Patent Application
20090015398
The invention generally relates to a system and method of providing baggage location information and, more particularly, to a system and method of providing location information of checked baggage using RFID and communication technologies.
Misplaced baggage, misrouted baggage, etc. costs the airline industry millions of dollars a year. For example, an airline using long standing industry standard methods for tracking of baggage can still misplace four bags out of every 1,000 carried, which costs approximately $100 million a year to recover and properly deliver such baggage to the appropriate passenger.
In recent years, technological advances have permitted airports and airlines, in particular, to track the location of baggage based on bar coded tags. These bar code tags are attached to the bag at the point of passenger check-in, and intermittent scans of these bags throughout the loading and unloading processes permit airports and their associated carriers to reduce the quantity of lost and misdirected baggage.
Even more technologically advanced systems are being tried by the airlines, for example, RFID technologies. For example, current trials are being conducted to test the efficacy of using RFID tracking systems to track baggage throughout the baggage travel cycle. In one known trial, for example, tag readers were located in several places throughout the airport infrastructure: at check-in counters, along conveyer belts leading to the areas where baggage handlers work, and at the entrance to airplane cargo holds. Even more recently, having completed trials that use radio frequency identification technology at six South Korean airports, South Korea's Asiana Airlines is proposing to extend its systems as a way to track and monitor its passengers' luggage throughout several South Korean airports. Expanding this tracking system is a huge expenditure in both investment and infrastructure; however, such an investment could save the airline industry millions of dollars a year.
Symbol® technologies is a manufacturer of RFID tags and scanners. (Symbol is a trademark of Symbol Technologies in at least the United States.) In trials for South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Symbol technologies implemented one or two Symbol AR400 readers (interrogators) placed on the baggage conveyors at each of several South Korean airports. The Symbol AR400 readers ensured that the Symbol Class 0+EPC UHF tag attached to baggage could be reliably read and tracked. According to Symbol, the trial showed that using an RFID system would improve the efficiency of its baggage tracking and monitoring systems by 20 percent compared with the existing bar code-based system.
Although RFID technologies can provide improvements over current tracking technologies, opportunities for improvement still exist, particularly given that the current technologies only track the baggage. For example, although a passenger may know that improvements have been made, and that the chances of lost baggage have decreased from years past, the passenger still does not know that the baggage has arrived safely until the customer has arrived at his or her destination.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.
In a first aspect of the invention, a method comprises scanning baggage at one or more predetermined locations to obtain baggage information. The method further includes providing the baggage location to an end user, using the obtained baggage information.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for deploying an application for notifying an end user of baggage location is provided. The method includes providing a computer infrastructure operable to maintain baggage information and contact information of the end user, read an RFID tag at predetermined locations, and send the location of the baggage to the end user based on the location of the RFID tag and the baggage information. The RFID tag is encoded with the baggage information.
In another embodiment, a system comprises an RFID tag encoded with baggage information and at least one RFID reader configured to read the encoded baggage information as it travels past predetermined locations. The system further includes at least one transmitting device to transmit a location of the baggage to an end user, as received from the RFID scanner.
In still another aspect of the invention, a computer program product comprises a computer usable medium having readable program code embodied in the medium. The computer program product includes at least one component to provide the processes of the invention.
The invention generally relates to a system and method of providing baggage location information and, more particularly, to a system and method of providing location information of checked baggage using RFID and communication technologies. In embodiments, RFID technology is implemented to improve the transportation industry, and in particular bring convenience and peace-of-mind to passengers with checked baggage. For example, in implementation, RFID technology is implemented in conjunction with communication technology, such as text messaging (SMS), cellular or other services provided over the Internet, which is configured to inform the passenger of baggage location during the passenger's trip. At each step of the trip, the particular location information of the baggage can be provided to the passenger ensuring the passenger that the checked baggage has been successfully loaded and transported to the destination of the passenger.
The method and system of the invention can also be implemented to ensure that the proper baggage is placed in an aircraft hold, matched to a passenger on that aircraft. For apparent safety reasons, this latter embodiment may be implemented to thwart terrorist activity by ensuring baggage and passenger are matched to a same flight. The technology described herein may also be used to provide information which is used to reroute baggage that was improperly routed to a destination.
As is known in the art, in general, the processor 20 executes computer program code, which is stored in memory 22A and/or storage system 22B. While executing computer program code, the processor 20 can read and/or write data to/from memory 22A, storage system 22B, and/or I/O interface 24. The bus 26 provides a communications link between each of the components in the computing device 14. The I/O device 28 can comprise any device that enables an individual to interact with the computing device 14 or any device that enables the computing device 14 to communicate with one or more other computing devices using any type of communications link.
The computing device 14 can comprise any general purpose computing article of manufacture capable of executing computer program code installed thereon (e.g., a personal computer, server, handheld device, etc.). However, it is understood that the computing device 14 is only representative of various possible equivalent-computing devices that may perform the processes described herein. To this extent, in embodiments, the functionality provided by computing device 14 can be implemented by a computing article of manufacture that includes any combination of general and/or specific purpose hardware and/or computer program code. In each embodiment, the program code and hardware can be created using standard programming and engineering techniques, respectively.
