Mobile device-based content loader for entertainment system

A system for wirelessly distributing data to an in-flight entertainment system of an aircraft, the system comprising:

• a remote content server on which the data is stored, the data being segregated into one or more partitions;
• and
• one or more content loader devices each associated with an individual scheduled for travel on the aircraft, and each including:
• a data retrieval module that initiates a transfer of the one or more partitions of the data upon establishing a first data communications link to the remote content server;
• a data loading module that transfers the data to the in-flight entertainment system over a second data communications link to the in-flight entertainment system;
• wherein the remote content server defines and designates the one or more partitions of the data for transfer to a specific one of the content loader devices based at least in part upon a predefined association between the specific one of the content loader devices and the aircraft.

A method for distributing data to an in-flight entertainment system of an aircraft, the method comprising:

• establishing a first data transfer link from a content loader device to a content server computer system;
• receiving, on the content loader device over a content streaming link, a stream of secondary data from a streaming server computer system;
• instructing the content server computer system to generate one or more partitions of a data in response to initiating the streaming of the secondary data to the content loader device, the generating of the one or more partitions being based at least in part upon a predefined association between the content loader device and the in-flight entertainment system of the aircraft;
• receiving, by the content loader device, the partitions of the data generated by the content server computer system;
• and
• transmitting the one or more partitions of the data to the in-flight entertainment system over a second data transfer link from the content loader device to the in-flight entertainment system.