Management of the flow of passengers, baggage and cargo in relation to travel facilities

• US 7,801,629 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Hale, Gregory B., Schweizer, Kenneth W., Nguyen, Phu Van
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr.; Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US10/899,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20050065834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,248 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.28, 340/825.29, 705/5, 705/6, 700/17, 700/83
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/04 related to queuing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

Processing passengers for departure from an airport comprises a first line for passengers to be processed through a control point on the basis of first-in first-out. There is a second line for passengers to be processed on a non first-in first-out basis. The availability for the second line is determined by at least one of the following characteristics, namely the status of the passenger relative to an airline class of service; delays in flight times of one or more flights using the airport; cancellations of other flights using the airport; security factors at the airport; staffing at the airport; calendar date of flight, time of day of flight; number of passengers for the flight; numbers of passengers for other flights; and baggage handling. The system also processes passengers for arrival at an airport. The system also processes passengers for arrival at an airport so as facilitate baggage handling.

Claims

1. A system for processing passengers for departure from a travel facility comprising:

a computer;

a first queue for passengers to be processed through a control point monitored by the computer on the basis of first-in first-out;

second queue for passengers to be processed through the control point that avoids the first queue; and

an algorithm processed in the computer for determining a first queue load related to a number of passengers in the first queue at a selected time and determining a number of spaces available in the second queue to allocate to passengers, upon passenger request to the computer, to optimize throughput at the control point, wherein a passenger present in the second queue as allocated by the computer may be processed through the control point in preference to passengers in the first queue.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determination of spaces available in the second queue is determined solely by load conditions in the first queue.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each passenger requesting access to the control point via the second queue is provided with a return time during which that passenger may be processed through the control point via the second queue.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the travel facility is an airport and availability for the second queue is determined by at least one characteristic including:

status of a passenger relative to an airline class of service;

delays in flight times of one or more flights using the airport;

cancellations of other flights using the airport;

security factors at the airport;

staffing at the airport;

calendar date of flight, time of day of flight;

number of passengers for the flight;

numbers of passengers for other flights; and

baggage handling.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the passengers for the second queue are identified by biometric features.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, including a communications system between a master controller programming for controlling conditions and schedules for passengers scheduled to use the second queue whereby status information relating to the status or changes of the second queue can be communicated to such second queue passengers.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, including storing selected user profiles and wherein a master controller queries a database capturing a number of requests for the second queue and includes obtaining terminal information and an assigned return time, and including permitting notification to security personnel if a passenger request matches an unwanted user profile.

8. A system for processing passengers for arrival at a travel facility comprising:

a computer;

a first queue for passengers to be processed through a control point on the basis of first-in first-out;

a second queue for passengers to be processed that avoids the first queue; and

an algorithm processed in the computer for determining the likely queue load related to a number of passengers in the first queue at a selected time and thereby determining a number of spaces in the second queue to allocate to passengers requesting the second queue for processing at the control point on preference to passengers in the first queue.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the travel facility is an airport.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the availability for the second queue is determined by at least one characteristic including:

status of the passenger relative to an airline class of service;

delays in flight times of one or more flights using the airport;

cancellations of other flights using the airport;

security factors at the airport;

staffing at the airport;

calendar date of flight, time of day of flight;

number of passengers for the flight;

numbers of passengers for other flights; and

baggage handling.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the availability for the second queue is not determined by status of the passenger relative to an airline queue class of service.

12. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the passengers for the second queue are identified by biometric features.

13. The system as claimed in claim 8, including a communications system between a master controller programming for controlling conditions and schedules for passengers scheduled to use the second queue whereby status information relating to status or changes of the second queue can be communicated to such second queue passengers.

14. A system for processing passengers at a travel facility wherein there are multiple passenger control points, and wherein each of the multiple passenger control points is assigned for dynamically changing capacity for handling processing comprising:

a computer monitoring one or more of the control points;

a first set of queues for passengers to be processed through one of the control points on the basis of first-in first out, wherein each queue of the first set of queues is associated with a variable related to a passenger and each queue of the first set of queues has a distinctive variable from each other queue;

a second set of queues for passengers to be processed through the one of the control points that avoids the first set of queues, wherein each queue of the second set of queues is related to at least one variable of the first set of queues; and

an algorithm processed in the computer for determining a queue load related to a number of passengers in each of the first set of queues at a selected time and thereby determining a number of spaces to allocate via the computer to the second set of queues.

