FR2557720A1 - On-board apparatus suitable for managing an aircraft cabin - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to management of passenger service in an aircraft. An on-board apparatus intended for managing operations taking place in the cabin of a transport aircraft comprises, in particular, data processing means 46, an associated terminal 56, providing data input and output functions, and a database contained in a memory 49. The database contains overall data on the flight segment representing the information necessary for the cabin personnel for each flight segment on which the aircraft in question is likely to be used. Application to the operation of airlines.

Description

 the present invention relates to apparatus suitable for the management of air transport.

 Today, an aircraft in flight travels through increasingly congested airways, with a large number of aircraft operating 24 hours a day and in increasingly large global regions.

 Long gone are the days when a given aircraft with a global operating range was assigned to a single repetitive air route, with the same group of cabin crew on duty operating on the same air route. This may still apply to airlines serving feeder lines, but not to major carriers who frequently operate airlines which are international in nature.

 Typically, a large number of crew members, particularly cabin crew, arrive at work on a given day without knowing the exact destination of the aircraft on which they are to operate. Due to the diversity of destinations, that is to say national, international, etc., and the exact nature of the aircraft, that is to say a large aircraft, a conventional aircraft, etc., the members of the crew and cabin crew must carry with them all essential flight information to ensure efficient movement of the aircraft as well as to provide passengers with the appropriate service. cabin personnel are brought on board personally, or kept in the aircraft, or returned to the aircraft cabin shortly before flight time. All catering services that provide food and alcoholic beverages must be inventoried before the start of the flight and then counted at the destination of the flight.

 Because of the public's insistence that departures take place on time, it often happens that the aircraft takes off without the staff having an exact list of passengers and the seats assigned to them. While this is not critical to passenger service, passengers would feel much better service if the staff knew the exact identity of the passengers, with their names and seats.

 With regard to the economic aspects of cabin management, there is a major problem concerning the disappearance of products from stock. The losses suffered by the airlines in the area of alcoholic beverages alone are considered significant. your headphone rentals and duty-free sales are similarly sources of potential loss for airlines.

 In international flights and flights connecting with international flights, more and more passengers pay in foreign currency for the services offered on board the aircraft, which poses a staff exchange rate problem. cabin. devaluations of certain currencies, as well as the appreciation of other currencies, in a manner that is frequently spontaneous and daily, have resulted in significant losses for airlines, as there are currently no such no means to keep cabin crew informed of these changes.

 your airlines have seriously tackled the problems mentioned above. Airline administration is quick to take note of changes in areas such as currencies and flight times, and to provide each cabin crew member with additional information change sheets, to enable them to do so to update its information elements. Since the airline has no way of knowing exactly on which airlines and on what type of aircraft cabin crew members will operate, they receive, before the flight, over a period of time, volumes of new documents to replace old documents that need to be changed and updated.

 It is not surprising that cabin crew members, pressed for time, can selectively update their documentation so as to incorporate only the information they think they need.

When this happens, a cabin crew member may very well be in flight to a destination without having the most recent information regarding the airline in question.

 So far there is no simple solution to the above problems. The invention described below provides an economical and original solution to the problems that airlines have encountered in the previously considered field of managing the services offered in the cabin of an aircraft.

 The invention relates more particularly to an apparatus suitable for the management of air transport, intended for use with an aircraft carrying several occupants, capable of moving geographically over the entire extent of a global region, between global locations capable of be discreetly identified, which are identifiable in the form of pairs of departure / destination locations, in which each aircraft maintains overall information regarding parameters essential to the profitability of the movement of the aircraft, as well as meeting the requirements for passenger service. The equipment suitable for management comprises an information handling device on board the aircraft, which is connected to a memory device containing the global information.

 The memory device is functionally connected, via a microprocessor, to a keyboard-controlled video terminal which includes a cathode screen.

 The keyboard makes it possible to request information concerning pairs of departure / destination locations, from the global information, to present it on the cathode screen of the video terminal.

 An essential object of the invention is therefore to provide an apparatus suitable for the management of an aircraft which facilitates the movement of the aircraft under good conditions of profitability, as well as the satisfaction of the requirements concerning the service of the occupants, at inside a global region1 by the use of a memory on board the aircraft, containing global information1 which is connected by a central processor to a video terminal controlled by keyboard, and in which information concerning pairs of departure / destination locations, which is derived from global information, is presented to the video terminal and / or provided in the form of a printed document.

 Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which ensures an effective connection between the functions required for the management of the cabin service of an aircraft, and ground management functions, via a communication link. digital air-to-ground, ground-to-air transmission.

 Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus suitable for management, on board an aircraft, comprising a memory which can be modified from a remote point located on the ground, or through of a satellite.

 Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus suitable for aircraft cabin management which can be connected via a central processing unit to the video screens of the entertainment system of the aircraft.

 Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus suitable for aircraft cabin management which can transmit information from the aircraft to a ground station or to the seat of the airline, this information relating to a wide range of activities relating to the aircraft cabin, for example, without limitation: fault reports, crew service time, items relating to cabin maintenance, comments of passengers, flight monitoring information, statistical information concerning stocks for catering, for flight segments corresponding to specific departure / destination locations, correspondence information for passengers, sales of alcoholic beverages, headphone rentals and duty-free sales.

 To achieve the above objects, the invention provides an apparatus suitable for the management of an aircraft, intended for use with an aircraft carrying occupants and capable of moving geographically over the whole extent of a global region between discrete identifiable overall ground locations, which are identifiable in the form of departure / destination location pairs, in which each aircraft moving and transporting occupants maintains overall information regarding parameters essential to the profitability of aircraft movements as well as the satisfaction of service requirements for occupants. The equipment adapted to management includes a transceiver on board the aircraft which is connected to a memory unit containing the overall information concerning the above essential parameters.

 It is also planned to incorporate in the apparatus at least one remote transceiver, to establish a telecommunications link with the transceiver of the aircraft, whereby the information contained in the aircraft memory can be modified from the remote receiver, and the parameter information that is produced in the aircraft can be transmitted for use at the location of the remote receiver.

The remote transceiver may be at a ground location or it may be connected to a ground location via a digital satellite data link and / or the radio transceiver. the aircraft.

 The memory located in the aircraft is functionally connected, and via a microprocessor, to a keyboard-controlled video terminal which is functionally associated with a printer, intended to supply printed documents, as well as to the entertainment system. video of the aircraft, located remotely.

 The keypad allows you to request information about pairs of start / destination locations, from the global information, for simultaneous presentation on the video terminal or on the video screens of the entertainment system, as well as by means of 'a printed document.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows of an embodiment and with reference to the appended drawings in which
FIG. 1 is a geographical representation of a global region of the earth, in which the invention can be used
Figure 2 is a three-dimensional representation which shows part of the earth and a schematic representation of the various components involved in the implementation of the invention;
Figure 3 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the invention
FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional representation of the device according to the invention, as it would typically appear on board an aircraft
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the structure of the cabin management database which is located in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the structure of the general database file which is part of the cabin management database structure of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of the structure of the film file which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of the structure of the approval file which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of the structure of the foreign language file which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of the structure of the general message file which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
Figure i1 is a schematic representation of the structure of the special message file which is part of the cabin management database of Figure 5, in the memory on board the aircraft
FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of the structure of the destination message file which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of the structure of the currency file which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 14 is a schematic representation of the structure of the flight sales file which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of the structure of the fault file which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located in the aircraft
FIGS. 16A, 163 and 16C are schematic representations of the structure of the file history database which is part of the cabin management database of FIG. 5, in the memory located on board the aircraft
FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the control structure of the apparatus adapted to cabin management
Figure 18 is a block diagram of the time display logic SM? and header display logic;
Figure 19 is a representation of the header display
Figure 20 is a representation of a pre-flight information display; and
FIG. 21 is a partially cutaway representation of an on-board terminal intended for use with the equipment adapted to cabin management.

We will now consider Figure 1 which is intended to represent a global region 11 of the earth, in which the apparatus according to the invention is applicable. To explain the theory which corresponds to the principle of the invention, we will have recourse to what is commonly called in Boole algebra a Venn diagram ". An examination of FIG. 1 shows the structure of such a diagram. note that the use of the technique of
Venn diagram is only intended to show the importance of the problem which is solved by the invention, which will be described more fully later, and it is not intended to obtain a mathematical equation which would be used in any way to limit the invention.

 We see a circle 12 which covers most of the global region 11. The circle 12 is intended to represent all the global information concerning parameters essential to the safety and the profitability of the movement of the aircraft, and all of the information regarding the tracking of services provided to the occupants of the aircraft in the global region surrounded by the global information circle 12. The term "occupants of the aircraft" is used in a sense that includes passengers as well as airline staff.

 For explanatory purposes only, there are four discrete geographic locations on the ground, which are, from left to right: LAX (Los Angeles); JFK CJohn F.

Kennedy, New York); CCS (Caracas, Venezuela) and LHR (London
Heathrow Airport). It is important to note here that at any airport in the world is assigned, by convention, a three (3) letter code, called "City / Airport Code". A respective circle is associated with each of the airports indicated above, that is to say that the circle 13 is associated with tAI, the circle 14 is associated with JFK, the circle 16 is assigned to CCS and the circle 17 is associated with LHR. Each of the circles 13, 14, 16 and 17 is intended to represent all the global information concerning essential parameters linked to the combination of its city / airport which is represented in the center of each of the circles 13, 14, 16 and 17.

 Three aircraft 18, 19 and 21, as well as a satellite 22 and a ground station 23 are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. The aircraft 18 is intended to represent an aircraft departing from LAX (Los Angeles) bound for JFK ( New York, New York). The aircraft 19 has a departure / destination route which can be characterized by JFK / CCS and the aircraft 21 has a departure / destination air route which is characterized by LHR / JFK.

 In the case of aircraft 18 heading from LAX to JFK, the crew especially only needs the information contained in the hatched intersection region 24, which represents only the part of the set of the global information that is essential for aircraft 18 flying between Los Angeles (LAX) and New York (JFK). Consequently, the flight segment Los Ângeles-New York, and the information contained in the intersection and relating to the invention, will be characterized by TAXJFE, which is a new term which constitutes an expression of a pair start / destination.

It will be noted in a similar manner that the hatched intersection 26 of the information circles 14, 16 represents only the part of the whole of the global information which is essential for the aircraft 19 flying between New
York. () and Caracas, in Venezuela (CCS). The flight segment just described produces the following new expression: JFKCCS.

 Finally, we see that the hatched intersection 27 of the information circles 14 and 17 represents only the part of the total global information which is essential for the aircraft 21 flying between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and New York (JFK). The new expression for this flight segment will be IERJFE.

