EP0560948A1

EP0560948A1 - Method of personally addressed communication, information, guidance and quick processing of the procedures in the airports

Info

Publication number: EP0560948A1
Application number: EP19920914354
Authority: EP
Inventors: Panaghiotis A. Anagnostopoulos
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-07-18
Filing date: 1992-07-10
Publication date: 1993-09-22
Also published as: GR1001326B; EP0560948A4; WO1993002433A1

Abstract

Procédé de communication personnalisée, c'est-à-dire de communication avec chaque individu séparément, ou avec un groupe d'individus (tels que les passagers d'un même vol); d'information, c'est-à-dire de présentation d'informations de quelque type que ce soit et dans la langue choisie par l'individu; d'orientation, c'est-à-dire de présentation à l'individu d'informations lui permettant de s'orienter et de suivre le bon chemin à l'intérieur de l'aéroport; et d'expédition rapide des divers contrôles, opérations, services et formalités nécessaires pour prendre en charge les individus (passagers, visiteurs, employés) à l'intérieur des aéroports. Ledit procédé est caractérisé en ce que l'on présente à chaque individu un dispositif portatif sans fil lorsqu'il pénètre dans l'enceinte aéroportuaire. Ce dispositif reçoit des signaux émis par des émetteurs installés dans l'aéroport et s'utilise conjointement avec des dispositifs de communication (dispositifs échangeurs d'informations, dispositifs de traitement) installés eux aussi dans l'aéroport, tandis que les émetteurs et les dispositifs de traitement sont raccordés à un système central de gestion de données (Fig. 1), et commandés par celui-ci, de telle sorte qu'une communication directe avec les individus soit assurée par l'intermédiaire de signaux retransmis par les émetteurs en direction des dispositifs portatifs sans fil, et que des informations soient en outre fournies pour permettre l'expédition des formalités et des contrôles, ainsi que l'orientation, etc., par l'intermédiaire des dispositifs de communication (dispositifs échangeurs d'informations, dispositifs de traitement) conjointement avec lesdits dispositifs portatifs sans fil.Personalized communication method, that is to say communication with each individual separately, or with a group of individuals (such as passengers on the same flight); information, that is to say the presentation of information of any kind whatsoever and in the language chosen by the individual; orientation, that is to say the presentation to the individual of information allowing him to orient himself and follow the right path inside the airport; and rapid dispatch of the various checks, operations, services and formalities necessary to take care of the individuals (passengers, visitors, employees) inside the airports. Said method is characterized in that each individual is presented with a portable wireless device when he enters the airport enclosure. This device receives signals from transmitters installed at the airport and is used in conjunction with communication devices (information exchange devices, processing devices) also installed at the airport, while transmitters and devices are connected to a central data management system (Fig. 1), and controlled by it, so that direct communication with individuals is ensured via signals retransmitted by transmitters to portable wireless devices, and that information is also provided to enable the dispatch of formalities and controls, as well as orientation, etc., via communication devices (information exchange devices, devices processing) in conjunction with said portable wireless devices.

Description

METHOD OF PERSONALLY ADDRESSED COMMUNICATION. INFORMATION. GUIDANCE AND QUICK PROCESSING OF THE PROCEDURES IN THE

AIRPORTS

The invention refers to a method for personally addressed communication, that is communication with each individual, separately, or with a group of individuals (such as passengers of a specific flight), for information, that is provision of information of any nature in the language of the individual's choice, for guidance, that is supply of guiding instructions to any individual for its transfer within the airport and for quick processing of the various controls, transactions, services and procedures necessary for the servicing of individuals (passengers, visitors, employees) within airports, which method is characterised by the supply of a small portable wireless device to every individual, upon entering into the airport area, which device receives signals from transmitters installed within the airport and is used in conjunction with communication devices (information exchange devices, processing devices) installed within the airport, whilst the transmitters and the processing devices are connected to and controlled by a central Data Management System (Fig. 1), in such a way, in order to ensure the direct communication with individuals through signals retransmitted by the transmitters to the portable wireless devices and moreover to provide information for the processing of the procedures, controls, guidance etc, through the communication devices (information exchange devices and processing devices) in conjunction with the portable wireless devices.

STATE-OF-THE-ART

To the best of my knowledge, no attempt has been reported on personally addressed communication, information, guidance and quick processing of procedures within airports. The conventional communication method, used in airports. consists of audio and visual announcements, addressed to every individual being present therein, and each individual should identify and be informed of the announced messages of its concern. On the other hand, for the information of passengers or other individuals, the airports have an availability of large boards announcing the arrival and departure status continuously. The messages appearing on these large boards are also transmitted to the closed- circuit TV screens, installed at specific areas of an airport. Apart from this visual transmission of messages, the airport has an availability for loud-speaker installation that transmits audio messages to all the airport.

