Shared airport terminal equipment with peripheral management

摘要

Systems and methods are described for allowing shared terminal equipment at airports. Systems embodying the invention load airlines' proprietary applications onto common commercial, off-the-shelf computers. A peripheral manager device is disclosed for facilitating communication between the common computer and peripheral devices. The peripheral manager device translates airline-specific signals to and from peripheral devices, and coordinates the switching of the common computer between an airport management network and an airline proprietary network. Systems using the peripheral device manager provide secure networks connecting the shared terminal equipment with an airline's private network.