 It can be seen from reading the above that when an aircraft moves throughout an overall region 11 between global locations which can be discreetly identified, such as for example LAI, ZFE, 005 and LHR, each air route between cities can be characterized by a pair of start / destination locations. We will now present the details of the device which is used to implement the invention and which uses the pairs of "departure / destination" locations. the joint function of satellite 22 and ground station 23 will be considered subsequently, when examining the operation of the overall apparatus of the invention.

 It is recalled that each crew, including the cabin crew, must have access to all the global information represented by the global information circle 12.

Knowing this, we will now consider Figure 2 which is a three-dimensional representation of part of the earth and a schematic representation of the various components involved in the implementation of the invention.

 FIG. 2 is intended to represent all the aspects of an apparatus adapted to the management of an aircraft which could comprise: (1) an aircraft such as an airplane 18 on board of which there is an apparatus material adapted to the management, 31, (2) a ground station 23 equipped with a transceiver, not shown, which is connected by telephone lines 32 to an administrative center 33, and (3) a telecommunications satellite 22 which is connected res - Pectively to the ground station 23 and to the aircraft 18 by digital telecommunications links. The airplane 18 includes a digital telecommunication link 35 which is represented between this airplane and the ground station 23.

 We will now consider FIG. 3 which is a block diagram of the hardware 31 of FIG. 2, on board the aircraft. The cabin 40 of the aircraft 18, as well as a united avionics bay 41, shows a dashed frame.

 Inside the aircraft is a transceiver 42 operating in HF, which is associated with the avionics bay 41 and which functions as an information manipulation device. The use of a VHF transceiver also falls within the scope of the invention. The transceiver 42 is capable of communicating with the ground station 23 or with a satellite 22 (Figure 2), and it uses a digital signal having a standardized rate of 2400 bits / second. A message sent or received by the transceiver 42 has a characteristic length of less than half a second.

 The transceiver 42, operating in HF, is connected as shown schematically a line 43 to a modem 44, intended for use in HF and equipped with a tempon memory, which is itself connected to a central processing unit (CPU) 4o, by a connection 45, and to a memory unit 49, by connections 47, 48. The CPU 46 is a microprocessor of conventional design. In practice, all the global information including the essential parameters is applied to the CPU 46 and it is transferred by the latter to the memory unit 49 while the aircraft is on the ground. However, it is very important to note that 'The memory unit and the information it contains can be modified from the ground, via the telecommunications link 35, ensuring the transmission of digital data.

According to a variant, it is possible to modify the memory unit 45 and the information recorded inside from a satellite 22, by a telecommunication link 36 (FIG. 2), on an order coming from a station at ground 23, which itself received a message of change of information coming from an administrative center of the airline company by the telephone lines 32. your remote stations like station 23 are typically located at the airports which can be identified discreetly by the three-letter city / airport code mentioned above. In FIG. 2, we chose arbitrarily for Chicago's remote station 23 O'Hare Airport, which has the three-letter code: ORD.

 The memory unit 49 is functionally connected to the microprocessor which constitutes the CPU 46 by the connections 47, 48, and it is connected by connections 51, 52 to the keyboard 53 which controls - via a connection 54 a cathode-ray screen 55 (FIG. 4) in a video terminal 56. A printer 58 intended for outputting printed documents is connected by a connection 57 to the microprocessor of the CGU 46, in order thus to offer users of the apparatus either video visual message, a printed document.

 An aircraft which includes video entertainment systems for passengers typically includes a number of remote presentation screens. A screen 60 of this type is shown connected to the CPU 46 by a connection 59, to be controlled from the keyboard 53 when information which would be useful to the passengers, such as information relating to connecting flights, is required just before to arrive at the intended destination.

 A magnetic card reader 62 is connected by a connection 61 to the CGU 46 and it constitutes a security device ensuring that only cabin crew members who are authorized can access the cabin management equipment.

 A mark detection card reader 64 is connected by a connection 63 to the UCT 46 and provides a convenient means for rapid entry of data or orders into the apparatus.

 Also shown in the avionics bay 41 is a management unit for an automatic routing and communication indication system 70 which is commercially available (ACARS system, which is a registered trademark of Aeronautical Radio Inc. ), the details of which are not part of the invention. The management unit 70, which is respectively bidirectionally connected by connections 68, 69 to the CGU 46 and to the modem 44, equipped with a buffer memory, provides the interface with the pilot as well as with the link telecommunications, in a way that is not represented but is well known in the civil aeronautics industry.

 In operation, the keyboard 53 makes it possible to request information concerning a departure / destination pair, from the global information which is recorded in the memory unit 49. This information concerning a departure / destination pair can be presented as desired or simultaneously by means of the cathode screen 55 of the video terminal 56 and / or of a printed document 80 (FIGS. 4 and 21) produced by the printer 58. In addition, as indicated previously, it is also possible to order the presentation of the passenger information via the video entertainment system.

 We will now consider Figure 4 which shows in three-dimensional form the actual apparatus as it currently exists, intended for use in a commercial aircraft. The reference numbers used in FIG. 4 correspond to those used until now in relation to the representation in the form of a block diagram of FIG. 5.

 The above shows that we have developed a program using the three-letter airport and / or city codes, covering the whole world, to access global information. The city codes of departure and arrival are combined to form a new expression. This new combined expression is then used to access the specific information which is specific to a particular flight segment. The technique of using departure / destination location pairs as a new expression unusually combines known information to solve the problem of presenting flight segment information for use by cabin crew.

 As indicated previously, a safety function has been integrated into the apparatus, at the level of its design, and this function consists in that at the initial powering up of the ballast management apparatus, the cathode screen 55 presents a message asking the user to introduce an “identity” card into the magnetic card reader 62. This reader is of the type which reads a magnetically coded track on a card of the “credit card” type . By this means, the user can specify the personnel who are authorized to access the cabin management apparatus and prevent the use by unauthorized passengers or personnel.

 To obtain the information communicated before the flight, an authorized user must enter the departure and destination locations using the keyboard. The cathode-ray screen 55 then displays these locations, the GMT time, the local time at the departure and arrival locations, and other information relating to the flight considered, such as details of the services offered on this flight.

 As mentioned earlier, airlines have been constantly faced with the problem of keeping track of the use of food on board each flight. It is a stock tracking and financial tracking function that the intention described here makes it possible to achieve more effectively. The video terminal 56, and more precisely the image on the cathode-ray screen 55, requests the user to enter the number of meals on board by class, the number of headphones, the quantity of alcoholic beverages, the quantity of duty-free objects, all this data to be inventoried when items are loaded. The entry of this information can be done by the card reader with mark detection, 64, or by the keyboard 55. Llappareilla- ge is designed in such a way that information relating to stocks can be communicated in a downward direction to a ground station 23, via the HF transceiver 42, as shown in FIG. 2.

The ground station comprises an associated transceiver and a CPU, a memory, etc., these elements not being represented.

The information concerning the load of passengers can be entered manually by the keyboard 53 to be recorded in the memory 49. In the event that the information which appears on a document supplied to the cabin crew just before the flight turns out to be incomplete, a ground station at departure can transmit the complete document shortly after takeoff of the aircraft
As regards the in-flight announcements which it is desired to make to the passengers, it will be noted that desired announcements, in the languages which the flight segment typically requires, are recorded in the memory 49.

 It should also be noted that legally authorized announcements can also be provided by a printed document 80 from the printer, for direct use by cabin crew when making announcements necessary for passengers, using the intercom system. of the aircraft.

 In the area of currency conversions, the equipment suitable for cabin management can operate automatically, at the request of the user, to indicate via the printer 58 or the video terminal 56 the conversions of currencies that are most needed for the given flight segment, or any other currency conversions requested by the crew.

 In areas such as customs and document control, the equipment suitable for cabin management may present information relating to specific texts concerning customs regulations, or any other documentation which is usually required for this departure flight segment. / specific destination. If the user of an apparatus in accordance with the invention so desires, he can interrogate the memory unit 49 by means of the keyboard 53, in order to effectively access documentation of the "manual" type which is kept in the cabin .

With regard to information on connecting flights, many users currently perform this function through voice communications. The invention which has just been described makes it possible to significantly improve this function. By means of its printer 58 or its video terminal 56, the equipment suitable for cabin management can automatically supply information concerning connecting flights, by the printer and the video terminal, as well as by the entertainment system. 60,
This feature is particularly convenient in the case of late arrival or arrival at a replacement destination. The equipment suitable for cabin management offers the possibility of solving unusual connection problems for passengers or crew, by communication to the ground by means of the HF transmitter 42 and the digital telecommunication link 35, with a view to the study of these problems by staff of the administrative center who are used to dealing with this type of problem.

 Another aspect of the equipment allows monitoring of cabin maintenance points, such as seat, lamp or other system faults which could be stored in memory and then transmitted to the ground as described above. , for maintenance action upon arrival at the destination. At the end of each flight segment, a so-called flight report takes place, which requires the entry of information by cabin personnel. Here again, the user can enter via the keyboard 53 or the reader. mark detection cards 64 a summary of the various transactions of the flight segment, after which the user can request the memory 49 to provide via the printer 58 a printed document 80 consisting of a summary report. A statistical study of the sales of alcoholic beverages, headphones and duty-free items, by flight segment, will allow airline management to identify crews that seem, statistically, to have significantly lower sales than those is normally seen for a given departure / destination flight segment. The ability of administrative center staff to detect such seemingly low sales, as well as the crew involved, will allow airlines to quickly determine from a mass memory located on the ground if weak sales and the crew have a certain correlation, in relation to other flight segments. It is believed that this type of research, or at least knowing that such a possibility exists, will reduce the losses that are assumed to exist today.

 As can be expected, there is a logoff function at the end of each flight, the purpose of which is to terminate the responsibility of cabin crew for the flight which has ended. This logoff function has the effect of permanently recording certain selected information which has been produced during the flight segment in the memory 49, and it makes it possible to initialize the equipment suitable for cabin management for the flight. following.

 In order to provide the crew and management of the airline in the most efficient and rapid manner, management information regarding the various operations taking place in the passenger cabin, as summarized above, it has been determined that the most important data must be recorded in the memory 49 located on board. In addition, this data must be organized in such a way as to ensure efficient recording and access. FIG. 5 represents the preferred embodiment of the organization of the data in the on-board memory 49. The cabin management database consists of a certain number of data and program elements. For example, the memory unit 49, which in the preferred embodiment of the invention, consists of a fixed disk of the Winchester type, contains a disk directory 100 which gives the CPU 46 the physical positions of the various data files and various programs on disk 49. In addition, the cabin management database located on disk 49 includes a memory area 102 provided for an operating system, such as the iRMX-86 system, for the 'UCT 46, as well as a memory area 104 for computer programs intended for carrying out cabin management functions.

