GB2514676A

GB2514676A - Device and method for baggage labeling

Info

Publication number: GB2514676A
Application number: GB1406979.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Noura Mahrougui
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-05-17
Filing date: 2014-04-17
Publication date: 2014-12-03
Also published as: GB201406979D0

Abstract

A label for baggage, e.g. as applied to baggage during airline check-in procedures comprises, an identification sign which is distinct from any other identification sign which has already been allocated to another baggage item registered for a journey. In particular, the identification sign comprises a serial number starting from 1 which is incremented during the check-in process for the journey as each bag is checked in. The use of a simpler unique ID of this form allows bags to be more readily identified and allows bags to be more easily removed from the hold if necessary.

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a device and a method in the field of baggage labelling during a registration process.

Prior art

S In a public transport organisation, such as for example by aeroplane, boat, bus or train, it is usual to register the passengers and their baggage in advance. The registra- tion can be carried out at one or several counters for several destinations. The regis-tration can be entirely automated at a computerized terminal, or can be carried out by means of an authorized person who takes the details of the passengers and proceeds with the registration of their baggage. In the case of an automated registration, it is possible that the passengers' baggage is registered separately at a counter by an au- thorized person. During the registration process, the baggage item or items of a pas-senger can be accepted by the registration service to be stored in the interim before being loaded in the means of transport which will be taken by the passenger. The baggage item or items are in that case labelled then brought and loaded in the means of transport by a handling service, without the intervention of the passenger. If the passenger has to be removed from the list of outbound passengers between the mo-ment at which the passenger registers and the means of transport departs, then the baggage item or items must be recovered and returned. The recovery of the baggage is then carried out for example either in the intermediate storage or in the boot or the hold of the means of transport. The passenger's baggage item or items must be rec-ognized from amongst the other baggage by means of the label or labels which have been affixed to them.

The labelling of a baggage item typically comprises a large amount of information, such as for example information allowing the passenger who owns the baggage to be identified, the means of transport taken, the departure point, the arrival point, the date. The labelling further comprises a unique code which allows the labelled baggage item to be distinguished from all other registered baggage during a defined period at the point of registration. When the system is computerized, the labelling data are au-tomatically included in a centralized database, and the unique code is then allocated in a centralized manner.

Figure 1 illustrates an example of a label obtained on registration of an aircraft pas-senger. The label comprises in particular: * a destination in abbreviated form -AMS -and in explicit form -Amsterdam; * a flight number -EZS135S; * a date -16APR; * a commercial name of the operator -easyjet; S * a name of the passenger -VAN DALEN/RAL; * a code of the departure airport -GVA; * a barcode represented in two different orientations; * a unique code -XH503762.

The only information which, considered on its own, allows a baggage item to be dis- tinguished unequivocally is the unique code. In fact, the flight number, the destina-tion and even the name can be found on other baggage items which are to be loaded on the same flight or which are stored together intermediately.

In the case mentioned above, in which a registered baggage item is to be recovered so as to be returned to the passenger, the baggage handling service is called upon for ex-ample, to whom the unique code of the baggage item is transmitted. A member of the handling service will then visually browse the baggage labels to retrieve the one which comprises the unique code. The visual search can prove to be complicated and take a long time to carry out when the unique code is relatively long, difficult to memorize, but also when the baggage items are stored in a restricted space with poor lighting.

This can cause great delays, for example when the search for a baggage item in an air-craft hold does not finish in a short period of time, and the aircraft is thus prevented from taking off at the scheduled time.

The invention proposes remedying the disadvantages of the labelling system of the

prior art.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect, the invention provides a labelling system for baggage in-cluding a baggage registration means, a means for recognition of a journey for which the baggage item is intended to be registered, a means for allocation of an identifica-tion sign for the baggage item, configured for allocation of an identification sign which is distinct from any other identification sign which has already been allocated to another baggage item registered for the journey, and a means for affixing the iden-tification sign for a visual identification on a baggage label.

In a first preferred embodiment, the means for allocating an identification sign allo-cates numbers, starting from the number 1 for the first identification sign, then by incrementing the number sequentially for each baggage item.

In a second preferred embodiment, the means for allocating an identification sign in-cludes a database associating the corresponding identification sign to each baggage item.

According to a second aspect, the invention provides a labelling method for baggage including a step of baggage registration, a step of recognition of a journey for which the baggage item is intended to be registered, a step of allocation of an identification sign for the baggage item, configured to allocate an identification sign which is dis-tinct from any other identification sign which has already been allocated to another baggage item registered for the journey, and a step of affixing the identification sign for a visual identification on a baggage label.

In a third preferred embodiment, the step of allocation of an identification sign allo- cates numbers starting from the number 1 for the first identification sign, then by in-crementing the number sequentially for each baggage item.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be better understood in view of the following description of exam-ple embodiments and in consideration of the figures, in which Figure 1 contains an example of a registration label for a baggage item according to

the prior art

Figure 2 contains an example of a label according to an embodiment of the invention, and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of an aircraft hold with 5 compartments refer-enced cptl to cpt 5 (cpt 2 is not shown).

