Patent Publication Number: US-2011077983-A1

Title: Flight check-in via a telecommunication network

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is related to the field of communications and, in particular, to flight check-in. 
     2. Statement of the Problem 
     According to the Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”), over 600 million passengers fly each year. To ensure the security of commercial flights, a passenger first checks in with an airline to obtain a boarding pass that has a name of the passenger. At a security check point, the passenger then presents a photo identification so that a TSA security agent can match the passenger against the photo identification to verify the name of the passenger. Based on the verified name of the passenger and the boarding pass, the TSA security agent can thus verify that the passenger named on the boarding pass will board a flight. 
     Many airlines have made obtaining the boarding pass easier by allowing the passenger to print the boarding pass from a website. However, the passenger needs to have access to the Internet and a printer. It can be extremely inconvenient to have access to both especially when the passenger is away from home. For example, even though many hotels offer Internet access, a printer may not be available. Even when a printer is available, the printer may be in use by someone else and/or may not work properly (e.g., paper jammed, no ink, etc). 
     The use of paper boarding passes can also create security concerns. Because the boarding pass obtained from the Internet is usually presented using a standard mark-up language (e.g., HTML), the boarding pass can be easily forged or altered. It is thus desirable to provide an alternative to the use of paper boarding passes. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments described herein enable flight check-in using a telecommunication network. The concept of “flight check-in” described herein broadly encompasses allowing a passenger to board a flight after the passenger has purchased an airline ticket, rather than merely securing a seat on the flight. Instead of having the passenger check in online, the passenger is able to initiate a call to a flight check-in system to check in with an airline. The flight check-in system identifies a flight reservation associated with the passenger (e.g., based on the passenger&#39;s phone number that may have been associated with the flight reservation when the passenger purchased the airline ticket), and sends a virtual boarding pass based on the flight reservation to a gate at an airport for the passenger to board a flight. Advantageously, the passenger does not need to check in online and print a paper boarding pass because the virtual boarding pass is sent directly to the gate at the airport. 
     Additionally, the passenger may initiate another call to the flight check-in system when the passenger arrives at the airport and is located at a security checkpoint. In response to the call, the flight check-in system sends an electronic identification of the passenger to the security checkpoint. Accordingly, after a TSA security agent has matched the passenger against a photo identification of the passenger, the TSA security agent is able to match the photo identification with the electronic identification (e.g., a name of the passenger) that has been sent to the airport. The TSA security agent can thus verify that the passenger will board a flight and allow the passenger to proceed through the security checkpoint. 
     One embodiment is a method that includes receiving, at a flight check-in system, a call initiated by a passenger calling a phone number designated for flight check-in. The method also includes identifying a number at the flight check-in system based on the call. Additionally, the method includes identifying a flight reservation associated with the passenger based on the number. Moreover, the method includes generating a virtual boarding pass based on the flight reservation, and sending the virtual boarding pass to a gate at an airport for the passenger to board a flight. 
     Another embodiment is a method of sending an electronic identification of the passenger to a security checkpoint. The method includes receiving another call initiated by the passenger from a mobile device when the passenger is located at a security checkpoint of the airport. Additionally, the method includes identifying the passenger based on the other call. The method also includes identifying the security checkpoint. Moreover, the method includes sending an electronic identification of the passenger to the security checkpoint to be matched against a photo identification of the passenger. 
     Other exemplary embodiments may be described below. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Some embodiments of the present invention are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference number represents the same element or the same type of element on all drawings. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a flight check-in system in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating a method for flight check-in in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating a method of sending an electronic identification of the passenger to a security checkpoint in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates another flight check-in system in another exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates another flight check-in system in yet another exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     The figures and the following description illustrate specific exemplary embodiments of the invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, any examples described herein are intended to aid in understanding the principles of the invention, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments or examples described below, but by the claims and their equivalents. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a flight check-in system  110  in an exemplary embodiment. As will be discussed in greater detail, the flight check-in system  110  may be implemented within or outside of a mobile network, and may be operated by a telecommunications service provider, an airline, and/or another entity. The flight check-in system  110  may comprise any device, server, and/or function operable to support flight check-in. The flight check-in system  110  is in communication with a database  120  that is suitable to store records of flight reservations. The database  120  may be operated by the airline. 