 The data structure on the disk memory 49 also includes various files for recording cabin management data. There is a general database 106 which includes a data record for each flight segment and which is shown in detail in FIG. 6. There is also in the cabin management database 49 a series of basic files auxiliary data comprising: a film file 108, an agreement file 110, a language file 112, a general message file 114, a special message file 116, a destination message file 118, a file 120, a flight sales file 122, a defect file 124 and a file of invalid employee registration numbers 126. FIGS. 7 to 15 illustrate the structures of these files.

 The general database or flight segment file 106 is organized in a series of records, as indicated by reference numerals 107A07D. There must be at least one record for each flight segment on which the aircraft is likely to work. It should be noted that there may be a large number of registrations 107A-070D, in particular for the large airlines, because of the large number of lines which they serve. The headings of the various areas in records 107A - 107D provide a brief description of the contents of each area of the records. For example, the first area 106A in each record 107A - 107D is a three character alphabetical area containing the identifier of the departure airport for a particular flight segment, and the second area 107B is a three-character alphabetical area that contains the identifier of the arrival airport for the flight segment.

 As a result, each of the records 107A - 107D in the general database file 106 contains information relating to a particular flight segment which is identified by the combination of the departure airport 106 and the arrival airport. 1063.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the general database file 106 is recorded in a random access memory 49 which may preferably be constituted by a memory with a rotating disc, such as a disc of the Winchester type. Individual records such as record 107, representing flight segments, can be accessed in the general database file 106, by combining the code for the starting location, such as
LAX for Los angles International Airport, with the code for the arrival location, such as ORD for the Airport
International O'Hare of Chicago, to produce a combined LêlORD expression. This combined expression or character string can then be used as address or as file key on disk, to directly access the record 107Â-107D of the general database file which contains information relating to the desired flight segment, defined by the combined departure and arrival identifiers. The file structure shown in Figure 6, combined with the access method described above, provides an unusually efficient means for the cabin management data organization, and it also provides a quick way to access data that can be of particular use to the crew and management of the airline.

 In conjunction with areas 106A and 106B containing the departure and arrival location codes or identifiers, flight segment file records 107A107D include area 106C which records a flight number for a particular flight segment. Flight segment number 106C consists of a four-character ASCII numeric field that identifies the number of an official airline flight. Flight numbers are normally specified by a three-digit number: 1-999. However, special flights for certain airlines are often specified by flight numbers 1000-1999. This special area 106C can also be combined with departure and arrival identifiers 106A and 106B, to define a database key. providing access to a record 107A-107D which represents a flight segment for a particular flight number. Separate flight segment or general database 107A-107D records may be required for different flight numbers when the information in general database 106 is likely to vary for different flights on the same flight segment. For example, in a morning flight on a particular segment such as that from Los Angles to Chicago, breakfast may be served, while lunch would be served in a later flight, which requires two separate check-ins, although the flight segment is the same.

 Similarly, the type of aircraft to be used on a particular flight segment is placed in an area 106D. The aircraft type area 106D may consist of an area of three alphanumeric characters which is used to indicate the type of aircraft specified in the particular flight segment record 107A-107D. An object of this area is to provide individual records containing the actual services and data for a particular flight segment when more than one type of aircraft is used on that flight segment. You can also use this area to access the database by key, as described above. Table I below shows an example of three character codes that can be used in area 106D.

TABLE I
721 - Boeing 727-35
722 - Boeing 727-235
727 - Boeing 727-21
72A - Boeing 727-221
72S - Boeing 727-2D4
732 - Boeing 737-200
747 - Boeing 747-100 widebody
74L - Boeing 747 widebody aircraft
DII - Douglas DC10-10
fliC - Douglas DC10-30
L15 - Lockheed 1-1011-500
Records 107A-107D in the general database also include two fields 106E and 106F which contain the departure time and arrival time respectively for that particular flight segment. Departure time 106E and time Arrival 106F are shown in areas 106E and 106F as four-character numeric fields that contain the local departure and arrival times corresponding to the specified departure and arrival airport gates. Hours are recorded in 24 hour format.

 In addition to the arrival time and the departure time, each flight segment record 107A-107D includes an area 106G which contains the flight time expected for the flight segment under consideration. Field 106G is a four-digit field containing the estimated elapsed time from the gate of the departure airport to the gate of the arrival airport. This time is recorded in 24 hour format.

 An eighth area 106H consists of a three-character alphabetical area which is used to record the official designation of the airport relating to a designated airline maintenance center. This area 106H can be used to identify the maintenance center for a specified aircraft.

 In the case where the arrival time contained in zone 106B and the departure time contained in zone 106E are recorded in GMT time, a zone indicated in 106I can be used to record the differences which represent the difference between GMT and local time for 106E departure time or 106F arrival time, or both.

 The mileage between the departure airport and the arrival airport is recorded in a zone 106J.

 A practice used by some airline companies is to have multiple flight numbers for the same flight. For example, in the case of an aircraft which makes a circular flight around the earth, it is possible to issue a basic flight number such as 091 to indicate the route circling the earth, and to issue individual flight numbers for intermediate segments of the flight, such as 427 for a segment going from Los Angeles to New York and 319 for a segment going from Waves to Form. These different flight numbers can be recorded in an area 106K of the general database file 106.

 In the case of an aircraft traversing flight segments which cross large bodies of water, it is often necessary or required by law that life jackets be present in the aircraft An indicator placed in an area 106L of the General database file 106 indicates whether or not a life jacket is required on this flight segment.

 For long flights, the airlines frequently watch films for the entertainment of pas sagers.-Information relating to films to be shown on a particular flight segment is placed in an area 106M of the general database. This zone contains the numbers of the individual recordings in the film file 108 which contain the information concerning the film which must be presented on this flight segment. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the zone 106M, belonging for example to data record 107A, contains a first number (NUMBER OF RECORDINGS) which indicates the number of film recordings to be accessed for this flight, and, in this representation, three numbers (RECORD NUMBER?) which represent the registration numbers in the film file 108 which contain the information concerning the films presented or to be presented on this flight segment. You can then use the record numbers (RECORD NUMBER) as file addresses on disk to directly access the record in movie file 108. In the example shown in Figure 6, the first number in record 107A indicates that there are two records in the movie file 108 of Figure 7 which contain information relating to the movies to be shown on this flight segment, and the second numbers 6 and 10 are the numbers of the recordings that contain this information, and these numbers can be used as keys to directly access these recordings in movie file 108.

In the preferred embodiment of the movie file 108 which is shown in Fig. 7, the information recorded in the records, as indicated in 108A, 108B and 108C, is saved in a form or format which allows presentation directly on the display screen 55 of the terminal shown in Figure 4, without further processing.

 Meals to be served during the flight constitute another category of information recorded in the records of the general database 106. This information is recorded in a field 106N in the file of general database 106, in the form of a code such as P for breakfast, D for lunch or D for dinner.

 An additional important category of information that must be made available to the crew is the types of amenities to be offered to passengers during the particular flight segment. Because in some long international flights the list of amenities available to first class, business class and economy class passengers can be very extensive, each record in the general database file 106 has an area 1060 which contains the key identifying a registration number in the approval file 110, represented in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the approvals are recorded in the approval file 110 in such a way that the information contained in each recording is ready for immediate presentation, without additional data manipulation. The structure of the approval area 1060 is identical to the structure of the film area 106M, insofar as the number of recordings is recorded in company of their addresses.

 In addition, in international flights, it is desirable that crew members be able to speak various foreign languages. The foreign languages required for any flight segment are indicated by a field 106P in the general database 106S which contains a key identifying a particular record in the foreign languages file 112, represented in FIG. 9. There is a record in the foreign language file 112 for each combination of foreign languages that may be required for any flight segment.

 In the preferred embodiment of the cabin management database 49, provision has been made for the possibility of recording three types of messages or means enabling company management to communicate with the crew or other employees. on board the aircraft. The first category of messages is known as "general messages" and typically includes a type of information of interest to the whole company, such as the purchase of a new aircraft or the application of new policies in the company. General messages are accessed using the general database file 106 which includes a general message area 106Q which has a structure similar to that of area 106M and which indicates the records contained in the general message file 114 of FIG. 10 which are applicable to a particular flight segment. As shown in FIG. 10, the general message file 114 consists of a certain number of records, each of them comprising a zone which indicates the date of origin 114 and the time of origin of the general message, as well a zone 11lit which contains an identification of the transmitter. There is also a zone 114D intended to record a date for elimination of the general message and a zone 114E which contains the text of the general message. In the normal operation of the apparatus adapted to cabin management, the general message will not be presented only if the present date is before or equal to the elimination date contained in field 114D. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the text area 114E can contain a maximum of 1024 alphanumeric characters, with a maximum of 25 records in the general message file 114.

 Similarly, there are plans to present special messages that are applicable to this particular flight segment only on a particular date. For this purpose, there is in the general database 106 an area 106R which contains a key allowing access to the appropriate records in the special message file 116, represented in FIG. 11. The structure and operation of the message file Special 116 are the same as those in the general message file 114 in Figure 10. The only exception is that there is an additional area 116A to record the date to which the special message applies.

 Similar to what is provided for special messages, the cabin management database 149 also allows the use of destination messages which contain information applicable to the arrival location or airport. for a particular flight segment. As with general and special messages, the general database file 106 has an area 106S which contains keys for accessing the appropriate destination messages in the destination message file 118 of Figure 12, for a particular flight segment. The structure and operation of the destination message file 118 are the same as that of the general message file 114 and the special message file 116.

 In many international flights, various currencies are used on board the aircraft to purchase various products such as beverages or merchandise offered for in-flight sales. As the use of different currencies in different parts of the world, with exchange rates which can in some cases vary daily, considerably complicates the work of cabin crew, means are provided in the cabin management database 49 to present information regarding the appropriate currencies and exchange rates to be used on a particular flight segment. We do this by providing in the general database 106 an area 106? which contains a key designating appropriate records in currency file 120, for a particular flight segment. As for area 106M, area 106T in general database record 107A107D contains a first chi-ffte- (NOflBRE REGISTRATION) which represents the number of different currencies to be taken into account on the flight segment, and the figures remaining in the area 106T represent the registration numbers for these currencies in the currency file 120. It is thus possible to present to the crew a number of different currencies which will be useful for this particular flight segment. The currency file 120 is in turn composed of a number of different areas, including a first area 120A which contains the date on which the currency information was entered into the currency file 120.