The only means of passenger individuation, used in the airports, is the conventional boarding card, on which the data concerning the departing passengers is printed. This boarding card stipulates the boarding gate and the number of seat, and it is returned during boarding. As far as the disembarking passengers, or the visitors or even the employees, are concerned, there is no such facility provided to them.

The guidance towards the various airport areas (gates, C., Duty-free shops, restaurants, baggage collection, check-in, electronic control etc. ) is provided by means of boards located in distinct points of the corridors or the airport areas or by authorised persons at the information desks. Those information and guidance systems, currently in use, generate the following problems:

(a) Financial

(b) Professional

(c) Social (d) Phychological ( e ) Aesthetic mainly for the following reasons : (a) Passengers delay in proceeding to the boardinσ σates. mainly, due to lack of attention or inability to receive the respective announcement

* It creates financial problems due to airplane engines standing-by operation because of delay in departure, resulting to loss of connection with other flights etc.

* It creates professional problems due to employment of extra staff, over-employment and anxiety to the flying staff, as well as problems concerning baggages and decision- making etc.

* It creates phychological problems due to extensive delay to the passengers, employees etc.

(b) Necessity for the passengers and visitors to pay more attention to the announcements during waiting time

* It creates phychological problems, anxiety and fatigue.

* It creates social problems, as, in the airports, people of different race, country or language, are met whilst the messages are transmitted in a specific language and thus various problems are created to foreigners.

* It creates professional problems due to personnel engagement with constant briefing.

(c) The constant audio and visual information create following problems:

* Aesthetic, due to noise pollution. * Phychological, due to need for passengers' continuous alertness.

* Social, due to excessive noise and disturbance of people with special requirements, such as children, infants, elderly, patients. * Professional, due to engagement of the .foreign languages- speaking personnel in the updating of information.

* Financial due to the cost of continuous updating. Finally, the inability of the system to provide information on unforeseen cases, such as:

* Accident * Sudden illness

* Emergencies

and the usual grouping of the passengers and those waiting in the areas of the airports, resulting from the need for security, and the congestion so created, also generate phychological, social, professional and fatigue problems.

The existing method of guiding using notice-boards and information desks cause the following:

Delay in passengers proceeding to the boarding gates, mainly due to difficulty in locating them

* This creates financial problems due to delay in airplane's departure, as mentioned before.

* It creates social problems to individuals which are not familiar with airports or they use a particular airport for the first time, probably a foreign one, in which case the individuals' guidance, by the notice boards, is difficult.

* It creates professional problems as the various processing services are posted to locations easily accessible by the passengers (i.e. at the baggage delivery point, next to the passport control) , which does not facilitate the smooth operation of the airport services and it causes congestion.

* The delay, also creates phychological problems, or stress and fatigue to people who try to reach their destination with a delay. These circumstances are usually met by certain categories of people (i.e. elderly, non-linguists etc. ) .

The controls and other processing procedures within the airports, are usually carried out in a bureaucratic way, that is the passenger approaches to the control, the employee in charge checks him/her out, certifies, weighs, arranges and provides the passenger with documents etc. This procedure causes queueing up, delays, exasperations and fatigue, particularly to elderly or people with special needs etc.

The reference of baggages on the card, attached to the ticket, is insufficient and it often creates problems to the passengers (such as baggage loss, wrong destination, different flight etc.) as well as to the airlines (such as compensations, complaints, bad image etc.) and it results to passengers' exasperation, discomfort in view of lack of important articles (clothing, cosmetics etc.), stress etc., as well as to the financial damage, agitation and embarrassment of the airline and its officers. The unclaimed baggages is a very serious problem that the airlines are faced with, since the destination, the owner and their origin have to be determined and this is not always easy or possible.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention presents, for the first time, an integrated method which offers solution to the problem of personally addressed communication (paging), that is:

a) with every individual separately b) with groups of individuals (e.g. passengers of the same flight)

with the personnel or the various departments of the airport, addressing the problem of information on areas, services, procedures which are of interest to the passengers, visitors and employees of airports, addressing the problem of guidance to the areas and services of an airport, and finally, addressing the problem of quick and usually automatic processing of the procedures, currently carried out in a bureaucratic time-consuming way.

This method requires (Fig. 1) the provision of every individual (1) , upon checking-in, with a portable wireless communication device (2), of small dimensions, characterised by an identification number. This identification corresponds to a group of information that characterises an individual or a group of individuals. The device is activated and notifies the individual by audio or visual messages, when they have to receive a message or guidance instructions.

A network of transmitters (7) and a network of communication devices (information exchange devices, processing devices)

(8) are installed in the airport areas. The two networks are controlled by a central Data Management System (6) . The network of transmitters (7) constitutes the means for notifying the individuals by transmitting a signal, that contains the identification and that activates the portable wireless device or devices (2), which correspond to the particular identification.

The transmitters' signal (7) which is received by the portable communication device (2) , may include a particular message which is audio or visually transmitted by the portable device to the individual. Moreover, it is provided for the said signal to consist a simple warning to the individual in order to obtain more complete instructions or information using the communication devices' network (8). These communication devices (8) constitute the means of a more extensive information, guidance, human navigation, control etc. and they operate in cooperation with the portable wireless device (2).

The communication slot (8) is activated by the portable communication device and it presents the contents of a message, the information that an individual wishes to receive, the course he/she has to follow to arrive at a particular area etc., either in a visual or audio way, written or in schematic form.

The communication devices (8) are also used for the processing of necessary airport procedures, such as:

a) Baggage encoding (9) and control (3), and connection of the baggage with the identification of the passenger's portable communication device (2). b) Connection and identity verification of the portable communication device with the particulars of each individual (e.g. passport number, name and surname etc.) c) Automation of the currently bureaucratic procedures (e.g. automatic control of passengers' passage through a certain check point, automatic baggage location verification etc.).

The central coordinator and instrument of these operations, is the Main Data Management System (6) , which is linked to the network of transmitters (7) and communication devices (8). Every party (individual or airport service) interested in transmitting a message or processing a service, communicates with the main data management system and, through the two networks, is connected to the individuals.

For the passengers' navigation, it is also provided the use of a network of transmitters (possibly the same transmitters of the first network)., installed in the airport areas, where each one of them transmits a unique signal which corresponds to its position data. Moreover, the airport areas are marked with distinctive code number (e.g. labels with numbers). The human "navigation" is carried out by the communication devices (8) by presenting the successive codes of the areas (e.g. labels with numbers), which have to be followed by the interested party in order to reach the requested area. In case of deviation from the predetermined sequence of successive area codes (verified by the receipt of transmitters' position code), which is not provided by the predetermined sequence of area codes, a re-routing with new origin the current position is provided for by the portable communication device.

Moreover, the portable device (2), with the addition of a transmitter, is capable of transmitting a distinctive signal upon receipt of a particular encoded message. Each area of the airport has a receiver capable to receive this distinctive signal, whilst the main data management system may identify the receiver which receives the distinctive signal and consequently the area of its transmission. Also portable receivers with an antenna receiving from a certain direction only are capable to receive this distinctive signal. Thus, in case of emergency or problem, the tracing of any individual, carrying a portable device and moving in any area of the airport, is possible.

The transmitter has an ON-OFF switch allowing the tracing of the user at his/her discretion.

ADVANTAGES O F TH E P RES ENT I NV ENT I ON

The advantages of the present invention are derived from the overcoming of the following problems :

a. Financial b. Professional c. Social d". Phychological e. Aesthetic

which are caused by the lack of personal communication due to:

A. Delay in passengers' approaching for boarding

B. Necessity of constant attention

C. Necessity of constant visual and audio information transmission D. Failure in handling emergencies

E. Loss of baggage or delay in baggage claim

Moreover, the present invention offers to everyone concered with the air transports, the following advantages:

1. It allows the reduction of airport areas available for the passengers' and visitors' service or, depending on the case, the servicing of more passengers and visitors in the airport areas already available. This is achieved by reducing the need of passengers' and visitors' constant movement within the airport areas, mainly for information purposes, by making available extensive areas and rooms for purposes other than information for the gathered passengers and visitors, by restricting the necessary gates as long as the waiting time for boarding will last less.

2. It allows the re-organisation of the passengers' and visitors' servicing method within an airport and the complete automation of the boarding, disembarkation, waiting and baggage delivery processes. As long as the guidance and information, provided to every passenger and visitor, are effected through a main data management system, the use of the same unit to coordinate the other services and serve the passengers and visitors, in order to limit the on the ground personnel, as well as the re¬ structuring of the process based on minimal space and time requirements, are possible.-

3. It connects the passenger with his/her baggages, in order to avoid errors during the baggage loading or discharging. More specifically, the passenger is unable to exit from the airport (check-out) unless he/she has collected his/her baggages. This significantly strengthens the security services.

