Portable carryall container with identifiable contents

• US 7,573,385 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: G.T. Line S.R.L.
• Original Assignee: G.T. Line S.R.L.
• Inventors: Tonelli, Massimo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tai T
• Application Number:
  US11/331,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20060170558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.7, 340/570, 340/567, 340/571, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.8, 340/539.32, 340/568, 340/568.2, 340/568.4
• US Class Current: 340/568.7
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/42 Devices for identifying luggage; Means for attaching same
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2005/037 with a hard shell, i.e. rigid shell as volume creating element
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/02 Boxes

Abstract

A portable carryall container with identifiable contents, comprising at least one first half-shell and one second half-shell, which are mutually coupled so as to form a compartment for accommodating items and are movable with respect to each other from at least one open configuration to a closed configuration, the portable carryall container comprising at least one transponder, which is suitable to be activated by an appropriately provided reader with a radio frequency signal, the reader being provided at at least one fixed station and being connected functionally to a processing unit, so as to decode the information stored in the transponder and related to the identification of the container and of its contents.

Claims

1. A portable carryall container with identifiable contents, comprising at least one first and one second half-shells, which are coupled to each other so as to form a compartment for accommodating items, said half shells comprising walls with rim regions thereof, each of which with a respective wall thicknesses, and being movable with respect to each other from at least one open configuration to a closed configuration;

at least one security lock provided on one of said half-shells on a said rim region and suitable to lock said first and second half-shells in said closed configuration; and

at least one transponder, that is rigidly coupled to a thin support and is integrated within the thickness of a wall of said first half-shell or second half-shell in said rim region thereof on which the security lock is provided and in close proximity thereto, said transponder being activatable by an external reader emitting a radio frequency signal, the reader being provided at at least one fixed station and being connected functionally to a processing unit, so as to decode information stored in said transponder that is related to identification of said container and of a contents thereof.

2. The portable container of claim 1, wherein said at least one transponder is constituted by a programmable integrated circuit associated with an antenna.

3. The portable container of claim 2, wherein said programmable integrated circuit and said antenna are provided with and rigidly coupled to said thin support that is made of synthetic material.

4. The portable container of claim 2, wherein said integrated circuit is of a programmed type with read-only fixed data.

5. The portable container of claim 2, wherein said integrated circuit is of a programmed type with read/write variable data.

6. The portable container of claim 1, wherein said at least one transponder is provided suitable to be activated by a magnetic field generated by said reader.

7. The portable container of claim 1, comprising a battery, said at least one transponder being powered by said battery.

8. A portable carryall container with identifiable contents in combination with a reading system comprising:

at least one first half-shell and one second half-shell, which are coupled to each other so as to form a compartment for accommodating items, said first and second half-shells comprising walls with rim regions thereof, each of which has a respective thickness and being movable with respect to each other from at least one open configuration to a closed configuration;

at least one security lock provided on one of said half-shells on a said rim region and suitable to lock said first and second half-shells in said closed configuration;

the reading system comprising at least one fixed station;

a processing station;

a reader provided at said at least one fixed station; and

the container further comprising at least one transponder which is rigidly coupled to a thin support and is integrated within the thickness of a wall of said first half-shell or second half-shell in said rim region thereof on which the security lock is provided and in close proximity thereto, said transponder being activatable by said reader by emission of a radio frequency signal, and wherein said reader is connected functionally to said processing unit, so as to decode information stored in said at least one transponder that is related to identification of said container and of a contents thereof.