Capsule Identification Holder for Luggage CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (S) This application claims priority to United States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/452, 779, filed March 7, 2003 the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to a capsule device for attaching identification information, particularly identification cards, to a piece of luggage.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Providing identification cards on articles of luggage for purposes of associating such articles with particular persons is well known in the art of luggage. As a result, many types of luggage are manufactured and sold with means to allow people to secure identification cards directly to such luggage.

Traditional means for securing identification cards to luggage include the use of identification card holders (or simply"luggage tags"as they are often referred to) that are loosely attached to a piece of luggage via a chain, strap, or other similarly flexible means.

These luggage tags are generally attached to external components such as handles or zipper pulls and include a space designed for the user to either write information to identify themselves, or to flatly insert an identifying card such as a piece of paper on which they have provided identification information, or a pre-printed card such as a business card. Because of their placement on the outside of the luggage, generally after construction of the luggage often times these luggage tags are simply tied to the pices of luggage and are loosely suspended therefrom.

The problem with this situation is twofold, for one, the luggage tag can become snagged or damaged during luggage handling. Therefore, the tag can be separated from the luggage or the identification damaged. When the identification is no longer associated with the luggage, it can no longer identify the owner of the luggage and fails to meet its intended purpose. Still further, a problem lies in thieves and other miscreants looking at the exposed luggage tags in airports and other travel locations, obtaining the owner's home address, and then robbing or otherwise committing crimes against their property while they are traveling.

To deal with the first of these problems, more recent designs of luggage tags often attach directly to the piece of luggage and may be constructed as part of the luggage to provide for a more secure attachment. These identification tags are generally intended to hold the identification contained therein in a flat position in the same way as a traditional luggage tag, they are just more securely attached because the holding portion is not secured by a tie or chain, but is attached to the luggage more like a pocket. While this can enable the card to be read easily, it makes the identification holder take up a significant amount of surface area on the bag which can be unsightly and can require placement of the identification holder on a major flat surface of the bag so as to have a sufficient support surface.

Further, to try and prevent thieves and other individuals who are known to use luggage tag information in the commission of crimes, it has become desirable to make identification information less accessible to a casual observer (who may see a bag in passing) while still making the identification information available to airline personnel who are trying to locate the owner of a particular bag. Flat identification holders are often, therefore, designed to be retractable into the interior of the bag or include flaps or other devices which cover the identification information in a default operation. As the thief will generally not wish to (or be able to) lift the flap as they will appear suspicious, the flap can prohibit their access to the information. Because the identification card is held flat as a pocket, however, these flaps often dramatically increase the area taken up by the identification holder as they also require a large surface area. Further, the flaps can become snagged on obstructions in the same way as traditional luggage tags, which can lead to damage. The damage can, in turn, result in failure of the hiding function of the flap.

Many luggage tags, including those described above to deal with problems of separation and unauthorized access of information, also have the additional problem that they fail to protect the identification card from damage from liquids. Most tags that hold the identification information flat are open on at least one end to allow access as they may only hold the card by friction. Liquids can get into this opening and may be wicked into the paper of the identification card. As the ink on this card may be water soluble, the identification information may be damaged and become unreadable as a result making the identification function of tag impossible.

Still further, traditional luggage tags are limited to holding paper and other very flat identification information. As the world becomes increasingly more digital, identification information is leaving paper media and moving to microchip technology. Microchips allow for huge amounts of identification to be stored, but they will not always be able to fit in a traditional luggage tag, and even if they can fit, they may be very difficult for authorized personnel to remove and read.

SUMMARY Because of these and other problems in the art, it is therefore desirable to have an identification holder where the identification card or other identification material is encapsulated within a capsule which is then mounted to the luggage so that the identification can be easily removed and viewed when desired, but otherwise can be placed within a secure holder protecting the identification from loss and damage. It is further desirable that this identification holder generally hold the identification in a non-flat manner (particularly in a rolled or folded manner) so that the surface area of the bag taken up by the identification holder is less than that for a flat mount"pocket."Further, it is desirable to have an identification card holder that can hold identification which is not a flat paper. In particular, an identification holder which encapsulates a three-dimensional volume and is able to receive an object of significant width. In this way, future conceived identification devices, particularly those using digital media, may be placed in the identification holder. For instance, the identification, instead of being written, could be encoded onto a computer chip, or could be enclosed in plastic, or could otherwise exist in any form which is not printed paper.