     The flight check-in system  110  is coupled to a telecommunication network  130 . The telecommunication network  130  may comprise a wireless network based on CDMA, GSM, WiMAX, and/or any other suitable telecommunication network. In some embodiments, the telecommunication network  130  may comprise a traditional circuit switched voice network that may support a landline. In other embodiments, the telecommunication network  130  may support Short Message Service (“SMS”) or any other text messaging service. 
     The flight check-in system  110  may receive the call initiated by a passenger  165  from a phone set  160  through the telecommunication network  130 . The phone set  160  may comprise a cellular phone, a smartphone, or any other mobile device. In some embodiments, the phone set  160  may comprise a plain old telephone set (“POTS”) instead of a mobile device. In other embodiments, the phone set  160  may be capable of sending a text message. 
     The flight check-in system  110  is also able to communicate with systems within an airport  140 . The airport  140  may be any airport from which the passenger  165  boards a flight. The airport  140  includes a security checkpoint  143  and a gate  147 . It will be understood that the words “security checkpoint” may actually refer to a system at the security point  143 , and the word “gate” may actually refer to a system at the gate  147 . These systems may be stationary, but may comprise a portable device. 
     The flight check-in system  110  may comprise an interface system  113  and a control system  117 . The interface system  113  may comprise any interface operable to receive a call from the phone set  160  through the telecommunication network  130 . The control system  117  may comprise any device, server, or function operable to respond to the call from the phone set  160  and to communicate with systems within the airport  140  and the database  120 . 
     Assume for this embodiment that the passenger  165  has purchased an airline ticket from an airline to fly out of the airport  140 . The corresponding flight reservation is stored in the database  120 . When the passenger  165  desires to check in with the airline and/or to board a flight, the passenger  165  places a call through the phone set  160  to the flight check-in system  110 . In response to the call, the flight check-in system  110  operates as described in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating a method  200  of flight check-in in an exemplary embodiment. The steps of this method will be described with reference to the flight check-in system  110  of  FIG. 1 , but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method  200  may be performed in other networks and systems. Also, the steps of the flow charts described herein are not all inclusive and may include other steps not shown, and the steps may be performed in an alternative order. 
     In step  210 , the interface system  113  receives the call initiated by the passenger  165 . A call may comprise a voice call, an SMS message, a Multimedia Messaging Service (“MMS”) message, or any other kind of communication that can be placed to a phone number over the telecommunication network  130 . The call is placed to a phone number designated for flight check-in. For example, the phone number may comprise a 1-800 number. The phone number may also comprise a number unique for each airline for the call to be handled by different flight check-in systems or so that the flight check-in system  110  is able to identify which airline the passenger  165  is flying on based on the called phone number. 
     In step  220 , the control system  117  identifies a number based on the call. In one embodiment, the number may be a phone number associated with the phone set  160  used by the passenger  165 . The control system  117  may identify the phone number based on caller ID information received by the interface system  113 . The control system  117  may also prompt the passenger to enter (e.g., touch tone) and/or speak the phone number. In another embodiment, the number may be an identifier other than the phone number. The identifier may have been generated for the passenger  165  and/or provided by the passenger  165  when purchasing the airline ticket. For example, the unique identifier may comprise a confirmation or e-ticket number, a credit card number used to purchase the airline ticket, or some other identifier. 
     In step  230 , the control system  117  identifies a flight reservation associated with the passenger  165  based on the number. When the passenger  165  purchased the airline ticket, the corresponding flight reservation may have been associated with a number. The association may have been stored in the database  120  along with the flight reservation. Thus, the control system  117  is able to initiate a search in the database  120  based on the association and the number identified from the call to identify the flight reservation. 
