Patent ID: 7269761

Claim:
A remote access system for diagnosing at least one target component of an IFE on an aircraft, the system comprising: an IFE interface onboard the aircraft, the IFE interface being in communication with the at least one target component; a base computer, the base computer being equipped with a base program and first communication equipment for connecting the base computer to communicate over a communications network; a remote computer located at an aircraft site, the remote computer being conveyable onboard the aircraft and removably connectable to the IFE interface, the remote computer being equipped with a diagnostic program operable to analyze the at least one target component of the IFE when the remote computer is connected to the IFE interface, and to generate output; and second communication equipment for connecting the remote computer to communicate over the communications network with the base computer wherein the diagnostic program at the remote computer receives input from the base computer and wherein the remote computer transmits output to the base computer, wherein the base program is configured to send at least one command to the diagnostic program at the remote computer and receive output from the diagnostic program at the remote computer in response to the at least one command, and wherein, based on the command received from the base program, the remote computer queries the at least one target component of the IFE and sends a query response to the base computer.