Abstract:
An electronic baggage tracking device replaces the tracking sticker presently applied to baggage. The device has a display which at least selectively displays destination indicia such as a barcode identifying a particular destination airport location. The device also has the ability to store traveler identification information, which is preferably at least partially encrypted, as well as travel information which may not normally be provided with baggage indicia, such as departing and arrival times. The device is preferably connected to baggage, if not integrally, then with a housing which connects to handles such as with a top having depending sides which cooperate with a displaceable bottom. Once installed, the device preferably has a locking configuration thereby preventing inadvertent or undesired removal of the device.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/269,163 filed Jun. 22, 2009. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a luggage identification system in which information can be stored electronically and connected by means of a device which stores electronic information and is directly to luggage, and more particularly, to a luggage handle accessory which stores flight information, travel information, traveler information and possibly other information in which the information is provided to the device and then stored while preferentially displaying information for use by the airline and coordinating the proper handling of the baggage to its desired destination. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    E-tickets have matured significantly over the past few years. Not only can a passenger book travel arrangements utilizing the interne to create an electronic ticket, but an electronic version of an electronic ticket can now even be provided to a cell phone or personal data assistant for use in providing this information to a transportation provider such as airline at check in or other location. Accordingly, in some instances, there is no need for paper of any kind to be associated with a traveling passenger. See www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2009/1209.shtm. 
         [0004]    Luggage identification which is separate from the passenger travel information provided by e-tickets has not seen such a revolution in technological advances. The most common way of identifying luggage in today&#39;s airline industry is to adhere a sticker directly onto the luggage. The sticker possibly identifies the owner of the luggage or at least a reference number to be assigned to the owner with a corresponding number which is provided to the traveler&#39;s ticket so that the luggage can be identified with the traveler at baggage claim. This sticker also normally has a bar code and a destination which identifies where the luggage is traveling in a one-way direction. 
         [0005]    With the common sticker baggage identification, there is not a convenient way to identify multiple flights. The stickers could then become confused as to which destination the baggage is ultimately traveling. Furthermore, there is no way for the customer to perform self baggage checks as the baggage must be processed at the counter utilizing the current system. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, improvements over these prior art baggage identification systems and devices are believed to be necessary. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Accordingly, it is a present object of the present invention to provide an improved electronic luggage tracking system and devices 
         [0008]    It is another object of at least some embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved electronic luggage tracking device which connects to articles of luggage. 
         [0009]    It is another object of some embodiments of the present invention to provide a device which connects to luggage and is capable of receiving and at least temporarily storing electronic data. 
         [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic device which in the presently preferred embodiment connects to an article of luggage and displays indicia such as a scannable image related to the intended destination of the baggage. 
         [0011]    The device preferably securely connects to a portion of the luggage such as on a luggage handle. In the preferred embodiment, a slide is utilized to cooperate with one or more side slots in a housing and then preferably lock in place thereby securing the device with its electronics to the luggage. By having multiple side slots, various dimension handles can be accommodated. 
         [0012]    The electronic components preferably provide a port which can communicate with a laptop computer, smart phone or other device. A processor can communicate through the port to preferably provide information related to a luggage bar code or other indicia into the electronics which can then be displayed on a screen on the device so that a luggage can be quickly scanned. Accordingly, instead of having to issue a luggage sticker, the luggage information can be pre-provided by the traveler and be ready for quick use by the airline system. 
         [0013]    Additionally, other electronic information such as travel information, photographs and/or personal information could be included on the electronic device preferably encoded with a code provided only to the airlines and appropriate security personnel. The display of the device may also be utilized to provide a video providing instructions for its use, advertising, etc. The device may&#39;also include a microphone as well as a speaker for assisting in recording information and providing information Media may be played or recorded. A scroll button may be preferably provided to assist a user in scrolling information on the display. The port is preferably a UBS port but could be other ports such as are known in the art. One or more destinations may be provided and/or stored within the device along with personal information, travel information and/or other information. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  shows a top perspective view of the luggage device of a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention installed on a handle of luggage; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  shows a top perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1  with the luggage in phantom; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of a portion of the luggage device shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  shows a top perspective view of the portion of the luggage device shown in  FIG. 1  in operatably assisted configuration; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  shows an end perspective view of a portion of the luggage device shown in  FIGS. 1-2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0020]      FIG. 1  shows a baggage identifier  10  in the form of a luggage identification device. The luggage identification device or identifier  10  is preferably comprised of a housing  12  which may be one or more pieces. The preferred embodiment housing  12  is comprised of a top  14 , sides  16 , 18  and bottom  20  as will be explained in further detail below. At least one of the sides  16 , 18  may preferably have a plurality of slots  22 , 24  while the other side  18  may have at least one slot  26  if not a plurality of slots  26  which may correspond to and/or cooperate with the similar positions on side  18  as well as the side  16 . The bottom  20  may be made in the form of a slide which is received within slots such as  22 , 24  and/or  26 . Bottom  20  preferably is provided as a slide  28  thus can be received in a respective slot  22 ,  24 ,  26  and/or others. 
