Abstract:
A travel check-in method with improved travel document information capture and handling. An example method includes connecting to a travel check-in website by the computer, operating an image capture device by the computer to capture an image of an identification document of a passenger checking in, obtaining machine readable information from the image by the computer, and sending the machine readable information and the image to the travel check-in website by the computer. The method may be in lieu of the passenger providing the identification document to an agent at an airport or other departure point.

Description:
Background 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to travel systems, and more specifically to a travel check-in method. 
         [0002]    International flight check-in typically requires the collection and transmission of details of passports, visas, or other required travel documents. Air carriers are subject to significant fines and other consequences in the event a passenger travels with improper travel documentation or improperly transmitted travel document information. The information transmitted typically includes details such as name, nationality, document number, document expiration, and issuing authority. 
         [0003]    Many air carriers today offer remote flight check-in to personal computer and mobile device users through World Wide Web (web) sites, accessed using browser software, and mobile applications. Passengers manually enter international travel document information. At the airport, passengers must wait to have their travel document information verified and re-entered to ensure accuracy. This degrades the passenger experience and decreases employee productivity. 
         [0004]    Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a travel check-in method with improved travel document information capture and handling. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a travel check-in method is provided. 
         [0006]    An example method includes operating an image capture device by a computer to capture an image of an identification document, determining information from the image by the computer, and sending the information to a website that requests the information by the computer. 
         [0007]    Another example method includes connecting to a travel check-in website by the computer, operating an image capture device by the computer to capture an image of an identification document of a passenger checking in, obtaining machine readable information from the image by the computer, and sending the machine readable information and the image to the travel check-in website by the computer. 
         [0008]    Another example method includes hosting a travel check-in website, prompting a passenger to operate an image capture device to capture an image of an identification document of the passenger during check-in at the travel check-in website, receiving machine readable information from the image, and storing the machine readable information in a passenger record. 
         [0009]    Any of the example methods may further include providing an indication to an agent that a passenger has sent the machine readable information to the travel check-in website in lieu of providing the travel document to the agent. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example travel system. 
           [0011]      FIGS. 2A-2B  form a flow diagram illustrating an example self check-in method. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    Turning now to  FIG. 1 , travel system  10  is illustrated in an air travel example. Other types of transportation methods and corresponding types of travel systems are also envisioned. 
         [0013]    Example travel system  10  primarily includes one or more airline systems  12 . Airline system  12  includes one or more servers including one or more processors, memory, and program and data storage. Airline system  12  may execute an operating system such as a Microsoft or Linux operating system. Airline system  12  further includes network circuitry for connecting to network  40 , and may include other circuitry for connecting to peripherals, such as a display, a printer, a mouse, and a keyboard. 
         [0014]    Network  40  may include any combination of wireless or wired networks, including local area, wide area, virtual private, and global communication networks, such as the Internet. 
         [0015]    Airline system  12  maintains one or more databases containing flight data  30  and passenger data  32 . Flight data  30  may include information about each scheduled flight. Passenger data  32  may include passenger identification information and other information associated with the passenger identification information, including travel document information. Travel documents may include passports or visas issued by government authorities, or other required travel documents. Travel document information may include passenger nationality, travel document number, travel document expiration, travel document issuing authority, or other required information. Airline system  12  may also include third part host computers that store and manage some of the flight data  30  and passenger data  32  in a Departure Control System (DCS) for an airline. 
         [0016]    Airline system  12  may be connected to the web and include a web server which hosts a web site  34  including web pages, web applications and other web content. Passengers may visit web site  34  to make or change reservations and to check-in for flights. For check-in, web site  34  may include or provide check-in software  22 . 
         [0017]    Passengers use computer system  14  to check-in. Computer system  14  may include a personal computer, kiosk, or mobile communication device. 
         [0018]    A personal computer may include a desktop or laptop computer. The personal computer would typically be remote from an airport, but could be anywhere, so long as the personal computer has access to an image capture device  20 . For example, a personal computer may be located at a traveler&#39;s home, at a hotel where the traveler is staying, or other location. 
         [0019]    A kiosk may be located at an airport or may be located remotely from the airport, such as at a hotel. 
         [0020]    A mobile communication device may include a smart phone, personal digital assistant, tablet computing device, or other portable communication device. 
         [0021]    Computer system  14  may include one or more processors, memory, and program and data storage. Computer system  14  may execute an operating system such as a Microsoft, Google, or Apple operating system. Computer system  14  may execute other computer software, which may be stored in a computer readable medium, and which may include web browser software to display web pages from airline system  12  and check-in software  22 . Computer system  14  further includes wired and/or wireless network circuitry for connecting to airline system  12  through network  40 , and includes other circuitry for connecting to peripherals, such as image capture device  20 . Computer system  14  includes other peripherals, such as a touch screen or a display, keyboard, and mouse. 
         [0022]    Image capture device  20  may include a camera or scanner. For example, image capture device  20  may include a camera in a smart phone or tablet. 
         [0023]    As another example, image capture device  20  may include a webcam in a laptop computer. 
         [0024]    As another example, image capture device  20  may include a document and/or photo scanner of a desktop computer system. 
         [0025]    As another example, image capture device  20  may include a travel document reader or a document and/or photo scanner of a kiosk at a hotel. 
