Patent ID: 7904082
Filing Date: 2011-03-08
Classification: B64D,G08B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A ground-based communication device that communicates with an aircraft-based communication device via an Iridium Short Burst Data Service, the ground-based communication device comprising: a communication interface, that receives from and sends to a ground-based processing device, ACARS messages; a header adder that adds an Iridium header to at least a portion of an ACARS message received from the ground-based processing device, the Iridium header including an application indicator for indicating one of a plurality of applications to which the at least a portion of the message pertains, a message identifier for associating a plurality of message portions of the ACARS message, and a segment offset indicating a placement of each of the plurality of message portions with respect to the ACARS message; a message segmenter that segments messages based on the transceiver used by each aircraft, and an L-band transceiver that sends an Iridium Short Burst Data message to an aircraft-based communication device, the Iridium Short Burst Data message including the at least a portion of the ACARS message and the added Iridium header.