Systems and methods for event driven baggage management

• US 20020134836A1
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flight Operations Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Sabre Incorporated (Sabre Corp.)
• Inventors: Offutt, Joseph R., Cash, Jerome E., Yourek, John J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,243,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00

Abstract

Systems and methods for event driven baggage management are disclosed. Readers are used to detect and monitor the location of tags attached to baggage as the baggage moves from the point at which a traveler drops of the baggage at the origin of a trip to the point at which the traveler picks up the baggage at a destination location. Methods and systems that are capable of detecting when a bag has been lost or misdirected and searching for the lost or misdirected bag are also disclosed. Notification may be sent directly to a traveler or the carrier when specified baggage events occur. Additionally, systems and methods for communicating a destination of an object to a wireless earphone device worn by an object handler are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for managing objects comprising:

associating a tag with an object;

providing at least a first and second reader, wherein each reader is capable of detecting the tag;

determining a location status of the object based on whether or not the tag is detected by a reader other than the first reader within a predefined period of time.

2. The method for managing objects of claim 1, wherein the object is an article of baggage.

3. The method for managing objects of claim 1, wherein the tag is a wireless device capable of detecting and communicating with other devices.

4. The method for managing objects of claim 3, wherein the tag is capable of detecting and communicating a destination message to a wireless device held or worn by a handling agent.

5. The method for managing objects of claim 4, wherein the wireless device is an earphone capable of receiving the destination message from the tag.

6. The method for managing objects of claim 1, wherein the tag comprises radio frequency identification and wireless communications technologies.

7. The method for managing objects of claim 1, wherein the tag is capable of detecting and communicating with each reader.

8. The method for managing objects of claim 1, wherein the tag is associated with a traveler by a registration process.

9. The method for managing objects of claim 8, wherein the registration process comprises registering on-line at a website.

10. The method for managing objects of claim 8, wherein the registration process comprises collecting a biometric identifier of the traveler.

11. The method for managing objects of claim 1, further comprising determining an expected travel path of the object in consideration of airport specific baggage transit configurations.

12. The method for managing objects of claim 11 further comprising determining the object is misdirected if the tag is detected by a reader not located along the expected travel path.

13. The method for managing objects of claim 1, wherein the predefined time is a predicted time for the tag to travel to a reader other than the first reader.

14. The method for managing objects of claim 13, wherein the predefined time is determined in consideration of airport specific baggage transit configurations

15. The method for managing objects of claim 1 further comprising performing a tracer routine to locate the object if the tag is not detected by a reader other than the first reader within a predefined period of time.

16. The method for managing objects of claim 15, wherein the tracer routine comprises notifying at least one transportation entity that the tag was not detected by a reader other than the first reader within a predefined period of time and providing the last-detected location of the tag.

17. The method for managing objects of claim 16, wherein the tracer routine further comprises notifying at least one transportation entity when the object has been located.

18. The method for managing objects of claim 1 further comprising sending a message to a communication device associated with a traveler when a specified event occurs.

19. The method for managing objects of claim 18, wherein the specified event is a failure to detect the tag within a predefined period of time.

20. The method for managing objects of claim 18, wherein the specified event is locating the tag after a failure to detect the tag within a predefined period of time.

21. The method for managing objects of claim 18, wherein the specified event is detection of the tag by a specified reader.

22. The method for managing objects of claim 18, wherein the message comprises the location status of the object.

23. The method for managing objects of claim 1 further comprising sending a message to a transportation carrier when a specified event occurs.

24. The method for managing objects of claim 23, wherein the specified event is a failure of a reader to detect the tag within a predefined period of time.

25. The method for managing objects of claim 23, wherein the specified event is locating the tag after a failure to detect the tag within a predefined period of time.

26. The method for managing objects of claim 23, wherein the specified event is the detection of the tag by a specified reader.

27. The method for managing objects of claim 23, further comprising a representative of the transportation carrier conveying the location status of the object to the traveler.

29. The method for managing objects of claim 28, further comprising determining the last detected location of the object and notifying a transportation entity of the last detected location, provided that the tag was not detected by the reader within the predicted time.

28. A method for managing objects comprising:

associating a tag with a traveler;

associating the tag with an object;

providing a plurality of readers capable of detecting the tag;

determining which readers among the plurality of readers the object is expected to pass;

predicting a time for the object to travel to each one of such reader;

determining, at the predicted time, whether the tag has been detected by a reader;

sending a message to the traveler indicating a location status of the object; and

sending a message to a transportation carrier indicating a location status of the object.

30. A system for managing objects comprising:

a tag associated with an object;

at least a first and second reader capable of detecting the tag, wherein the first and second readers are located along a travel path of the object;

a server adapted to determine a location status of the object based on whether or not the tag is detected by a reader other than the first reader within a predefined period of time.

31. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the object is an article of baggage.

32. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the tag is a wireless device capable of detecting and communicating with other devices.

33. The system for managing objects of claim 32, wherein the tag is capable of detecting and communicating a destination message to a wireless device held or worn by a handling agent.

34. The system for managing objects of claim 33, wherein the wireless device is an earphone capable of receiving the destination message from the tag.

35. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the tag comprises radio frequency identification and wireless communications technologies.

36. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the tag is capable of detecting and communicating with the each reader.

37. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the tag is associated with a traveler by a registration process.

38. The system for managing objects of claim 37, wherein the registration process comprises registering on-line at a website.

39. The system for managing objects of claim 37, wherein the registration process comprises collecting a biometric identifier of the traveler.

40. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the server is adapted to determine an expected travel path of the object in consideration of airport specific baggage transit configurations.

41. The method for managing objects of claim 40, wherein the server is adapted to recognize the object is misdirected if the tag is detected by a reader not located along the expected travel path.

42. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the predefined time is a predicted time for the tag to travel to a reader other than the first reader.

43. The system for managing objects of claim 42, wherein the predefined time is determined in consideration of airport specific baggage transit configurations.

44. The system for managing objects of claim 30, further comprising a tracer routine to locate the object if the tag is not detected by a reader other than the first reader within a predefined period of time.

45. The system for managing objects of claim 44, wherein the tracer routine comprises notifying at least one transportation entity that the tag was not detected by a reader other than the first reader within a predefined period of time and providing the last-detected location of the tag.

46. The system for managing objects of claim 45, wherein the tracer routine further comprises notifying specified transportation entities when the object has been located.

47. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the server is adapted to send a message to a communication device associated with the traveler when a specified event occurs.

48. The system for managing objects of claim 47, wherein the specified event is a failure to detect the tag within a predefined period of time.

49. The system for managing objects of claim 47, wherein the specified event is locating the tag after a failure to detect the tag within a predefined period of time.

50. The system for managing objects of claim 47, wherein the specified event is detection of the tag by a specified reader.

51. The system for managing objects of claim 47, wherein the message comprises a location status of the object.

52. The system for managing objects of claim 30, wherein the server is adapted to send a message to a transportation carrier when a specified event occurs.

53. The system for managing objects of claim 52, wherein the specified event is a failure to detect the tag within a predefined period of time.

54. The system for managing objects of claim 52, wherein the specified event is locating the tag after a failure to detect the tag within a predefined period of time.

55. The system for managing objects of claim 52, wherein the specified event is detection of the tag by a specified reader.

56. The system for managing objects of claim 52, further comprising a representative of the transportation carrier that conveys a status of the tag to the traveler.

59. The system for claim 58, further including:

a voice message generator that generates voice messages that indicate the destination location associated with the one or more objects, wherein the voice messages is presented to a communications device associated with an object handler that is responsible for directing the one or more objects to the proper destination location.

57. A method for tracking the status of an object, comprising:

registering travel information associated with a traveler in a central database, wherein the travel information is associated with an identification tag attached to an object that is associated with the traveler;

monitoring the location of the object by detecting when the identification tag passes by one or more checkpoints located between an origin location where the object is dropped off by the traveler, and a destination location where the object is loaded onto a transportation vehicle; and

performing a locating process when a central server recognizes that the location tag has not passed through at least one of the one or more checkpoints within a predetermined amount of time, wherein the locating process includes;

sending a notification message to the traveler indicating the status of the object'"'"'s location; and

sending a notification message to a transportation agent terminal indicating the status of the objects location.

58. A system for managing the tracking of baggage, comprising:

a travel industry site, comprising;

one or more checkpoints located between an origination location where one or more objects are accepted from a traveler, and a destination location where the one or more objects accepted from the travelers are intended to be directed to, wherein the one or more checkpoints, origination location and destination location include identification tag detectors for detecting when a identification tag attached to the one or more objects is located within a predetermined distance of the respective detector;

a central server including a central database for storing;

registration information associated with the traveler and the identification tag attached to the one or more objects, and

location information associated with each checkpoint;

wherein each of the one or more checkpoints are configured to send location information to the central server for storage into the central database when the respective checkpoint detects the identification tag within a predetermined distance of a location tag detector, and wherein the central server initiates a locating process when it determines that one of the one or more checkpoints do not detect the identification tag within a predetermined amount of time, wherein the locating process includes generating a traveler status message that indicates the status of the location of the one or more objects, and generating a travel industry message that indicates the status of the location of the one or more objects including the last checkpoint the identification tag was detected.