15. A method of managing passenger access to a portion of a travel facility through a control point at the travel facility wherein passengers are permitted access to the portion of the facility through the control point on at least two bases, the first being a first-in first-out basis, and the second being a priority basis established by a prior allocation of a return time, comprising:

receiving from a passenger a priority request for an allocation of a return time, the priority request being received at a central computer that regulates the flow of passengers allowed to enter the facility through the control point;

determining in the computer an allocated return time;

transmitting to the passenger an-the allocated return time;

making the control point available to patrons not having the allocated return time on a first-in first-out basis unless a passenger having the allocated return time is present and preferentially loaded during the return time; and

loading the present passenger having the allocated return time to the control point during the return time in preference to the patrons not having the allocated return time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the travel facility is an airport.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the priority request is made via a telephone or cell phone.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the telephone is a cell phone.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the return time is redeemed through an automatic procedure, wherein the automatic procedure includes any one of a reading of a radio frequency identification allocated to the passenger, a reading of a magnetic code allocated to the passenger, or a reading of a barcode allocated to the passenger.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said allocated return time may or may not be redeemed by said passenger, and further comprising the steps of determining a number of unredeemed return times to the number of allocated times, and feeding back redemptions of return times such that near real time updates of return time availability may be computed.

21. A method for real time adjustment of the flow of passengers through a control point at a travel facility, thereby permitting an optimized throughput for the control point, the method comprising:

establishing a first queue by which the passengers may access the control point on a first in first out basis, and establishing a second queue by which a passenger avoids the first queue;

validating an entitlement of the passenger to access the second queue;

determining at one or more times, a real time operating capacity of the control point;

determining a mix ratio of first queue passengers and second queue passengers; and

providing data about the real time operating capacity and said mix ratio to a controller system for determining an assigned time period for access to the control point via the second queue, generating and issuing a media having the determined time period determined by the controller to a requesting passenger during which the requesting passenger may access the control point via the second queue.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the assigned time period is the next available time period as determined by an algorithm performed by the controller system.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising issuing a media to the requesting passenger having the time period thereon.

24. A system for processing passengers for access to a travel facility for departure from the travel facility comprising:

a first queue by which passengers are processed through a control point at the travel facility on a first in-first out basis;

a second queue for passengers to be processed through the control point that avoids the first queue;

a first validator for establishing a right of a passenger to access the second queue;

a controller for determining an assigned time period for the passenger to access the second queue and generating and issuing an entitlement having the assigned time period during which the passenger having the right and holding the entitlement may access the second queue in order to avoid the first queue; and

a second validator for permitting the entitled passenger to access the control point via the second queue in preference to the first queue during the assigned time period if the entitled passenger presents to the second queue during the assigned time period.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the time period is determined by an algorithm that considers a likely queue load in the first queue in determining available time periods to be provided on entitlements issued to the passengers for access via the second queue.

26. The system according to claim 24, wherein availability of the entitlement for the second queue is not determined by status of a passenger relative to a class of travel service.

27. The system according to claim 24, wherein availability of the entitlement for the second queue is determined by at least one characteristic including:

status of a passenger relative to a class of travel service;

delays in departure times of one or more travel vehicles using the travel facility;

cancellations of other travel vehicles using the travel facility staffing at the travel facility;

calendar date of departure;

time of day of departure;

number of passengers for the vehicle;

numbers of passengers for other vehicles; and

baggage handling.

28. The system according to claim 24, wherein only a single time period is generated and assigned to any one passenger at any one time.

29. The system according to claim 24, further comprising a media distributor for distributing an entitlement media to each entitled passenger requesting second queue entry to the control point via the first validator.

30. The system according to claim 29, wherein the entitlement media is a printed pass stating the return time period thereon.

31. The system according to claim 29, wherein the second validator is a reader for the entitlement media held by passengers.