The second field 120B contains the name of the country and the third field 120C contains the name of the currency, such as the dollar for the United States or the pound for Great Britain. The exchange rate on the date of introduction 120A is recorded in an I2OD area. In addition to the exchange rate in zone 120D, it is planned to present rounded equivalents for sums in specified francs. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the equivalent of 10 F in US dollars. is recorded in a 120E field, which in this case corresponds to 1.25 U.S., while in the case of the Australian dollar, the corresponding sum would be 1.45 Australian dollars. Similarly, it is planned to record the equivalent of 20 F and 25 F in the 120F and 120G zones and, as shown in Figure 13, these sums correspond respectively to 2.50 US and d 3, 15 US 4. The sums of 10 F, 20 F and 25 F were chosen because they represent the characteristic amount of the price of a drink or a headset, that is to say the products to which the cabin crew has most often affair.

 Information relating to in-flight sales is also recorded in the cabin management database 49, and can be accessed for specific flight segments by means of a zone 106U in the general database 106 relating to a segment of particular flight. field 106U contains a number which is again composed of a first digit indicating the number of appropriate records in the in-flight sales file 122 of FIG. 14 which must be accessed for a particular flight segment. The figures remaining in the 106U in-flight sales area of the general database represent the particular records that contain information regarding the type of goods to be sold in that particular flight segment. The in-flight sales file 122 is organized in such a way that each record contains an area 122A containing a description of the type of goods, an area 1223 containing the units in which the goods will be sold, an area 122C containing the price of the goods. , a field 122D containing the product identification number and a field 122E containing the name of the particular merchandise to be sold which is identified in this record. With this information contained in flight sales file 122, it is possible to present to cabin crew all the information concerning the types of goods to be sold for any particular flight segment.

 One type of information which may be particularly useful for the crew consists of a list of faults in the equipment which is on board the considered departing aircraft. This is achieved by recording in the defect file 124 a list of defective equipment or problems that exist in the aircraft. In the example of the fault file 124 represented in FIG. 15, a first zone i 24A is used to describe the problem nature, such as a broken seat or a lack of magazines in the aircraft. Zones 1243 and 124a indicate the time and date when the fault was recorded, and fields 124D and 124E indicate the flight number and the sector in which the problem was recorded. Since the faults concern the aircraft in particular and not a flight segment, it is not necessary to use the general database to access this file.

 iwans ans the Ge cabin management database 49 which is represented in FIG. 5, the general database 106 and the auxiliary database files 108-126 essentially relate to the recording of what is called global information , which is applicable to airline flight operations in general. As described above, the general database file 106 contains individual records 106A-107D which define global data relating to a specific flight segment either by storing this data in the flight segment record itself, either by using a key or a file address on disk to access a predetermined record in one of the auxiliary database files 108-126.

 the preferred embodiment of the apparatus adapted to cabin management uses a second type of data which can be called operational flight data.

In the cabin management database 49 which is represented in FIG. 5, the flight operational data are recorded in a flight history database file which is designated by the reference 128. An example of a flight file flight history database is shown in Figures 16A, 16B and 1 La. As shown in Figures 16A, 16B and t6C, the flight history database file 128 is composed of a number of records which are designated by the reference numerals 130 and 132. In normal operation, there will be a flight history database record 132 for each flight segment, and this record will be used to accumulate operational data relating to this particular flight segment. Although only two flight history database records 130 and 132 are shown in Figures 16A, 16B and 16C, the flight history database file 128 contains as many records as necessary to record the data accumulated on various flight segments, until this data can be transferred to a computer located in a base on the ground, and must no longer be kept in the 'aircraft. In cases in which ground segment operational data is immediately transmitted to a computer located in a ground base after each flight segment, the apparatus should contain only one flight history database record 130.

 As can be appreciated by examining Figures 16A, Here and 16C, each flight history database record 190 and 132 contains a large amount of data. Each record in the flight history database file 128 is identified by a flight history database identifier (BDHV). In the case where there is more than one flight history database record 130, 132, it will be necessary to identify the record considered. In FIG. 16A, this identification is accomplished by. identification area} 3DHV 134 which contains basic flight segment identification data identical to that recorded in the general database registrations, including the departure airport, the airport of arrival, flight number, aircraft type and maintenance center. The BDlIV identifier can also contain the departure time and arrival time, as well as the flight time. Thus, in the operation of the equipment suitable for cabin management, the BDHV identifier can be used as a key to access the file address on disk of the flight history database record containing operational information relating to a particular flight segment. In the example shown in FIG. 16A, the flight history database records 130 and 132 include an unloading area 136 which indicates the date and the time when the information contained in this particular flight history database record is transmitted to a central computer or loaded onto a floppy disk for other transfer to a central computer on the ground. An area (not shown) having a configuration similar to the unloading area 136 is used to record the date and time when the particular record considered was initialized, this usually occurs during the process opening session which will be considered in a later part of this description.

 Each flight history database record also contains areas for recording the flight number, aircraft type and aircraft identification number of the particular aircraft in which the appropriate aircraft cabin management is installed. These areas are respectively represented. at 138, 140 and 142 in FIG. 16A. The departure airport for a flight segment is recorded in a zone 144 and the final airport for this flight segment is recorded in a zone 146; In the event that there are one or more intermediate airports for that particular flight segment, their identifiers may be recorded in the area indicated at 148 in the flight history database record.

 The name, service number and base of the chief flight attendant of the first class are recorded in a zone 150, as well as the name, the service number and the base of the chief flight attendant of the economy class.

 The information that must be entered into the flight history database before departure on a flight segment is recorded in areas that are generally designated by DEPLRD 1, DEPART 2, DEPAiX 3 and DEPAR? 4, which are indicated in FIG. 16A by the respective reference numbers 152, i54, 156 and 158. The DEPARTURE zone 1 152 contains subzones R which are used to record the number of batches of spirits in first class, 160 , the number of trolleys in first class and economy class, 162, the number of coolers in first class and economy class, 164, as well as the identification of the location to which the lots and trolleys were conditioned, in the zone 166, and the serial number of the person who packaged the first class batches and carts, in zone 168. In the particular embodiment of the invention which is represented in FIG. 16A, there is also a zone 170 provided for an indicator intended to indicate whether the spirits are in bond or have been taxed. The DEPARTURE area 1 152 also includes sub-areas F5 in 172 and L2 in 174, in which the first five digits and the last two digits are kept of Customs seal numbers for lots of spirits that have been loaded in first class.

Similarly, fields 176 and 178 contain the same information relating to customs seal numbers.

 DEPARTURE area 2 154 contains a certain number of sub-areas including a sub-area 180 in which the starting stock of large bottles of first class spirits is recorded, this area 182 in which the initial stock of normal bottles of first class spirits, 1m9 zone 184 in the coverslip is registered the initial stock of miniature bottles of spirits in first class class a zone 186 in which the initial stock of wines in first class is recorded, a zone 188 in which the initial stock is recorded first class beer and an area 190 in which the initial stock of free first class cigarettes is recorded. A similar niece from zones 192, 194 and 196 is used to record the initial or starting stock of miniature bottles of spirits, wine and beer for business class.

 DEPARTURE zone 3,156 includes sub-zones which contain the initial or starting stock for the economy class, comprising a sub-zone 198 which contains the number of batches of spirits, a sub-zone 200 which indicates the number of shopping carts distribution, a sub-area 202 which indicates the number of coolers and a sub-area 204 which contains the identifier of the location or the airport to which the starting stock has been conditioned, as well as the personnel number who performed the packaging, in zone 206. As with zone DBPART 1 152, there are zones 210, 212, 214 and 216 to record the first five digits and the last two digits of the customs seals applied to lots of spirits .

 The DEPAR area? 4,158 includes initial or starting stock for miniature bottles of economy class in sub-area 218, sub-area 220 for wine of economy class, sub-area 222 for beer of economy class, one zons 224 for the number of headphones for sale in economy class and, similarly, the number of cigarettes in economy class, in zone 226.

The portion of the flight history database file shown in Figure 16B includes four areas
ARRIVAL 1, ARRIVAL 2, ARRIVAL 3 and ARRIVAL 4 which are used to record the final stock or the stock of various items on an aircraft at the end of a flight segment. As can be seen by comparing the arrival zones 228, 230, 232 and 234 with the departure zones 152, 154, 156 and 158 of FIG. 16A, the arrival zones contain the same general information for the of the quantities of products in stock.

 In addition, as shown in Figure 16B, the flight history database file includes an area for the amount of money received from first class and business class passengers. This zone is divided into a number of sub-zones, as illustrated by sub-zone 238 and sub-zone 240, which indicate the country of the currency considered and the silver tone in the currency of this country. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the identification of the country in sub-area 238 is represented by a code which can be used in the manner of a key or of a file address on disk to access to the information relating to the currency of this country in the file of my naies 120 in FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 16B, this embodiment of the invention makes it possible to register currencies from five different countries.

 FIG. 16B shows that the flight history database file also makes it possible to record the number of passengers in first class, in business class and in economy class, in respective zones 242, 244 and 246. Each of these passenger number zones 242, 244 and 246 is broken down into sub-zones, as illustrated by zones 248, 250 and 252, which allow the number of passengers to be recorded respectively for the departure airport, for intermediate airports and for the final airport.

 In the particular embodiment of the invention which is shown in Figure 1iB, there is ef me area 254 which is intended to record the money received from passengers of the economy class. the structure of this area is identical to the structure of the area of money received 236. The part of the flight history database file which is represented in FIG. 16B also comprises an area 256 and an area 258 which are respectively intended i recording the value in francs of money received in first class and in business class, and money received in economy class. The content of each of the five sub-areas in the currency areas 256 and 258 represents the value in francs of the foreign currency recorded in the subfields of sums represented by the reference 240. The equivalent in francs which is recorded in fields 256 and 258 is calculated using the conversion ratio found in zone 1 20D of the currency file of figure 13.