         [0026]    In any of the example computer system configurations above, check-in software  22  receives identifying information from the passenger and verifies the identifying information against passenger data  32  and/or flight data  30 . Example identifying information may include a confirmation number, a name, and/or a flight number. If the verification passes, check-in software  22  prompts the passenger to capture travel document information from travel documents, such as passports and visas, and operates image capture device  22  under passenger control to capture the travel document information. 
         [0027]    Check-in software  22  uses optical character recognition to recognize alphanumeric characters in captured images and convert them to text. Alphanumeric characters may be located in predetermined areas of the captured images referred to as Machine Readable Zones (MRZs). Check-in software  22  parses the captured images to identify the MRZs and parse the travel document information according to an international standard around the formatting of travel document information. Check-in software  22  may display the captured travel document information for the passenger to review for accuracy or allow another image to be captured in the event the first image was not clear. 
         [0028]    Check-in software  22  sends one or both of the captured images and text to airline system  12 , where the captured images and/or text are stored in a passenger record in passenger data  32 . Storage of captured images may serve as evidence of authenticity of travel document information. Airline system  12  may then store an indication in the passenger&#39;s record that the captured travel document information is to be treated as “trusted” data, thereby eliminating the need in most cases to disrupt the customer experience by requiring the customer to either enter the document details again upon arrival to the airport or to see a gate agent prior to boarding an international flight. As used herein, “trusted” data is defined as travel document information either collected by an airline representative or captured through optical character recognition. Another way of saying this is that “untrusted” data is that data which is manually input by a customer, regardless of input channel. 
         [0029]    Airline system  12  may make the travel document information in the passenger record available to a security agency, such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), for a security threat screening. Airline system  12  may use or otherwise make captured images and travel document information available for other purposes and/or transactions. For example, airline system  12  may use the captured images and travel document information in photo identification and age verification during purchases of alcohol by passengers. 
         [0030]    Check-in software  22  may be written in a programming language such as the Java programming and be hosted within browser software. 
         [0031]    As another example, check-in software  22  may include a script, written in a scripting language such as JavaScript, combined with hypertext markup language (HTML) or other suitable web page language and hosted within browser software. 
         [0032]    As yet another example, check-in software  22  may include a software applet written to be executed within an operating system of a host computer system. 
         [0033]    In all of these example embodiments of check-in software  22 , the travel document information capture function of check-in software  22  may be included during development of check-in software  22  or be implemented as a software module that may be integrated into existing check-in software  22 . 
         [0034]    Example travel system  10  further includes agent computer systems  16  at terminal check-in and/or gate locations. In addition to other check-in functions, agent computer systems  16  may assist agents in making decisions regarding which passengers require their travel documents to be reviewed. Agents may be trained to only seek out passengers whose records do not contain trusted travel document information. For example, agent computer systems  16  may automatically search passenger records and display only names of passengers whose travel document information has not been received or marked as trusted. 
         [0035]    Agent computer systems  16  each include one or more processors, memory, and program and data storage. Agent computer systems  16  may execute an operating system such as a Microsoft or Linux operating system. Agent computer systems  16  further include network circuitry for connecting to network  40 , and may include other circuitry for connecting to peripherals, such as a touch screen or display, keyboard, and mouse. 
         [0036]    With reference to  FIGS. 2A-2B , an example self check-in method is illustrated beginning with step  50 . The example method streamlines the passenger experience by avoiding having to wait for verification and/or re-entry of the travel document information at the airport. 
         [0037]    In step  50 , check-in software  22  records a request to check-in from a passenger connected to web site  34  through network  40 . 
         [0038]    In step  52 , check-in software  22  prompts the passenger for identifying information. Example identifying information may include a confirmation number, a name, and/or a flight number. 
         [0039]    In step  54 , check-in software  22  records identifying information from the passenger. 
         [0040]    In step  56 , check-in software  22  sends the identifying information to airline systems  12  to verify against passenger data  32  and/or flight data  30 . If the verification passes, operation proceeds to step  58 . Otherwise, operation ends. Check-in software  22  may display an error message indicating that the passenger and/or the flight cannot be found. 
         [0041]    In step  58 , check-in software  22  prompts the passenger to capture travel document information from a travel document, such as a passport, visa, or other required travel document. 
         [0042]    In step  60 , check-in software  22  records a selection to proceed after the passenger has positioned the travel document for capture. 
         [0043]    In step  62 , check-in software  22  operates image capture device  22  to capture an image of the travel document. 
         [0044]    In step  64 , check-in software  22  parses the captured image to identify the MRZ and obtain the travel document information. 
         [0045]    In step  66 , check-in software  22  displays captured travel document information for the passenger to review for accuracy. Operation returns to step  58  to capture another image if the captured image is not clear or the information is not accurate. 
         [0046]    In step  68 , check-in software  22  sends the captured image and text to airline system  12  for storage in a passenger record in passenger data  32 . 
         [0047]    In step  70 , check-in software  22  performs other check-in tasks, such as baggage check-in, seat selection, meal selection, and provides a boarding pass, in digital form for storage and/or printing. Operation ends. 
         [0048]    Upon arrival at the airport, the passenger proceeds to the gate without having to either enter the travel document details again or present the travel document to a gate or other agent prior to boarding an international flight. Using agent computer systems  16 , agents only seek out passengers whose records do not contain trusted travel document information. 
         [0049]    Although the present invention has been described with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, variations and modifications of the present invention can be effected within the spirit and scope of the following claims.