Automatic checkin apparatus

• US 4,984,156 A
• Filed: 12/02/1987
• Issued: 01/08/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Tateisi Electronics Co. (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Tateisi Electronics Co. (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Mekata, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US07/127,376
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 364/407, 364/200, 364/900, 101/288, 101/93.02, 101/93.05, 156/350
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/366 Check-in counters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 11/03 by printing
• 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

In an automatic checkin apparatus, an air ticket is received by an air ticket reading section; a data indicative of the number of baggages is inputted via key board; and a boarding card and baggage tags are automatically issued by a boarding card printer, a boarding card magnetic recorder and a tag printer. This apparatus can save labor necessitated for boarding procedure, improve checkin efficiency and prevent erroneous checkin due to clerk intervention.

Claims

1. A method of automatically checking-in passengers which comprise the steps of:

(a) reading data recorded on an air ticket;

(b) checking whether the read air ticket is valid;

(c) if the air ticket is valid, checking whether the air ticket is a reserved ticket;

(d) if the air ticket is a reserved ticket, inquiring of a host computer if boarding is accepted;

(e) if boarding is accepted, entering seat requirements;

(f) inquiring of the host computer about the entered seat requirements to secure a seat under the entered seat requirements;

(g) if a seat is secured, printing and recording at least one item of flight data on a boarding card;

(h) reading data entered at a baggage number input means indicative of the number of bags to be checked;

(i) if the number of bags to be checked is not zero, printing a number of tags corresponding in number to the entered data indicative of the number of bags to be checked; and

(j) issuing a boarding ticket and said printed tags and stocking the air ticket.

2. The method of claim 1, which further comprises the steps of:

(k) if a ticket is not a reserved ticket in step (c), entering a flight number;

(l) inquiring of the host computer if boarding is accepted;

(m) if boarding is accepted, checking whether a vacant seat exists; and

(n) if a vacant seat exists, returning to step (e).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (g), said at least one item of flight data includes a flight number, a seat number and baggage tag number.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein, in step (i), each baggage tag is printed with at least a part of the information which is printed and recorded on said boarding card.