Apparatus, system and method for aircraft security and anti-hijacking intervention
First Claim
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1. A method of limiting access to an aircraft comprising:
- maintaining a database having identity and associated biometric information relating to crew members;
assigning at least one category to a group of crew members, the category based upon the job title of the crew members;
designating access to certain areas of the aircraft to only particular categories of crew members only if an emergency situation arises;
loading the category information to the database;
downloading the category information to the aircraft;
downloading the designated access information to the aircraft;
downloading a subset of information from the database to the aircraft, the subset consisting essentially of information relating to crew members that are assigned to the aircraft for a particular flight;
reading biometric information of an individual requesting access to the aircraft;
comparing the biometric information read from the individual requesting access to the information downloaded to the aircraft to determine if there is a match;
if a match is determined, determining a category of the individual requesting access to the aircraft, granting the individual access to only the areas of the aircraft to which the category is designated;
if no match is determined, denying the individual access to the aircraft, generating a report that includes the individual'"'"'s biometric information and information relating to the aircraft access attempt and providing the report to at least one of a crew member and ground personnel for immediate investigation of the access violation;
preparing a preflight report relating to aircraft access attempts, the preflight report comprising any access violations to one or more areas of the aircraft, and reviewing the preflight report as part of a preflight checklist; and
providing the individual'"'"'s biometric information to security personnel.
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Abstract
A security mechanism identifies users, so as to restrict access and operation to authorized users, such as to persons authorized to access and fly a particular aircraft. The security mechanism comprises one or more security devices to identify the user attempting to gain access or operate the controller; and one or more monitoring devices to determine whether or not the user identified is authorized to have access or operate the controller. Methods of safely operating aircraft are also described. The methods include protocols for limiting access to the aircraft and assuming remote control of the aircraft if a possibly hostile situation is detected.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of limiting access to an aircraft comprising:
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maintaining a database having identity and associated biometric information relating to crew members; assigning at least one category to a group of crew members, the category based upon the job title of the crew members; designating access to certain areas of the aircraft to only particular categories of crew members only if an emergency situation arises; loading the category information to the database; downloading the category information to the aircraft; downloading the designated access information to the aircraft; downloading a subset of information from the database to the aircraft, the subset consisting essentially of information relating to crew members that are assigned to the aircraft for a particular flight; reading biometric information of an individual requesting access to the aircraft; comparing the biometric information read from the individual requesting access to the information downloaded to the aircraft to determine if there is a match; if a match is determined, determining a category of the individual requesting access to the aircraft, granting the individual access to only the areas of the aircraft to which the category is designated; if no match is determined, denying the individual access to the aircraft, generating a report that includes the individual'"'"'s biometric information and information relating to the aircraft access attempt and providing the report to at least one of a crew member and ground personnel for immediate investigation of the access violation; preparing a preflight report relating to aircraft access attempts, the preflight report comprising any access violations to one or more areas of the aircraft, and reviewing the preflight report as part of a preflight checklist; and providing the individual'"'"'s biometric information to security personnel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification