Security system for correlating passengers and their baggage

Claim 1

A security system for maintaining a close surveillance over both passengers and their baggage to be loaded aboard a public conveyance, comprising: a passenger ticket having a uniquely distinctive, machine readable code number printed thereon, for issuance to an airline ticket agent or travel agency; a baggage claim check having a tag portion and a receipt portion, both portions having a uniquely distinctive, similarly machine readable code number printed thereon, for issuance to baggage handlers; means for initially recording and storing the ticket and claim check code numbers, to indicate the airline ticket agent or travel agency to whom the ticket was issued and to indicate the baggage handler to whom the claim check was issued; means for recording and storing the code number printed on the ticket, when the ticket is issued to a passenger; means for recording and storing the code number printed on the claim check, when the tag portion thereof is affixed to baggage, at the time the passenger presents baggage to be checked in; means for re-recording and re-storing the passenger ticket code number, at the time the passenger presents the baggage to be checked in, to identify and associate each passenger with specifically identified baggage; means for again recording and storing the ticket code number, as the passenger boards the conveyance, to identify and confirm the presence of each passenger aboard the conveyance; a first list of passengers who have boarded the conveyance generated by the storage means; a second list of identified baggage associated with a specific boarded passenger generated by the storage means; and the second list indicating which of the baggage is or is not allowed to be loaded aboard the conveyance.

Claim 7

A method of operating a security system for maintaining a close surveillance over both passengers and their baggage to be loaded aboard a public conveyance, comprising the steps of: printing a uniquely distinctive, machine readable code number on a passenger ticket for issuance to an airline ticket agent or travel agency; printing a uniquely distinctive, similarly machine readable code number on a claim check, the claim check having a tag portion and a receipt portion, both portions having the code number printed thereon, for issuance to baggage handlers; initially recording and storing the ticket and claim check code numbers in a recording and storing device, to indicate the airline ticket agent or travel agency to whom the ticket was issued and to indicate the baggage handler to whom the claim check was issued; recording and storing the code number printed on the ticket in the storing device, when the ticket is issued to a passenger; recording and storing the code number printed on the claim check in the recording and storing device, when the tag portion thereof is affixed to baggage, at the time the passenger presents baggage to be checked in; re-recording and re-storing the passenger ticket code number, at the time the time the passenger presents the baggage to be checked in, to identify and associate each passenger with specifically identified baggage; recording and storing the ticket code number again, as the passenger boards the conveyance, to identify and confirm the presence of each passenger aboard the conveyance; generating a first list of passengers who have boarded the conveyance, the first list generated by the storage device; generating a second list of identified baggage associated with a specific boarded passenger, the second list generated by the storage means; and indicating on the second list which of the baggage is or is not allowed to be loaded aboard the conveyance.