Abstract: An electronic communication system for use onboard an aircraft includes a server and a plurality of input ports for connection with passenger computing devices. Passengers can send and retrieve electronic messages (e-mail and/or attachments) using a proxy-based web server access to the user's own e-mail service provider. The system receives proxy-based commands from the user's computing device and translates those commands into web-based commands that enable communication with the passenger's e-mail accounts. The passenger may send e-mail communications by composing a message on the passenger computing device and sending it via the web-based proxy server. E-mail messages may also be retrieved from one or more passenger e-mail accounts. In one embodiment, the system transmits only e-mail summary information to the airborne server and provides the summary information to the passenger.

Abstract: An electronic communication system for use onboard an aircraft includes a server and a plurality of input ports for connection with passenger computing devices. Passengers can send and retrieve electronic messages (e-mail and/or attachments) using a proxy-based web server access to the user's own e-mail service provider. The system receives proxy-based commands from the user's computing device and translates those commands into web-based commands that enable communication with the passenger's e-mail accounts. The passenger may send e-mail communications by composing a message on the passenger computing device and sending it via the web-based proxy server. E-mail messages may also be retrieved from one or more passenger e-mail accounts. In one embodiment, the system transmits only e-mail summary information to the airborne server and provides the summary information to the passenger.

Abstract: A system for permitting passengers on board an aircraft to send and receive electronic data is described. The components of the system on board the aircraft include a server having a plurality of nodes to which computer terminals are attached, as desired. The components of the system on board the aircraft include a wireless access point having a plurality nodes, where the wireless access point is attached to the server and to a plurality of wireless cards inserted into computer terminals, as desired. The computer terminals are laptop or palm-top personal computers belonging to the various passengers on board or fixed terminals within the aircraft. The server communicates with a wide variety of different terminals running different operating systems and with the access point. Each computer terminal is connected to the server via an aircraft cable or wireless network. Server has mass storage which contains a database of WWW pages which can be browsed by passengers using terminals.