 The final part of the flight history database file, which is shown in FIG. 16C, comprises zones in each record 130 and 132 in which the consumption of the various items in stock which are recorded in the zones is recorded. departures 152, 154, 156 and 158 and in the arrival areas 228, 230, 232 and 234. The numbers representing the consumption for the first class and for the business class are recorded in the area 260 and therefore represent the number of large bottles of spirits (area 262), number of normal bottles of spirits (area 264), number of miniature bottles (area 266), number of bottles of wine (area 268), number of bottles of beer (area 270), as well as the number of free cigarettes, which were consumed in the flight segment.D1 similarly, the number of miniature bottles of aspirants consumed in business class is recorded in field 274, while the consumption of The wine and beer in Af class made is recorded in fields 276 and 278. The consumption of miniature bottles of spirits, wine, beer, headphones and cigarettes for the economy class is recorded in a way similar in area 280. Because spirits, headphones and cigarettes are typically sold in economy class while being distributed free of charge in first class and business class, it is provided for in the database file of flight history of FIG. 16C an area 282 for recording the value in francs of miniature bottles of spirits, wine, beer, headphones and cigarettes consumed, the number of which is recorded in area 280. On can obtain the value in francs of the various items sold in the economy class from the flight sales file 122 in Figure 14.

 The logic diagram of FIG. 17 shows the overall logic of the programs recorded in the area 104 of the database 49 of FIG. 5 which controls the operation of the equipment suitable for cabin management.

On power-up indicated by the arrow 300, a title is presented on the display unit 55, with cathode screen or flat screen, of the terminal shown in FIGS. 4 and 21. This presentation preferably appears automatically when the electrical energy of the aircraft becomes available, which makes the title appear automatically on the display unit 55, without it being necessary for a member of the crew to start the terminal or the unit display.

The logic box 302 of FIG. 17 indicates the generation of this display. The display itself can be any suitable display which, preferably, indicates the nature of the apparatus or identifies it, and instructs the operator for the next step. Characteristic instructions may require unlocking and removing the keyboard 53 from the terminal shown in FIG. 21, as well as inserting the employee's magnetic identification card into the magnetic card reader 60. The switchgear reacts to a valid card, as indicated by arrow 304, by automatically generating a menu display on display unit 55, as indicated in box 506. It should be noted that the programs intended to put implemented the logic shown in Figure 17 are saved in the management program file 104 of the cabin management database, which is itself saved in the file on disk 49, as shown in Figure 21 as in Figure 4.

 In the preferred embodiment of ltinwrentions the menu display is of the form shown below, which includes at the top a header portion which identifies the flight segment.

MENU
LAX 12:15 07 SEP LHR 8:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 07 SEP
MENU
OPENING A SESSION
PRE FLIGHT INFORMATION
STARTING INVENTORY
EMBARKED PASSENGERS
CURRENCY CONVERSION
ARRIVAL INVENTORY
MATERIAL DEFECTS
INVENTORY CLOSURE
CLOSURE OF THE CURRENCY ACCOUNT
FLIGHT SALES REPORT
FLIGHT PIN
Select the desired option by pressing the up or down arrow keys.

Execute the selected option by pressing the key
"RETURN".

GUIDE MESSAGES
Select the desired option by pressing the up or down arrow keys.

Execute the selected option by pressing the key
"RETURN".

 It should be noted that the part of the header indicating the departure and arrival airports will only be completed after the completion of the logon procedure indicated in box 308.

 At this point, the only selection in the above menu that allows the logic contained in box 306 corresponds to the logon logic 308, as indicated by arrow 510.

When the logon logic for box 308 has been selected, for example by pressing a "RETURN" key on the keyboard 53, the display unit 55 presents a display which requests:
ARE YOU THE FIRST CLASS CHEF-STEWARD?
If the operator strikes the answer "yes", for example by pressing a "O" key on the keyboard 53, the following display appears on the display unit 55.

OPENING SESSION FOR THE CHEF-STEWARD
FIRST CLASS
OPENING OF THE SESSION FOR GMT 20:15 07 SEP
FIRST CLASS CHEF-STEWARD
Chef-Steward of Première salasse: ALFRED DUPOND
Service Number: 56803
Chef-Steward base: lAX
Flight number: 515
From: LAX
A: JFK
A: LHR
Hit your FULL NAME: ALFRED DUPOND
GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
Hit your FULL NAME:
Hit your NUMBER:
Enter your BASIC CODE:
In the display shown above, the parts written in capital letters after the "colon" symbol represent the information entered by the operator. After the operator has pressed the RETURN key, it appears on the display unit 55 the logon display for the economy class indicated below.

OPENING SESSION FOR IE CHEF-STEWARD
OF THE ECONOMIC CLASS
GMT 20:15 07 SEP
OPENING SESSION FOR THE CHEP-STEWARD OF THE CLASS
ECONOMIC
Chief Steward's Name
economy class: PIERRE DURAND
Service Number: 84381
Chef-Steward base: MIA
Flight number: 515
From: LAX
A: JFK
A: LHR
Hit your FULL NAME: PIERRE DURAND
GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
Hit your FULL NAME:
Hit your NUMBER:
Enter your BASIC CODE:
THE FOLLOWING GUIDE MESSAGES ARE NOT DISPLAYED IF
THE INFORMATION HAS ALREADY BEEN ENTERED BY THE CHEF
FIRST CLASS STEWARD.

Enter your FLIGHT NUMBER:
Hit the STARTING CODE
Enter the INTERMEDIATE CODE (Press RETURN if there is none
not):
Enter the DESTINATION CODE:
Here again, in the display represented above, the parts in capital letters which follow the symbol "colon" represent the information entered by the operator. As shown in the operator-guide messages above, the chief-steward of economy or first class will have to enter the flight number, departure code, intermediate codes and destination code which will serve to identify the flight segment for the system.

 It should be noted at this point that the logon logic may include logic which allows access to the file of invalid personnel numbers 126 in the cabin management database 49, as shown in FIG. 5, in order to be able to determine the validity of the personnel numbers that the operator enters into the system by the keyboard. When the login has been completed, the display unit 55 automatically presents the menu, as indicated by arrow 312 in FIG. 17.

The next selection made in the menu will typically be the INFORMATION AVENT THE FLIGHT section as indicated by arrow 314 in the logic diagram of FIG. 17. As indicated by logic box 316 in FIG. 17, the selection of the PRE-FLIGHT INFORMATION section will display the display shown in FIG. 20 on the display unit 55. The first line of the IN FORMATION AVENT LE FLIGHT display shown in FIG. 20 is the header. which indicates the airport identification codes for the departure location and that of arrival, in this case
LAX for Los Angeles International Airport and JFK for Kennedy Airport in New York. The generation of this header display is shown in detail in the logic presented in Figures 18 and 19. As shown in the figure 18, the apparatus adapted to cabin management comprises a clock 318, produced by equipment. The output signals from the hardware clock 318, shown in Figure 18, include signals on lines 320, 322, 524 and 326 which represent GM time, respectively? in hours (GMTHR), in minutes (GMTMIN), in days (GIUJOUR) and in months (GMTMOIS).

Signals representing these quantities are applied to the input of a GMTSET logic device corresponding to block 328, along with quantities present on lines 330 and 332, coming from the appropriate flight segment record in the database. general data 106, as indicated by arrow 334, which respectively define the difference in hours between local time at the departure location and GM2 time, and the difference in hours between local time at location destination, in this case LHR, and the time
GMT. . As further shown in Figure 18, GMTSET 328 logic converts these quantities to quantities that represent the time, day and month at the LAX departure location and LHR destination location, in GMT time. quantities generally indicated by the reference 336 are then applied to a header logic 338 which generates the test 340 shown in FIG. 19. An input can thus between automatically generated for each display and the information corresponding base is recorded in logic
HEADER 338 of FIG. 18 without it being necessary to recalculate this information for different displays.

 The pre-flight information logic, 316, of Figure 17 thus uses the information generated in the header display logic of Figure 18 in combination with the basic flight segment information available in the general database file 106 and the auxiliary database files of FIGS. 7-15 to generate the appropriate information intended for communication to the crew before the flight for this particular flight segment.

 Once the base flight information display of FIG. 20 has been presented on the display unit 55, the operator presses the CONTINUOUS key so that the apparatus present on the unit display 55, as indicated by arrow 342, any general messages which are likely to apply to the flight segment and which come from the auxiliary database file 314. This logic is indicated by box 344 of the figure 17.

 Once the possible general messages have been presented, the operator presses the NEXT key so that, as indicated by arrow 346 in FIG. 17, the apparatus presents any special messages likely to apply to the segment of flight. This logic is indicated by box 348 in Figure 17. An example of a special message display is given below.

PRE-FLIGHT INFORMATION / SPECIAL MESSAGES
LAX 12:15 07 SEP JFK 20:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 07 EP
SPECIAL MESSAGES FOR FLIGHT 116
PROPOSED FILMS
ZONE 1: THE BEACH HOTEL DURATION 1:30
ZONE 2: THE CONFORMIST DURATION 1:45
ZONE 3: LEFT HANDED LENGTH 1:40
ZONE 4: ROYAL HOLIDAYS DURATION 1:30
ZONE 5: THE ELGIAN MAN LENGTH 11:30
Press the NEXT key to continue!
Press the MENU button to return to the menu!
GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
Press the NEXT key to continue
Press the MENU button to return to the menu!
In the same vein, the destination information may further automatically be presented on the display unit 55, as indicated by arrow 350. An example of destination display is given below.
PRE-FLIGHT INFORMATION / DESTINATION INFORMATION
LAX 12:15 07 SEP JFK 20:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 07 SEP
DESTINATION INFORMATION FOR FLIGHT 116 FROM: LAYL TO:
JOHN F. KENNEDY AIRPORT NEW YORK, NEW YORK
CREW ARRIVAL PROCEDURES: BASIC CHEFS-STEWARDS
AT ANOTHER AIRPORT MUST CONTACT THE OFFICE
CREWS
CREWS INFORMATION PROCEDURES: ROOM 1236-WORLDPORT, opposite the arrival area for international flights.

DISTANCE FROM CITY: 25 km
NON-TAX STORE: OPEN FROM 07 30 UNTIL 45 MINUTES BEFORE
THE DEPARTURE OF THE LAST AIRPLANE
GROUND TRANSPORT: BUS, METRO, TAXI HOTELS AT THE AIRPORT
LOCATION OF THE WAREHOUSE FOR CHEFS-STEWARDS: South hall, departure level, next to the Citybank
MESSAGES OFFICE: YES TELEPHONE NUMBER: 632-4090
CAR RENTAL: yes RESTAURANTS: yes
MISCELLANEOUS: Helicopter service; Free for passengers of
first and business class, to NYC and EWR
and back
GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
Press the NEXT button to continue 3
Press the MENU button to return to the menu
As indicated in the logic of FIG. 17, once the pre-flight information sequence has been completed, the menu is again presented on the display unit 55, in accordance with logic box 306.

 At C8 point in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the operator will be entirely free to select the various procedures indicated by the arrows which start from the logical menu box 306, in FIG. 17.

 In normal operation of an airline, the operator selects from the menu the departure inventory logic, as indicated by arrow 354 in FIG. 17.

The first part of the starting logic, corresponding to box 370, shows on the display unit 55 a display of the type indicated below.

FIRST CLASS DEPARTURE INVENTORY
AND BUSINESS CLASS
LAX 12:15 07 SEP VIZIR 20:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 C7 SEP
FIRST CLASS AND DEPARTURE INVENTORY
BUSINESS CLASS
LOTS: 23 TROLLEYS: 10 COOLERS: 20 CONDITIONED AT: LAX
BY N 345678
FIRST 5 FIGURES LAST 2 FIGURES
LEAD NUMBER 12345: 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,23,24
CUSTOMS DE 67890: 42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,5O, 51, 52,53,54,55,56
DEPARTURE 69696: 21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35
NUMBER OF LARGE SPIRITS FOR
THE FIRST CLASS ...................................... 25
NUMBER OF NORMAL SPIRITS FOR
FIRST CLASS ...................................... 10
NUMBER OF MINIATURE BOTTLES FOR
FIRST CLASS ......................................... 999
NUMBER OF WINE / CHAMPAGNE BOTTLES FOR
FIRST CLASS ...................................... 88
NUMBER OF BEERS FOR THE FIRST CLASS (25 cl) ........ 12
NUMBER OF FREE CIGARETTE PACKS (PACKS OF 4) ....................................... ... 10 NUMBER OF MINIATURE BOTTLES OF SPIRITS FOR
THE BUSINESS CLASS .525
NUMBER OF WINE / CHAMPAGNE BOTTLES FOR
THE BUSINESS CLASS ..................................... 789
NUMBER OF BLERES FOR THE BUSINESS CLASS (25 cl) .0 25
Indicate if these articles are in "DUTIES PAID" or "SUB-CUSTOMS" (P or D)
GUIDE MESSAGES
Hit the NUMBER OF LOTS OF SPIRITS FOR PC / CA
Hit the NUMBER OF TROLLEYS FOR PC / CA:
Enter the NUMBER OF PELLETS FOR PC / CA:
Hit the SUPPLY CENTER
Hit the PACKAGING EMPLOYEE NUMBER:
Indicate if these articles are in "DUTIES PAID" or "SUB-CUSTOMS" (P or D):
Enter the first 5 digits of the BOUANE LEAD NUMBER
DEPARTURE FOR PC / CA ::
Enter the last 2 digits of the CUSTOMS LEAD NUMBER
DEPARTURE FOR PC / CA:
Enter the initial number of LARGE BOTTLES OF SPIRITS IN PC:
Enter the initial number of NORMAL SPIRITS IN PC:
Hit the initial number of MINIATURE BOTTLES IN PC
Hit the initial number of bottles of WINE / CHAMPAGNE IN PC:
Hit the initial number of BEERS (25 cl) IN PC
Hit the initial number of PACKS OF CIGARETTES (packs of 4) IN PC
Enter the initial number of MINIATURE CA VIALS:
Hit the initial number of bottles of WINE / CHAMPAGNE IN CA:
Hit the initial number of BEERS (25 cl) IN CA::
As the display above allows to see, the logic corresponding to box 370 reacting to the information entered by the operator of the switchgear loads the departure inventory information in the departure areas 152 and 154 from flight history database file 128, shown in FIG. 16A.

 Once the departure inventory of the first class has been completed, the logic of the apparatus puts into action, as indicated by arrow 372, the departure inventory logic of the economy class, represented by the box 374 of FIG. 17. This causes the display indicated below to appear on the display unit 55.

INVENTORY OF THE ECONOMIC CLASS
LAX 12:15 07 SEP LHR 20:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 07 SEP
INVENTORY OF THE ECONOMIC CLASS
LOTS: 23 TROLLEYS: 10 COOLERS: 20 CONDITIONED AT: LAX
BY N 345678
FIRST 5 FIGURES LAST 2 FIGURES
LEAD NUMBER 12345: 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,23,24
CUSTOMS DE 67890: 42.43.44.45.46.47.48.49.50.51.52.53.54.55.56
DEPARTURE 69696: 21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35
NUMBER OF MINIATURE BOTTLES FOR THE ECONOMIC CLASS .... 999
NUMBER OF FOREIGN WINE BOTTLES FOR THE CLASS
ECONOMIC ................................................ 100
NUMBER OF BEERS FOR THE ECONOMIC CLASS (25 cl) ........ 999 NOI'lBRE OF BOTTLES OF WINE FEANCAIS FOR THE CLASS
ECONOMIC ................................................ 888
NUMBER OF SELLABLE HEADPHONES .............................. 525
NUMBER OF SALE CIGARETTE PACKAGES ................. 425
Hit the SUPPLY CENTER:
GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
Hit the NUMBER OF LOTS OF SPIRITS FOR THIS
Hit the NUMBER OF TROLLEYS FOR THIS:
Hit the NUMBER OF COOLERS FOR THIS
Hit the SUPPLY CENTER:
Hit the NUMBER OF THE PACKAGING EMPLOYEE
Indicate if these articles are in "DUTIES PAID" or "SUB-CUSTOMS" (P or D):
Enter the first 5 digits of the CUSTOMS LEAD NUMBER
DEPARTURE FOR THIS
Enter the last 2 digits of the CUSTOMS LEAD NUMBER
DEPARTURE FOR THIS
Enter the initial number of MINIATURE VIALS IN THIS:
Strike the initial number of FOREIGN WINE BOTTLES in CE
Hit the initial number of BEERS (25 cl) in CE
Hit the initial number of RANCAIS WINE BOTTLES IN THIS:
Hit the initial number of VENLABLE HEADPHONES IN THIS:
Hit the initial number of SOLD CIGARETTE PACKS
IN THIS
As for the departure inventory of the first class, the departure inventory logic of the economy class, 374 loads the information entered in the above display in the departure areas 156, 158 of the base file of flight history data 128, shown in Figure 16A.

Once the operator has made the starting list for economy class, the switchover automatically switches to menu logic 306, as indicated by arrow 376.

 Before or after the departure inventory, the switchgear operator can select from the menu the section EMBARKED PASSENGERS to load the number of passengers embarked at the departure airport or at intermediate airports, in zones 242, 244 and 246 of the flight history database file, as shown in Figure 163.

This logic is triggered by line 360 and its implementation corresponds to box 378 in FIG. 17.

 At any time during the flight, the operator of the apparatus has the possibility, using the menu, to implement the currency conversion logic, represented by box 380 of FIG. 17. The logic of currency conversion represented in 380 produces on the screen a display of the type indicated below, using the currency data which can be found in the currency file 120 represented in FIG. 13. As indicated previously, it is possible to access the appropriate records in currency file 120 using the flight segment information, to obtain the appropriate records in the general database file of Figure 6.

CURRENCY CONVERSION
LAX 12:15 07 SEP LHR 20:15 07 SEP GIi? 20:15 07 SEP
CURRENCY CONVERSION
LAST UPDATED 22:15 MARCH 23, 83
CURRENCY 10 F 15 F 20 F 30 F
LARGE BRET. BOOK 0.85 1.30 1.70 2.10
GERMANY MARK 3.25 4.90 6.50 8.15
UNITED STATES DOLLAR 1.25 1.90 2.50 3.15
Enter the name of an additional country: AUSTRALIA (Press MENU to exit this display)
GUIDE MESSAGES
Enter the name of an additional country: (Press lfiEgU to exit this display)
The switchgear operator also has the option of using the menu to call up a display using the logic in box 382, representing hardware faults.

The fault display presents on the display unit 55 the information contained in FIG. 15 and allows the operator to delete faults or to add additional faults.

 At the end of the flight segment, the apparatus operator selects in the menu display the arrival inventory operation, as indicated by arrow 356 in FIG. 17. The first operation, corresponding to logic box 384, is the generation of an arrival inventory display for first class and business class, of the type shown below.

FIRST CLASS ARRIVAL INVENTORY
AND THE BUSINESS CLASS
LAX 12:15 07 SEP LHR 20:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 07 SEP
ARRIVAL INVENTORY FOR FIRST CLASS AND CLASS
BUSINESS
LOTS: 23 TROLLEYS: 10 COOLERS: 20 FEES PAID
First 5 digits last 2 digits
LEAD # 17777: 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24
CUSTOMS 22145: 41.42.43.44.45.46.47.48.49.50.51.52.53.54
ARRIVAL 54321: 67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80
REMAINING NUMBER OF LARGE BOTTLES, FULL FOR THE PREMIBRE
CLASSROOM ................................................. .. 25
REMAINING NUMBER OF LARGE BOTTLES OF SPIRITS
FOR THE FIRST CLASS .................................. 2
REMAINING NUMBER OF NORMAL FULL SPIRITS
FOR THE FIRST CLASS .. .. .... to .... ..... ... . at... .. . . ... .. 10
REMAINING NUMBER OF NORMAL BOTTLES OF ENTIRE SPIRITS
FOR THE FIRST CLASS .................................. 1
REMAINING NUMBER OF MINIATURE BOTTLES FOR THE FIRST
CLASSROOM ................................................. ..999
REMAINING NUMBER OF WINE / CHAMPAGNE BOTTLES FOR
FIRST CLASS ........................................... 88
REMAINING NUMBER OF BIBS (25cl) FOR THE FIRST CLASS. 12
BLACK REMAINING FREE CIGARETTE PACKETS (PACKETS
OF 4) ............................................... ...... 10
Enter the first 5 digits of the CUSTOMS LEAD NUMBER
ARRIVALS PC / CA: 17777
GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
Enter the first 5 digits of the CUSTOMS LEAD NUMBER
PC / CA ARRIVAL:
Enter the last 2 digits of the CUSTOMS LEAD NUMBER
FROM ARRIVED PC / CA
Hit the remaining number of LARGE SPIRITS
FULL IN PC
Hit the remaining number of LARGE SPIRITS
STARTERS IN PC
Hit the remaining number of N0RIUX BOTTLES OF SPIRITS
FULL IN PC
Hit the remaining number of NORMAL SPIRITS BOTTLES
STARTERS IN PC:
Hit the remaining number of MINIATURE BOTTLES IN PC
Hit the remaining number of PC WINE / CHAMPAGNE BOTTLES
Hit the remaining number of BLERES (25 cl) IN PG
Hit the remaining number of PACKS OF CIGARETTES (Packs of 4)
When the operator has entered the arrival inventory information, the logic corresponding to box 384 automatically introduces this information into zones 228 and 230 of the flight history database file, represented on the FIG. 163. Once this has been done, the logic of the apparatus implements, as indicated by arrow 386, the logic corresponding to box 588S to cause the display unit 55 to display a display d arrival inventory for economy class, of the type shown below.