4. It facilitates the passport control, the customs control. the electronic and preliminary check-in control, as well as the identification of an arriving passenger by people waiting for him/her.

5. It simplifies the ticketing procedure and it greatly facilitates both the travel agencies and the airlines. More specifically, upon checking-in, the passenger is registered in the list of "actual" passengers of the airline, in order for the airline to be paid by the travel agencies.

6. It offers complete guidance, that is "human" navigation and information for any area of the airport, whatsoever, in the language of user's preferance, and thus it eliminates the possibility of having a person, unable to move freely in an airport (e.g. aged people, non- linguists etc), lost or delayed.

7. It allows the automating briefing of the passenger in case of changes (e.g. sudden change of gate number due to congestion) .

8. It enables the registration of boarding priority number during the check-in and therefore the card includes the seat number and optimises, as much as possible, the boarding process so that to avoid causing passengers' discomfort and delay in the corridor and to avoid having some passengers standing up in order to enable others to sit.

9. It "warns" delayed passengers by transmitting a characteristic signal that activates a distinctive sound through the transmitters' network (e.g. uninterrupted BEEP) , so that the passenger rushes towards his/her destination.

10. In case of intermediate stops, the system warns each disembarking passenger, if this is his/her destination. The main advantage of the present method is derived from its ability to reduce the time interval between arrival and departure of the aircrafts, on the one hand, and passengers' boarding and disembarkation, on the other hand. Practically, the needs, the design and the operation of the airports serve this particular coordination. Although for the purposes of approach, landing, departure and take-off of the aircraf s, there is an availability of a central coordination unit (Control Tower) , that guides each aircraft separately from the moment of its approach over the airport until it has cleared away, there is no such provision for the passengers and baggages. Thus, the guidance and information provided to each passenger separately, is non¬ existent in all modern airports, and this renders necessary the design of airport lobbies mainly servicing the passengers' and visitors' waiting time. Thus, the lack of passengers' approach synchronisation, necessitates:

* Accumulation of baggages in one area, difficulty or even inability and frequency of errors in baggage distribution to the aircrafts.

* Provision for waiting rooms and time within the boarding area.

* Solution for discomfort relief of the individuals who are unable to communicate in the languages used by the airport services or who are completely unable to orientate and find their destination.

In contradiction, we may note the success of synchronisation in passengers' mass transport by subways in large cities.In the complex networks of subways, in cities such as Tokyo, London or Paris, only the quick boarding and disembarkation of passengers allow their most efficient operation. The present invention provides for the synchronisation between both passengers and baggage boarding and aircrafts' landing or take-off. For the success of this operation, the cooperation between the main data management system and the Control Tower regulating the air traffic, is required. IMPLEHENTATION OF THE INVENTION

A first embodiment, allows for the following:

A portable wire communication device (2) is used as a means for passengers' authorised entry at the various areas of the airport. The traditional boarding card is replaced by a smart electronic card (2), which is delivered to the passenger during his/her checking-in. Cartography data of the airports of arrival, destination or transit, various information about the flight, as well as individual information concerning each passenger, are stored in each card's memory unit during checking-in. All information, which concern passengers' boarding, is transferred from the data management system of each airline (4) to the main data management system (6) of the airport for future use.

The main data management system is connected to a network of transmitters (7) distributed in all airport areas. The main data management system processes the flight information received from each airline and translates them into alphanumeric messages for each particular individual and thereafter it transmits messages through the transmitters.

The individual (or even a group of individuals, depending on the case) receives the said short messages through his/her card, in the language, of his/her choice, after having first been notified by a characteristic sound. Since every passenger ought to perform a predetermined sequence of actions, in a predetermined area, at a first embodiment all possible messages concerning these actions are registered in the memory unit of the card. The topographic data of the airports of departure, arrival and transit, are registered in the memory unit during the checking-in.

The main data management system (6) , through the transmitters, simply retrieves from the memory unit, at the proper time, the instructions for the necessary actions, using the card identification (2) as a criterion.

At a second embodiment, a distinctive signal notifies the holder of the portable communication device that there is an incoming message, in which case the user has to move to the nearest communication device (8) and, after placing his/her portable communication device (2) in the slot, collects the message and a plethora of relevant information.

An embodiment of the personal communication card is shown in Figure (2). The operation software for the embodiment of Figure (2) is shown in Figure (3). In this way, according to Figure (2a), the device (card) for personally addressed communication (2) consists of a receiver (12), a decoder (13), a microcomputer (16) (consisting of a central processing unit (15), a memory unit (18) and an I/O unit (14)), a message display (17), a keyboard (11), a buzzer (20), a power supply unit (19) and a card interface (21). The software concerning the communication of the card with the transmitter network (7) is shown in Figure 3.

