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US 20030189094A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2003/0189094 A1 TrabitZ (43) Pub. Date: Oct. 9, 2003 (54) BAGGAGE TRACKING SYSTEM frequency identi?cation (RFID) tags attached to checked baggage, Which enables continuity of reconciliation through (76) Inventor: Eugene L. Trabitz, San Mateo, CA any number of intra-air transfer points until the destination (Us) of the air travel is reached. If separation of the passenger and baggage occurs prior to the planned air travel destination, Correspondence Address: the system furnishes prompt noti?cation to the airline. While BURNS DOANE SWECKER & MATHIS L L P enrollment of the passenger occurs upon payment for travel, POST OFFICE BOX 1404 checked baggage enrollment can occur variously outside the ALEXANDRIA, VA 22313-1404 (US) airport building (curbside), at the ticket counter, at the (21) Appl. No.: 10/119,802 departure gate, on board the airplane, or along side the airplane prior to mounting the stairWay or on the jet bridge. (22) Filed: Apr. 9, 2002 The interface to the airline carrier’s computer reservation system (CRS) to obtain passenger and schedule data permits Publication Classi?cation continuous tracking of passengers and baggage for the reconciliation process. The CRS creates a passenger name (51) Int. Cl? ................................................... .. G06F 17/60 record (PNR) for each traveler, Which contains ?elds for (52) US. Cl. ............................................................ ..235/385 entering identi?cation codes for checked baggage. Separate PNR ?elds and codes are used for each item of baggage that (57) ABSTRACT is checked. The PNR entry is obtained from reading the Apassenger and baggage reconciliation system is described embedded identi?cation number on the attached RFID tag that employs non-programmable, passive transponder, radio When the baggage is checked in. ASSOCIATE RF ID TAG WITH r100 INEORMA TION FROM AIRLINE RESER VA TTON S YS‘TEM i TRAGK BAGGAGE USING RE “702 ID TAGS AND STRA TEGICALLY PLACED RF ID TAG READERS V JNDICA TE WHETHER “704 PASSENGER GETS ON FIRST PLANE PASSENGER ON FIRST PLANE PULL BAGS ’708 ? FROM PLANE IF 770 NECCESSARY 772 TRACK BAGS T0 SECOND "74 PLANE WNH RF 10 TAG i INDICA TE WHETHER 4'5 PA55ENGER GETS ON SECOND PLANE PASSENGER 0N SECOND -’720 PULL BA GS IF NECCE SSAR Y Patent Application Publication Oct. 9, 2003 Sheet 1 0f 5 US 2003/0189094 A1 ASSOGIA TE RF ID TAG WITH /700 INFORMATION FROM AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM i TRAGK BAGGAGE USING RF ID TAGS AND S TRA TEGIGALLY PLACED RF ID TAG READERS V INDIGA 7E WHETHER r104 PASSENGER GETS ON FIRST PLANE PASSENGER 0N FIRST 7 PLANE PULL BAGS f7 08 ? FROM PLANE IF NEGGESSARY TRACK BAGS TO SECOND PLANE WITH RF ID TAG V INDI GA TE WHETHER PASSENGER GETS ON SECOND PLANE 778 BOTH BA ' AND NO PASSENGER ON SEGOND PLANE Y ? PULL BA GS IF NECGESSAR Y FIG. 1 US 2003/0189094 A1 Oct. 9, 2003 BAGGAGE TRACKING SYSTEM baggage is put in the right location. In one embodiment, a stored indication is created When the baggage is loaded onto BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION the airplane. When the passenger gets on the same airplane, a second indication is stored. Thus, the system checks to [0001] The present invention relates baggage handling determine Whether the baggage is loaded onto a plane and systems, especially to baggage handling systems that can the passenger is not on the plane. ensure the reconciliation of a passenger and their baggage on a plane. [0007] Since the RFID tag system is associated With information from the airline reservation system, for multi [0002] One known airplane security issue concerns pas ?ight trips, a passenger can change ?ights for the second hop senger and baggage reconciliation. A terrorist may be able to and then, automatically, the system Will indicate to the place a bomb in a piece of checked baggage and then not get baggage handlers, as they are handling the bags, Where to onto the ?ight. If the baggage containing the bomb is not correctly send the baggage. This makes it much easier for the removed, the bomb can destroy the airplane Without harm to airline to both sWitch passenger ?ights, and ensure that for the terrorist. For this reason, on many ?ights, it is required the second leg of the trip, both the passenger and the that When a checked-in passenger does not take a ?ight, the baggage are on the same plane. passenger’s baggage is removed from the airplane. Using current baggage handling systems, ?nding and removing BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING such baggage can be quite dif?cult. FIGURES [0003] In the current baggage handling system, each piece [0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a method of one embodi of checked-in baggage has a printed tag listing