Description of example embodiments of the invention According to the invention, the label issued from the labelling comprises an addition- al identification sign which is printed on the label in a sufficient size to be easily rec-ognized, which is short so as to be more easily memorized, and which is unique for a journey and the means of transport used for the journey. In a preferred embodiment, the identification sign permits an order to be allocated among all the baggage items transported for the journey.

Figure 2 contains the same label as that illustrated in Figure 1, but modified according to the system or the method of the invention. In addition to the usual information, the label comprises an additional identification sign, which in this example is the number 1, affixed with a relatively large font so as to be easily legible even under con- ditions in which a visual recognition becomes difficult to carry out, for example be-cause of lack of lighting or lack of visual acuity of the member of the handling service.

The additional identification sign is allocated at the time of registration of the bag-gage item and uniquely for the journey in question. In other words, each baggage item registered for the journey in question can be identified in an unequivocal manner from its identification sign.

In a preferred embodiment, the additional identification sign is allocated sequentially in the order of registration for the journey. Thus, a first baggage item receives the number 1, the second baggage item the number 2, ... the last baggage item the last number, i.e. for example the number 159 if the last baggage item is the 159th to have been registered for the journey.

So as to implement the invention, a labelling system includes a baggage registration means, a means for recognition of the journey for which the baggage item is intended to be registered, a means for allocation of an identification sign for the baggage item, configured to allocate an identification sign which is distinct from any other identifi-cation sign which has already been allocated to another baggage item registered for the journey, and a means for affixing the identification sign for a visual identification on a baggage label.

In a preferred embodiment, the means for allocation of an identification sign allocates numbers starting from the number 1 for the first identification sign, then by incre-menting the number sequentially for each baggage item.

In a preferred embodiment, the means for allocation of an identification sign includes a database associating the corresponding identification sign to each baggage item.

The invention can be executed by a method, implementing the means of the labelling system in a succession of steps.

The labelling system and the inventive method thus facilitate the identification of the baggage item with their simple and practical aspect.

The identification sign can be affixed on several locations, or faces of the baggage la-bel. The size of the characters used to reproduce the identification sign on the label is selected to dominate the size of the other inscriptions on the label, and hence to make the identification sign easy to be identified visually and quickly.

It is estimated that in the process of recovery of a baggage item by the handling ser-vice, the system and the inventive method allows the time devoted to searching for the baggage item to be reduced by 60 to 90 %. A baggage item can henceforth be more easily identified from others.

When a sequential numbering system is used for the identification signs, the in-ventive system and method allow the exact number of baggage items to be totalled for the same journey, for example a particular aircraft flight. For example, a flight from Geneva to Lugano with 135 passengers could record a total of 90 passengers with baggage, each having for example only 1 baggage item: * the 1" registered baggage item receives the number 1 on its label * the 2nd registered baggage item receives the number 2 on its label; * and so on up to the 90th baggage item, which is given the number 90 on its label.

The invention simplifies identification, because the identification sign constituted by one of the numbers 1 to 90, to resume our example, is easier to memorize than the unique code in the format illustrated in Figure 2, i.e. the code XH503762.

The invention also contributes a practical aspect by permitting a monitoring of the loading of baggage in order and per hold -to resume the example of an aircraft for the journey.

If, for example, the hold of the aircraft comprises 1 baggage hold with S compart-ments, as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 3, and 150 baggage items are to be loaded therein, one can choose to place 50 baggage items in compartment 1, stored in the order of 1 to 50, then 100 baggage items in compartment 4, stored in the order 51 to 150. This storage order makes the search for a baggage item in the hold even easi- er, because it is henceforth known which baggage items are stored in each compart-ment of the hold of the aircraft.

Claims

Claims 1. A labelling system for baggage, including a baggage registration means, a means for recognition of a journey for which the baggage item is intended to be registered, a means for allocation of an identification sign for the baggage item, configured for allocation of an identification sign which is distinct from any other identification sign which has already been allocated to another baggage item registered for the journey, and a means for affixing the identification sign for a visual identification on a baggage label.
2. The system of Claim 1, in which the means for allocation of an identification sign allocates numbers starting from the number 1 for the first identification sign, then by incrementing the number sequentially for each baggage item.
3. The system according to one of the preceding claims, in which the means for allocation of an identification sign includes a database associating the corresponding identification sign to each baggage item.
4. A labelling method for baggage, including a step of baggage registration, a step of recognition of a journey for which the baggage item is intended to be registered, a step of allocation of m identification sign for the baggage item, configured to allocate an identification sign which is distinct from any other identification sign which has already been allocated to another baggage item registered for the journey, and a step of affixing the identification sign for a visual identification on a baggage label.
5. The method of Claim 4, in which the step of allocation of an identification sign allocates numbers starting from the number 1 for the first identification sign, then by incrementing the number sequentially for each baggage item.