Patent ID: 7437221

Claim:
An aircraft computing and display device, comprising: a general purpose processor for executing logical instructions in the form of computer software and a memory for storing the software; a touch screen display that forms an interactive human-machine interface by displaying video graphics and accepting user input with a pressure sensitive surface; and a housing that retains the processor, the memory and the touch screen, the housing physically configured to replace a legacy device mounted in a cockpit instrument panel of the aircraft, the legacy device being a user control interface for a subsystem of the aircraft and the legacy device including a display and mechanical buttons, each button associated with a fixed function, wherein the aircraft computing and display device is a form-fit-function replacement for the legacy device such that the aircraft computing and display device connects to aircraft wiring dedicated to the legacy device; and wherein, in a legacy mode, the aircraft computing and display device executes logic to carry out functions performed by the legacy device, to replicate layout and content of the legacy device display on the touch screen display and to display a virtual keyboard on the touch screen display to replicate input functionality and mechanical button arrangement of the mechanical buttons.