ARRIVAL INVENTORY FOR EA. ECONOMIC CLASS
LAX 12:15 07 SEP IHR 20:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 07 SEP
ARRIVAL INVENTORY FOR THE ECONOMIC CLASS
LOTS: 23 TROLLEYS: 10 COOLERS: 20 CONDITIONED IN LAX
BY NO 345678 FEES PAID
First 5 digits last 2 digits
LEAD NO 55667: 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24
CUSTOMS 93321: 41.42.43.44.45.46.47.48.49.50.51.52.53.54
ARRIVAL 10000: 07,08,09,10,11,12,13,14t5,16,17,18,19,20
REMAINING NUMBER OF MINIATURE BOTTLES FOR THE CLASS
ECONOMIC ............................................. 999
REMAINING NUMBER OF FOREIGN WINE BOTTLES FOR
ECONOMIC CLASS ...................................... 100
REMAINING NUMBER OF BEERS (25cl) FOR THE CLASS
ECONOMIC ............................................. 999
REMAINING NUMBER OF FRENCH WINE BOTTLES FOR
ECONOMIC CLASS ...................................... 888
REMAINING NUMBER OF SOLDABLE HEADPHONES ................... 444 REMAINING NUMBER OF SOLDABLE CIGARETTE PACKS ...... 425
HIT THE REMAINING NUMBER OF SOLDABLE HEADPHONES:

444
GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
Enter the first 5 digits of the CUSTOMS LEAD NUMBER
ARRIVAL IN THIS:
Enter the last 2 digits of the CUSTOMS LEAD NUMBER
ARRIVAL IN THIS:
Hit the remaining number of MINIATURE BOTTLES IN THIS:
Hit the remaining number - OF BOTTLES OF FOREIGN WINE IN BC t Hit the remaining number of BEERS (25 cl) IN THIS:
Hit the remaining number of FRENCH WINE BOTTLES IN THIS:
Hit the remaining number of SELLABLE HEADPHONES IN THIS:
Hit the remaining number of SALE CIGARETTE PACKS
IN THIS ::
As with the arrival inventory for the first class, logic 388 introduces the information contained in the above display into fields 232 and 234 of the flight history database file 120.

 In addition, at the end of the flight segment, the switchgear operator can select the inventory closing procedure from the menu, which implements the logic in box 390, as shown in line 358. of figure 17. For the closing of the inventory of the first class the display unit 55 presents the display indicated below.

INVENTORY CLOSURE FOR THE FIRST CLASS
AND THE BUSINESS CLASS
LAX 12:15 07 SEP LHR 20:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 07 SEP
INVENTORY CLOSURE FOR FIRST CLASS AND BUSINESS CLASS
FIRST CLASS BUSINESS CLASS
LARGE BOTTLES WINE / BEER BOTTLES CIG WINE / BEER BOTTLES
NORMAL MINIATURE FIELD BOTTLES. 25 cl. (4) MINIATURES FIELD. 25 cl.

OF SPIR. OF SPIR. OF SPIR. 75 cl. OF SPIR. 18.7 cl.

START, 0, 0
FULL A, 0, 0
THE ARRIVAL
ENAMELS A, 0, 0
THE ARRIVAL
ARRIVAL, 0, 0
CONSOMMA, 0, 0
TION
CHECK your INVENTORY as shown above! IF IT IS CORRECT use the ACCEPTANCE key, or press the MENU key and select the DEPARTURE INVENTORY or
THE ARRIVAL INVENTORY and enter the correct values.

GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
CHECK your INVENTORY as shown above! IF HE'S
CORRECT use the ACCEPTANCE key, or press the MENU key and select the DEPARTURE INVENTORY or
THE ARRIVAL INVENTORY and enter the correct values.

 When the inventory for the first class has been checked in the manner indicated by the display above, the apparatus automatically implements, as indicated in arrow 392, the procedure for closing inventory for the economy class , represented by box 394. This produces a display like the one shown below.

INVENTORY CLOSURE FOR THE ECONOMIC CLASS
LAX 12:15 07 SEP LHR 20:15 07 SEP GMT 20:15 07 SEP
INVENTORY CLOSURE FOR THE ECONOMIC CLASS
ECONOMY CLASS
WINE BOTTLES BCOU-
FRENCH BEER MINIATURES CIGARETTE TEARS
OF SPIR. GER
VALUE 20 F 15 F 15 F 15 F 25 F 10 F
DEPARTURE
ARRIVAL
CONSUMPTION
MATION
VALUE
OF THE
CONSUMPTION
MATION
CHECK your INVENTORY as indicated above IS 'IT IS
CORRECT use the ACCEPTANCE key, or press the MENU key and select the DEPARTURE INVENTORY or
THE ARRIVAL INVENTORY and enter the correct values.

GUIDE-OPERATOR MESSAGES:
CHECK your INVENTORY as indicated above t IF IT IS CORRECT use the ACCEPTANCE key, or press the MENU key and select the DEPARTURE INVENTORY or
THE ARRIVAL INVENTORY and enter the correct values.

 Once the inventory for economy class has been checked, the appliance automatically returns to menu logic 306.

 In addition to the inventory closing procedure, it is possible to implement a function for closing a currency account, indicated by box 396 in FIG. 17, by selecting in the menu the option to close a currency account. The logic in box 396 for the procedure for establishing a currency account for the first class produces a display of the type shown below.

CLOSING OF CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR THE FIRST
CLASS AND BUSINESS CLASS
LAX 12:15 07 SEP LHR 20:15 07 SEP GNT 20: t5 07 SEP
CLOSING OF CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR FIRST CLASS AND
BUSINESS CLASS
CASHED COINS
COUNTRY SUM X TOTAL RATE
EXCHANGE
FRANCE 99999.99 I 1.00 99999.99
UNITED STATES 99999.99 x 0.125 99999.99
GREAT BRITAIN 99999.99 2 0.085 99999.99
GERMANY 99999.99 9 0.35 99999.99
X
X
X
SUM DEPOSITED i '! OPERATOR GUIDE TESSAGES:
Hit the CASHED SUM IN FRANCS
Enter the name of another country or press "BACK":
Hit the CASHED SUM IN XXXXXX:
Hit the NUMBER OF FIRST CLASS PASSENGERS from XXX to Yn:
Enter the NUMBER OF BUSINESS CLASS PASSENGERS from III to YYY:
Once the procedure for closing the first class currency account has been completed, a similar display is presented for closing the economy class currency account.

 At the end of the flight segment, when the operators of the apparatus, who are usually members of the crew, have accomplished all of the various functions described above, they select from the menu the option to end flight which implements the logic corresponding to box 398. One of the essential functions of the end of flight logic is to freeze the data in the flight history database so that the members of the crew can no longer make changes, so that management can be put in possession of accurate data.

 The preferred embodiment of a terminal on board an aircraft comprises a memory intended for recording the cabin management database represented in FIG. 5, as well as a display unit intended to present the type of data. described above, a keyboard for entering data into the memory and a magnetic card reader, and this terminal is represented in FIG. 21. A more detailed description of this terminal is found in the patent application of the USA No. 532 648, filed September 14, 1983. For the purposes of the description, the elements of the terminal in FIG. 21 which are similar to the elements of the terminal shown in FIG. 4 bear the same reference numbers. The terminal represented in the figure 21 is housed in a box 400 and it includes a front panel 410. It is normally expected that the terminal box 400 is fixed in the part of the cabin of the aircraft which receives passengers, in such a way that the front panel 410 be accessible to crew members. In the upper right part of the front panel 410 is the display unit 55 which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, is a flat screen display device. One of the fundamental considerations from an ergonomic point of view is the legibility of the display in the environment of the cabin of an aircraft. The characters projected on the display unit 55 must be of sufficient size to be easily readable by the member of the crew operating the apparatus; simultaneously, the display unit 55 must present sufficient information to minimize the need to scroll the display or otherwise call up additional data pages, which would significantly increase the operating complexity of the apparatus. In connection with the various displays envisaged in the preceding part of the description, the preferred display devices allow the display of characters on 24 lines.

 The front panel 410 also comprises a keyboard flap which has been folded down under the keyboard 53 in the representation of ia in FIG. 1 and is therefore not visible in this figure. The flap has a lock which is intended to limit access to the keyboard to authorized personnel. Since certain categories of information, in particular those relating to on-board stocks, are of economic importance for airlines, it is considered that it is important to provide various means for limiting access to this information. special function keys, generally designated by the reference 411, which include a "BACK" key, a "MENU" key, a "NEXT" key and an "ACC3P2AVION" key, to facilitate the use of the 'equipment.

 The front panel 410 also includes a printer shutter 412 behind which the printer 58 is normally located. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the printer 58 is a fast rotary electric printer, operating for example at 2000 characters per second, of the type described in the US patent no 4,178,583.

A rapid printer of this type is particularly useful in that it allows rapid printing of any of the displays contemplated above. For example, a hard copy of the destination message display would make it easier to read this information using the aircraft's announcement system.

 In the terminal shown in FIG. 25, as in that of FIG. 4, provision has been made for the possibility of entering data by means of data cards. More precisely, this possibility is obtained by means of the targa detection card reader, 64, which accepts data cards inserted through an opening 414 and ejects the cards through the upper opening 416.

 As can be seen in FIG. 21, the printer 58 also comprises a protective plate 48 comprising a curved slot 420 through which emerge the documents printed by the printer.

 The keyboard 53 is supported by a pair of rails 422 and 424 which are fixed to the cabinet 400, which makes it possible to retract the keyboard by sliding it inside the cabinet 400, under the display unit 55. The keyboard 53 includes a magnetic card reader generally designated by the reference 60. The keyboard 53 has a slot 426 through which a magnetic card can be inserted into the magnetic card reader 60. One of the main functions of the magnetic card reader is to provide a means of identifying or authorizing operators, so that the use of the apparatus can be limited to authorized personnel.

 Inside the box 400 are mounted a number of components, including a power supply 428 for the printer 58, as well as power supplies 429 for the other components incorporated in the terminal.

 A number of printed circuit boards are attached to the cabinet 400 at the rear of the terminal.

