Luggage contents recommendations and tracking

• US 10,373,106 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bender, Michael, Childress, Rhonda L., Kumhyr, David B., Spisak, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Small, Naomi J
• Application Number:
  US14/949,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 340 592
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In an approach for suggesting an item to pack, a processor receives an indication that a user is packing a first item of luggage, wherein the indication includes information about a trip. A processor generates a packing list based on the information about the trip. A processor receives a request to link the first item of luggage and a second item of luggage for the trip. A processor links the first and second items of luggage such that contents of each item of luggage are jointly compared to the packing list. A processor receives, via a short-range point-to-point communication reader of the first item of luggage, a signal from a short-range point-to-point communication device operably affixed to a first item. A processor identifies the first item based on the signal. A processor determines that the first item is an item of the packing list.

Claims

1. A method for suggesting an item to pack in an item of luggage, the method comprising:

receiving a first indication that a user is packing a first item of luggage for a trip, wherein the indication includes information about the trip;

generating, by one or more processors, a packing list based on, at least, the information about the trip;

receiving a request to link the first item of luggage and a second item of luggage for the trip;

linking, by one or more processors, the first item of luggage and the second item of luggage such that contents of each respective item of luggage are jointly compared to the packing list;

receiving, via a short-range point-to-point communication reader of the first item of luggage, a signal from a short-range point-to-point communication device operably affixed to a first item;

identifying, by one or more processors, the first item based on the signal;

comparing, by one or more processors, the first item to the packing list;

determining, by one or more processors, that the first item is an item listed on the packing list;

determining, by one or more processors, that a second item has been placed in luggage during a preselected number of previous trips and that the second item was not removed from the luggage during the preselected number of previous trips; and

causing, by one or more processors, a recommendation to be presented to the user that the second item be removed from the first item of luggage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second indication that the user is packing for return from the trip;

comparing, by one or more processors, contents of the first item of luggage and contents of the second item of luggage to the packing list;

determining, by one or more processors, that the first item is located in neither the first item of luggage nor the second item of luggage; and

causing, by one or more processors, an alert, to be presented to the user, indicating that the first item has not been packed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to link the first item of luggage and the second item of luggage further specifies that the second item of luggage is to remain within a predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that the second item of luggage is outside of the predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage; and

causing, by one or more processors, an alert, to be presented to the user, indicating that the second item of luggage is outside of the predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, by one or more processors, an inventory of a shop, wherein the shop is located within a threshold distance from a destination included in the information about the trip;

determining, by one or more processors, that the item is available in the inventory of the shop; and

generating, by one or more processors, a recommendation to be presented to the user indicating that the item be removed from the first item of luggage and purchased at the shop.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the short-range point-to-point communication reader is a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader; and

the short-range point-to-point communication device is an RFID tag.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the trip comprises duration of the trip and destination.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that a weight of the first item of luggage exceeds a preselected weight; and

causing, by one or more processors, a second recommendation to be presented to the user that that a third item be removed from the first item of luggage.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight of the third item is stored on a second short-range point-to-point communication device operable affixed to the third item.

9. A computer program product for suggesting an item to pack in an item of luggage, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a first indication that a user is packing a first item of luggage for a trip, wherein the indication includes information about the trip;

program instructions to generate a packing list based on, at least, the information about the trip;

program instructions to receive a request to link the first item of luggage and a second item of luggage for the trip;

program instructions to link the first item of luggage and the second item of luggage such that contents of each respective item of luggage are jointly compared to the packing list;

program instructions to receive, via a short-range point-to-point communication reader of the first item of luggage, a signal from a short-range point-to-point communication device operably affixed to a first item;

program instructions to identify the first item based on the signal;

program instructions to compare the first item to the packing list;

program instructions to determine that the first item is an item listed on the packing list;

program instructions to determine that a second item has been placed in luggage during a preselected number of previous trips and that the second item was not removed from the luggage during the preselected number of previous trips; and

program instructions to cause a recommendation to be presented to the user that the second item be removed from the first item of luggage.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to receive a second indication that the user is packing for return from the trip;

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to compare contents of the first item of luggage and contents of the second item of luggage to the packing list;

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to determine that the first item is located in neither the first item of luggage nor the second item of luggage; and

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to cause an alert, to be presented to the user, indicating that the first item has not been packed.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the request to link the first item of luggage and the second item of luggage further specifies that the second item of luggage is to remain within a predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to determine that the second item of luggage is outside of the predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage; and

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to cause an alert, to be presented to the user, indicating that the second item of luggage is outside of the predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to access an inventory of a shop, wherein the shop is located within a threshold distance from a destination included in the information about the trip;

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to determine that the item is available in the inventory of the shop; and

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to generate a recommendation to be presented to the user indicating that the item be removed from the first item of luggage and purchased at the shop.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein:

the short-range point-to-point communication reader is a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader; and

the short-range point-to-point communication device is an RFID tag.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the information about the trip comprises duration of the trip and destination.

15. A computer system for suggesting an item to pack in an item of luggage, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors, or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a first indication that a user is packing a first item of luggage for a trip, wherein the indication includes information about the trip;

program instructions to generate a packing list based on, at least, the information about the trip;

program instructions to receive a request to link the first item of luggage and a second item of luggage for the trip;

program instructions to link the first item of luggage and the second item of luggage such that contents of each respective item of luggage are jointly compared to the packing list;

program instructions to receive, via a short-range point-to-point communication reader of the first item of luggage, a signal from a short-range point-to-point communication device operably affixed to a first item;

program instructions to identify the first item based on the signal;

program instructions to compare the first item to the packing list;

program instructions to determine that the first item is an item listed on the packing list;

program instructions to determine that a second item has been placed in luggage during a preselected number of previous trips and that the second item was not removed from the luggage during the preselected number of previous trips; and

program instructions to cause a recommendation to be presented to the user that the second item be removed from the first item of luggage.

16. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to receive a second indication that the user is packing for return from the trip;

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to compare contents of the first item of luggage and contents of the second item of luggage to the packing list;

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to determine that the first item is located in neither the first item of luggage nor the second item of luggage; and

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to cause an alert, to be presented to the user, indicating that the first item has not been packed.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the request to link the first item of luggage and the second item of luggage further specifies that the second item of luggage is to remain within a predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to determine that the second item of luggage is outside of the predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage; and

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to cause an alert, to be presented to the user, indicating that the second item of luggage is outside of the predetermined threshold distance of the first item of luggage.

18. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to access an inventory of a shop, wherein the shop is located within a threshold distance from a destination included in the information about the trip;

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to determine that the item is available in the inventory of the shop; and

program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to generate a recommendation to be presented to the user indicating that the item be removed from the first item of luggage and purchased at the shop.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein:

the short-range point-to-point communication reader is a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader; and

the short-range point-to-point communication device is an RFID tag.