GB2414102A

GB2414102A - Electronic passenger alarm system

Info

Publication number: GB2414102A
Application number: GB0410440A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Malcolm Ian Truman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-05-11
Filing date: 2004-05-11
Publication date: 2005-11-16
Also published as: GB0410440D0

Abstract

A wireless activated passenger alarm which is adapted to clip to the chest of an airline passenger and alert the passenger that they should go to the boarding gate. The device also includes a digital storage media. As shown the device comprises a mounting clip 7 and a casing 1 containing an alarm sounder 2, a receiver decoder 3 and flashing lights 6. The digital storage media may include one of a magnetic tape strip 11, bar code strip 12, sim-card 13, micro-chip 14 or advertising panel 15.

Description

24t4102 1 of 4 Electronic Passenger Alarm Device and Conveyor Of Digital

Media for use at airports.

This invention relates to a simple electronic passenger alarm device for use by airline passengers at airports which requires low signal strength to be activated.

Pagers and mobile phones are well knower alarm devices but these are expensive moreover they are thought to cause radio interference to aircraft equipment and considered unsuitable for use en-mass at airports because of their relatively high signal strength.

At present airline passengers rely on PA system announcements or look at TV flight screens to alert them but these are of little use to a passenger who has fallen asleep or is unwell. In affect a sleeping passenger is a missing passenger. Many flights are delayed due to passengers not being found whilst their baggage is aboard an aircraft. Such delayed aircraft can not take off until either the baggage is thrown off or the missing passenger is found. A delayed flight caused by a missing passenger creates problems for all the passengers of the flight and immense expense to airlines and air traffic control. A simple passenger alerting alarm device as described in this invention would save a great deal of money for airlines and alleviate a great deal of stress and hardship time and money for ail concerned' especially for the passengers who when delayed miss arpointm.ents, trains, ..'eddir.gs "le.

According to the present invention there is provided a simple passenger alerting device which is able to alert passengers that they should immediately go to the gate to board their flight.

The invention comprises of a clip-on electronic card worn at breast level which when activated by a suitable coded wireless or sound signal from a PA System or infra-red signal will give off an alarm sound and show flashing lights to inform passengers that their aircraft is waiting for them. In this way sleeping or indisposed passengers awake themselves or are informed by others near to them, hence flights delayed by missing raSsen5erc.ou'!d be greatly reduced perhaps by Qn% or more. suitable sigma! to activate the device could either come from the PA sysiern or Rio. small i.rar.sducers ar,d transmitters dotted about an airport. For example a plane at gate] 5 could have a code called 1515 and when such coded signal is sent around an airport only passenger alarms with that code would be activated, which would be few as by then most passengers for that plane would have been accounted for and only missing passenger alarms would be going off with lights flashing making such person easier to folds especially if they have been drinking or are unwell.

2 of 4 The body casing of this invention is also to be used as a conveyor of her-code strips, magnetic strips, sim clips, micro-chips and other digital storage media together with advertising stickers to help the funding of tinis device.

There now follows an example method and description of how the passenger alarm devices would be used: - An airline passenger arrives at check-in and is processed for his baggage and flight details. After processing he is handed his boarding pass and given instructions. At this point the check-in clerk hands over the inventor's passenger alarm device which the passenger clips to his breast area. The passenger is told by the check-in clerk to hand over this device to an airport staff member or flight steward on entering his allocated flight gate or aircraft. Whilst in the airport the passenger falls asleep because his ",.t...e. been. . r--T,.,T--A ',,,^ how's ^',rr a,as^n,er.i,ht A=!a, ^C'Ae"t elsewhere. The sleeping passenger does not hear the PA system and does not look at flight screens and as a result he is unaware that he is needed at the flight gate. Suddenly his passenger alarm shrills and still he does not waken but another person wakes him and makes him aware. This passenger then hurries to his flight gate, hands over the alarm and gets on the plane and all is well. On entering the flight gate a staff member takes the passenger alarm device and places into a metal storage box then hands the full storage box over to another member of staff to take back to baggage check-in for reuse by othe passengers. The passenger alarm in this instance was activated after a member of the actual aircrew typed a 1515] 5 code into a device on the wall of the aircrafts docking point and the required signal was sent through the PA systems cables which in this instance acts as a satellite for this purpose. The passenger alarm was activated and the plane took off on time causing no extra work to air traffic control or inconvenience to olners.

There now follows an example to explain why the invention would have hercode strips and magnetic strips or aim-chips or micro-chips or digital storage media and advertising fixed to or in its body casing: - After check-in a passenger walks around an air port passing though various security points where the digital information stored in the mentioned items can be read off by security staff if required. In this way, along with some advertising on the casing some pay back could be had to help with running costs of this invention. For example advertising could be in the form of a peel off sticker for a special offer in Duty Free at lDixons or Boots.

There now follows embodiments if the invention by way of reference to the accompanying drawing shown in FIGURE 1 in which there is a casing for the device 1 which contains an alarm sounder 2 and a receiver decoder 3 and a battery 5 and a battery charger 4 Hashing lights 6 a fixing clip 7 a on off switch 8 magnetic on off switches 9 a built in aerial 10 magnetic tape 11 a barcode strip 12 a aim-card 13 a micro-chip 14 a advertising sticker 15. Items I I to 14 having no purpose for this invention other than the n-vell.ir. being "see as a convey o. to cam these items to various secui+, areas of an airport. Item 15 having no use by the device other than to advertise a product. 30f4

Claims

CLAI15IS 1. An airline passenger alarm device that also acts as a conveyor

for digital storage media for use at airports which clips to the breast area of airline passengers and contains a alarm sounder a receiver a decoder a battery a battery charger a inbuilt aerial a on off switches arid a flashing red and blue and yellow- light.
2. An airline passenger alarm device as in claimed 1 which is activated by wireless wave or PA speaker sound or ultra sonic sound or infra-red signals or by all of these methods if beneficial.
3. An airline passenger alarm device as claimed in 2 onto which digitally stored information can be attached to its casing or held inside its casing or embedded within the chemical compounds of its casing for the purpose of conveyance by the invention around an airport or between airports or on and offer inside aircraft.
4. An airline passenger alarm device as claimed in 3 which is rechargeable.
5. An airline passenger alarm device as claimed in 4 which has slots or compartments to accept digital information cards for conveyance around an airport
6. An airline passenger alarm as claimed in 5 on which the casing has panels for peel off stickers to be aligned.
A,, ai-;ine passeiisei- a;.u as clainieu in 6 is, -w-lLcll ale Body casiiiS is used Mu cuirvey bar-code strip and maS.letic strip arid sim chips and micro-chips around a., airport or on an aircraft or to and around another airport or between aircraft so that such items can assist security controllers.
8. An airline passenger alarm device as claimed in 7 in which the body casing is used for advertising.
9. An airline passenger alerting device as claimed in 8 in which the receiver decoder in the device responds only to a coded signal corresponding to a single aircraft or flight number or other specific reason for wanting to activate the Aladdin in the device.
10. An. airline passer device as clairr,ed in 9 ^rI.at goes into sleep mode when placed in a suitable bulk storage container so as not to waste battery life.