     In step  240 , the control system  117  generates a virtual boarding pass based on the flight reservation. The virtual boarding pass may comprise any electronic message that can be sent electronically to the gate  147  to identify the passenger and allow the passenger  165  to board a flight. For example, the virtual boarding pass may comprise an identifier including a name of the passenger  165 . In some embodiments, the identifier may include a unique number on a photo identification including a driver&#39;s license. The virtual boarding pass may also be generated to comprise a flight number, date and time of the flight, a seat number, a gate number, and/or other identifiers including a frequently flyer number and e-ticket number, etc that are identified based on the flight reservation. 
     In step  250 , the control system  117  sends the virtual boarding pass to the gate  147  at the airport  140  for the passenger  165  to board a flight. The flight check-in system  110  may identify a boarding system at the gate  147  and send the virtual boarding pass over a network to the boarding system. In some embodiments, another system at the airport  140  may receive the virtual boarding pass and route the virtual boarding pass to the gate  147  based on the flight number and/or the gate number in the virtual boarding pass. The boarding system at the gate  147  may display identification information (e.g., a name of the passenger  165 ) from the virtual boarding pass on a display device. In effect, the traditional paper boarding pass can be replaced because airline personnel are able to verify the passenger  165  against the displayed identification information and allow the passenger to board the flight. 
     In some embodiments, the control system  117  may further initiate a request to update a record of the flight reservation to indicate that the passenger is checked into the flight in response to receiving to the call. For example, the control system  117  may send a message to the database  120  for the record of the flight reservation to be updated to secure a seat on the flight. 
     It is noted that step  250  may occur at any time after the passenger  165  has initiated the call and before the passenger needs to pass through the gate  147 . Prior to the passenger passing through the gate  147 , the passenger needs to first pass through the security checkpoint  143  to arrive at a boarding area. Many details about passing through the gate  147  are similar to passing through the security checkpoint  143  as will be discussed in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating a method  300  of allowing the passenger  165  to pass through the security checkpoint  143  at the airport  140  in an exemplary embodiment. The steps of this method will be described with reference to the flight check-in system  110  of  FIG. 1 , but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method  300  may be performed in other networks and systems. 
     Assume for this embodiment the passenger  165  has arrived at the airport  140 , and has proceeded to the security checkpoint  143  of the airport  140 . When the passenger  165  is located at the security checkpoint  143 , the passenger  165  may initiate another call through the telecommunication network  130  to the flight check-in system  110 . In response to the call, the flight check-in system  110  operates as described in  FIG. 3 . 
     In step  310 , the interface system  113  receives the other call initiated by the passenger  165 . The other call may have been placed to the same number used for flight check-in, but may have alternatively been placed to a phone number designated for the airport  140  and/or for the security checkpoint  143 . 
     In step  320 , the control system  117  identifies the passenger  165  based on the other call. For example, the control system  117  may identify a phone number of a mobile phone used by the passenger to initiate the other call. The passenger  165  may have already registered the phone number with the control system  117 , so that the control system  117  can identify the passenger  165  based on the phone number. 
     In step  330 , the control system  117  identifies the security checkpoint  143 . In some embodiments, how the security checkpoint  143  is to be identified may be prominently displayed or posted for passengers who are located at the security checkpoint  143 . For example, the passenger  165  may be instructed to call a particular phone number, and may be further instructed to then enter a code. The control system  117  may then identify the security checkpoint  143  based on the phone number called by the passenger  165  and/or the code entered by the passenger  165  during the call. 
     In another embodiment, the control system  117  may be able to identify the security checkpoint  143  by identifying a geographic location of the mobile device automatically. For example, the Global Positioning System (“GPS”) and/or a cellular tower based triangulation method may be used. To increase security, the control system  117  may verify that the security checkpoint identified based on the input (e.g., the phone number called and/or code entered) received from the passenger  165  matches the geographic location of the mobile device in yet another embodiment. 
     In step  340 , the control system  117  sends an electronic identification of the passenger  165  to the security checkpoint  143  to be matched against a photo identification of the passenger  165 . The electronic identification may comprise any electronic message that can be sent electronically to the security checkpoint  143  that identifies the passenger. For example, the electronic identification may be similar to the virtual boarding pass, and may include a name and/or a unique number on a photo identification of the passenger  165 . In identifying the security checkpoint  143 , the control system  117  may further identify a verification system at the security checkpoint  143 , and send the electronic identification of the passenger  165  to the verification system. 
