signal strength, vehicle door status, vehicle boarding data, or vehicle check-in data.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising querying the onboard service availability of the onboard public network connection from a cloud computing environment on the mobile device.

6. In the aforementioned mobile device, bypassing the network connection assistant prompt associated with the onboard public network without being partially based on the availability of onboard services, or The method according to claim 1, further comprising authenticating a network connectivity assistant associated with the onboard public network on the mobile device, in part on the onboard connectivity availability and the onboard service availability.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the notification regarding connecting to the onboard public network on the mobile device by displaying an availability notification on the mobile device indicating that the onboard public network connection is available.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the notification regarding connecting to the onboard public network on the mobile device by displaying a non-availability notification on the mobile device that the onboard public network connection is unavailable.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification is a local mobile device notification.

10. The mobile device further includes switching from the offboard public network connection to an additional offboard public network connection, based in part on offboard connection availability and offboard service availability, or additional offboard connection availability and additional offboard service availability. The method according to claim 2, wherein the offboard public network connection and the additional offboard public network connection are at least one of a WWAN network and a WLAN network.

11. A mobile device for wireless connectivity, At least one processor, The mobile device comprises at least one memory device including a data store for storing multiple data and instructions, wherein the multiple data and instructions are, when executed, communicated to the agent of the mobile device. The system detects the onboard connectivity availability of the onboard public network associated with the Service Set Identifier (SSID) from the vehicle's onboard access point. To identify the active onboard service availability of the aforementioned onboard public network, Based in part on the onboard connectivity availability and the active onboard service availability, enable notifications regarding connecting to the onboard public network. A mobile device that enables connection to the aforementioned onboard public network.

12. When the aforementioned plurality of data and instructions are executed, the agent of the mobile device, The mobile device according to claim 11, which switches from an offboard public network to the onboard public network, partly based on the onboard connectivity availability and the onboard service availability.

13. When the aforementioned plurality of data and instructions are executed, the agent of the mobile device, The mobile device according to claim 11, which switches from the onboard public network to the offboard public network, partly based on the termination of the onboard connectivity availability or the onboard service availability.

14. When the aforementioned plurality of data and instructions are executed, the agent of the mobile device, The mobile device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, which determines the onboard service availability or the onboard connectivity availability based in part on one or more of the following: wireless access point (WAP) geographic location, WAP altitude, WAP speed, onboard public network signal strength, vehicle door status, vehicle boarding data, or vehicle check-in data.

15. When the aforementioned plurality of data and instructions are executed, the agent of the mobile device, The mobile device according to claim 11, which queries the onboard service availability of an onboard public network connection from a cloud computing environment.

16. When the aforementioned plurality of data and instructions are executed, the agent of the mobile device, Bypassing the network connectivity assistant prompt associated with the onboard public network without being partially based on onboard service availability, or The mobile device according to claim 11, which authenticates a network connectivity assistant associated with the onboard public network, based in part on the onboard connectivity availability and the onboard service availability.

17. When the aforementioned plurality of data and instructions are executed, the agent of the mobile device, The mobile device according to claim 11, which enables the notification regarding connecting to the onboard public network by displaying an availability notification on the mobile device indicating that the onboard public network connection is available.

18. When the aforementioned plurality of data and instructions are executed, the agent of the mobile device, The mobile device according to claim 11, which enables the notification regarding connecting to the onboard public network by displaying a non-availability notification on the mobile device indicating that the onboard public network connection is unavailable.

19. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the notification is a local mobile device notification.

20. When the aforementioned plurality of data and instructions are executed, the agent of the mobile device, Switching from the offboard public network to an additional offboard public network connection, based in part on offboard connection availability and offboard service availability, or additional offboard connection availability and additional offboard service availability. The mobile device according to claim 12, wherein the offboard public network and the additional offboard public network connection are at least one of a WWAN network and a WLAN network.

21. A machine-readable storage medium having an embodied instruction, wherein when the instruction is executed by one or more processors, the one or more processors, In an agent on a mobile device, the onboard connectivity availability of the onboard public network associated with the service set identifier (SSID) from the access point installed in the vehicle is detected, The agent on the mobile device identifies the onboard service availability of the onboard public network, In the aforementioned mobile device, enable notifications regarding connecting to the onboard public network, based in part on the onboard connectivity availability and the onboard service availability. A machine-readable storage medium that causes the mobile device to perform a process including enabling connection to the onboard public network.

22. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising switching from an offboard public network connection to an onboard public network connection in the mobile device, based in part on the onboard connectivity availability and the onboard service availability.

23. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising switching from the onboard public network to the offboard public network in the mobile device, in part, based on the termination of the onboard connectivity availability or the onboard service availability.

24. The machine-readable storage medium according to any one of claims 21 to 23, further comprising determining the onboard service availability or the onboard connectivity availability in part based on one or more of the following in the mobile device: the geographic location of a wireless access point (WAP), WAP altitude, WAP speed, onboard public network signal strength, vehicle door status, vehicle boarding data, or vehicle check-in data.

25. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising querying the onboard service availability of an onboard public network connection from a cloud computing environment in the mobile device.

26. In the aforementioned mobile device, bypassing the network connection assistant prompt associated with the onboard public network without being partially based on the availability of onboard services, or The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising authenticating a network connectivity assistant associated with the onboard public network in the mobile device, partly based on the onboard connectivity availability and the onboard service availability.

27. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising enabling the notification regarding connecting to the onboard public network by displaying an availability notification on the mobile device that the onboard public network connection is available.

28. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising disabling the notification regarding connecting to the onboard public network by displaying a non-availability notification on the mobile device indicating that the onboard public network is unavailable.

29. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the notification is a local mobile device notification.

30. The mobile device further includes switching from the offboard public network connection to an additional offboard public network connection, based in part on offboard connection availability and offboard service availability, or additional offboard connection availability and additional offboard service availability. The machine-readable storage medium according to claim 22, wherein the offboard public network or additional offboard public network is a WWAN network or a WLAN network.

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