CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. patent application no. 13/411, 391 filed on March 2, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Field of Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of luggage and carrying bags for safely and securely transporting objects. More specifically, the present invention relates to air-cushioned bags with built-in electro-mechanical devices to provide safety, security and tracking during transportation.

RELATED U. S. PATENTS

Patent Number Issue Date Patentee

6375009 2002-04-23 Lee, Chung Kyun

5624035 1997-04-29 Kim, Young S.

5819942 1998-10-23 Sadow; Bernard David

8089753 2012-01-03 Dotson; Leslie Chan

5141107 1992-08-25 Wiedermann, et al.

7106202 2006-09-12 Dickinson, Kent H.

7133843 2006-11-07 Hansmann , et al.

7826920 2010-11-02 Stevens , et al.

RELATED U. S. PATENT APPLICATION PUBLICATIONS

Publication Number Publication Date Applicant

20060071786 2006-04-06 Fano, Andrew E.

20060027472 2006-02-09 Gokcen; Selma; et al.

20060207849 2006-09-21 Sadow, Bernard D.

20050029149 2005-02-10 Leung; Grant; et al. 20070083921 2007-04-12 Parris; Earl H. ; et al.

RELATED FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

Foreign Doc. No. Country Code Publication Date Applicant/Patentee

201839963 CN 2011-05-25 Shanghai Kerun Bag Product Co.

LTD

[0004] The luggage and shipping industry has been struggling for a long time to build carrying bags, travel bags and shipping containers with effective cushioning for safely transporting objects, especially fragile items like electronic gadgets and glass objects. The luggage manufacturers build bags with nominal cushioning and certain standard dimensions allowed by the airlines, or to fit certain items like laptop computers. When a passenger packs his/her belongings in a suitcase, or a carrying bag, he/she always has to use some kind of packaging like bubble-wrap, paper or clothes to surround fragile items. Many times, a passenger does not have enough packaging material available to fill the empty space in the bag. If the bag is not full, the items are displaced during transportation especially on the luggage belt at the airports, and many times, fragile items are damaged and clothes get wrinkled no matter how well they were originally packed in the bag.

[0005] The prior art has disclosed bags with fixed pre-inflated or manually inflatable air cushions. But no prior art has suggested a solution for the real world problem faced by the traveler, that is, how to inflate the bag walls to fill the empty space inside the bag after packing and closing the bag. Since the bag is not transparent, the traveler is unable to see the condition of his belongings if the bag walls are manually filled with air.

[0006] Another problem faced by the travelers is to identify their bags on the luggage belt at the airport since the sizes and colors of most bags are similar. The bags manufactured till date, and the prior art does not suggest any easy means of identification from a short distance, especially when the belt area is crowded.

[0007] Another problem faced by the world is terrorism when travel bags containing explosives are used by the terrorists. The bags manufactured till date, and the prior art does not suggest having a unique ID (identifier) and any mechanism to track the bag after it leaves manufacturer's factory and moves around the world by different travelers. The prior art also does not suggest bags and containers with explosive sensors installed inside. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An air-cushioned transportation bag disclosed herein offers a solution for the above mentioned problems. The first embodiment of the bag (Fig. 1) comprises a housing (1) with two compartments (22) to store the objects (9). The housing walls (7, 8) are filled with air to provide an optimum cushioning inside the compartment irrespective of the empty space and volume of the objects for safe transportation. The bag has an electric pump (3) to inflate/deflate the flexible inner walls (8), an air inlet/outlet valve (2), a pressure regulator (4), an electrical power source (5) and pressure sensors (6).

[0009] In addition to the elements of the first embodiment, the second embodiment (Fig. 2) of the bag also includes an electronic controller (12), an electronic lock (10), a transmitter/receiver (13), an antenna (15) and a remote control (14). The traveler can lock/unlock the bag, inflate/deflate the bag and track it during transportation using the remote control.

[0010] In addition to the elements of the second embodiment, the third embodiment (Fig. 2) of the bag also includes a unique electronic ID and a GPS device (16) which enables remote tracking of the bag and provides security in case the bag is misplaced, lost or stolen.

[0011] In addition to the elements of the third embodiment, the forth embodiment (Fig. 2) of the bag also includes an explosive sensor (19) which enables detection of explosives inside the bag and provides security in case terrorists hide explosives in the bag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figures

[0013] Figure 1 illustrates the Basic Transportation bag.

[0014] Figure 2 illustrates the Transportation Bag with Remote Control, GPS Device and Explosive Sensor.

[0015] Figure 3 illustrates the Transportation Bag Block Diagram.

[0016] Reference Numerals

(1) Bag Housing (2) Valve (3) Electric Pump

(4) Pressure Regulator (5) Electrical Power Source (6) Pressure Sensor (7) Outer Wall (8) Inner Wall (9) Objects

(10) Electronic Lock (11) Lights (12) Electronic Controller

(13) Transmitter/receiver (14) Remote Control (15) Antenna

(16) GPS Device (17) Memory (18) Alpha Numeric Display

(19) Explosive Sensor (20) Charging Connector (21) Speaker/ Audio Device

(22) Housing Compartment

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Definitions

[0018] The following definitions apply to the transportation bag system within the scope of the present invention.