         [0021]    The luggage identification preferably has a display  30  which can display a bar code and/or text corresponding to a destination or the luggage  32  to which the luggage identification device  10  is connected. LCD or other displays  30  may function satisfactorily. One or more operators  34  such as a sliding toggle switch may be utilized to be pushed inward to power on the display  30 . Other operators  34  may provide power on and/or power off. Furthermore, the toggle may be adjustable in any or all of the directions illustrated to be able to adjust to select items displayed on the display  30  so that various functions can be accomplished. By depressing the toggle or operator  34 , a selection may be made. Other operators  34  may function differently. Furthermore, more than one operator  34  may be provided which would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0022]    Processor  38  is preferably operated coupled to operator  34 , port  36  and/or display  30 . Furthermore, speaker/microphone  40  may be found in some embodiments as well as camera/video recorder  42  in various other embodiments also, preferably coupled to processor  38  and/or data storage which may be integral to or separated from processor  38   
         [0023]    In the preferred operation, the slide  28  is removed from housing  12 . The remainder of the housing  12  can then be positioned relative to a handle  44  connected to luggage  32  and the slide  28  installed thereby securing the identifier to the handle  44 . With the slide installed, lock  46  may be utilized to prevent the slide  28  from being released. Slide  28  may also be provided with a friction fit or other system to assist in releasing slide  28  to sides  22 , 24  and/or  26 . 
         [0024]    The user may connect a computer or other device such as through port  36  to a processor  38  to upload information which would include preferably information related to one or more sets of data. The data would preferably include at least a portion of flight information which could then be displayed on display  30  such as in the form of bar codes and/or other indicia. Furthermore, the information could also include information about the traveler such as name, height, weight and possibly could include a photograph, voice recognition sample and/or other information about the passenger. The personal information may be encrypted so that an unauthorized individual accessing information could only access some, if any of this information. However, a key as provided with a ticket purchase may be used with the electronic baggage information, and therefore, the airline and the passenger would have a key to decode this information therefore preventing unauthorized security breaches to others. TSA or other security department could be provided with a key as well. 
         [0025]    The display  30  may also display the identification information related to the travel service provider such as a particular airline, cruise provider, etc. By allowing information to be provided into the device  10 , a user can upload information regarding his or her flight(s) and include baggage information such as could be utilized to facilitate remote initial check in of baggage as well as the individual. 
         [0026]    At the airport, a transportation provider may potentially weigh the luggage if the service provider elected to do so and process the luggage  32  through security if the provider elected to do so. The passenger information, baggage information, and/or the travel information would already be uploaded into the device  10 . The display  30  could have the necessary information to cooperate with the travel service provider such as a bar code reader so that the baggage could be tracked. 
         [0027]    In the preferred embodiment, there is no wireless capability, however, various embodiments could have various features such including wireless features in future generations. By not providing wireless capability in an initial version, there is no concern with airlines about having a wireless device possibly operating while the airplane is in flight. 
         [0028]    The controller  34  may be utilized to at least assist in providing animated video on display  30  such as instructions as to how to utilize the device  10 . Additionally, speakers could be employed to provide audio instructions, possibly in combination with the video on display  30 . 
         [0029]    Operator(s)  34  may be utilized to select the screen color and/or resolution on display  30  in various modes such as in a settings mode. Other “settings” could be adjustable in some embodiments. The operator(s)  34  may also be utilized to scroll and/or select such as by moving up, down, left, right and pushing in to select or otherwise. Furthermore, more than one operator  34  could be utilized and controllers  34  are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0030]    The port  36  could be a UBS port or other port which could be configured to cooperate with at least one of a computer such as a laptop, Smartphone, personal data assistant (PDA) or other device. Controller  34  may be also known to be useful to control the animation system icon, a video playback function, a video recording function such as could utilize the video camera recorder  42 . The display  30  may also display a battery resolution and indicate battery charging or life status. Battery charging may be accomplished such as through port  36 , and/or through the use of solar panels such as may be displayed towards the top  14  and/or sides  16 . 
