Patent ID: 8131288

Claim:
An apparatus for use aboard an aircraft for maintaining an air-to-ground network connection between a processing device, aboard the aircraft, and a second processing device, at a terrestrial location, the apparatus comprising: a packet inspector to inspect a packet destined for the processing device or received from the processing device to detect whether the packet satisfies certain criteria; a service manager connection component to log the processing device onto the second processing device via the air-to-ground network connection when the processing device is not logged onto the second processing device and the packet inspector detects the packet satisfying the certain criteria; and a switch component for detecting an approaching end of a satellite region for a satellite currently handling communications for the air-to-ground network connection and for making a transition from the satellite to a second satellite such that the air-to-ground network connection is seamlessly maintained, wherein the satellite operates using a first communication band and the second satellite operates using a second communication band, and when a VoIP call is connected from the processing device via the second satellite, the apparatus maintains the VoIP call as long as a VoIP data packet is received or sent before a predetermined time interval expires.