System and method for automatically generating an airplane boarding pass for a traveler returning a rental car

• US 7,957,989 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hertz Corporation (Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hertz Corporation (Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kennedy, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US12/156,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20080300927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for integrating rental vehicle return with airline boarding pass generation. The system includes a rental identification tag located on a rental vehicle and a tag reader located at a rental vehicle return facility for reading and identifying the rental vehicle identification tag when the rental vehicle enters a range of the tag reader. The system additionally includes a database containing information linking a traveler to the rental identification tag and to airline reservation information of the traveler and a computing system communicating with the database and the tag reader to locate the airline reservation information of the traveler based on the identification provided by the tag reader. The system also includes a boarding pass generator for generating a boarding pass based on the airline reservation information upon receiving an instruction from the computing system.

Claims

1. A system for integrating rental vehicle return with airline boarding pass generation, the system comprising:

a rental identification tag located on a rental vehicle;

a tag reader located at a rental vehicle return facility configured to read and identify said rental vehicle identification tag when the rental vehicle enters a range of said tag reader;

a database containing information linking a traveler to said rental identification tag and to airline reservation information for the traveler;

a processor configured to communicate with said database and said tag reader and locate said airline reservation information of the traveler based on said identification provided by said tag reader; and

a boarding pass generator configured to generate a boarding pass based on said airline reservation information upon receiving an instruction from said processor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said boarding pass generator further comprises a receipt generator configured to generate a rental vehicle receipt.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said boarding pass and said rental vehicle receipt comprise a single item.