GB2500054A

GB2500054A - Electronic baggage tag with NFC device and electronic display, e.g. electrophoretic display.

Info

Publication number: GB2500054A
Application number: GB1204165.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Carmichael; Glenn Morgan
Original assignee: British Airways PLC
Current assignee: British Airways PLC
Priority date: 2012-03-09
Filing date: 2012-03-09
Publication date: 2013-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 2032-03-09
Also published as: GB2500054B; WO2013132273A2; GB201204165D0; WO2013132273A3

Abstract

An electronic baggage tag 1 comprises an electronic display screen 2a, in particular a flexible, non-volatile, electrophoretic display, e.g. E-Ink (RTM), and a near field communication (NFC) device. The tag has electronic display screens on both sides of the device. The tag may be provided with a housing (, Fig. 2) which has attachment means for attaching the tag to items of luggage. The electronic display screens are configurable via the NFC device to display human and machine readable identification information, in particular a barcode 4. The data to be displayed on the tag is retrieved from a database. The tag is designed for use during airport baggage handling and allows bags to be automatically identified either via the NFC device or via the barcode. Communication with the NFC device may be via dedicated kiosk or by mobile phone. An app may be provided to allow airline passengers to configure the tag via mobile phone.

Description

1

Identification Apparatus and Method Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an identification apparatus and method, and particularly to an identification tag for baggage and the like, and for a method of configuring

5 the tag.

Background of the Invention

[0002] A conventional tag, for use in identification and tracking of baggage in airports and the like, comprises a self-adhesive strip that is printed with a machine readable and human readable information which identifies a baggage item and the flight or journey on which the

10 item is to be carried. The tag is typically printed by an operator at a check-in or baggage drop counter, and attached around a part of the baggage item to create a double-sided tag with machine-readable codes on both sides. The machine readable codes can then be read by an automated baggage transport system and used to look up further details on a database so as to enable the baggage item to be routed to the intended destination.

15 [0003] However, printed baggage tags may become damaged or may be positioned so that they cannot be read automatically. To overcome this problem, it has been proposed to replace paper baggage tags with radio-frequency-identification (RFID) tags, and some airports are now equipped with RFID readers to enable handling of RFID-tagged baggage. However, RFID tags cannot be read by conventional optical readers, as used in the majority 20 of airports.

[0004] W0-A-2011/097454 (Vanguard Identification Systems) discloses an RFID tag that includes a programmable electronic flexible sheet display, so that a conventional bar code can also be displayed. The tag also carries a printable sheet. A customer may check in a bag online by scanning an online code and the baggage tag code using a cell phone, such that the

25 customer's itinerary is linked to the baggage tag. At check-in at an airport, the tag, itinerary and customer ID are verified and the flight information is written to the tag.

Statement of the Invention

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a baggage tag according to claim 1.

30 [0006] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method according to claim 9.

2

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product according to claim 14.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system according to claim 15.

5 [0009] An embodiment of the invention comprises an electronic baggage tag that has an electronic display screen on both sides, thus facilitating optical or human reading of the tag.

[0010] An embodiment of the invention comprises an electronic baggage tag that is writeable via a near-field communication interface. The data to be written may be retrieved at an operator station or automated kiosk, or by means of an NFC-enabled mobile

10 communications device, thus enabling a user to retrieve flight data without the need to visit a kiosk or operator station. The data is then written over an NFC interface of the operator station, kiosk or mobile device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, purely by way of 15 example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagram of a baggage tag in an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a diagram of the baggage tag of Figure 1, mounted in a casing.

Figure 3 is a diagram of the components of the baggage tag of the first embodiment. Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a method of updating a baggage tag in a first 20 embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is a flow diagram of a method of updating a baggage tag in a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 is a diagram of an example of a computer system for use in embodiments of the invention.