     The verification system at the security checkpoint  143  may display identification information (e.g., a name of the passenger  165 ) from the electronic identification on a display device. In effect, the traditional paper boarding pass can be replaced because a TSA security agent is able to verify the passenger  165  against the displayed identification information and allow the passenger pass through the security checkpoint  143 . 
     It is noted that in some embodiments, the passenger  165  may place a single call for both the electronic identification to be sent to the security checkpoint  143  and the virtual boarding pass to be sent to the gate  147 . In effect, several steps of  FIGS. 2 and 3  may be completed in the single call. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates another flight check-in system in another exemplary embodiment. This flight check-in system  410  is similar to the flight check-in system  110  discussed above, except the flight check-in system  410  is illustrated as being implemented within and/or operated by an airline  450  (e.g., in a back office). The airline  450 , which provides air transport service, is adapted to allow the passenger  165  to check in with the airline  450  through the flight check-in system  410 . The airline  450  stores the flight reservation in the database  120  of flight reservations. 
     In one embodiment, when the passenger  165  purchased an airline ticket, the airline  450  may store a corresponding record of a flight reservation in the database  120 . Meanwhile, the flight reservation may be associated with a phone number of the phone set  160 . When the passenger  165  is ready to check-in, the passenger places a call (e.g., place a voice call and/or send a text message) to the flight check-in system  410  over the telecommunication network  130 , for example within 24 hours of flight departure. The call placed by the passenger  165  may be to a designated 1-800 number for the airline  450 . 
     The flight check-in system  410  identifies the phone number of the phone set  160 , for example by using caller ID, and identifies the flight reservation that is associated with the phone number of the phone set  160 . The flight check-in system  410  may then initiate a request to update a record of the flight reservation to indicate that the passenger is checked into the flight to secure a seat on the flight. The passenger  165  may then receive a confirmation (e.g., voice response and/or text reply) over the phone set  160  that the passenger  165  has checked in. The passenger  165  does not need to print a board pass. 
     When the passenger  165  arrives at the airport  140 , the passenger proceeds to the security checkpoint  143 . When the passenger  165  is located at the security checkpoint  143 , the passenger  165  may see instructions prominently displayed on how the security checkpoint  143  can be identified. The passenger  165  may then place a second call using the phone set  160  to a particular phone number, and may then enter a code that identifies the security checkpoint  143 . 
     The flight check-in system  410  receives the second call and identifies both the passenger  165  and the security checkpoint  143 . For example, the passenger may be identified based on the caller ID of the phone set  160 . The flight check-in system  410  then sends an electronic identification of the passenger to the security checkpoint  143 . A verification system at the security checkpoint  143  in turn displays identification information (e.g., a name of the passenger  165 ) from the electronic identification on a display device. Based on the displayed identification information, a TSA security agent is then able to verify that the passenger  165  will board a flight without using a paper boarding pass, and allow the passenger  165  to pass through the security checkpoint  143 . 
     The passenger  165  then proceeds to a boarding area. At any time prior to the time of boarding the flight through the gate  147 , the flight check-in system  410  sends a virtual boarding pass to the gate  147 . The virtual boarding pass may have been generated based on the flight reservation in the database  120 . A boarding system at the gate  147  may display identification information (e.g., a name of the passenger  165 ) from the virtual boarding pass for airline personnel to allow the passenger  165  to board the flight by passing through the gate  147 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates another flight check-in system in yet another exemplary embodiment. The flight check-in system  510  is implemented within a mobile network  530 . The flight check-in system  510  is similar to the flight check-in system  110  of  FIG. 1 , except the flight check-in system  510  is operable in the mobile network  530 , for example, as a network element. The flight check-in system  510  may be operated by a telecommunications service provider. The telecommunications service provider may comprise any provider of telecommunications service. For example, the telecommunications service provider may comprise a local exchange carrier and/or a mobile wireless provider. The telecommunications service provider is adapted to allow a passenger  165  to check in with an airline  550  through the flight check-in system  510 . The telecommunications service provider may provide this check-in service as an additional feature similar to 3-way calling, video on demand, etc. 
