Passenger service system for vehicles

Claim 2

A passenger vehicle service system comprising: a head end apparatus (100) having memory means (141 to 148) for storing menu data, and means (105) for recovering said menu data for subsequent transmission, wherein said menu data includes at least one menu and each menu includes at least one menu item; a plurality of terminal units (200), each provided at a respective one of a plurality of passenger seats, each terminal unit (200) having means (61) for displaying said menu data, means (206) for selecting a menu item from among the displayed menu data, and means (219) for generating a request signal which indicates the menu item selected by the selecting means (206) and which also includes an address signal identifying said terminal unit (200); and means (171) for transmitting said menu data from said head end apparatus (100) to the terminal units (200) and for transmitting the request signals from the terminal units (200) to the head end apparatus (100).

Claim 3

A system according to claim 1, wherein said head end apparatus (100) comprises controller means (101) for receiving the request signals from the terminal units (200) and processing the request signals for display.

Claim 4

A system according to claim 2, wherein said head end apparatus (100) comprises display means (103) connected to said controller means (101) for displaying the processed request signals received from the controller means (101).

Claim 5

A system according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said head end apparatus (100) comprises keyboard means (102) connected to the controller means (101) for sending a command to the controller means (101) for instructing the controller means (101) to generate a command signal for transmission to the terminal units (200), wherein the command signal is capable of causing the terminal units (200) to display menu data transmitted from the head end apparatus (100).

Claim 7

A system according to claim 5, wherein said menu data includes a list of meals and a list of drinks.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein said selecting means comprises a cursor up key (72) and a cursor down key (72) for selecting menu items among said displayed menu data, and an enter key (73) for sending a selection by one of said cursor up and down keys (72) to said request signal generating means (219).

Claim 9

A system according to claim 5, claim 6 or claim 7, wherein said head end apparatus (100) comprises means for storing television game software data and recovering said television game software data for transmission to the terminal units (200), wherein said menu data includes a list of television games included in said television game software data, wherein said encoder means (151, 152) is capable of encoding said television game software data as well as said menu data, and wherein each terminal unit (200) comprises means (209) for processing each television game selected by the selecting means (206).

Claim 10

A system according to claim 8, wherein said menu data includes a list of meals, a list of drinks and a list of television games.

Claim 11

A system according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein said head end apparatus (100) includes means (110 to 115) for reproducing video signals and means (121 to 129) for reproducing audio signals, wherein said audio signals are encoded by said encoder means (151, 152), and wherein the head end apparatus (100) includes modulator means (161 to 167) for modulating said video signals, said encoded menu data, and said encoded audio signals, and multiplexer means (168) for multiplexing said modulated video signals, said modulated encoded menu data, and said modulated encoded audio signals, and wherein each terminal unit (200) includes means (201) for receiving said multiplexed signals, and demodulator means (203, 204) for demodulating said video signals, said encoder menu data, and said encoded audio signals, and for supplying the demodulated encoded audio signals and the demodulated encoded menu data to the decoder means (205), wherein the demodulated encoded audio signals are decoded by said decoder means (205), and wherein each terminal unit (200) includes means (65 to 68) for selecting said video signals and said audio signals, and an audio output terminal for receiving the selected audio signals.

Claim 12

A system according to claim 10, wherein each terminal unit (200) comprises a game terminal (64) connected to the television game processing means (209) for receiving television game play signals and routing the television game play signals to the television game processing means (209), and a game controller (208) connectable to the game terminal (64) for generating the television game play signals.

Claim 13

A system according to claim 11, wherein each terminal unit (200) includes a panel (206) in which the menu selecting means (71 to 73), the means (65 to 68) for selecting video signals and audio signals, the audio output terminal, and the game terminal (64) are provided.

Claim 14

A system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of said panels (206) is provided on the rear side of one of said passenger seats.

Claim 17

A passenger vehicle service method including the steps of: at a head end apparatus (100), generating menu data including at least one menu, wherein each menu includes at least one menu item; transmitting the menu data from the head end apparatus (100) to a plurality of terminal units (200), each provided at a respective one of a plurality of passenger seats; at each terminal unit (200), displaying said at least one menu, and generating a request signal indicative of a menu item from said at least one menu and also including an address signal identifying the passenger seat at which the request signal is generated; and transmitting each request signal from the terminal unit (200) at which it is generated to the head end apparatus (100).

Claim 18

A passenger vehicle service method including the steps of: at a head end apparatus (100), generating menu data including at least one menu, wherein each menu includes at least one menu item; transmitting the menu data from the head end apparatus (100) to a plurality of terminal units (200), each provided at a respective one of a plurality of passenger seats; at each terminal unit (200), displaying said at least one menu, and generating a request signal indicative of a menu item from said at least one menu and also including an address signal identifying the passenger seat at which the request signal is generated; and transmitting each request signal from the terminal unit (200) at which it is generated to the head end apparatus (100).

Claim 19

A method according to claim 16, including the steps of: digitally encoding the menu data at the head end apparatus (100), before transmitting the menu data to the terminal units (200); and decoding the menu data at each terminal unit (200) before displaying the at least one menu.

Claim 20

A method according to claim 16, including the steps of: receiving the request signals from the terminal units (200) at the head end apparatus (100); and processing the received request signals for subsequent display at the head end apparatus (100).

Claim 21

A method according to claim 18, including the step of: displaying the request signals at the head end apparatus (100) after being processed for display.

Claim 22

A method according to claim 18, including the steps of: within the head end apparatus (100), generating a command signal capable of causing the terminal units (200) to display menu data transmitted from the head end apparatus (100); and transmitting the command signal from the head end apparatus (100) to the terminal units (200).

Claim 23

A method according to claim 20, wherein the request signals, the menu data and the command signal, are transmitted to and from the head end apparatus (100) over a common cable (171).