AIRLINE BAGGAGE TRACKING AND NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

• US 20130234849A1
• Filed: 03/09/2012
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: GUPTA, Amit, Naik, Rashmi
• Granted Patent: US 9,398,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/18 Devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/42 Devices for identifying luggage; Means for attaching same
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

An airport baggage tracking and notification system may include a baggage tracking system and a baggage location notification system. The baggage tracking system may be configured to track when baggage at an airport has arrived at and/or has departed from one or more locations at an airport, such as a check in area, a baggage sorting area, within an airplane, a baggage pickup area, and/or a passenger exit at the airport. The baggage location notification system may be configured to cause a notification to be automatically delivered to a passenger that is transporting the baggage, a passenger transportation service, and/or others contemporaneously with when the baggage has arrived at and/or departed from each of the locations indicating that the baggage has arrived at or departed from each location.

Claims

1. An airport baggage tracking and notification system comprising:

a baggage tracking system configured to track when baggage at an airport has arrived at or has departed from a location at an airport; and

a baggage location notification system configured to cause a notification, indicating that the baggage has arrived at or departed from the location, to be automatically sent to a passenger associated with the baggage contemporaneously with when the baggage has respectively arrived at or departed from the location.

2. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein the location is a baggage sorting area.

3. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 2 wherein:

the baggage tracking system is configured to track when the baggage has arrived at and departed from the baggage sorting area; and

the baggage location notification system is configured to cause a notification to be automatically sent to the passenger contemporaneously with when the baggage has;

arrived at the baggage sorting area, the notification indicating that the baggage has arrived at the baggage storage area; and

departed from the baggage sorting area, the notification indicating that the baggage has departed from the baggage storage area.

4. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein the location is within an airplane.

5. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein location is a baggage pickup area.

6. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein location is a passenger exit from the airport.

7. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein:

the baggage tracking system is configured to track when baggage at an airport has arrived at or departed from multiple locations at the airport; and

the baggage location notification system is configured to cause a notification, indicating that the baggage has arrived at or departed from each location, to be automatically sent to the passenger contemporaneously with when the baggage has respectively arrived at or departed from each of the multiple locations.

8. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein the baggage location notification system is configured to deliver the notification in the form of a text message to a mobile phone that is registered to the passenger.

9. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein the baggage location notification system includes a passenger interface configured to allow the passenger to specify how the notification is to be sent.

10. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein the baggage location notification system is configured to cause the notification to be automatically sent to an entity other than the passenger contemporaneously with when the baggage has arrived at or departed from the location.

11. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein the baggage location notification system is configured to cause the notification to be delivered in the form of a posting to a social networking system associated with the passenger.

12. The airport baggage tracking and notification system of claim 1 wherein:

the baggage tracking system is configured to track when baggage has arrived at or departed from multiple locations at different airports along a single trip; and

the baggage location notification system is configured to cause a notification, indicating that the baggage has arrived at or departed from each location, to be automatically delivered to the passenger contemporaneously with when the baggage has respectively arrived at or departed from each location.

13. A method of tracking baggage at an airport comprising:

tracking when baggage at an airport has arrived at or has departed from a location at an airport by electronically or optically reading a unique code that is associated with the baggage; and

issuing an electronic notification to a passenger associated with the baggage indicating that the baggage has arrived at or departed from the location contemporaneously with and automatically when the baggage has arrived at or departed from the location, respectively.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein:

the tracking tracks when baggage at an airport has arrived at or departed from multiple locations; and

the issuing a notification causes a notification to be automatically sent to the passenger indicating that the baggage has arrived at or departed from each location contemporaneously with when the baggage has arrived at or departed from each of the multiple locations, respectively.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the multiple locations are at different airports.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the notification is sent to the passenger in a manner specified by the passenger.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising issuing a notification to the passenger indicating that the baggage has remained at the location for more than a pre-determined time when the baggage has remained at the location for more than the pre-determined time.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the location is a passenger exit from the airport.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the notification includes an estimated amount of time for the baggage to arrive at a subsequent location.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the notification is issued when the baggage arrives at the location and includes an estimated amount of time for the baggage to remain at the location.