         [0031]    Alternative operator(s)  34  could be in the form of a touch screen as are common with some laptop computers and personal data assistants and Smartphones. An aviation icon function could be provided as well as a sea icon function, a rail icon function, or a domestic bus icon function depending upon which of the various travel services are provided. Each of these icons may have differing or similar data capture depending upon the use of data by the various industries. Furthermore, if an alternative capability is determined, such as valet services of various kinds, hotel services or others are desiring to electronically track baggage whether now known or future about the device  10  of the presently preferred embodiment of the system is believed to be applicable and a new icon and/or upgrade could be loaded. 
         [0032]    Display  30  may display a connection is made with port  36  as well as a battery life indicator and/or low battery indication. The display  30  may also be able to display flight information such as departure time, arrival time, delay time. Display  30  may also be controlled by the processor  38  otherwise display and indicia indicating the luggage may be lost under preset conditions such as if the operator  34  is not depressed following a predetermined established time of arrival. This may facilitate the location of lost luggage by airlines. Other lost luggage capabilities could also be provided. The display  30  may display in various languages based on cooperation with processor  38  and/or operators  34 . Pre-check in capability may be provided. Digital voice enhancement, digital mapping, music downloading, video playing, screen locking, video tones and various other functions can be provided power on/power off may be controlled through the operator  34  or otherwise. It will be quickly seen that there is a large variety of uses and capabilities contemplated by the device  10 . 
         [0033]    The device  10  shown in the figures provides a housing  12  to which is preferably connected a communications port  36 . The port  36  may be integral to the housing  12  and may include a female fitting for receiving a male fitting of a USB connector or be another type of port such as a wireless port in alternatively preferred embodiments of other port. Connected to the port  36  is a processor  38  which could also be connected to data storage  39  as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. In fact, in other embodiments it may be possible that data storage  39  may include a removable storage data device such as an SD chip or other data storage device. The contemplated embodiment has a processor  38  with built in data storage  39  but those skilled in the art will understand that other embodiments may have other features and applications. 
         [0034]    The housing has a display  30  which preferably is an LCD display but other displays as are known in the art could also be utilized. Display  30  is connected to the housing preferably at the top  14  but other locations could be selected for other embodiments. As can be seen in FIG.  1 , the housing  10  is securedly connected to an article of luggage. One will see that the device  10  in some embodiments may move when in this configuration relative to such articles as a handle  44  but in other embodiments, the connection may be non-moveable such as if the handle  44  is tightly grasped with other embodiments where the device  10  connects to a handle  44  or other portions of the luggage  32  in different ways. In fact, in still other embodiments, the device  10  can be integrally connected as portions of the luggage  32 . 
         [0035]    The device  10  provides various different modes which may work by themselves or in combination with other modes. For instance, there is a destination ticket mode in which the display  30  shows at least some indicia related to a destination on the display  30 . This could be a bar code as is commonly utilized with baggage which would be at least temporarily displayed on the display. It is preferred that at least some destination indicia is displayed in a destination ticket mode which would correspond to the destination of the baggage, but possibly not all information in some embodiments. 
         [0036]    The device  10  also preferably includes a capability to either provide and/or cooperate with a lock  46 . The lock  46  would assist in typically securing the device  10  to the luggage  32  in a locked configuration. Said device  10  having an unlocked configuration such as with the lock  46  removed or otherwise provided from device  10  may be removed from the article of luggage perhaps after transitioning to a displaced configuration as will be described below. 
         [0037]    The housing  10  may be provided with a top  14  with integral or otherwise provided depending sides  16 , 18 . The bottom  20  is preferably displaceable such as by sliding as illustrated. Other bottoms could be hingedly connected or otherwise displaceable. In an operational configuration, access is defined in a passage  50  which receives the handle  44  such as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Passage  50  is normally defined by the top  14 , sides  16 , 18 , bottom  20  when the bottom  20  is positioned in the operational configuration such as is shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0038]    It is worth observing that the operational configuration puts the bottom  20  in its desired location retaining the housing  10  to the luggage  32 . Operational configuration may or may not necessarily be the same configuration as a locked configuration and vise versa, but could share some common characteristics, as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0039]    For the embodied illustrated, the lock  46  must be removed from the housing  10  in order to achieve the displaced configuration as is shown in  FIG. 2 . This may not be required for other embodiments. Housing  10  may be buoyant and mode of any suitable material such as plastic and/or metal. 
         [0040]    As can be seen from the images, cooperating slots  22 ,  24 ,  26  may be useful to slide the bottom  20  into pairs of the slots to retain the bottom  20  in position. In other embodiments, the slot  24  may not only coordinate with slot  22  and  26 , but slot  26  may also cooperate with slot  24  to provide additional alternative connection capability as opposed to identically parallel slots as is shown in a preferred embodiment which also works well. 