Described herein, in an embodiment, is a storage device for identification of a piece of luggage comprising: a housing attached to the piece of luggage; and an identification capsule which can be inserted and held inside the housing, the capsule having an internal three- dimensional volume; wherein the capsule is sized and shaped to hold a paper identification, such as, but not limited to, a business card, in a non-flat manner.

In an embodiment, the identification capsule comprises a cylinder having a proximal and a distal end, the distal end being sealed and the proximal end having a removable cap attached thereto which may snap to the proximal end of the cylinder.

In an embodiment, the housing attaches to a screw adapter and the screw adapter and the housing jointly form a receptacle for the identification capsule and the housing includes a biasing member for biasing the identification capsule to a position where the identification capsule is at least partially extended from the housing. The housing may also be placed through a shell of the piece of luggage.

In another embodiment, there is described a method of storing identification with a piece of luggage, the method comprising : providing a piece of luggage, the piece of luggage including a housing which includes a protrusion and a spring; having an identification capsule, the capsule including an internal three-dimensional volume and a channel on the outer surface thereof; placing an identification in the internal three-dimensional volume; aligning the channel to the protrusion; lowering the capsule into the housing; rotating the capsule relative to the housing; releasing the capsule so that the spring pushes the protrusion into an extension of the channel wherein the capsule cannot rotate relative to the housing while the protrusion is in the extension.

In another embodiment, the identification comprises a business card and the identification is rolled when the identification is in the three-dimensional volume or the identification comprises digital media.

Brief Description of the Figures FIG. 1 provides a side perspective view of an embodiment of an identification holder fully assembled and separated from the luggage.

FIG. 2 provides a top perspective view of the identification holder of FIG. 1 FIG. 3 provides bottom perspective view of the identification holder of FIG. 1 FIG. 4 provides a perspective view of an embodiment of the identification holder with the housing removed showing the identification capsule's interaction with the screw mount.

FIG. 5 provides a perspective view of another embodiment of the identification holder showing a closed identification capsule removed from the receptacle.

FIG. 6 provides a perspective view of an embodiment of a receptacle with the identification capsule removed.

FIG. 7 provides a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the cap removed so as to see inside the main body of the identification capsule while the identification capsule is inside the receptacle.

FIG. 8 provides for multiple views of an embodiment of a housing of an embodiment of a receptacle.

FIG. 9 provides for multiple views of an embodiment of a screw mount of an embodiment of a receptacle.

FIG. 10 provides for multiple views of the main body of the identification capsule of FIG. 5.

FIG. 11 provides for multiple views of the cap of the identification capsule of FIG. 5.

FIG. 12 shows a view of a piece of luggage incorporating an embodiment of an identification holder such as that shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 shows a second view of the same embodiment as FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of a towing handle assembly removed from the luggage shell and including an embodiment of an identification holder.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT (S) The embodiments of identification holders (100) disclosed herein are designed to hold identification formed using a piece of paper in a manner where the paper surface is generally not held flatly. In particular, the paper identification is designed to be rolled or folded when placed in the identification holder (100). This is generally described by the statement that the identification holders (100) enclose a three-dimensional volume. The term"three- dimensional volume"as used herein generally means a volume which can hold an object which is not essentially flat. That is, the volume is not limited to having one dimension having a significantly smaller value than the other two dimensions. In particular, a three- dimensional volume is distinguished from a pocket which is a volume designed for holding a paper or other object with one dimension of significantly smaller value in a flat arrangement.

Generally, a paper identification card of the type known to those of skill in the art (such as a business card) will be larger in at least one dimension than the largest dimension of the three- dimensional volume requiring the paper identification card to be folded, rolled, or otherwise manipulated from its flat form (made"non-flat") to be placed within the three-dimensional volume as discussed herein, however, the three dimensional volume need not be so dimensioned in an alternative embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 11, an embodiment of the identification holder (100) will generally comprise two major components, however an identification holder (100) may comprise only one or the other of the components in alternative embodiments. In the depicted embodiment, there is an identification capsule (101) generally separable from the luggage (301) and which encloses the three-dimensional volume into which the identification is placed. There is also a receptacle (201) which is generally attached to the luggage (301) in a fashion so that it is generally not intended to be removed by an end consumer and which allows the identification capsule (101) to be attached to the luggage (301) via the receptacle (201).