25 Detailed Description of Embodiments

Electronic Baggage Tag

[0012] An electronic baggage tag 1 according to an embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The tag 1 is generally planar and has first and second display screens 2a, 2b on opposite main faces thereof so that the tag is readable from

30 either side. As shown in Figure 1, the display screens 2a, 2b may display a machine-readable code 4, such as a barcode, and human-readable information 5. The barcode 4 may be a one-dimensional barcode displayed twice, in orthogonal directions, to facilitate

3

scanning. The one-dimensional barcode may comply with the IATA standard for baggage tag barcodes (currently Resolution 792 of the Passenger Services Conference Resolutions Manual).

[0013] The display screens 2a, 2b preferably use non-volatile display technology so that 5 they do not require constant power, and may have very low power consumption since power is only required to change the state of the display screens 2a, 2b. Examples of such display technology include electrophoretic ink (E Ink (RTM)).

[0014] As shown in Figure 3, the display screens 2a, 2b are controlled by a processor 10 to display information and/or codes stored in a memory 11. A two-way near-field

10 communication (NFC) interface 12 is provided to allow the contents of the memory 11 to be read and modified over an NFC connection, for example by means of an NFC-enabled mobile communication device or scanner. The NFC interface 12 may comply with the relevant standards as defined by the NFC Forum.

[0015] A power source, such as a rechargeable battery or capacitor, may be provided within 15 the tag 1. The power source may be rechargeable via an electrical or inductive connection and/or by one or more photovoltaic or photoelectric cells provided on the tag 1.

[0016] The tag 1 is preferably flexible, so as to avoid damage during handling. The E Ink technology allows the display screens 2a, 2b to be flexible, while the other components of the tag, and the connections between them, may also be made flexible using known

20 processes for flexible electronics.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the tag 1 has first and second attachment points 3a, 3b by which the tag 1 may be removably secured within a housing 6, for example by means of click or push-fit attachments. The housing 6 may be at least partially of transparent material, so that the display screens 2a, 2b are visible when the tag 1 is located within the housing 6.

25 The housing 6 includes an attachment portion 7 for attachment to a baggage item. The housing 6 may be flexible, and may comprise a sleeve, or wrap-around casing.

[0018] The housing 6 may provide protection for the tag 1 during handling. Where an electrical power connection is provided in the tag 1, the housing 6 may protect the electrical power connection from the ingress of dirt and/or moisture. The housing 6 may include one

30 or more photovoltaic or photoelectric cells arranged to provide power to the tag 1, for example through the attachment points 3 a, 3b.

[0019] The housing 6 may be coloured and/or decorated, for example to indicate membership of a loyalty scheme. Hence, a plurality of housings 6 of different size, shape

4

and/or appearance may be provided, each of which includes means for securing the tag 1 therein.

[0020] The tag 1 is intended to be re-used, so that the contents of the memory 11 and the display of the display screens 2a, 2b need to be updated to suit the current use of the tag 1,

5 as described for example below.

Method of First Embodiment

[0021] A first method of updating the tag 1, during check-in or baggage drop, will now be discussed with reference to Figure 4. This method may be performed automatically, for example at a check-in or baggage drop kiosk 20. Alternatively, at least some of the steps

10 may be performed by an operator at a check-in or baggage drop counter 20.

[0022] First (step SI), the user confirms his or her identity, for example by presenting a document such as a boarding pass, loyalty scheme (e.g. frequent flyer) card and/or passport or other identity document. The document may be scanned automatically at the kiosk, and the user may be prompted to provide further details to confirm that he or she is the

15 legitimate bearer of the document, for example by providing biometric data such as a fingerprint or retina scan, by providing a password, or by providing a payment card used to pay for the flight. These details are verified against records, for example stored on a database 22 and accessible by the operator's computer system or by the kiosk, so as to authenticate the user.

20 [0023] Next (step S2), if the user is authenticated, then the data to be written to the tag 1 is retrieved or generated by the computer system or kiosk, for example from the database 22 or another data source. The data may include the name of the user and details of the flight(s) on which the baggage associated with the tag 1 is to be transported. The data may include details of the baggage item 40 to which the tag 1 is to be attached, such as the weight of the

25 item.