The message consists of two fields. The first field describes the identification of the card and the second one the identification of the message. The identification of the card consists of two fields. The first field concerns the group that the individual belongs to (e.g. flight number) and the second field concerns the particular person as a member of the said group.

The number of identifications is proportional to the number of cards available within an airport (e.g. 10.000 card identifications) . The second field represents the message to be transmitted, whilst the message identifications are proportional t the possible instructions required or might be required by the passenger or the visitor to an airport. Practically, the number of instructions is very limited. The most significant point. however, is the time when the instructions will be transmitted to each passenger. An example of connecting the message with the instruction is the following:

Mess. ID I/No. Message

1 Approach to the passport control

2 Approach to the boarding gate

3 .Approach to baggage claim 4 Approach to an information desk

In Figure (2b) an embodiment of the structure of transmitted message is shown. More specifically, the identification of the card, as aforementioned, consists of two fields, whilst the identification of the message consists of either the identification of a standard message, or consecutive fields corresponding to the characters of a message. In the latter, a special character indicates the end of message (end of block). The type of the message (standard or not) is defined by a special character (flag), as shown in Figure (2b).

During the boarding control, a comparison of the card identification with the following particulars of the passenger is made:

* Name and surname of the passenger

* Flight number (country of arrival or destination and airline)

* Reference number and identification details of the baggages

* Gate Number

The main data management system, depending on the process of aircraft landing or take-off (22), baggage loading or discharging (Figure 4), is in a position to know the exact time each passenger (23) has to be present at a particular area of the airport and carry out a task. At the exact time (allowing a reasonable margin of time) the system transmits the message (24), that is the card identification and the instruction indentification. The message transmission lasts for a minimal time period. Thus, if 50 messages per second were transmitted, it would be possible in 200 sees., that is approximately 3.5 mins., to have 10,000 passengers notified. This would entail a transmission speed of 4800 bit/sec, which is very low for coordination of actions. If more than one frequency is used for transmission, the time for covering all passengers is reduced more.

The connection of the communication card with the passenger's particulars, is cancelled as soon as the passenger boards the aircraft following the verification process at the communication device. In case of arrival, the connection is cancelled upon delivering the communication card by the passenger at the airport exit.

The software concerning the operation of the main data management system for the basic function of the airport, being the coordination of aircraft, passengers and baggages, include:

•

1. The triple connection to the memory unit that connects:

1(a) The name and surname of the passenger (1) with the flight and the baggage identities (9) 1(b) The flight with the names and surnames of the passengers and the baggage identities 1(c) The identity number of each baggage with the flight number and the name and surname of the passenger

(Figure 5) .

With the triple connection, every information or service concerning the operation of the airport, may be provided.

As aforementioned, the name and surname of each passenger, the relevant flight number and the baggage identity number are connected with the identification of the communication card. The main data management system processes the aforementioned data which concern flights of a limited duration. Upon departure of a flight or the last passenger departure from an airport, the relevant data is classified. The timely coordination of passengers' movement depends on the aircraft traffic which is a data provided by the Control Tower (Fig. 6). Thus, the Control Tower (22) constantly transmits updated data to the main data management system, concerning the position of each aircraft on the runway.

The aircraft data is connected to the flight in process or to be carried out (and of course the airline it belongs to). In this way, by being aware of the condition and position of the aircraft of a specific flight, at any instant, the main data management system coordinates the movements of the passengers accordingly. Figure (4) shows the coordination of aircraft motion with passengers' flow. Figures (5), (6) and (7) represent the three phases of the main data management system operation concerning a flight. Figure (5) shows the first phase of said system's operation, when the particulars of the passengers and their baggages, are recorded in its memory. To each passenger, there is one corresponding communication card. Figure 6(b) represents the second phase of operation, when the main data management system is fed back with data concerning aircraft's motion, whilst the transmission of identification for the cards (devices) of personal communication accompanied by the identification of command, is effected accordingly.

In a second embodiment, other messages, according to the services provided to the passengers or airport visitors, are included. Figure 6(a) shows an example of connection between identifications and messages. Figure 7 represents the third phase of system operation, which is the passengers' boarding and baggage loading control. On boarding, the communication card (device) (2) is returned and placed in the communication device (8) , whilst the number of each baggage (3), being loaded, is registered (9). In a second embodiment, the baggages may be registered in a photographic or another verification method, such as barcoding. In this way, by obtaining the passenger and baggage data, the main data management system (6) controls if all passengers and baggages were loaded and if so it allows the take-off. If not, the system initiates a search.

