Patent ID: 8856838

Claim:
A communications system for an aircraft comprising: an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system comprising at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, at least one IFE wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate within the aircraft, and at least one IFE controller for selectively displaying video from said at least one IFE entertainment source on said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, for generating a respective registration token image on each IFE passenger seat display, and for communicating within the aircraft via said at least one IFE wireless transceiver; at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger and comprising a PED optical sensor, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller for communicating directly with said at least one IFE wireless transceiver via said PED wireless transceiver based upon said PED optical sensor sensing the registration token image.