     The airline  550  provides an online interface  553  that allows the passenger  165  to access the flight reservation and/or to check-in after the passenger  165  has purchased an airline ticket. The passenger  165  may also have an account at the airline  550  that can be accessed through the online interface  553 . The online interface  553  may comprise any device, server, or function that may be accessed using standard and/or proprietary protocols on the Internet and/or a private network. For example, the online interface  553  may comprise a website that may be accessed using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) over the Internet. The online interface  553  may also be provided to allow other entities, including a computer reservation system or a travel agent, to access the database  120  over a travel reservation network. 
     In an embodiment, after the passenger  165  has purchased an airline ticket, the passenger  165  may register with the flight check-in system  510  an association between a phone number of the mobile phone  560  and a flight reservation that corresponds with the airline ticket. Information related to the flight reservation, as stored with the flight check-in system  510 , may include information about the name of the airline, a ticket confirmation number, and/or a name of the passenger  165 , for example. Alternatively or in addition, the passenger  165  may have created an account at the flight check-in system  510  and have stored in the account information on accessing an account of the passenger  165  at the airline  550 . The account at the flight check-in system  510  may be associated with the phone number of the mobile phone  560 . The stored information on accessing the account at the airline  550  may include an identification of the passenger and a password. 
     When the passenger  165  places a call to the flight check-in system  510  from the mobile phone  560  to check in, the flight check-in system  510  in effect acts as a proxy server between the passenger  165  and the online interface  553  to allow the passenger  165  to access the online interface  553  using the mobile phone  560 . For example, the flight check-in system  510  may first identify the phone number of the mobile phone  560 , and then use the phone number to identify either the information related to the flight reservation and/or the information on accessing the account at the airline  550 . The flight check-in system  510  may then identify the online interface  553 , which may comprise identifying a network address (e.g., a Uniform Resource Locator and/or an Internet Protocol address) of the online interface  553 . 
     In one instance, the flight check-in system  510  may send a message through the online interface  553  to identify the flight reservation using the ticket confirmation number and the name of the passenger  165 . In another instance, the flight check-in system  510  may send a message through the online to log into the account of the passenger  165  at the airline  550 . The flight check-in system  510  may then receive a message (from the online interface  553 ) about one or more flight reservations, and then identify a particular flight reservation on a flight that the passenger  165  is to board. 
     In one instance, the flight check-in system  510  may then initiate a request through the online interface  553  for the passenger  165  to check into the flight. Consequently, the flight check-in system  510  would receive a boarding pass (e.g., generated by the airline  550  based on the flight reservation) electronically from the online interface  553 . Normally, the boarding pass is presented using a standard mark-up language (e.g., HTML) and is to be printed. Instead, the flight check-in system  510  captures and saves the received boarding pass. Using information from the received boarding pass, the flight check-in system  510  generates an electronic identification that is sent to the security checkpoint  143 , and also generates a virtual boarding pass that is sent to the gate  147 . In another instance, the flight check-in system  510  may receive information about the flight reservation from the online interface  553 , rather than receiving the boarding pass by actually checking into the flight. 
     Any of the various elements shown in the figures or described herein may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or some combination of these. For example, an element may be implemented as dedicated hardware. Dedicated hardware elements may be referred to as “processors”, “controllers”, or some similar terminology. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term “processor” or “controller” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, a network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other circuitry, field programmable gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), non volatile storage, logic, or some other physical hardware component or module. 
     Also, an element may be implemented as instructions executable by a processor or a computer to perform the functions of the element. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, and firmware. The instructions are operational when executed by the processor to direct the processor to perform the functions of the element. The instructions may be stored on storage devices that are readable by the processor. Some examples of the storage devices are digital or solid-state memories, magnetic storage media such as a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. 
     Although specific embodiments were described herein, the scope of the invention is not limited to those specific embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims and any equivalents thereof.