Patent ID: 7965200

Claim:
A method for managing aircraft security inspections, the method comprising: dividing a plurality of aircraft cabin locations into a plurality of secured areas and a plurality of alert areas; providing a sensor network connected to a plurality of sensors in the plurality of secured areas and a visual indication device network connected to a plurality of visual indication devices in the plurality of alert areas, each of the plurality of alert areas corresponding to one of the plurality of secured areas, wherein the plurality of secured areas includes a number of aircraft seats and a number of lavatories and the plurality of sensors includes a life vest sensor and a seat cushion sensor in each of the number of aircraft seats, and a toilet shroud sensor, an under sink cabinet sensor, a light bezel sensor, and a vanity cabinet sensor in each of the number of lavatories; monitoring the sensor network for an indication of a potential breach of a secured area; and identifying the potential breach of the secured area by an indication at a display of the sensor network on the aircraft wherein the display presents an identification of the component for which a breach has been detected and a date and time at which the breach was detected, and a visual signal from one or more of the visual indication devices, wherein a number of visual indication devices corresponding to the life vest sensor and the seat cushion sensor are positioned at an end of a row of seats and visible from an aisle, and wherein the visual indication devices for sensors monitoring the undersink cabinet, the toilet shroud, the light bezel, and the vanity cabinet within one of the number of lavatories are located within a sign for the one of the number of lavatories.