the ?nal ment of the system of the present invention. destination airport and indicating the ?ights for the trip. Typically, a bar code is also provided on the printed label. [0009] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system used in Under the current baggage handling systems, Whenever one embodiment of the system of the present invention. baggage must be removed from the plane, the airplane cargo [0010] FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates the operation of bays need to be searched visually to isolatethe passenger’s the RFID readers in one embodiment of the present inven baggage. Normally this search requires removal of much tion. baggage from the cargo bays to identify the correct bag(s), and it can take a considerable amount of time. [0011] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of the present invention. [0004] Itineraries With multiple connecting ?ights pose special problems. With connecting ?ights, baggage is moved [0012] FIG. 5 is a timeline illustrating one embodiment of from the originating plane to the connecting plane. Fre the present invention. quently, the second leg of the trip changes after check-in. Since the printed label on the bag contains only the original DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ?ight information, it is quite dif?cult to redirect the baggage PREFERRED EMBODIMENT so that it is transferred to the connecting plane for the second [0013] FIG. 1 illustrates one eXample of an embodiment leg of the itinerary. of the system of the present invention. In step 100, an RFID [0005] It is desired to have a system and method that tag is associated With information from an airline reservation makes it easier to ensure that both the passenger and the system. In a preferred embodiment, at check-in, the RFID baggage are on the same ?ight for security reasons and for tag is read to obtain the RFID tag ID information serial avoiding cost to the airline from having to locate and retrieve number. This ID information is associated With information baggage that is separated from the passenger. from the airline reservation system. In a preferred embodi ment, the information from the airline reservation system SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION includes the user’s name, the ?ight information, including the ?ight or ?ights in the itinerary, as Well as the destination [0006] One embodiment of the present invention includes airport. a system in Which a Radio Frequency Identi?cation (RFID) [0014] In step 102, the baggage is tracked using the RFID tag gets attached to a piece of baggage. At check-in, the tag. In a preferred embodiment, the RFID tag is attached to RFID tag information is associated With information from an the baggage, and needs to be positioned Within a certain airline reservation system for a passenger’s trip. In one distance from the RFID reader. In a preferred embodiment, embodiment, the serial number from the RFID tag is put into the RFID reader interrogates the RFID tag, Which responds a database ?eld associated With the trip information. The baggage is preferably tracked using the RFID tag. At dif With the RFID information. In one embodiment, this ID information is used to check for the stored ?ight informa ferent locations, RFID readers read the RFID tag as the tion. Since the stored ?ight information is electronically baggage moves through the system. If the baggage is available, in one embodiment, displays or alarms are pro improperly loaded into any location, an alarm or other duced to ensure that the baggage is in the correct location for display is preferably produced indicating that baggage is the different portions of the baggage tracking. In particular, being sent to the Wrong location. This alarm requires the in a preferred embodiment, it is determined Whether the handler to treat the bag in a special manner. As long as the baggage is loaded onto the correct plane. baggage is Within a certain distance from the RFID reader, the serial number from the RFID tag is automatically [0015] In step 104, an indication is produced Whether the obtained. Since the RFID tag information is associated With passenger gets on the originating plane. In one embodiment, information from the airline reservation system, a processor this indication is produced by reading the ticket as the user at the RFID reader automatically determines Whether the enters the plane. US 2003/0189094 A1 Oct. 9, 2003 [0016] In step 106, it is checked to see Whether both the from the baggage unloading location 220, and an RFID tag bag and passenger are on the originating plane. If the reader 222 reads the RFID tag. The cart With the baggage is baggage is on the plane, and the passenger doesn’t board the sent to the location for loading onto the airplane 224. The plane, in step 108 the baggage is pulled from the plane.