IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,387,193
Granted Patent B2
US 12,387,193 · App. 18/432,702 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Aerospace commerce exchange

Inventors: Ryan Mitchell Stone (Charlotte, NC); Blane Edward Rockafellow (Raleigh, NC); Bryan S. Trainum (Williamsburg, VA); Charles Jason Rinker (Wake Forest, NC)
Assignee: SMARTSKY NETWORKS LLC
G06Q20/325G06Q10/20G06Q20/085G06Q20/12G06Q20/14G06Q20/382G06Q20/401G06Q30/06G06Q50/10G06Q50/40H04L9/3239H04W4/38H04W4/44
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,387,193
App. No.
18/432,702
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An aerospace commerce exchange system may include a network, a plurality of clients operably coupled to the network, and an aerospace commerce exchange platform operably coupled to the network to provide exchange services to the clients. At least one of the clients may be operably coupled to the aerospace commerce exchange platform via an air-to-ground wireless communication link or satellite link (or other links with which an aircraft may be associated) to provide or receive data associated with at least one of the exchange services.

Claims (33)

1. An aerospace commerce exchange system comprising:

an air-to-ground wireless communication network;

a plurality of clients operably coupled to the network, the clients comprising data producers and data consumers;

an aerospace commerce exchange platform operably coupled to the network to provide exchange services to the data producers and the data consumers such that the data producers provide information to the aerospace commerce exchange platform to be accessed by the data consumers; and

a security module configured to enable secure communication associated with the exchange services between the clients,

wherein at least one of the data producers comprises an in-flight aircraft that is operably coupled to the aerospace commerce exchange platform via an air-to-ground wireless communication link to provide the information as data from components or sensors of the aircraft to the aerospace commerce exchange platform while the aircraft is in-flight,

wherein the security module is configured to provide a distributed ledger for communication of the data from the components or sensor of the aircraft as an aircraft record for the aircraft, and from components or sensors of multiple other in-flight aircraft as respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft, and

wherein the data from the components or sensors of each of the aircraft and the other in-flight aircraft define a first level at which permissioned or permissionless blockchain techniques are employed to ensure authentication of the data, and

wherein permissioned or permissionless blockchain techniques are further employed at a second level to ensure authentication of the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the exchange services comprises providing the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft to the data consumers to enable application development by the data consumers based on the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft each comprise an aircraft maintenance record portion, an aircraft logbook portion or an environmental data recording portion.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein one or more of the aircraft maintenance record portion, the aircraft logbook portion and the environmental data recording portion include asset data provided in real-time from the components or sensors of the aircraft and the other in-flight aircraft.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft each comprise a database or ledger maintained using blockchain techniques.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a pilot of the aircraft and maintenance personnel are each authorized to add data to a blockchain data store comprising information associated with maintenance of the aircraft that is protected via blockchain techniques.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aerospace commerce exchange platform comprises an ecommerce module configured to enable a first client to conduct a transaction with a second client as one of the exchange services for which billing is handled via the aerospace commerce exchange platform.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the security module comprises processing circuitry at a centralized location in the network to manage authorization or authentication of the communication.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the security module comprises distributed processing circuitry associated with management of authorization or authentication of the communication.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein asset data is provided in real-time from the aircraft and the asset data is provided via an asset data record maintained using the blockchain techniques.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the exchange services include at least one service associated with the asset data record, and wherein multiple clients communicate with each other to perform the at least one service employing blockchain techniques.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein smart contracts are provided as one of the exchange services.

13. A platform for providing exchange services associated with an aerospace commerce exchange system, the platform being accessible to a plurality of clients comprising data producers and data consumers via an air-to-ground wireless communication network, the platform comprising processing circuitry configured to provide at least one of the exchange services and to define a security module configured to enable secure communication associated with the exchange services between the clients,

wherein the platform is operably coupled to the network to provide the at least one of the exchange services to the data producers and the data consumers such that the data producers provide information to the platform to be accessed by the data consumers,

wherein at least one of the data producers comprises an in-flight aircraft that is operably coupled to the aerospace commerce exchange platform via an air-to-ground wireless communication link to provide the information as data from components or sensors of the aircraft to the aerospace commerce exchange platform while the aircraft is in-flight,

wherein the security module is configured to provide a distributed ledger for communication of the data from the components or sensor of the aircraft as an aircraft record for the aircraft, and from components or sensors of multiple other in-flight aircraft as respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft, and

wherein the data from the components or sensors of each of the aircraft and the other in-flight aircraft define a first level at which permissioned or permissionless blockchain techniques are employed to ensure authentication of the data, and

wherein permissioned or permissionless blockchain techniques are further employed at a second level to ensure authentication of the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft.