One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the identification capsule (101), because it provides for an internal three-dimensional volume, could be used to store items other than identification and to hold identification on media other than paper therein, for instance9 the user could store a key or similar small object in the identification capsule (101) if it was desirable for that object to be with the luggage but accessible from outside the luggage. For this reason, while the capsules herein are referred to as being used for identification and are called identification capsules and identification holders, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that such a description in no way is intended to limit the capsule to only holding identification, although holding identification would generally be the capsule's primary use. Further, use of the term"capsule"is not intended to imply any particular shape, but instead is used generically to refer to anything which can encase an object in a three-dimensional volume as discussed above.

FIGS. 1 through 3 show an embodiment of the identification holder (100) fully assembled with the identification capsule (101) placed within the receptacle (201).

Generally, the identification capsule (101) will be designed to be separable from the receptacle (201) when such removal is initiated by purposeful action of a user. The depictions of FIGS 1 through 3 show the identification holder (100) as it would be when the identification is to be stored (assembled). In another embodiment, the identification capsule (101) may be moveable relative to the receptacle (201) but is not actually removable therefrom. For example, the identification (101) capsule may be extensible or telescoping from the receptacle (201), but once it has reached a maximum extension, would not separate therefrom. In this way, the interior volume of the identification capsule (101) may be made easily accessible, without the risk of the identification capsule (101) becoming separated from the luggage (301) and being lost.

In FIGS. 4 through 11, various views are provided for the various parts of embodiments of the identification holder (100). In particular, FIG. 5 shows an identification capsule (101) which is made up of two components, the cap (105) and a main body (103) which are shown independently in FIGS. 11 and 10 respectively. FIG. 6 shows a receptacle (201) which is made up of the housing (203) and the screw mount (205) shown if FIGS. 8 and 9 respectively. FIG. 7 provides a view of the main body (103) inside the receptacle (201) with the cap (105) removed simply to show where the internal volume of the identification capsule (101) is located when the identification holder (100) is assembled. FIG. 4 shows a view of the identification holder (100) with the housing (203) removed to show additional interactions.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show an embodiment of a piece of luggage (301) including the embodiment of the identification holder (100) therein. In general, the piece of luggage (301) comprises a shell (303). The shell (303) of the piece of luggage (301) generally encloses an internal volume that is configured and adapted to house articles for transportation and may have one or more zippers (311), or other closure mechanisms, for providing access thereto.

The shell (303) is preferably formed of ballistic nylon and/or polyurethane foam but could also be formed of such materials as leather, plastic, metal, canvas, or any other suitable material or combination of materials known in the field of luggage.

The shell (303) is also preferably of a generally parallelepiped shape but may be of any shape as is known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The specific shape, construction, and details of the shell (303) of the piece of luggage (301) are not critical to the present invention unless otherwise indicated and for this reason, a detailed description of the shell (303) is not herein discussed. Nonetheless, it should be appreciated that many variations of luggage shells are known in the art and the shell (303) could take the form of any type of shell utilized for any type of luggage (301).

In the particular embodiment of luggage (301) depicted, there is also included towing wheels (305) and a towing handle assembly (309). These are not unique to the present invention and are preferably of the type typically added to articles of luggage (301) for purposes of allowing such luggage (301) to be hand towed along the ground behind the user.

In another embodiment, the components may be altered or eliminated from the luggage (301).

Thus, the details of various towing wheels and towing handles are not critical to the invention and any type of such devices can be utilized in connection with the present invention.

Furthermore, because such details are well known in the field of luggage, the details of the towing wheels (305) and towing handle assembly (309) of the piece of luggage (301) are not presented at length herein.

In the depicted embodiments, the identification holder (100) interfaces with parts of the towing handle assembly (309) but this is by no means required. The towing handle assembly (309) of the piece of luggage (301) is shown separated from the piece of luggage (301) in FIG. 14. In general, the towing handle assembly (309) comprises the towing handle (401) and a receptacle (403) allowing the towing handle (401) to retract into the receptacle (403). In the depicted embodiment, the assembly also includes two wing arms (405) and (407) spaced outward from the receptacle (403). Each of these wing arms (405) and (407) then culminates in a wing receptacle (443) and (445). Each wing receptacle (443) and (445) may house any type of object. In the depicted embodiment, the second wing receptacle (443) in FIG. 14 is designed to house a so called sjuxnp"button hih m be a button that pushes the handle (401) slightly above the receptacle (403), to allow a user of the luggage (301) to more easily grasp and raise the handle (401) to an extended or raised position. In another embodiment, the second receptacle (443) could enclose anything else which may be used in conjunction with the piece of luggage (301), such as, but not limited to, an identification holder, an additional identification holder, a button for activating a portion of the luggage (301), or may simply be decorative and may have no function beyond that. hi the depicted embodiment the first wing receptacle (445) is designed to house the identification holder (100) and this disclosure will presume that the identification holder (100) is located there. It should be apparent, however, that the discussion below could easily be adapted to allow for the identification holder (100) to be mounted anywhere on the luggage (301) whether interfacing with the towing handle assembly (309) or not. Further, while in the depicted embodiment the identification holder (100) is intended to be mounted so as to be accessible from the outside surface of the shell (303), such a design is by no means required and in an alternative embodiment the identification holder (100) may be within any portion of the shell (303).