[0024] Finally (step S3), the retrieved data are written to the memory 11 of the tag 1, for example by bringing the tag 1 into proximity to an NFC interface of the kiosk or computer system, and the tag 1 then updates the displays 2a and 2b to display the retrieved data as the barcode 4 and/or human-readable information 5.

30 [0025] The tag 1 may store a tag ID code that is communicable to external devices via the machine-readable code 4 and/or via the NFC interface 12. The kiosk or computer system may read the tag ID code during the method described above, and associate the tag ID with the user's details on a database. Thus, when the tag ID is read by in the baggage handling

5

system, the required routing information may be retrieved from the database. In this case, the machine-readable code 4 incorporating the tag ID code may be printed permanently on the tag 1, rather than displayed on the display screens 2a, 2b.

Method of Second Embodiment

5 [0026] A second method of updating the tag 1, in which the user updates the tag using an NFC-enabled mobile communication device 30, will now be described with reference to Figure 5. The mobile device 30 includes: a processor 32, which may include a physical processor and an operating system running thereon, as well as other necessary components such as memory, enabling one or more applications 31 to be executed; an NFC interface 34 10 enabling bidirectional NFC communication with the NFC interface 12 of the tag 1, and a mobile data interface 36 for connection via a mobile data network 38 to a remote service, such as the database 22.

[0027] In this method, the user retrieves flight details (step S10) from the database 22 using the mobile device 30, for example by means of an application 31 running on the mobile 15 device. One example of such an application is the 'British Airways app' for iOS (RTM), Blackberry (RTM) and Android (RTM) operating systems. The application 31 allows registered users to retrieve flight details for their current bookings, and to download and use mobile boarding passes. In the present embodiment, the application 31 includes a function to send retrieved flight details to the tag 1.

20 [0028] Next (step SI 1), the user sends the retrieved flight details from the mobile device to the tag 1 via the NFC interface 12. The flight details are stored in the memory 11 and the displays 2a, 2b are updated to display the flight details.

Baggage Handling

[0029] In either of the above methods, the updated tag 1 is attached to an associated 25 baggage item 40, and the tag 1 is then read during the baggage handling process either via an NFC interface or by scanning or reading one of the displays 2a, 2b, so that the baggage item may be routed appropriately. The baggage handling process may be automated in a baggage handling system including NFC or optical scanners, or handheld NFC or optical scanners may be provided to manual baggage handlers. The handheld NFC scanners may 30 themselves comprise NFC-enabled mobile communication devices, which are arranged to retrieve the required handling data from a remote database by providing the tag ID code.

6

[0030] The above methods are described with reference to a single user and a single tag 1, but the methods are of course applicable to systems arranged to handle very large numbers of tags 1 and users, such as is required for a practical baggage handling system.

Computer System

5 [0031] The computer system, kiosk and/or mobile device described herein may be a computer system 600 as shown in Figure 6. Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as programmable code for execution by the computer system 600. Various embodiments of the invention are described in terms of this example computer system 600. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the art how to 10 implement the invention using other computer systems and/or computer architectures.

[0032] Computer system 600 includes one or more processors, such as processor 604. Processor 604 may be any type of processor, including but not limited to a special purpose or a general-purpose digital signal processor. Processor 604 is connected to a communication infrastructure 606 (for example, a bus or network). Computer system 600

15 also includes a main memory 608, preferably random access memory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory 610. Secondary memory 610 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 612 and/or a removable storage drive 614, representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, etc. Removable storage drive 614 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 618 in a well-known manner. Removable storage 20 unit 618 represents a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc., which is read by and written to by removable storage drive 614. As will be appreciated, removable storage unit 618 includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data.

