Patent ID: 7509587
Filing Date: 2009-03-24
Classification: B64D,Y02T,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A user interface for monitoring and controlling a plurality of aircraft cabin systems comprising: a liquid crystal display screen having a display surface configured to provide an input to said user interface when touched by a user of the user interface; a general display area provided on the display surface and displaying a main menu that includes a subset of the plurality of aircraft cabin systems, selected by the user from among the plurality of aircraft cabin systems, which includes a first system image showing status information for a first system of the plurality of aircraft cabin systems, and a second system image showing status information for a second system of the plurality of aircraft cabin systems, wherein at least the first system image is a spatial map of the aircraft cabin showing status information for the first system at different locations within the aircraft cabin; a plurality of touch sensitive input keys arranged on a scroll bar and provided on the display surface, each key labeled with a symbol identifying a respective one of said plurality of aircraft cabin systems including the first and second aircraft cabin systems; a first system menu associated with the first system of said plurality of aircraft cabin systems, the first system menu being displayable on said display screen as a first system graphical menu when the touch sensitive key identifying the first system is activated by the user and when the first system image spatial map is touched by the user and also when a predescribed succession plan or display sequence automatically successively displays system graphical menus corresponding to the plurality of aircraft cabin systems; said first system graphical menu including status information and operating functions of said first systems and at least one input area configured to provide at least one of selection and control of said operating functions of said first system when touched by said user; and a second system menu associated with the second system of said plurality of aircraft cabin systems, the second system menu being displayable on said display screen as a second system graphical menu when the touch sensitive key identifying the second system is activated by the user and when the second system image is touched by the user and also when the predescribed succession plan or display sequence automatically successively displays system graphical menus corresponding to the plurality of aircraft cabin systems, said second system graphical menu including status information and operating functions of said second system and at least one input area configured to provide at least one of selection and control of said operating functions of said second system when touched by said user.