Wing receptacle (445) generally comprises a hole formed in the shell (303) which would allow access to the internal volume of the shell (303) from outside the shell (303).

Inside this hole is placed the receptacle (201) as shown in FIG. 6. The receptacle (201) will generally be attached to the hole in a manner so as to be generally unremovable by an end user such as through the use of adhesives, screws, or integral molding. The receptacle (201) may also be removable but be concealed underneath sheeting or other similar materials inside the luggage (301) to discourage end user removal.

Turning now to the design of the receptacle (201). The receptacle (201) is generally designed to provide for an insert which passes through the hole in the shell (303) of the luggage (301) and effectively places a portion of the internal volume of the shell (303) accessible from outside the shell, while separating this selected portion from the internal volume of the shell (303). The separation need not be complete, but it is preferable that the receptacle (201) not allow for a third party to access and remove the contents of the luggage (301) via the receptacle (201). The receptacle (201) in the depicted embodiment comprises a housing (203) and a screw adapter (205).

The depicted embodiment of the housing (203) (as best shown in FIG. 8) includes a main body (701) having a proximal (703) and distal (705) end. The housing (203) also includes a side wall (707). In the depicted embodiment, the side wall (707) is attached to a base (709) located at the distal end (705) at two edges (706) and (708) and is open at the proximal end (703) and the remainder of the distal end (705). This shape therefore forms a hollow structure with an open top and partial base. The base (709) is generally of a circular shape with two extending tabs (712) and (714). The side wall (707) is formed as a generally hollow cylinder or similar shape connecting to the two extending tabs (712) and (714) and defining an internal volume (711) inside the side wall (707) and above the base (709). One of ordinary skill in the art would understand, however, that while a side wall (707) having a circular cross section is preferred, a base (709) and side wall (707) of any shape may be used.

Further, in still another embodiment, the base (709) may not be present at all making the sidewall (707) the sole defining shape of the housing (203).

Attached to the base (709) and the underside of the sidewall (707) is a spring (710) or other biasing member. The spring (710) serves to bias an object placed within the hollow structure of the housing (203) toward the open proximal end (703). In particular, the biasing member will serve to push the identification capsule (101) at least slightly from the housing (203) absent any type of restraint.

Toward the proximal end (703) of the housing (203) on the inside of the side wall (707) there is shown a series of screw grooves (713). These screw groves (713) allow for an object to be screwed therein. Further toward the proximal end (703) of the housing (203) the outside of the side wall (707) includes an oversurface (715) which generally forms the shape of an octagon. This oversurface (715) may be used to insure a strong fit between the housing (203) and the hole though the shell (303), may be used to attach the housing (203) to a wing arm (445), or may be used to provide easier purchase for mechanical screwing devices or hand screwing of the housing (203) to the screw adaptor (205). Alternatively such an oversurface may be for purely aesthetic function. At the proximal end (703) of the housing (203) there is a lip (741). The lip (741) preferably extends from the side wall (707) away from the internal volume (711). When the housing (203) is therefore placed against the hole in the shell (303) the lip (741) may rest on the shell (303) outside the hole to help secure the housing (203) to the shell (303). The housing (203) may be attached to the shell (303) through the use of adhesives, heat welding, or any other method known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In still another embodiment, the housing may be integrally formed as a part of the shell (303). In the depicted embodiment, the housing (203) and screw adaptor (205) pinches the shell (303) outside the hole between the lip (711) and rim (509).

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a screw adaptor (205) for use with the housing (203).

