METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATED ACCESS CONTROL OF AIR PASSENGERS IN AIRPORTS

• US 20100123004A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide
• Original Assignee: Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide
• Inventors: Felkel, Rolf, Grabeleu, Jens
• Application Number:
  US12/445,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123004A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/382
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/10 Movable barriers with registering means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration

Abstract

In the method for automated access control of air passengers in airports, the boarding pass carried by an air passenger is evaluated. The data recorded as a bar code on the boarding pass is read by means of a bar code reader at a pass-through. A central database is used to check whether a blocking note is stored for the respective boarding pass. If this is not the case, the locking device of the pass-through is opened. As soon as the air passenger has passed through the pass-through, a blocking note relating to the boarding pass is dispatched and stored in the database.

Claims

1. :

A method for automated access control of air passengers in airports using boarding passes carried by the air passengers during crossing from a traffic area to a secured apron area delimited therefrom;

in which;

pass-throughs are installed for the passengers between the traffic area and the secured apron area;

the pass-throughs are equipped with control devices;

the control devices of the pass-throughs are connected to a database of the airport;

the pass-throughs are equipped with controllable locks;

the locks are driven by the control devices;

the boarding passes are provided with a machine-readable code;

the pass-throughs are equipped with boarding pass code readers connected to the control devices;

comprising the following steps;

a) the air passenger presents his/her boarding pass to the reader at the pass-through;

b) the reader reads the code from the boarding pass;

c) the code data read out by the reader is transferred to the database;

d) the code data read out is matched against corresponding data stored in the database;

e) upon successful data matching, the lock is driven by the control device to release the passage for the air passenger;

f) after the air passenger has passed through the pass-through, a blocking note for the boarding pass of the air passenger is transmitted by the control device to the database and registered therein;

g) in the data matching in step d) it is checked whether a blocking note relating to the boarding pass concerned is registered in the database.

2. :

The method according to claim 1, wherein the data matching in step d) includes a check for fulfillment of security criteria.

3. :

The method according to claim 1, wherein in step f) a release information is issued to a baggage loading service.

4. :

An airport facility for carrying out the method according to claim 1, in which in the airport at least one traffic area is delimited from at least one secured apron area;

comprising;

pass-throughs installed for the passengers between the traffic area and the secured apron area;

control devices at the pass-throughs;

a database of the airport to which the control devices of the pass-throughs are connected;

a lock driven by the control devices, at the pass-throughs;

readers connected to the control devices for reading a machine-readable code on boarding passes;

the control devices of the pass-throughs being connected to a network that is installed in the airport and to which the database is also connected.

5. :

The facility according to claim 4, wherein the control devices of the pass-throughs have software applications installed thereon which have direct access to the database and, under normal operating conditions, ensure a data matching in approximately one second at the maximum.