14. The platform of claim 13 , wherein the at least one of the exchange services comprises providing the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft to the data consumers to enable application development by the data consumers based on the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft.

15. The platform of claim 14 , wherein the aircraft record and the respective aircraft records for the other in-flight aircraft each comprise an aircraft maintenance record portion, an aircraft logbook portion or an environmental data recording portion.

16. The platform of claim 15 , wherein one or more of the aircraft maintenance record portion, the aircraft logbook portion and the environmental data recording portion include asset data provided in real-time from the components or sensors of the aircraft and the other in-flight aircraft.

17. The platform of claim 13 , wherein the aerospace commerce exchange platform comprises an ecommerce module configured to enable a first client to conduct a transaction with a second client as one of the exchange services for which billing is handled via the aerospace commerce exchange platform.

18. The platform of claim 17 , wherein the security module comprises processing circuitry at a centralized location in the network to manage authorization or authentication of the communication.

19. The platform of claim 13 , wherein asset data is provided in real-time from the aircraft and the asset data is provided via an asset data record maintained using the blockchain techniques.

20. The platform of claim 13 , wherein the exchange services include at least one service associated with the asset data record, and wherein multiple clients communicate with each other to perform the at least one service employing blockchain techniques.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 7, 2024
From: STONE, RYAN MITCHELL; ROCKAFELLOW, BLANE EDWARD; TRAINUM, BRYAN S.; RINKER, CHARLES JASON
To: SMARTSKY NETWORKS LLC
Reel/Frame 066406/0505 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 17115983 · Dec 9, 2020
Continuation 15884468 · Jan 31, 2018
Provisional Application 62454248 · Feb 3, 2017
Related Publication 20240177135A1 · May 30, 2024
References Cited (46)
US 6167239A · Wright · 2000 [cited by examiner]
US 7636568B2 · Gould · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 8260675B1 · Pienkos · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 8423009B2 · Srinivasan · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 9325793B1 · Stone et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 10074283B1 · de Oliveira et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20020090946A1 · Mielke · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 20020091543A1 · Thakur · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20070208719A1 · Tran · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20080070517A1 · Brady · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20090024486A1 · Sevrain · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20100131149A1 · Saugnac et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20140011441A1 · Lauer · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20140025560A1 · Kwitek et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20160094674A1 · Drion · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20160112852A1 · Sarma · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170041331A1 · Craig · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20170344615A1 · Islam et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20180146061A1 · Oberdorfer · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190020661A1 · Zhang · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 101082968A · 2007 [cited by applicant]
CN 101971160A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
CN 102831526A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
CN 102884525A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
CN 102982480A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
CN 104053044A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
CN 105447741A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 105589923A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 2010524316A · 2010 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011504664A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 2013028341A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
JP 2014028614A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
JP 2016219014A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020010104400A · 2001 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020160127878A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
WO 2009042714A2 · 2009 [cited by applicant]
WO 2018144859A1 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-7009096 mailed Dec. 20, 2024, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued in U.S. Appl. No. 16/114,756 mailed Feb. 11, 2025, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from corresponding Chinese Application No. 201880011388.1 mailed Mar. 29, 2023, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]
Decision of Refusal from related JP application No. 2019-542081 dated Apr. 20, 2021, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]
Notice of Reasons for Refusal from Japanese Application No. 2021-124861 dated Aug. 23, 2022, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]
Notice of Preliminary Rejection in corresponding Korean Application No. 10-2019-7025875 mailed Jan. 18, 2023, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from corresponding Indonesian Application No. P00202102219 mailed Mar. 8, 2023, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]
Decision to Grant from corresponding Japanese Application No. 2021-124861 mailed Mar. 22, 2023, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from corresponding Chinese Application No. 201980055521.8 mailed Mar. 6, 2024, all pages cited in its entirety. [cited by applicant]