[0019] Fixed Outer Wall

[0020] A fixed outer wall (7) of a transportation bag/container is made of a rigid or a semi-rigid material. When the space between the outer wall (7) and the inner wall (8) of the bag is filled with air, the outer wall remains fixed and does not change its shape. Some examples of rigid fixed outer walls are hard- shelled luggage bags and shipping containers. Examples of semirigid fixed outer walls are luggage bags, computer cases and hand bags made of soft cloth or leather.

[0021] Expandable inner wall

[0022] An expandable inner wall (8) of a transportation bag/container is made of flexible material. When the space between the outer wall (7) and the inner wall (8) is filled with air, the inner wall expands to fill the empty space and surround the objects (9) inside the bag

compartment.

[0023] Electric Pump

[0024] An electric pump (3) is an electro-mechanical device for inflating/deflating the walls (8) of the bag. Some examples of the electric pump (3) are: a compressor; an electric fan to create air pressure; a mechanical piston actuated by an electric motor.

[0025] Pressure Regulator

[0026] A pressure regulator (4) is a device to control the air pressure inside the bag walls (7,8). The pressure regulator (4) may be a mechanical device, an electrical/electronic device or an electro-mechanical device. Some examples of a regulator performing the regulating function are: by opening/closing the valve (2); turning the power switch On/Off for the electric pump (3); regulating the voltage applied to the electric pump (3).

[0027] Electrical Power Source

[0028] An electrical power source (5) is any source to provide electrical power to the devices attached to the bag. Some examples of electrical power source are: a battery; an ac/dc converter; a dc/dc converter; a photovoltaic cell; a connector to connect external power source to bag devices; an operable combination of any of the above.

[0029] Electronic Lock

[0030] An electronic lock (10) is an electro-mechanical device. Its locking/unlocking operation is controlled by an electronic signal generated by a user input device. Some examples of user input devices are: a remote control with push buttons; a key pad with push buttons installed on the bag; a computer system capable of generating wireless signals.

[0031] Electronic Controller

[0032] An electronic controller (12) is an electrical/electronic circuit that controls the functioning of electronic and electro-mechanical devices based on the electrical/electronic inputs received. Some examples of the electronic controller's functions are: lock/unlock the electronic lock (10) by actuating an electro-mechanical device like a solenoid; inflate/deflate the bag walls (8) by actuating the electric pump (3); control the pressure regulator (4) based on the inputs received from the pressure sensors (6).

[0033] GPS Device

[0034] A GPS device (16) is a global positioning system device capable of determining the global position of the bag. Some examples of a GPS device (16) are: a GPS receiver that receives signals from GPS satellites; a magnetometer that senses the magnetic field of the earth to determine the global position.

[0035] Description of Embodiments

[0036] Figure 1 illustrates the first embodiment of the basic transportation bag. The bag comprises a housing (1) with two compartments (22) to store the objects for transportation. The housing has fixed outer walls (7) and flexible inner walls (8). An air inlet/outlet valve (2), an electric pump (3), a pressure regulator (4), an electrical power source (5) and one or more pressure sensors (6) are attached inside the bag to the outer walls (7). [0037] The second embodiment of the bag, as shown in Figure 2, includes all the devices of first embodiment and further includes an electronic lock (10), indicator lights (11), an electronic controller (12), a transmitter/receiver (13) a remote control (14), an antenna (15), an alpha-numeric display (18), a charging connector (20) and a speaker/audio device (21).

[0038] The third embodiment of the bag, also illustrated by Figure 2, includes all the devices of the first and second embodiments, and a GPS device (16). The GPS device is connected to the electronic controller. The GPS device may also be connected to an antenna in case the device is a GPS receiver.

[0039] The forth embodiment of the bag, also illustrated by Figure 2, includes all the devices of the first, second and third embodiments, and an explosive sensor (19).

[0040] A block diagram of the transportation bag system is shown in Figure 3 which includes all the devices shown in Figure 2 and the memory (17).

[0041] The transportation bag may have more than one compartments to store objects of different types. For example, a traveling bag may have two compartments (as shown in Figure 1); one to store clothes and other to store fragile items such as wine bottles. The walls of the clothes compartment are filled with lower air pressure to avoid wrinkling of the clothes. But the compartment carrying wine bottles need higher pressure in its walls to keep the bottles in place during transportation and prevent breakage.

[0042] Other examples of the transportation bag are camera bags with 3-4 compartments and designer hand bags. The air-cushioned bag disclosed herein can inflate the designer bag to a predetermined inside volume (based on the pressure) to maintain its original shape, and thus retain the value of the bag.