In another embodiment, the identification capsule (101) may be adapted to mesh directly with the housing (203) and therefore the screw adaptor (205) may be unnecessary. For instance, the identification capsule (101) may include screw grooves on the outer surface thereof which allow it to screw directly to the housing (203). In a still further embodiment, the housing (203) may comprise the identification capsule (101) using its enclosed volume as the three- dimensional volume for storage. Such an embodiment would generally include a lid which snaps, screws or otherwise attaches directly to the housing (203) allowing the internal volume of the housing (101) to be segregated from the outside world and act as the identification capsule (101).

In the depicted embodiment, however, the identification capsule (101) is designed to be removed from the luggage shell (303) intact and therefore is be placed separately within the housing (203). The screw adaptor (205) of this embodiment comprises a hollow cylinder (503) or shape of generally similar cross section to the housing (203). Both the top and bottom ends of the cylinder are preferably open allowing passage of an object therethrough.

On the outside of the cylinder are screw threads (505) which are preferably sized and shaped to mesh with the screw grooves (713) on the inside of the housing (203). At the proximal end (507) of the cylinder (501) there is a rim (509). The upper surface (511) of the rim (509) may have a decorative look and be designed for appearance. The rim (511) may cover the lip (741) when the screw adaptor (205) is placed within the housing (203).

In the depicted embodiment, the cylinder (503) is placed through the hole in the shell (303) resting the rim (509) on the outer surface of the shell (303). The housing (203) is then placed inside the luggage (301) and screwed onto the screw adaptor (205) until the lip (741) is in contact with the inner surface of the shell (303) pinching the shell (303) between the lip (741) and the rim (509). When the screw adaptor (205) is screwed into the housing (203), the receptacle (201) as shown in FIG. 6 is generally produced.

Within the inside of cylinder (503) there are a pair of protrusions (513) which extend within the internal space of the cylinder (503) as best shown in FIG. 9B. These protrusions (513) will generally extend only a small distance from the wall of the cylinder (503) and will generally be of limited size. It is preferred that the protrusion (513) have a circular, ovular, or other smooth curve cross section and it may be cylindrical or hemispherical depending on the embodiment. The protrusions (513) will serve to help support and hold the main body (103) of the identification capsule (101) within the screw adaptor (205).

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the main body (103) of the identification capsule (101). The main body (103), like the housing (203), is generally shaped so as to be a hollow cylinder and is preferably about two to about three inches long and has a diameter of about one-half to one and one-half inch. More preferably, the cylinder is about two and three- quarters inches long and has about a one inch diameter. The main body (103) is preferably sealed at one end and therefore defines an enclosed internal volume (651) which is a three- dimensional volume as previously discussed. While the main body (103) may be of any shape, it is preferable that the outside surface of the main body (103) be shaped similarly to the inside surface of the screw adaptor (205) and/or housing (203), but be slightly smaller so that the identification capsule (101) can pass through the screw adaptor (205), and/or into the internal volume (711) of the housing (203). As the main body (103) will preferably be able to rotate relative to housing (203), about the main axis of the housing (203), a cylinder (or partial or modified cylinder) is a particularly preferred shape.

The main body (103) generally comprises a base (601) and a side wall (603). Within the side wall (603), there may be formed at least one channel (607) which in the depicted embodiment is preferably a generally smooth double curve with a roughly inverted"L"-shape when examined as a whole. The channel (607) generally is open on the distal end (611) (which may mean the channel (607) is formed through the base of the main body (103) ) and is closed at the proximal end (613). It is further preferred that the proximal end (613) of the channel (607) occur within the side wall (603) and that the channel (607) not extend beyond the side wall (603). The channel (607) is generally sized and shaped so that a protrusion (513) will pass therethrough. In the depicted embodiment, the channel (607) portion forming the base of the"L" (toward the proximal end (613) ) includes a small extension (614) in the direction generally back toward the distal end (611). This extension (614) will act to detain the identification capsule (101). In particular, when the identification capsule (101) is placed in the housing (203) and the protrusion (513) is placed over the extension (614), the spring (710) will push the identification capsule (101) so that the protrusion (513) is pressed into the extension (614). Therefore, the identification capsule (101) cannot rotate relative to the housing (203), without pressure being applied against the spring (710).