         [0041]    Accordingly, there is at least one additional slot in one of the sides  14 , 16  wherein the bottom  20  may be selectively connected with pairs of the slots whether slots  24 , 26 , slots  22 , 26  or other pairs. As would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, use of various slots  22 ,  24 ,  26  with at least one different from another would provide at least two different cross sections for passage  50  defined by the bottom  20 , sides  16 , 18  and top  14 , with the bottom  20  is in an operational configuration. 
         [0042]    In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom  20  has a lip  52  which cooperates with shoulder  54  which is connected on the sides  16 , 18 . Shoulder  54  could connect to other portions of housing  12  other than bottom  20  in other embodiments. As can be understood from  FIG. 1 , the shoulder  54  preferably locks to the lip  52  in a locked configuration. 
         [0043]    The shoulder  54  and the lip  52  have cooperating bores  56 , 58  which can cooperate in a locked configuration such as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . It is also understood there is a second bore  60  partially obscured from view in  FIG. 3  for which the bore  58  may also cooperate in the illustrated embodiment in the locked configuration. 
         [0044]    Travel information can be displayed on the display  30  when provided to the device  10  such as through port  36 . At least a portion of travel information can be selectively displayed on the display in travel identification mode. The travel identification mode may be selected by use of the operator  34  by selecting various items on the display  30 . The operator  34  can be used to transition from various operational modes and/or simultaneously display some of the various modes. 
         [0045]    Preferably at least some of the travel information is encrypted and may be accessed by those authorized parties such as the operator (i.e., the owner), service provider temporarily storing the baggage such as airlines, train company, cruise line, etc., and/or security agency such as TSA or other appropriate agency, governmental or private security agency or others in various modes and itinerary mode can be provided to display. 
         [0046]    In addition to travel information and destination information, at least some travel information such as the departure time, the arrival time and other travel information. This information could be coordinated to a clock controlled by the processor  38  to provide a lost baggage warning indication for possibly lost baggage indication in a lost baggage mode. 
         [0047]    In an image mode, the camera  42  may or may not be utilized to display an image on a display  30 . The image(s) could be uploaded through port  36 . Processor  38  could be coordinated to process images possibly in combination with internal data storage  39 . 
         [0048]    Camera  42  may be connected to the housing  12  such as integrally or otherwise and may assist in capturing at least one of video and still images and then having display  30  display the images in an image mode. This can be useful for visual identification of the operator or other uses such as a video recorder or a trip or other use. Speaker  40  is useful to record either voice possibly in combination with video through camera  42  and then be played back through speaker in a playback mode. Furthermore, there may be a playing mode in which recorded information could be provided through port  36  or otherwise input possibly storing in data storage  39  and/or processor  38  in a playing mode. A likeable voice may provide instructions, information, etc., and the languages may be selected from a plurality of selections. 
         [0049]    The display  30  can be a double shielded screen so that it could be provided in a protected disposition. Information can be provided in the data storage such as city maps which could be displayed on display  30  in a map mode. 
         [0050]    Visuals, photographs and/or media related to destinations could be provided on display in a destination mode or other mode. A digital compass could be provided on display  30  in a compass mode. A processor  38  could assist in analyzing room temperature in a temperature mode and display in a temperature mode. Display  30  could coordinate to provide time zones, country codes, timers in various modes. The display  30  could be back-lit and may have the brightness adjusted for the brightness of the room in some embodiments. 
         [0051]    The housing  12  could take various forms from lightweight plastic to heavy-duty titanium. The display  30  could display animations in some mode. A virtual assistant could be provided for on-screen instructional use in some modes. Fingerprint identification could be coordinated through the display  30  and/or other inputs in some embodiments. Of course, internal battery compartment  62  having a battery  64  therein could be useful to provide energy, particularly in the event that the solar panels  66  are not provided with sufficient amount of solar energy to cover the needs of the device  10 . 
         [0052]    The device  10  is particularly useful for some new methods of business, particularly, the traveler can now self check baggage by providing information from the internet and which can include information related to a bar code to be displayed for the destination on the display  30 . Furthermore, information could be exchanged with a service provider, to identify the baggage (a number of bags), flight information (flight number, departure time, arrival time etc.), destination information and traveler information, etc., can be provided through various modes to the device  10 . All that would be left at the airport as it related to the baggage  32  could be to weigh it and pass it through security, at least in some embodiments. Furthermore, not only information may information be communicated to and from the internet, but the operator may also be able to download a portion of a website such as a page to the device  10  which could include My Space, Twitter, Facebook, or pages at other locations so that a positive identity of the traveler may be enhanced over above the type of information found on a luggage tag such as name and address and phone number. 
         [0053]    Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.