In view of the aforementioned, possible services like passengers' waiting list, paging a passenger to whom a lost baggage belongs, scheduling successive flights, are simple software applications that, although fall into the scope of this invention, need not be described herein.

The selection of the transmitters' frequency and reception specifications for the personal communication devices in enclosed areas, are considered to be known to experts from the theory concerning wireless communication selective call devices and are not mentioned in the present invention since they do not consist a novelty.

In another embodiment, where a transmitter is also included in the communication card, the delayed passengers' warning may be effected by activation of the transmitter of the card that transmits a buzzing sound. A receiver network distributed within the airport area, upon receipt of the buzzing sound, "notifies" the main data management system. By the identity of the receiver, the area where the passenger moves in,, is identified, enabling thus his/her accurate tracing. This feature is particularly useful for application in airport areas and it concerns individuals requiring special care, mainly children, elderly or patients. Such individuals, when in possession of a tracing system, may travel even without an escort or running the risk of being lost, since the main system, supported by the airport personnel, will guide them. It is understood that the transmitter has an ON-OFF switch, so that the position tracing is feasible only at user's will, in order to protect his/her privacy. Figures (8) and (9) represent the embodiment of communication devices (information exchange and processing devices). In this embodiment, the information exchange devices bear a display for visual presentation of data, a speaker for audio presentation and a printing unit for obtaining data print-outs. A special receiving slot for inserting the portable personal communication device is provided at the information exchange device. Special receiving slots are also provided, thereat, for other kind of services. Such services may be the supply to the user of self-adhesive numbered labels for the baggages, coins for transactions, cards for services in the airport or adjacent areas. Another use of the receiving slot is for insertion of coins for charging services.

The operation of the network of said devices is the following:

As soon as the user is informed, through the transmitter network, that there is a message for him/her, or in case he/she desires to be informed of e.g. FLIGHT STATUS, A SERVICE WITHIN THE AIRPORT etc., he/she inserts the portable personal communication device into the slot of the information exchange device. A similar system applies, for example, in the case of banking teller-machines, when the customer, upon inserting a credit card into the slot, communicates with his/her bank account or the computer of the bank and, through, said computer, the user may deposit or withdraw money etc.

As far as the information exchange devices are concerned, the user by insertion of his/her personal communication device into the special slot, communicates the identity of the device to the main data management system. In one embodiment, the communication of identity, is accomplished when the communication device terminals come in contact with the slot in order to establish communication between the card and the main data management system. As soon as the card intentity is transmitted, the main data management system displays (in an audio or visual way) a menu listing the services provided to the user. In a first embodiment, these services are the following:

(a) Information about areas and services of the airport, the city or the country of airport's location (e.g. hotels, services etc.) or information of professional nature. For these services, the main data management system retrieves from the memory unit (in an audio or visual way) the said stored data.

(b) Communication and guidance on topics of user's concern. Such services are, for example, guidance on exit gate, baggage claim, communication with an acquaintance or an airport service etc. This is achieved by storing, in the main data management service, every data concerning the flight or being of interest to the said user. This data is presented in chronological or other sequence and stored by the identity of user, for example, in airlines' terminals or airport services' terminals. Upon identification of the card identity, the main data management system displays or transmits in audible form the data of the specific memory position.

(c) Baggage monitoring. For the insertion of baggage particulars into the memory unit of the main data management system, following methods are used:

* In the process of loading, each baggage is accurately weighed (e.g. accurate to one decimal digit). The baggage weight is inserted into the memory unit of the main data management system and is connected to the identity of the personal communication device. The accuracy of weighing is such that for a certain time period, the possibility of having baggages of equal weight is minimal.

* A label with barcode system is used. By the remote tracing of the barcode combination, the connection to the identity of the personal communication device is accomplished.

* The baggage images are taken separately by optical scanning devices. The trace of the photograph is then translated via image processing techniques and becomes digital data in the memory unit which is connected to the identity of the personal communication card. As soon as the baggage is connected, in this way, to the identity of the personal communication card, it is monitored, in one way or in a combination of above ways, during its transfer (e.g. loading, discharging, transit, delivery etc.). The baggage processing control is effected in various transit points (e.g. weighing or optical scanning of the barcode in various transit points) and the baggage is processed in correspondence with the passenger's position on board.

* Routing and guidance of the passenger or visitor, within the various airport areas. The airport areas are recorded in the memory unit, for example, as numbers. Thus, a mapping of the airport is effected, which is stored in the memory unit of the main data management system. In this way, every location of the airport possesses a - position number and consequently the information exchange devices obtain position numbers which are stored in the memory unit.

