Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Multicomputer synchronizing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-18
2001-02-20
Dinh, Dung C. (Department: 2153)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Multicomputer synchronizing
C709S217000, C709S203000, C709S219000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192416
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a system having fixed computers and mobile computers and relates particularly but not exclusively to such for use in an airline environment where fixed computers can be at airport terminals and mobile computers can be installed within aircraft.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
Hitherto, airline systems have provided entertainment services to customers by providing video tapes for video entertainment and audio tapes for audio entertainment. In recent years, it is common to provide video news segments particularly on short duration flights. The production of the necessary numbers of video tapes for this news service presents considerable difficulties particularly as all aircraft within the airline fleet usually require the latest version as soon as possible and usually require an AM and a PM edition. This need has been satisfied by providing relatively large video duplicating facilities at each airport terminal or at least at the major airport terminals. Typically, a video news segment can be provided from a video production house by either being transferred digitally over land lines or by satellite connection to one or more airline terminals. Video tapes are then produced for each aircraft at the relevant airline terminals and then distributed to the aircraft when they visit the terminal.
In recent times it has been proposed that instead of providing video tapes for playback on conventional video player devices within the aircraft, that the video media can be digitally provided and stored in storage mediums such as hard disk drives. There are the same particular problems associated with providing the necessary digital copies in storage mediums such as hard disk drives as for video tapes. Further, hard disk drives are generally not as convenient to use in this environment as video tapes, as hard disk drives are not as easily removable or replaceable in the computer equipment as video tapes are in video player/recorders. Other problems relate to the fact that digitally recorded media such as video and audio is of high quality and copies are indistinguishable from the original source material. Therefore, movie houses and other media houses are concerned that if such media is available digitally it may be illegally copied and distributed and therefore compete with the genuine product. Therefore there are problems in adopting digitally recorded media in an airline environment and in other environments.
OBJECT AND STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention attempts to address one or more of the aforementioned problems.
According to a first broad aspect of the present invention there may be provided a method of propagating data throughout a computer system having mobile computers, and a computer server device at a fixed site, said method comprising providing relevant data at said computer server device to be transferred to said mobile computers, making a data exchange connection between a mobile computer and said computer server device when a mobile computer visits said site, providing software authorisation checking when said data exchange connection is made to determine if said mobile computer is an authorised computer, conducting software checking to determine if relevant data resident in said computer server device is more recent than the relevant data in said mobile computer, invoking further software to transfer the relevant data from said computer server device to said computer if it is more recent than the relevant data in said mobile computer, and if the relevant data in said mobile computer is more recent than the relevant data in said computer server device, invoking said further software to transfer the relevant data from said mobile computer to said computer server device, and repeating the process with further mobile computers when they visit said site whereby said relevant data can be propagated.
It is particularly preferred that said authorisation, said determining, and said data transfer be provided automatically upon making said data exchange connection.
It is particularly preferred that there be a plurality of fixed sites each with a respective computer server device, and wherein when relevant data is required to be propagated it be first introduced to a computer server device at one of said fixed sites, and that it be propagated to a further one of said plurality of fixed sites by being transferred to a mobile computer visiting said one site and then to said further one of said plurality of sites when said mobile computer visits said further one of said plurality of sites, thereby providing said further one of said plurality of sites with the relevant data for propagation to further mobile computers which visit said further one of said plurality of sites.
It is particularly preferred that said system be an airline system having airport terminals each with a respective computer server device, and wherein aircraft of said airline each have a respective computer fitted therein so as each aircraft makes a journey the computers therein will be mobile.
It is also particularly preferred that at least one of the computer server devices be connected to receive relevant data from an external source to said system.
It is particularly preferred that said external source be a media production house which has a data exchange link with said computer server device.
It is further particularly preferred that said relevant data be data for use in providing entertainment and/or information to passengers of the aircraft.
It is further particularly preferred that each airport terminal have a LAN and that each aircraft boarding area at said airport have a respective computer server connector connected in said LAN, and wherein when data is transferred to said computer server, it will be made available at all other computer server connectors in said LAN which are for connecting with mobile computers.
It is also particularly preferred that when data is being transferred that it transfer to unoccupied file area in storage memory, and that after transfer, software is invoked to determine if all data to be transferred has been transferred and only then to cause that transferred data to be useable in lieu of any older data which may be in the storage memory.
It is particularly preferred that the transferred data be checked to determine that all data intended to be transferred has been transferred and then deleting the data it is intended to replace. It is particularly preferred that the transferred data be given the same file name or a same part file name as any data deleted.
It is particularly preferred that said computer server and the storage medium at the computer server be retained at a secure area at said airport.
According to a second broad aspect of the present invention there may be provided a method for making authorised computer connection between two computers to allow for data transfer therebetween, comprising providing devices on each side of the connection dedicated to security checking, one of the devices being an Initiator for initiating a security checking request, and the other of the devices being a Respondent for receiving a security checking request from an Initiator, and for providing a pass-through command in response to such request, and only in response to said pass-through command allowing data to pass between the two computers.
Preferably the allowing of data to pass occurs by operation of switches within each of said devices which interconnect data exchange lines at each computer.
Preferably said security checking request and said path-through command are provided on lines separate to said data exchange lines.
Preferably there is a password exchange between said two devices during said security checking request.
Preferably the Initiator is configured to check if the Respondent is still connected during the passing of data and to terminate the passing of data if the Respondent is not connected.
Preferably the Respondent is configured to check if the Initiator is still connected during the passing of data and to terminat
AAV Australia Pty Ltd
Dinh Dung C.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Salad Abdullahi Elmi
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