System and Method For Monitoring A Traveling Passenger Requiring Assistance

• US 20150269699A1
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Burgess, Michael J., Simms, Richard K., Yoshimura, Scott T.
• Granted Patent: US 10,607,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring a passenger requiring assistance during travel, such as an unaccompanied minor, a disabled passenger, or an elderly passenger, on a common carrier. The system includes a machine-readable tag such as a Quick Response code (QR code) or a RFID tag that references passenger information, including itinerary information. A first mobile device of a first agent decodes the QR code to present the unaccompanied minor information. A second mobile device of a second agent decodes the QR code to present the unaccompanied minor information. In one embodiment, the QR code includes a uniform resource locator (URL) for accessing the passenger information and the first and second agents can authorize and accept the transfer of the unaccompanied minor by interfacing with a user interface.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a passenger requiring assistance during travel on a common carrier, the system comprising:

an encoded machine-readable tag comprising passenger information, the machine-readable tag associated with the passenger;

a first mobile device of a first agent that decodes the machine-readable tag and presents the decoded passenger information on the first mobile device to the first agent; and

a second mobile device of a second agent that decodes the machine-readable tag and presents the decoded passenger information on the second mobile device to the second agent.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger information includes itinerary information of the passenger.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger information includes passenger accommodations during travel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger information includes a photograph of the passenger.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second mobile devices include GPS software for locating the passenger.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable tag comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) and wherein a graphic user interface displays the decoded passenger information acceded with the URL.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein a first adult guardian of the passenger at a departure location interfaces with the first mobile device to authorize transfer of responsibility for the passenger to the first agent.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein a first agent interfaces with the first mobile device to authorize transfer of responsibility for the passenger from the first agent to a second agent.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein a second agent interfaces with the second mobile device to accept transfer of responsibility for the passenger from a first agent to the second agent.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third mobile device of a third agent for decoding the machine-readable tag to present the decoded passenger information on the third mobile device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the third agent and a second adult guardian of the passenger are located at a destination location, and wherein the second adult guardian of the passenger interfaces with the third mobile device of the third agent to accept transfer of responsibility for the passenger from the third agent to the second adult guardian.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the passenger information includes a photograph of the second adult guardian.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the first agent is a gate agent for a commercial airline at a departure location of the passenger, the second agent is a flight attendant for the commercial airline, and wherein a third agent is a second gate agent for the commercial airline at a destination location of the passenger.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first agent is a gate agent for a commercial airline at a departure location of the passenger, the second agent is a flight attendant for the commercial airline, and wherein a third agent is a second gate agent for the commercial airline at a connection location of the passenger.

15. A system for transferring responsibility of an unaccompanied minor traveling onboard a commercial airline, the system comprising:

a machine-readable tag comprising encoded unaccompanied minor information, the machine-readable tag associated with the unaccompanied minor, and the machine-readable tag generated by a ticketing agent of the commercial airline;

a first mobile device of a first gate agent that decodes the machine-readable tag to present the unaccompanied minor information on the first mobile device, to authorize transfer of responsibility for the unaccompanied minor from a first adult guardian to the first gate agent, and to authorize transfer of responsibility for the unaccompanied minor from the first gate agent to a flight attendant; and

a second mobile device of the flight attendant that decodes the machine-readable tag to present the unaccompanied minor information on the second mobile device, and to accept transfer of responsibility for the unaccompanied minor from the first gate agent to the flight attendant, wherein the machine-readable tag comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) and wherein graphic user interfaces on the first and second mobile devices display the unaccompanied minor information accessed with the URL.

16. A method for monitoring a passenger requiring assistance during travel on a common carrier, comprising:

encoding passenger information associated with a passenger onto on to a machine-readable tag at a departure location;

associating the machine-readable tag with the passenger;

decoding the machine-readable tag using a first mobile device at a first gate of the common carrier to present the passenger information on the first mobile device, to authorize transfer of responsibility for the passenger to a first agent, and to authorize transfer of responsibility for the passenger from the first agent to a second agent;

decoding the machine-readable tag using a second mobile device of the flight attendant to present the passenger information on the second mobile device, and to accept transfer of responsibility for the passenger from the first agent to the second agent, wherein the machine-readable tag comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) and wherein graphic user interfaces on the first and second mobile devices display the passenger information accessed with the URL; and

decoding the machine-readable tag using a third mobile device of a third agent at a destination location to authorize transfer of responsibility for the passenger from the second agent to the third gate agent at the destination location.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a first adult guardian interfaces with the first mobile device of the first agent to authorize transfer of responsibility for the passenger to the first agent at the departure location.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein authorizing transfer of responsibility of the passenger from the first agent to the second agent comprises interfacing with a mobile device of the first agent for the first agent to authorize transfer of responsibility for the passenger to the second agent, and transferring information regarding the transfer of responsibility from the first agent from the mobile device of the first agent, and wherein accepting transfer of responsibility of the passenger from the first agent to the second agent comprises decoding the machine-readable tag, presenting the passenger information of the passenger by decoding the machine-readable tag on the mobile device of the second agent, and interfacing with the second mobile device of the second agent for the second agent to accept responsibility for the passenger.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

authorizing transfer of responsibility of the passenger from the second agent to a third agent; and

accepting transfer of responsibility of the passenger from the second agent to the third agent.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein authorizing transfer of responsibility of the passenger from the second agent to the third agent comprises interfacing with the mobile device of the second agent for the second agent to authorize transfer of responsibility for the passenger to the third agent, and transferring information regarding the transfer of responsibility from the second agent from the mobile device of the second agent, and wherein accepting transfer of responsibility of the passenger from the second agent to the third agent comprises decoding the machine-readable tag, presenting the passenger information of the passenger by decoding the machine-readable tag on the mobile device of the third agent, and interfacing with the mobile device of the third agent for the third agent to accept responsibility for the passenger.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising transferring responsibility of the passenger from the third agent to a second adult guardian of the passenger at the destination location.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein transferring responsibility of the passenger from the third agent to the second adult guardian of the passenger at the destination location comprises scanning identification of the second adult guardian with the mobile device of the third agent, and the second adult guardian interfacing with the mobile device of the third agent.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein a location of the passenger is determined using GPS software on the first and second mobile devices.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the passenger information includes a first photograph of the passenger taken at first location and a second photograph of the passenger taken at a second location, and wherein the first and second photographs are compared to confirm the identity of the passenger.