Patent Publication Number: US-2010123004-A1

Title: Method and device for the automated access control of air passengers in airports

Description:
The present invention relates to a method and a facility for automated access control of air passengers in airports by means of the boarding passes carried by the air passengers. 
     During check-in for a flight, a boarding pass is handed over to the air passenger. In the travel process chain up to boarding, the boarding pass is checked several times by the staff provided therefor. This check of the boarding passes, which is in line with the usual practice, is staff-intensive and satisfies only minimum security criteria. In particular, such a purely visual check of the boarding passes is unable to prevent the use of counterfeits. 
     The present invention makes use of the circumstance that the airlines issue boarding passes that are provided with a bar code encoding. The respective boarding passes are referred to as “Bar Coded Boarding Pass” (BCBP). At least the following data is stored in coded form on such a BCBP:
         flight number   flight date   check-in sequence number.       

     On the basis of this data each boarding pass is uniquely identified. 
     By nature, a boarding pass may be used only once. The invention defined in the enclosed claims therefore proposes that the check of the boarding passes be automated by means of special pass-throughs. Bar code readers (scanners) are arranged at the pass-throughs and the air passenger is requested to present his/her boarding pass to the bar code reader. The data read in from the boarding pass is then matched against the data stock of a central database that can be reached airport-wide. Upon successful data matching, the locking means of the pass-through is temporarily opened. Subsequently, the passage of the air passenger through the pass-through is registered. After the air passenger has passed through the pass-through, a blocking note is transmitted to the database and registered therein. Now if a counterfeit boarding pass is used and a blocking note has already been registered for the genuine boarding pass, the user of the counterfeit boarding pass is rejected in the automated boarding pass check. 
     The automated boarding pass check provided according to the invention may fulfill a number of further tasks. For one thing, the data read out in the boarding pass check may be processed further for statistics purposes. Provision is further made for use of the passing of the pass-through as a criterion for loading items of baggage. In fact, if an air passenger for whose boarding pass no blocking note has been registered does not pass through the pass-through in spite of successful data matching, it may be prevented in this way that his/her baggage is loaded and needs to be unloaded again later. 
     Provision is furthermore made for utilizing the automated boarding pass check to systematically hold air passengers without sufficient security screenings (APIS, Advanced Passenger Information System) back in front of the gate and guide them to special service staff. Where special security screenings are prescribed for a flight (e.g. to the USA), the airline may store an appropriate note in the bar code on the boarding pass. This note is recognized in the boarding pass check and the air passenger is then requested to proceed to a special service point. 
    
    
     
       Details of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows an overview diagram of an airport facility for automated access control by means of boarding passes; and 
         FIG. 2  shows a flow chart illustrating the sequence of the method for automated access control. 
     
    
    
     In the overview diagram illustrated in  FIG. 1 , it is presupposed that the premises of an airport are divided into generally accessible traffic areas and secured apron areas delimited therefrom. The air passengers are permitted to enter the secured apron area only through special pass-throughs where an automated boarding pass check is performed.  FIG. 1  schematically shows two boarding pass checkpoints. Each boarding pass checkpoint includes a number of pass-throughs. In the example shown, three pass-throughs of this type are installed for fully automated operation. A further pass-through is installed in each of the two boarding pass checkpoints for assistance by special staff. 
     Each pass-through is equipped with a locking means, a control device (“client”) and a bar code reader. All control devices are connected to a central database via a network and the database can be reached airport-wide via the network. Since the automated boarding pass check must not generate any unreasonable waiting times at the pass-throughs, all components of the system are designed to have high power. The useful pieces of equipment of the pass-throughs include a display panel on which flight-relevant data is displayed to the air passengers. Each boarding pass checkpoint is further equipped with display consoles on which the data relevant to the check-in and handling process is displayed. The database is supported by a powerful server. In addition, data input stations are connected via the network which are used for inputting all relevant flight data into the database. For an evaluation of the data, special evaluation terminals can access the database via the network. 
     Reference is now made to  FIG. 2 . 
     In step  10  an air passenger arrives at a pass-through with his/her boarding pass. In step  12  the air passenger is requested to present his/her boarding pass to the bar code reader at the pass-through. In step  14  the boarding pass is read. In step  16  the boarding pass is checked for legibility. If it is not legible, the process is repeated. In step  18  a check is run as to whether more than two reading attempts have been made. If this applies, the air passenger is requested in step  20  to proceed to a particular service point. In step  22  it is checked whether the boarding pass is valid. If the boarding pass is invalid, the request is effected as in step  20 . In step  26 , the locking means of the pass-through is opened. In step  28  the data relevant to his/her flight is then displayed to the air passenger on the display panel of the pass-through. In step  30  it is checked whether the air passenger has passed through the pass-through. If this is not the case, a check is made in step  32  as to whether a waiting time of a few seconds has elapsed. If this is the case, it is assumed that the air passenger has not passed through the pass-through, and in step  34  the locking means of the pass-through is closed again. Otherwise, in step  36  a blocking note relating to the boarding pass is caused to be dispatched and stored in the database. At the same time, a message such as “Enjoy your flight” may be displayed on the display panel of the pass-through.