BAGGAGE SYSTEM

• US 20110002761A1
• Filed: 01/30/2009
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BAA Limited (Ferrovial SA)
• Original Assignee: BAA Limited (Ferrovial SA)
• Inventors: Aimable-Lima, David, Fransen, Dirk Vivian Hypolyt
• Application Number:
  US12/866,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20110002761A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/340
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/324 Luggage loaders specially adapted for loading individual luggage items into or out of the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/368 Arrangements or installations for routing, distributing or loading baggage

Abstract

A baggage handling system comprising: a plurality of pre-loading queues (10) operable to receive baggage; and a loading station (17) operable to receive baggage from individual ones of said queues. Thereby, a single loading station can be allocated to multiple destinations simultaneously.

Claims

1. A baggage handling system comprising:

a plurality of pre-loading queues operable to receive baggage; and

a loading station operable to receive baggage from individual ones of said queues.

2. The baggage handling system of claim 1, wherein individual ones of said queues are assignable to receive a destination and/or a segregation designation.

3. The baggage handling system of claim 1 or 2, wherein individual ones of said queues are operable to advance any baggage therein to the loading station.

4. The baggage handling system of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a plurality of said queues are arranged vertically above one another.

5. The baggage handling system of claim 4, further comprising a movable conveying element operable to individually access queues in a stack of said vertically arranged queues.

6. The baggage handling system of any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of said queues are arranged horizontally adjacent one another.

7. The baggage handling system of any preceding claim, further comprising a plurality of selectively motorised conveyors operable to move baggage from said queues to said load station.

8. The baggage handling system of any preceding claim, wherein the loading station is operable to guide received baggage into a removably located baggage transportation container.

9. The baggage handling system of claim 8, further comprising a robotic arm operable to lift baggage from said loading station into said baggage transportation container.

10. The baggage handling system of claim 8, further comprising a robotic mechanism operable to selectively move an outfeed end of said load station to a predetermined position in said baggage transportation canister.

11. The baggage handling system of claim 8, 9 or 10, wherein the system is operable to record the loaded location of a baggage item within a removably located baggage transportation container.

12. The baggage handling system of claim 7 or any claim dependent thereon, further comprising a mechanised transport system operable to transport a baggage transportation canister to and from the loading station.

13. The baggage handling system of claim 12, wherein the mechanised transport system comprises a container offloading facility operable to offload a baggage transportation container from the powered trolley system to an onward carriage vehicle.

14. The baggage handling system of claim 12 or 13, wherein the mechanised transport system comprises a holding area for temporary storage of baggage transportation canisters awaiting transfer to an onward carriage vehicle.

15. The baggage handling system of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the mechanised transport system is operable to carry a baggage transportation container containing arriving baggage.

16. The baggage handling system of any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the mechanised transport system is a powered trolley system, a roller conveyor platen system or an in floor roller flight conveyor.

22. The baggage handling system of claim 21, wherein the container filling station includes the system of any of claims 1 to 16.

17. A baggage handling system comprising:

a mechanised transport system having a baggage transportation container receiving station operable to receive a baggage transportation container into the system and a baggage transportation container emptying station operable to facilitate unloading of baggage from a baggage transportation container; and

a baggage conveying system operable to convey unloaded baggage from the emptying station to an owner reclaim station.

18. The baggage handing system of claim 17, wherein the receiving station is operable to receive a baggage transportation container from an incoming carriage vehicle.

19. The baggage handling system of claim 17 or 18, wherein the emptying station comprises a parking region for a baggage transportation container received in said powered trolley system and a loading station of said baggage conveying system.

20. The baggage handling system of claim 17, 18 or 19, wherein the mechanised transport system is a powered trolley system, a roller conveyor platen system or an in floor roller flight conveyor.

23. The baggage handling system of claim 21 or 22, wherein the container emptying station includes the system of any of claims 17 to 20.

21. A baggage handling system comprising a mechanised transport system operable to receive baggage transportation containers thereinto, the mechanised transport system comprising:

a container filling station operable to cause a baggage transportation container to receive baggage items thereinto;

a container offload station operable to cause a baggage transportation container to be removed from the powered trolley system for carriage by a transportation vehicle;

a container inload station operable to cause a baggage transportation container to be received into the mechanised transport system from a transportation vehicle; and

a container emptying station operable to cause a baggage transportation container to have a baggage item removed therefrom.

24. The baggage system of claim 21, 22 or 23, wherein the offload and onload stations are arranged to transfer a baggage transportation container to and from a ground vehicle.

25. The baggage system of any of claims 21 to 24, wherein the offload and onload stations are co-located.

26. The baggage handling system of any of claims 21 to 25, wherein the mechanised transport system is a powered trolley system, a roller conveyor platen system or an in floor roller flight conveyor.

27. A baggage system as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.