In this respect, when the user makes use of an information device, the main data management system is aware of the mapping location number showing the exact position of the user. Thus, if the user, when following the said main system's instructions, requires guidance to reach an airport area, that has been assigned a different location number, the main system determines the shortest course, by sequence of numbers upto the destination number, having the airport mapping location numbers stored as data. The determination of the course is accomplished in a topological sense considering the allowable accessibility connections of the location numbers. The passenger or user, in general, may reach his/her destination by following the sequence of numbers. In case of willful or accidental deviation from the original course, the method provides for the following:

A transmitter network, for position estimation, is installed within the airport areas in correspondence with the location numbers. In a first embodiment, the said network consists an independent one, whilst in a second embodiment the same transmitters are used for both position estimation and for information transmission (Figure 10). As aforestated, from each transmitter there is one location number transmitted, which is unique for each particular transmitter. In this way, the airport areas are mapped through the transmitter location numbers. Upon receipt by the user of the sequence of numbers to be followed, the location numbers, that have to be received by the personal communication device, are stored in the memory unit. During passenger's movement, the portable communication device receives the sequence of the transmitter location signals.

A small card processing unit is provided for carrying out the following:

(I) Comparison of the location signals, received by the portable communication device, with the predetermined sequence of location numbers.

(II) In case the unit receives a location signal that does not correspond to the predetermined sequence of code numbers, the processing unit of the portable communication device determines a new course as long as it has stored in its memory the location numbers of the airport areas. The sequence of location numbers is displayed on the personal communication device. A special buzzing sound (e.g. double interrupted) warns the user of his/her deviation from the course. In another embodiment, when course deviation is detected, the personal communication device instructs the user to proceed to the nearest information exchange device and seek for a re-routing in order to reach the latest destination. A special buzzing sound (e.g. double interrupted), again, warns the user of his/her deviation for the course.

Moreover, the following services are provided when using the portable personally addressed communication card:

a. During passengers' boarding, the card beeps to signal the boarding priority for those passengers with seat numbers most distant from the main entrance of the aircraft and thereafter for those passengers with seat numbers closest to the main entrance. More specifically, in case of equal distance between the seats and the main entrance, the passengers who seat next to the window are called first and thereafter those who seat next to the corridor.

The purpose of the above boarding priority is to avoid congestion during boarding and consequently to reduce the time involved. An embodiment of the service is the following:

To each flight, there is an aircraft of certain type corresponding to it. The type of aircraft, the arrangement of passengers' seats and the main entrances (if more than one) are stored i the memory unit of the main data management system and therefore following data as well:

- Flight identity (through which it may communicate with every personal communication device of the passengers of same flight) .

- Passenger identity (through which it may transmit messages to each individual passenger from the transmitter network towards the personal device). - Type and diagram of the seats of the aircraft to perform a flight.

The seat registration is in topological form, that is in priority order depending on the distance from the main entrance, where the most distant seats are those nearer to a window, or in cartesian coordinates relating to each seat.

Figure (11) represents an embodiment of seat number registration in the memory unit. In this case, the nearest accessible seats are first stored in the memory unit and thereafter the most distant ones. Passengers call for boarding is effected in reverse order, in a first embodiment, while in a second embodiment it is effected as shown in Figure (11).

The call for each passenger to board the aircraft, is accompished either through the buzzer of the personal communication card or through a displayed simple command.

The passengers' distribution on the various seats is carried out either by the airline on the basis of each passenger's requirements or by the main data management system based on the data input by the airlines.

b. During baggage claim, upon arrival, the passenger is called to proceed to the respective baggage area only upon accumulation of all baggages registered during checking-in. This is achieved by detection of all baggages (by weighing or photographing etc.) upon their entrance into the proper area.

As soon as all baggages registered in the name of a certain passenger arrive into the accumulation area, he/she is called for collection.

Claims

1. The invention refers to a method for personally addressed communication, that is communication with each individual, separately, or with a group of individuals (such as passengers of a specific flight), for information, that is provision of information of any nature in the language of the individual's choice, for guidance, that is supply of guiding instructions to any individual for its transfer within the airport and for quick processing of the various controls, transactions, services and procedures necessary for the servicing of individuals (passengers, visitors, employees) within airports, which method is characterised by the supply of a small portable wireless device to every individual, upon entering into the airport area, which device receives signals from transmitters installed within the airport and is used in conjunction with communication devices (information exchange devices, processing devices) installed within the airport, whilst the transmitters and the processing devices are connected to and controlled by a central Data Management System (Fig. 1), in such a way, in order to ensure the direct communication with individuals through signals retransmitted by the transmitters to the portable wireless devices and moreover to provide information for the processing of the procedures, controls, guidance etc, through the communication devices (information exchange and processing devices) in conjunction with the portable wireless devices.

2. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein each device available within the airport area, is characterised by a different identity for each device located in the same area or which identity accompanies every signal transmitted to the particular device for selection of the signals that concern the said device.

3. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Clai 1, wherein each device consists of a receiver (12), a decoder (13), a microcomputer (16) [consisting of a main processing unit (CPU) (15), memory unit (18) and input/output unit (I/O) (14)], a display (17), a keyboard (11)_/ a buzzer (20), a power supply (19) and a card interface (21) (Figure 2a).

4. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the messages transmitted by the transmitters and received by the receivers consist of two fields, the first one describing the identity of the device to which the message is addressed and the second one may be:

a) the identity of a standard message which is registered in the memory unit of the personal communication device. b) a sequence of characters corresponding to the message to be transmitted.

5. Method for personally addressed communication in airports, as in Claim 1, wherein the main data management system (6) is connected through the transmitter network (7) with the data management systems of each airline (5), with communication devices (information exchange and processing devices) (8) and computer terminals for inserting the data concerning aircraft movements and baggage details (9) (Figure 1) .

6. Method for personally addressed communication in airports, as in Claim 1, wherein the main data management system receives as data the particulars of each passenger, the flight number, the baggage number and combines them with the identity of the personal communication device.

7. Method for personally addressed communication in airports, as in Claim 1, wherein the main data management system, depending on the location and movement of the aircrafts which correspond to the flights inserted in the computer terminals used for aircraft movement data input. informs and coordinates passengers' movement through messages transmitted by the transmitters.

8. Method for personally addressed communication in 5 airports, as in Claim 1, wherein boarding passengers' particulars and their baggage numbers, are compared to the data registered in the access control computer terminals.

9. Method for personally addressed communication in 10 airports, as in Claim 1, wherein the passengers' particulars, the baggage identities, the flight and the code of the personal communication card are combined in the memory unit of the main data management system in order to provide every possible service and information. 15

10. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein every personal communication device includes a micro-transmitter that transmits a distinctive signal for the location of individuals within airport areas

20 through a transmitter network and portable directional receivers for reception of the said distinctive signal.

11. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the airport areas are characterised by

25 numbers inscribed on labels, mapping thus out the airport in numbers.

12. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein a ocation transmitter network installed

30 within airport areas is provided, where each transmitter transmits a unique signal distinguishing its position and thus the airport areas are determined by location numbers transmission.

^'35

13. Location transmitter network, as in Claim 14, wherein the transmitters coincide with the information transmitter network and apart from the warning signal they also transmit location signal.

14. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the airport mapping is registered into the memory unit of the personal communication device. The mapping is accomplished by a graph which includes nodes and connections. The nodes correspond to the airport areas and the connections correspond to corridors connecting above areas. Each node is characterised by a code number whilst on every node corresponds one transmitter.

15. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the portable communication devices include a small processing unit to process the routing program, that is determination of the sequence of numbers and transmitter codes necessary to be followed during the course from one airport location to another.

16. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the information exchange devices consist of a display, a speaker, a keyboard, a printer, a slot for insertion of the personal communication device and a slot for receipt of numbered labels, coins or cards.

17. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the main data management system is connected by cable to a large number of information exchange devices, as in Claim 18, communicating with the user through the personal communication devices.

18. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the main data management system transmits to the user, through the information exchange devices, parts of the stored data which concern general information and elements or data in connection with the identity of the personal communication device.

19. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the baggages are identified by their weight which is accurately registered so that any equation with another baggage weight is almost impossible.

20. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the baggages are identified by photographying or scanning of a barcoded label.

21. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the baggages are identified by optical scanning systems or volume photographic outlining.

22. Method for personally addressed communication, as in Claim 1, wherein the baggages are controlled in predetermined positions by application of one of the methods of Claims 21, 22, 23 and wherein the control position of the baggages is compared to the expected position of the owning passenger.

23. Method as in Claim 1, wherein the passengers boarding on the aircraft is carried out by personal notification through the personal communication device, in priority order on the basis of difficulty of access to the seat, that is the passengers of most distant and difficulty accessible seats are firstly seated.

24. Method as in Claim 1, wherein for the baggage claim, the passengers of a flight are informed through the personal communication devices only when all baggages have been delivered to the claim area.