[0033] In alternative implementations, secondary memory 610 may include other similar 25 means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system 600. Such means may include, for example, a removable storage unit 622 and an interface 620. Examples of such means may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that previously found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM, or PROM, or flash memory) and associated socket, and other 30 removable storage units 622 and interfaces 620 which allow software and data to be transferred from removable storage unit 622 to computer system 600. Alternatively, the program may be executed and/or the data accessed from the removable storage unit 622, using the processor 604 of the computer system 600.

7

[0034] Computer system 600 may also include a communication interface 624. Communication interface 624 allows software and data to be transferred between computer system 600 and external devices. Examples of communication interface 624 may include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet card), a communication port, a Personal

5 Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via communication interface 624 are in the form of signals 628, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable of being received by communication interface 624. These signals 628 are provided to communication interface 624 via a communication path 626. Communication path 626 carries signals 628 and may be 10 implemented using wire or cable, fibre optics, a phone line, a wireless link, a cellular phone link, a radio frequency link, or any other suitable communication channel. For instance, communication path 626 may be implemented using a combination of channels.

[0035] The terms "computer program medium" and "computer usable medium" are used generally to refer to media such as removable storage drive 614, a hard disk installed in hard

15 disk drive 612, and signals 628. These computer program products are means for providing software to computer system 600. However, these terms may also include signals (such as electrical, optical or electromagnetic signals) that embody the computer program disclosed herein.

[0036] Computer programs (also called computer control logic) are stored in main memory 20 608 and/or secondary memory 610. Computer programs may also be received via communication interface 624. Such computer programs, when executed, enable computer system 600 to implement the present invention as discussed herein. Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of computer system 600. Where the invention is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and 25 loaded into computer system 600 using removable storage drive 614, hard disk drive 612, or communication interface 624, to provide some examples.

[0037] In alternative embodiments, the invention can be implemented as control logic in hardware, firmware, or software or any combination thereof. The apparatus may be implemented by dedicated hardware, such as one or more application-specific integrated

30 circuits (ASICs) or appropriately connected discrete logic gates. A suitable hardware description language can be used to implement the method described herein with dedicated hardware.

8

Alternative Embodiments

[0038] The embodiments described above are illustrative of rather than limiting to the present invention. Alternative embodiments apparent on reading the above description may nevertheless fall within the scope of the invention.

9

Claims

Claims

1. An electronic baggage tag having first and second display screens provided on opposite faces thereof

2. The tag of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second display screens comprises 5 a non-volatile display.

3. The tag of any preceding claim, where the first and second display screens are flexible.

4. The tag of any preceding claim, having a near-field communication interface arranged to receive data for display on the first and/or second display screens.

5. The tag of any preceding claim, removably attached within a housing arranged to allow 10 the display screens to be visible.

6. The tag of claim 5, wherein the housing is flexible.

7. The tag of claim 5 or 6, wherein the housing includes means for attachment to a baggage item.

8. The tag of any preceding claim, including a rechargeable power source.

15 9. A method of configuring a baggage tag having a near-field communication interface, the method comprising:

a. retrieving data relating to a journey; and b. transferring the data to the baggage tag over the near-field communication interface;

20 such that the data is readable from the baggage tag.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data is retrieved using a mobile communication device having a near-field communication interface, and is transferred from the mobile communication device to the baggage tag.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein a user of the baggage tag is authenticated prior to 25 retrieval of the data relating to the journey.

12. The method of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the baggage tag comprises an electronic display arranged to display the data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the baggage tag is as claimed in claim 4 or any one of claims 5 to 7 when dependent thereon.

10

14. A computer program product comprising program code arranged to execute the method of any one of claims 9 to 13.

15. A computer system arranged to retrieve selected baggage tag data from a database, and to write the retrieved data to a baggage tag over a near-field communication interface.

5 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer system comprises an automated kiosk or operator station.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer system comprises a mobile communication device.

18. A baggage handling system including the computer system of any one of claims 15 to 10 17, and at least one baggage tag reader for reading the data from the baggage tag and for routing an associated baggage item accordingly.

19. A baggage tag substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

20. A method substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as shown in the 15 accompanying drawings.