The printed circuit boards, which are not visible in the torn-away part of the box 400, include the microprocessor or central microcomputer unit 46 of FIG. 3 and associated circuits. The microprocessor or microcomputer 46 uses the operating system programs 102 and the management programs 104 which are stored in the memory 49 of FIG. 5.

 In the preferred embodiment of the invention, represented in FIG. 21, the database 49 for the equipment adapted to cabin management, 49, represented in FIG. 5, is contained in the terminal and is hole in the Winchester disk drive 49. However, since an aircraft provides unfavorable environmental conditions for a Winchester type disk drive such as that shown at 49 in FIG. 21, Pay particular attention to the mounting and orientation of the disk drive. Figure 21 shows the preferred orientation of the Winchester disk drive in an aircraft. The Winchester 49 disk drive is shown in a broken away form, to allow you to see its main internal components.

The disk drive 49 contains a set of non-removable rotating hard disks, designated by the reference 430. between the disks there is a read / write test mechanism 432 which is itself controlled by a stepping motor 434. Because it has been discovered that the strongest vibration in an aircraft is the vibration in the vertical direction which can typically occur at the time of landing, the orientation of the disks 430 and the 432 in a substantially vertical position, as shown in Figure 21, results in a significant number of errors in reading digital data. Spinning the disk drive 49 by 900 so that the disks 430 being horizontal significantly reduces the number of reading errors resulting from aircraft vibration. However, when the disk drive is oriented in this way, it becomes subject to accidental contact between types and discs, due to the high vibration in the vertical direction, which entails a significant risk of deterioration of the read / write heads 432 and disks 430 themselves. As a result, it is considered preferable to orient the Winchester disk drive 49 as shown in FIG. 21 and to provide highly redundant reading possibilities, placed under the control of the operating system 102 of the database. cabin management data 49.

 A floppy disk drive 436 is used for the purpose of entering relatively large amounts of data in digital form into the database 49 and for transferring flight history data to a ground-based computer, particularly when does not have data transmission means of the type shown in figure 3. The 8.9 cm Sony floppy drive, with a data recording capacity of about 160 kilobytes, is a floppy drive appropriate. As shown in FIG. 21, the microdiskette unit is fixed to the upper left part of the cabinet 400, behind the floppy and printer shutter 412 and directly above the printer 58. The microdisket unit 436 has a slot 438 for inserting a floppy disk into this unit. A button 440 is provided for ejecting the floppy disk. To protect the microdisk disk unit 436 against unauthorized access, a movable plate 442 is fixed to the upper part of the printer protective plate 418.

 Another method for exchanging large amounts of data in digital form with the database 49 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, and it consists in using a digital database 442, in the form of a transmission device umbilical data port, in place of the floppy disk unit 436. The umbilical data transmission bus 442 is connected to a ground station 444 by means of a cable 446 when the aircraft is at an embarkation gate.

 The terminal of Figure 21, described above, provides a particularly efficient and convenient, as well as economical, means of communicating with the on-board cabin management database, 49, of Figure 5. By combining the various components terminal in a single box 400, as shown in Figure 21, it is possible to make a terminal which has a small footprint and is very well suited for use in a passenger aircraft. The front panel 410 is one of the important characteristics of the terminal described, represented in FIG. 21. This characteristic makes it possible to plan the terminal in parts of the aircraft in which access to the top and to the sides of the terminal does not would not be possible. The terminal can therefore be housed in a maximum number of potential locations inside the aircraft. Another very important feature of the terminal is the existence of the floppy disk unit 436, which makes it possible to load or unload parts of the database, such as the flight history database 128, described in detail in connection with Figures 16A, 163 and 16C.

 It goes without saying that numerous modifications can be made to the device described and shown, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (37)

 1. apparatus adapted to the management of an aircraft carrying occupants, capable of moving geographically over the entire extent of a global region (11), between global locations (LAX, JETS, etc.) which can be identified discreetly, which are characterized by an identifiable linear in the form of pairs of departure / destination locations, and with which each aircraft (18) carrying occupants keeps overall information concerning parameters relating to the profitability of the movement of the aircraft and meeting the service requirements for the occupants, characterized in that it comprises an information manipulation device (42) on board the aircraft, which is connected to an on-board memory (49) containing global information concerning the parameters; this memory (49) is functionally connected to a computer (46) and to a video terminal (56) controlled by a keyboard; and the keyboard (53) makes it possible to request, in the global information recorded in the memory, information relating to the pairs of start / destination locations, to present it on the video terminal (56).  2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one remote information handling device (23), intended to establish a telecommunications link (35) with the information handling device of the aircraft (42), by means of which the global information can be modified from the remote information handling device (23) and the information generated in the aircraft can be transmitted with regard to said parameters, in order to its use by the remote information handling device (23).  3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the information handling device of the aircraft and the remote information handling device both comprise a transceiver (42).  4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the overall locations indentifiabîes discretely (LAK, JFK, ...) are locations on the ground.  5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the remote transceiver is located at a location on the ground.  6. on-board apparatus adapted to the management of an aircraft cabin, characterized in that it comprises: data processing means (46) comprising a computer, mounted inside the aircraft for processing cabin management data; a terminal (56) mounted inside the aircraft and operationally connected to the data processing means (46), for communicating with the computer, this terminal comprising display means (55) intended to present to a operator displaying cabin management data, and data input means (53) which provides means for the entry of cabin management data by an operator; and a database (49) located inside the aircraft and operatively connected to the computer, this database comprising global flight segment data which represents information relating to each segment of the flight. flight on which the aircraft is likely to fly.  7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the global flight segment data comprises departure and arrival airport identifiers (106A, 106B) for each flight segment recorded in the database (49) .  8. Apparatus according to claim 7, character risd in that the flight segment data further comprises flight numbers <106C).  9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the flight segment data further comprises departure and arrival times (106E, 106F) for each flight segment recorded in the database (49).  10. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the flight segment data includes data relating to the meal service (106N).  11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the flight segment data further comprises information relating to the services offered to passengers (106M, 1060).  12. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the flight segment data includes the type of aircraft (1C6D).  13. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the database (49) comprises a general database file (106) which contains a set of flight segment records (îO7A-107D), and each of flight segment records contains at least a portion of the global flight segment data for a particular flight segment.  Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the flight segment records (107A-107D) include departure and arrival airport identifiers (106A, 1063) for the particular flight segment.  15. Apparatus according to claim 14, charac terized in that the flight segment records (îO7A 1 07D) include the flight number (106C) of the particular flight segment.  16. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the flight segment records (107A-107D) include data relating to the meal service (106N) for the particular flight segment.  17. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the flight segment records (107A 107D) include the departure and arrival times (106E, 106F) for the particular flight segment.  18. Apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the flight segment records (107A-107D) which include the flight numbers also include information concerning the services offered to passengers (106fil, 1060) for the particular flight segment .  19. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the data processing means (46) comprise flight segment recording addressing means, for addressing the flight segment recorders (107A-107D) and for access these records, using the departure and arrival airport identifiers (106A, 106B) that define a flight segment.  20. Apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the flight segment records (107A-107D) are recorded in addressable positions in the database (49) and the segment addressing means comprise combining means which are intended to combine the departure and arrival identifiers (106A, 106B) for a desired flight segment record, so as to create a combined expression, and means for converting this combined expression to give the address of the addressable position at which the desired flight segment record is located.  21. Apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the combination means incorporate in the combined expression the flight number (106C) relating to the desired flight segment recording.  22. Apparatus according to claim 21, characterized in that the combination means incorporate in the combined expression the type of aircraft (106D) relating to the desired flight segment recording.  23. Apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the general database file (106) is recorded in a file on disk, and in that said address represents the file address on disk of the recording desired flight segment.  24. On-board apparatus adapted to the management of an aircraft cabin, characterized in that it comprises: data processing means (46) comprising a computer, mounted inside the aircraft for the purpose to process cabin management data; a terminal (56) mounted inside the aircraft and operatively connected to the data processing means (46), for communicating with the computer, this terminal comprising a display unit (55) intended to present to a operator displaying cabin management data, and data entry means (53) for providing means for entry of cabin management data by an operator; and a database (49), located inside the aircraft and operatively connected to the computer, this database containing global flight data representing predetermined information useful in the functions of cabin management, and flight history data representing operational data which are associated with one or more flight segments.  25. Apparatus according to claim 24, characterized in that at least part of the global flight data is recorded in a general database file (106) which comprises a set of flight segment records (107A1107D),  26. Apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that each of the flight segment records (107A-107D) comprises global information relating to a predetermined flight segment.  27. Apparatus according to claim 26, characterized in that the database (49) comprises at least one auxiliary database (108-126) which contains global information added to the global information recorded in the database. general data (106), and in that the flight data records (107A-107D) include identifying the location in the auxiliary databases (108-126) of the global information relating to a segment of predetermined theft.  28. Apparatus according to claim 27, characterized in that the identification of the location comprises the address in the auxiliary database (108-126) of the information relating to a predetermined flight segment.  29. Apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that the flight segment records (107X-107D) include flight segment identifiers comprising departure and arrival airport identification codes (106A, 1063) .  30. Apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the flight segment identifiers further comprise a flight number (106c).  31. Apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the flight segment records (1O7A-107D) include information relating to passenger services of ferts (106M, 106N, 1060).  32. Apparatus according to claim 31, characterized in that the information relating to the services offered to passengers is recorded in at least one auxiliary database file (1Q8, 110) and at least part of the information relating to services offered to passengers in flight segment records (107A ~ 107D) are in the form of a key allowing access to a predetermined record in one of these auxiliary databases (108, 110).  33. Apparatus according to claim 24, characterized in that at least part of the flight history data is recorded in a history file (129).  34. Apparatus according to claim 33, characterized in that the flight history file (129) comprises information relating to the cabin crew for a flight segment.  35. Apparatus according to claim 33, characterized in that the history file (129) comprises at least one record (130, 132) for a flight segment.  36. Apparatus according to claim 35, characterized in that said record comprises a flight segment identifier (134).  37. Apparatus according to claim 24, characterized in that the data processing means (46) comprise menu generation means intended to hinder a menu display on the display unit (55) and to allow the selection by an operator, using the data input means (53), of one or more of the operations of a set of cabin management operations.  38. Apparatus according to claim 36, characterized in that one of the cabin management operations is a session opening operation requesting the operator to enter information relating to a flight segment.  ag. Apparatus according to claim 37, characterized in that one of the cabin management operations is a pre-flight information operation.  40. Apparatus according to claim 37, characterized in that one of the cabin management operations is a departure inventory operation.  41. Apparatus according to claim 37, charac terized in that one of the cabin management operations is a currency conversion operation.