Registration of a PED with an aircraft IFE system using an aircraft generated registration identifier and associated methods

An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for use with at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger, the at least one PED comprising a PED near-field communications (NFC) device, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller coupled to the PED NFC device and to the PED wireless transceiver, the aircraft IFE system comprising:

• at least one IFE video entertainment source;
• a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays;
• a respective IFE NFC device associated with each of said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays;
• at least one IFE wireless transceiver;
• and
• at least one IFE controller for
• selectively displaying video from said at least one IFE entertainment source on said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays,
• selectively transmitting a respective registration identifier (ID) from each IFE NFC device, and
• communicating via said at least one IFE wireless transceiver and the PED wireless transceiver with the PED controller based upon the PED NFC device receiving the registration ID associated with one of said respective NFC devices when in proximity thereto.

A personal electronic device (PED) to be carried by an aircraft passenger for use with an aircraft IFE system comprising at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, a respective IFE near-field communications (NFC) device associated with each of the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, at least one IFE wireless transceiver, and at least one IFE controller for selectively displaying video from the at least one IFE entertainment source on the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, selectively transmitting a respective registration identifier (ID) from each IFE NFC device, and for communicating via the at least one IFE wireless transceiver, the PED comprising:

• a PED NFC device;
• a PED wireless transceiver;
• and
• a PED controller for communicating with the at least one IFE wireless transceiver via said PED wireless transceiver based upon said PED NFC device receiving the registration ID associated with one of the respective IFE NFC devices when in proximity thereto.

A method for operating an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system with at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger, the at least one PED comprising a PED near-field communications (NFC) device, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller coupled to the PED NFC device and to the PED wireless transceiver;

• the aircraft IFE comprising at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, a respective IFE NFC device associated with each of the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, at least one IFE wireless transceiver, and at least one IFE controller coupled to the at least one IFE video entertainment source, the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, the respective IFE NFC devices and at least one IFE wireless transceiver, the method comprising:
• operating the least one IFE controller for
• selectively displaying video from the at least one IFE entertainment source on the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays,
• selectively transmitting a respective registration identifier (ID) from each IFE NFC device, and
• communicating via said at least one IFE wireless transceiver and the PED wireless transceiver with the PED controller based upon the PED NFC device receiving the registration ID associated with one of the respective NFC devices when in proximity thereto.