In the depicted embodiment, the channel (607) is joined by a second channel (605) which is essentially identical to the channel (607) but is rotated to a different position of the side wall (603) so that there is no overlap between the two channels (605) and (607). Each channel (605) and (607) is therefore arranged to line up with one protrusion (513) e Toward the proximal end (615) of the main body (103), there may also be included a connector (631). Connector (631) is primarily intended to connect with the cap (105) shown in FIG. 11 so as to form the identification capsule (101) shown in FIG. 5. In the depicted embodiment, the connector (631) simply comprises a circular channel (637) recessed slightly below the proximal end (615) of the main body (103). There is also included a small cutout (638), of generally partial ovular shape, this will allow the friction pad (732) of the cap (105) to extend through the main body (103) to provide for easier separation of the cap (105) from the main body (103). It is preferred, but not required, that the connector (631) and connection provide for a generally watertight seal serving to isolate the internal volume (651).

The cap (105) is best shown in FIG. 11 and comprises a generally hemispherical body (701) with two finger tabs (703), a latch base (705), and a friction tab (732). The latch base (705) will be shaped so as to be complimentary to connector (631) allowing for the cap (105) to be attached to the body (103). In the depicted embodiment, the cap (105) essentially "snaps"onto the main body with a circular ridge (731) entering the circular channel (637) of connector (631). When snapped together, the friction tab (732), which generally includes a surface which is knurled, ridged or otherwise textured to provide grip between the surface and the finger of a user, will extend into the small cutout (638) and extend through the main body (103). To remove the cap (105), the user will generally place their thumb on the friction pad (732), holding the main body (103) in their hand, and push their thumb toward the cap (105). The friction pad (732) will allow the force to be used to effectively lever the cap (105) from the main body (103).

In operation, the identification holder (100) is generally used as follows. Beginning at the closed embodiment shown in FIG. 1 A user will grasp finger tabs (703) and push down on the identification capsule (101). This will resist the biasing member and lift the protrusion (513) from the extensions and into the channel (605) or (607) forming the base of the"L." The user will then rotate the identification capsule (101) to pass the protrusion (513) through the base of the"L."Once the protrusion (513) is in the portion of the channel (605) or (607) running from the proximal end (615) to the distal end (617) of the main body (103), the user will pull on the identification capsule (101) lifting it from within the receptacle (201). The spring (710) will help to push the capsule in the same direction as the lifting, and the user can more easily grasp it once it is at the point to which the spring biases it. Once the identification capsule (101) is separated from the housing (203) and screw adaptor (205) (essentially as it appears in FIG. 5), the user will separate the cap (105) from the body (103) by pushing on the friction pad (732) as discussed above. Once the cap (105) is free, the internal volume (651) of the identification capsule (101) is exposed. The user will then place identification or any other object into this internal volume (651) that they wish to store therein. For example, they may roll or fold a business card and place it therein, or place therein any other identification or object. Generally, an object the size of a business card will need to be rolled or folded to fit in the identification capsule (101). They will then reseal the cap (105) to the body (103) by pressing it back in place which encapsulates the identification inside the volume (651), line up the channel (607) openings at the distal end (611) with the protrusions (513) 9 lower the identification capsule (101) into the receptacle (20 1), and twist the identification capsule (101). Once fully twisted, they will release the capsule (101) and the spring (710) will bias the protrusions (513) into the extensions (614) to hold the identification capsule (101) in place.

To remove the identification, the steps above are repeated, but the identification is removed instead of placed in the identification capsule (101). It should be apparent that the identification capsule (101) can provide numerous benefits. For one, it is quite difficult to casually look at the identification information which can make it difficult for a thief to see the information in passing, or without prolonged access to the luggage (301). In an embodiment, the identification would be rolled with the printing toward the inside, therefore, to see the identification, the thief would need to remove and open the identification capsule (101), and generally remove the identification from the identification capsule (101). This may require more time than they would have before being detected. At the same time, it provides little hindrance to authorized personnel seeking to look at the identification.

Further, the identification capsule (101) can be created to be watertight. So long as the cap's (105) seal to the main body (103) is watertight, the identification can be protected even from immersion of the luggage (301) into liquid. hi this way, it is unlikely that the identification could be damaged allowing it to perform its intended function even under very strenuous conditions.

Still further, because the identification capsule (101) includes an internal three- dimensional volume, items which are not"flat"can be placed in the identification capsule (101) as identification. This can be particularly useful as the identification capsule (101) can easily hold a"smart chip, "a Memory Stick as manufactured by the Sony@ Corporation, or other computer-readable media. This media, can be read by appropriate authorities to obtain identification information, but is not immediately accessible to third parties who should not have access to the information.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with certain preferred embodiments, this should not be taken as a limitation to all of the provided details.

Modifications and variations of the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and other embodiments should be understood to be encompassed in the present disclosure as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.