Item identification and control system

• US 20050137890A1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I3 ELECTRONICS, INC.
• Original Assignee: Endicott Interconnect Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: McNamara, James J. Jr., Bhatt, Ashwinkumar, Tiberia, Candido, Hills, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/325
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A system and method for identifying and controlling the movement of various items, e.g., suitcases, associated with respective ones of various individuals, e.g., those desiring to travel on a selected means of transportation such as an airline, railway or the like. The system includes a plurality of programmable fingerprint readers each associated with a respective one of the items, a fingerprint scanner for scanning fingerprints from each individual and associating it with one or more of the items, a CPU for receiving readings from each of the item fingerprint readers and information from the scanner, and a retrieving unit (e.g., such as one owned by the transporting party) which retrieves selected ones of the fingerprint readings stored by the CPU for comparing with also retrieved readings from the respective fingerprint readers when the traveling individual presents an item to the transporting party for travel.

Claims

1. A system for identifying and controlling movement of various items associated with respective ones of various individuals, said system comprising:

a plurality of programmable fingerprint readers, each of said programmable fingerprint readers adapted for being secured to a certain one of said items and for having an individual'"'"'s fingerprint recorded therein to associate said individual with said certain item;

a fingerprint scanner adapted for scanning individual fingerprints and for providing information regarding said fingerprints to said plurality of programmable fingerprint readers and a central processing unit, including providing said individual fingerprints associated with respective ones of said certain items;

a central processing unit adapted for receiving said readings of said fingerprints from said plurality of programmable fingerprint readers and said information regarding said fingerprints from said fingerprint scanner, and for storing said readings and information, including said individual fingerprints associated with said respective ones of said certain items; and

a retrieving unit adapted for retrieving selected ones of said received and stored fingerprint readings from said central processing unit and from said plurality of programmable fingerprint readers and for comparing said retrieved readings to ascertain whether respective ones of said certain items are properly associated with the correct one of said individuals to thereby allow said properly associated items to move from one location to another.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said fingerprint scanner further provides said fingerprint information to said retrieving unit.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said retrieving unit is further adapted for also retrieving said fingerprint information from said fingerprint scanner and comparing said fingerprint information from said finger scanner with said fingerprint readings from said plurality of programmable fingerprint readers to confirm the proper association of said respective ones of said certain items to said correct ones of said individuals.

4. The system of claim 1 further including a ticket dispensing unit adapted for receiving input from said retrieving unit and for dispensing a ticket to an individual properly associated with a respective one of said certain items.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said ticket dispensing unit is an airline ticket dispensing unit and said respective one of said certain items is a piece of luggage.

6. The system of claim 1 further including a radio frequency identification system comprising a plurality of radio frequency emitters each adapted for being secured to a respective one of said items and at least one radio frequency detector for scanning signals emitted by said plurality of radio frequency emitters to precisely locate and identify selected ones of said certain items at one of said locations or somewhere between said locations.

7. The system of claim 1 further including a conveyor transport system for moving said properly associated items from said one location to said another location.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said conveyor transport system is an airline conveyor transport system and said properly associated items are pieces of luggage.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said retrieving unit is an airline CPU and said system further includes an airline ticket dispensing unit for receiving inputs from said airline CPU and for dispensing an airline ticket to an individual associated with a respective one of said certain items when said individual and said one of said certain items are properly associated.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said central processing unit is a law enforcement agency central processing unit.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said law enforcement agency is the F.B.I.

17. The method of claim 1 further including moving said properly associated items from said one location to said another location using a conveyor.

12. A method for identifying and controlling movement of various items associated with respective ones of various individuals, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of programmable fingerprint readers, each of said programmable fingerprint readers secured to a certain one of said items, and recording an individual'"'"'s fingerprint therein to associate said individual with said certain item;

scanning individual fingerprints and providing information relating to said scannings to said plurality of programmable fingerprint readers and a central processing unit, including providing said individual fingerprints associated with respective ones of said certain items;

retrieving selected ones of said received and stored fingerprint readings from said central processing unit and from said plurality of programmable fingerprint readers; and

comparing said retrieved readings to ascertain whether respective ones of said certain items are properly associated with the correct one of said individuals to thereby allow said properly associated items to move from one location to another.

13. The method of claim 12 further including providing said fingerprint readings to said retrieving unit from said fingerprint scanner.

14. The method of claim 12 further including retrieving said scanned fingerprint information from said fingerprint scanner and comparing said fingerprint information from said fingerprint scanner with said fingerprint readings from said plurality of programmable fingerprint readers to confirm the proper association of said respective ones of said certain items to said correct ones of said individuals.

15. The system of claim 12 further including dispensing a ticket to an individual properly associated with a respective one of said certain items.

16. The method of claim 12 further including precisely locating and identifying selected ones of said certain items at one of said locations or somewhere between said locations using radio frequency emission and detection.