Importance

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Abstract

A baggage ATM is provided at curbside at an airline terminal to allow passengers to check bags without the assistance of a baggage agent. The baggage ATM reads an identification card provided by the passenger to verify the passenger's reservation by accessing a passenger record in central storage, verifies the passenger identity by comparing graphic data obtained by fingerprint or retina scan with similar graphic data stored in the passenger record, and issues baggage tags bearing identifying data to the passenger for each bag to be checked. The identifying data on the baggage tags is stored in the passenger record. At the destination terminal, an exit gate is provided with a card reader which reads the passenger identification card to access the passenger record and a scanner that reads the identifying data on the baggage tags. If the identifying data read from a tag does not match the identifying data stored in the passenger record, the passenger is not allowed to leave with that bag.

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First Claim