Similarly, the computer infrastructure 12 is only illustrative of various types of computer infrastructures for implementing the invention. For example, in embodiments, the computer infrastructure 12 comprises two or more computing devices (e.g., a Client/Server) that communicate over any type of communications link, such as a network, a shared memory, or the like, to perform the process described herein. Further, while performing the process described herein, one or more computing devices in the computer infrastructure 12 can communicate with one or more other computing devices external to computer infrastructure 12 using any type of communications link. The communications link can comprise any combination of wired and/or wireless links; any combination of one or more types of networks (e.g., the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a virtual private network, etc.); and/or utilize any combination of transmission techniques and protocols. As discussed herein, the management system 30 enables the computer infrastructure 12 to track and then communicate luggage location to a passenger.
One or more scanners (readers) 110 may be placed throughout the airport to track the location of the baggage. The readers may be, for example, Symbol AR400 readers which are designed to read the Symbol Class 0+ EPC UHF tag. The readers 110 may be placed in several locations including, for example, check-in counters, along conveyer belts leading to the areas where baggage handlers work, and at the entrance to or within airplane cargo holds. In further embodiments, the readers 110 may include logic which can reconcile the baggage information with the contact information, as can be implemented by those of skill in the art. This logic may be associated with the processing of
The system of the invention also includes transmitting devices 115 which are configured to provide (i.e., transmit) location information to the owner (passenger) of the baggage 105. The transmitting devices 115 may be, for example, cellular, WiFi or any known transmitting devices whether they be wireless or wired devices. In implementation, the transmitting devices 115 receive information from the reader 110 including the identification of the baggage, the destination of the baggage, the location of the baggage and the contact information, which allows the transmitting device to transmit the baggage location to the owner.
In alternate embodiments, the transmitting devices 115 may include logic which can reconcile the baggage information with the contact information, as can be implemented by those of skill in the art. This logic may be associated with the processing of
In embodiments, the transmitting devices 115 may provide information to airport or security officials such as the Transportation Security Authority (TSA). In this type of embodiment, the airport officials or TSA may be apprised of the location of suspicious baggage. This may include informing the TSA when baggage is loaded onto an aircraft without the passenger boarding the same aircraft.
In further embodiments, the airline employee or the passenger may encode the RFID tag 100, via well-known methodologies. This encoded information, as discussed herein, may include, owner name, unique personal identifier, one or more telephone numbers, home or business address, email address, etc.
In further embodiments, the infrastructure includes connection to a service provider, which may be the airline itself, or related company. The infrastructure may be the computer infrastructure as described in
The service provider maintains the infrastructure such as that described in
In embodiments, the customer may elicit the services of the service provider to store the baggage and personal information of the owner such as, for example, type of baggage, destination of the baggage, contact information, etc. The airline employee may provide this same or similar information to the service provider. In either scenario, the RFID tag is encoded with the passenger information, as discussed above, which may include a preset numerical identifier on the RFID tag which is registered with the transportation or web service provider. This latter case means that the technologies for embedding personalized data into the tag need not exist within the home environment of the passenger. Rather, the information relating to a unique RFID tag could be entered on the Airlines website, for example.
Upon identification of the baggage, the transmitting device 115 may access the infrastructure of the service provider and provide the pertinent baggage and identification information to the service provider. In turn, the service provider, using the identification information, will access its database or other storage repository, and reconcile the identification information with the contact information of the owner (passenger) or, if appropriate with the airport or security officials. This may be performed using a simple hashing routine, for example. Once the contact information is known, the service provider will transmit a notification to the passenger, airport or security officials, as to the location of the baggage. In one implementation, this information can be used to reroute the baggage if the baggage is in the wrong location or being routed to the wrong location.
In further embodiments, the transmitting device 115 may be a transceiver. In such an embodiment, the service provider can provide the appropriate information back to the transceiver, which, in turn, will provide the location information to the passenger or airport or security officials.
In an embodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. The software and/or computer program product can be implemented in the environment of
Referring back to
In step 310, at each step or predetermined steps of this process, and upon the respective RFID scan, an SMS message may optionally be sent to the number specified on the RFID tag, in addition to or exclusive of airport personal or TSA. Examples of messages might include the time, date and location of the baggage, e.g.,
In step 315, in the event that an SMS or other type of message is received indicating an incorrect flight or other incorrect routing the baggage, e.g., baggage loaded onto an aircraft bound for a destination which is not matched to the owner's destination, then the passenger could notify the appropriate personnel so as to initiate an immediate rerouting of the baggage. This would potentially shorten the length of time for proper retrieval of the baggage. Likewise, since the information may be provided to officials, the officials can reroute the baggage, or in the case of suspicious baggage, immediately notify the proper personnel of the location of the luggage and appropriate action that should be taken to ensure the safety of the flying public.
As thus should be understood, the receipt of such messages provides the passenger with feedback and knowledge that the passenger's baggage will in fact arrive at the desired location. Given the practical constraint that cell phones may be turned on within an aircraft up until the moment of leaving the gate, and that cell phones may be turned on after touch-down, this innovation has practical relevance as well.
While the invention has been described in terms of embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications and in the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
