Patent ID: 7114171

Claim:
A network protocol enabled in-flight entertainment system, comprising: head-end equipment, including controller equipment that control the in-flight entertainment system; a plurality of line-replaceable units separate from the head-end equipment and coupled to the head-end equipment, at least one line-replaceable unit of the plurality of line-replaceable units being an electronics box located at a seat, said electronics box comprising: a processor for processing an input signal generated by a user interface connected with a line-replaceable unit of the plurality of line-replaceable units, and for generating a control activation signal in response to the input signal; a network client program running on the processor for receiving the control activation signal, and for generating a network sewer request in a network protocol format; a network server program running on the processor for receiving the network server request, and for controlling a function of the in-flight entertainment system by executing at least one instruction on another of the line-replaceable units of the plurality of line-replaceable units that is remote from said electronics box in accordance with the received network server request.