[0043] In case an internal battery is used as the power source for the bag system, the charging connector (20) can be used to charge external electronic devices such as cell phones.

[0044] As illustrated in Figure 3, the second, third and forth embodiments include an electronic controller (12) with memory (17). These components enable the manufacturer to add a number of features to the bag. A unique electronic ID can be stored in the memory (17) which provides additional security for the bag. For example, the bag ID can be associated with the passenger airline ticket while traveling. The unique electronic ID can also be stored in an electromechanical device where the user can set a number of switches to "0" or "1" position.

[0045] An electronic controller, especially a programmable controller with memory, provides flexibility for designing a system. More features can be added to the bag system in the future simply by downloading the firmware to the bag memory.

[0046] The transmitter/receiver (13) and the antenna (15) allow the bag controller (12) to communicate with the external electronic devices. A remote control (14) can be used to operate an electronic lock (10) and track the bag within short distances such as on the luggage belt at the airport. A wireless communication device connected with a computer system at the airport can operate the electronic lock (10), and also facilitate checking-in the bag.

[0047] The third embodiment of the bag includes a GPS device (16) which enables tracking of the bag during transportation around the globe. Since each bag has a unique electronic ID stored in its memory (17), the bag can be traced if it is misplaced, lost or stolen. A complete travel history of the bag can be stored at the facilities of security agencies by tracking the bag and associated travelers carrying the bag over a period of time. This feature can help the security agencies to reduce crime and terrorism. Also, it will reduce the cost of airlines associated with misplaced and lost baggage.

[0048] The fourth embodiment of the bag includes an explosive sensor (19). An example of a miniature sensor is a Micro Electro Mechanical Sensor (MEMS) capable of detecting chemicals used in explosives by terrorists. This sensor (19) is installed in the bag and connected to the electronic controller (12). The bag system is designed such that if the sensor (19) is tempered with or becomes defective, the system stores the status of the sensor in the bag memory (17). If a bag containing explosives or defective explosive sensor is taken to an airport, or any other facility equipped with a security system capable of receiving the bag signal, the bag alerts the security authorities by sending an electronic signal through the transmitter (13) and the antenna (15). The combination of the unique electronic ID of the bag and the explosive sensor (19) can enable the security authorities to track the bag any time during transportation if the sensor detects any explosives. [0049] During manufacturing, the manufacturer of the bag assigns a user selectable range of predetermined pressure values to the pressure regulator (4). A different pressure value may be assigned for each compartment of the bag.

[0050] The manufacturer of the bag also assigns a unique electronic ID to each bag. This ID is stored in the bag system as well as in the computer system of the manufacturer. The unique ID is defined to represent the manufacturer, the type of bag and its characteristics like size, color etc. These characteristics help the airlines and security authorities to easily locate a bag in case it is lost or misplaced. This ID is also used by the security authorities to track the bag in case it is used by terrorists, thieves and the like.

[0051] After the objects are put inside the bag by the traveler and bag cover is closed, the inflating process begins. The traveler can manually start the inflating process by pushing a button on the bag or remote control (14), or the process may start automatically after the bag cover is closed. The pressure sensors (6) continuously monitor the air pressure inside the walls (7,8) of each compartment. When a pre-assigned pressure value is reached, the pressure sensor (6) facilitates actuating a mechanism enabling the pressure regulator (4) to stop the inflating of walls.

[0052] Remote Control Functions

[0053] A number of functions can be designed for the remote control (14) such as: i) A transceiver to communicate with the bag system

ii) push-buttons to send user inputs to the bag for locking/unlocking and tracking etc. iii) a display and indicator lights to show signal status, distance of the bag from the

remote control and the global position of the bag

iv) a speaker or a similar device to give audio feedback/messages to the user

v) a mechanical key to manually open/close the bag

vi) all remote control functions may be included in a smart phone, a tablet, a computer or a similar device

[0054] It is understood that the bag system as described in the above embodiments is not limited to the features and functions described, and therefore should not be construed as limitations on the scope. The scope should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. [0055] Advantages

[0056] The air cushioned bag disclosed herein provides the same optimum cushioning irrespective of the empty space and volume of the objects (9) stored in the bag compartment. This advantage comes from the fact that the cushioning is determined based on the pressure instead of volume of the compartment. If the bag compartment is near full, the flexible walls (8) are inflated only by a few inches till the walls touch the stored objects (9) and build pressure to a preset value. On the other hand, if the compartment contains only one small glass bottle, the flexible walls (8) expand by several inches and surround the glass object from all sides till the preset air pressure is reached.

[0057] CONCLUSION

[0058] The air cushioned bag with electro-mechanical devices described in the above embodiments overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a solution for safe and secure transportation of objects. The bag provides the same optimum cushioning irrespective of the empty space and volume of the objects inside the bag compartments thereby preventing damage. It helps in tracking the bag during transportation and locating the bag in case it is misplaced, lost or stolen. It also adds to the security of people at public places like airports by detecting bags having explosives inside and alerting the security authorities.