Luggage identification system and method   

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/267,557 filed Dec. 8, 2009. The disclosure of the provisional application is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure is generally related to a luggage identification system and method.

Many luggage bags with similar shapes, sizes and colors are used by travelers every day. A problem encountered by a traveler in retrieving luggage is when two or more of similar bags are checked through by an airline. The luggage bags are loaded on an airplane in the baggage compartment and the traveler is reunited with his or her luggage at the destination. The bags are unloaded from the airplane and made available for pick up at a luggage carousel. The bags come down a chute and ride around a circular conveyor until a person picks up the bag. Often times, a traveler will mistake a piece of luggage for his or her own, when it is in fact somebody else\'s bag that happens to be similar.

Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a luggage identification system and method that eliminates the misidentification of luggage.

Another need exists in the art for a luggage identification system and method that is efficient and has the ability to identify luggage quickly and easily.

Yet another need exists for a luggage identification system and method that is cost effective to implement and easily customizable by the traveler.

However, in view of the prior art at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled.

SUMMARY

In a particular embodiment, a luggage identification system is disclosed. The luggage identification system includes a bag (or suitcase) having a front panel. The front panel includes an aperture, where the aperture is circumscribed by a luggage material of the front panel. A sleeve is secured over the aperture, where the sleeve is adapted to provide structural support to the front panel of the luggage bag. The sleeve is secured to the surrounding piece of luggage material using stitching or adhesive to provide a durable connection between the sleeve and the luggage material. An identification sheet is adapted to slide within the sleeve through a top opening that is formed between a front and rear side of the sleeve, where the top opening is only accessible from an interior of the luggage bag. A top flap is folded over the top of the opening to secure the identification sheet within the sleeve. The identification sheet may be customizable to each particular traveler. The sleeve includes a front side that is comprised of a clear durable material so that the identification sheet is viewable from the outside of the luggage bag through the sleeve.

Other aspects, advantages, and features of the present disclosure will become apparent after review of the entire application, including the following sections: Brief Description of the Drawings and Detailed Description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a particular embodiment of a luggage identification system;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pocket panel of the luggage identification system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the pocket panel shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view across the top of the pocket panel shown in FIGS. 1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A first particular illustrative embodiment of a luggage identification system is disclosed in FIG. 1. A luggage bag 102 may include a handle 104, a zipper pocket 106 and a front panel 108. Referring now to FIG. 2, the front panel 108 includes a surrounding piece of luggage material 202 that may be a cotton, synthetic, blend, or a natural material (e.g., leather). An aperture is disposed on the front panel 108 within the luggage material 202. A sleeve 204 is secured to the surrounding piece of luggage material 202 and over the aperture. Stitching 206 or adhesive may be used to provide a durable connection between the sleeve 204 and the luggage material 202. A customized identification sheet 208 is adapted to slide within the sleeve 204 through top opening 212 that is formed between a front and rear side of the sleeve 204. A top flap 210 is folded over the top of the opening 212 to secure the identification sheet 208 within the sleeve 208. In an alternative embodiment, the top of the opening 212 may include a zipper instead of, or in addition to, the top flap 210. The identification sheet 208 may include a personal photograph or a photograph of something the user owns (e.g. pet, a pair of shoes). In addition, the identification sheet 208 may be a unique depiction or drawing of any object that only the user can identify. The sleeve 204 includes a front side that is comprised of a clear durable material and viewable from the outside of the luggage 102. The size of the sleeve 204 may be approximately 8 inches by 10 inches minimum or 8½ inches by 11 inches for large luggage bags, and 5 inches by 7 inches or 5 inches by 8 inches for smaller bags, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a cross sectional view of the sleeve 204 is illustrated. The sleeve 204 is secured over the aperture disposed on the front panel 108. The front side of the sleeve 204 may be clear and faces the exterior of the luggage 102 so that the identification sheet 208 is viewable from the outside of the luggage 102. The rear side of the sleeve 204 may be clear or not. The top flap 210 is shown folded over the top of the sleeve 108 to secure the identification sheet 208 therein. In an alternative embodiment, the top of the opening 212 may include a zipper instead of, or in addition to, the top flap 210.

The top opening of the sleeve 204 is shown in FIG. 4 without the top flap 210 for clarity. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the luggage material 202 includes an aperture and the sleeve fills the void and forms an integral part of the panel 108 and provides structural support to the front panel 108 of the luggage bag 102.

In use, the identification sheet 208 is selected for use with the luggage identification system 100. A picture of a house was selected for illustrative purposes as shown in FIG. 1. The house is clearly visible from the outside of the luggage bag 102. The top flap 212 of the sleeve 204 is lifted up as the top flap 212 is constructed to be biased to remain closed over the sleeve 204. Additional fasteners such as a zipper, snaps, buttons, hook and loop material, may be used to further secure the top flap 212 over the sleeve 204, or any combination thereof. The zipper, or other fastener may be used instead of the top flap 212 to secure the identification sheet 208 inside the sleeve 204. The selected identification sheet 208 is then slid between the front and rear sides of the sleeve 204 until the sheet 208 is fully inserted to fit snugly and the top flap 212 can be closed. The identification sheet 208 is then visible from the outside of the luggage 102 and easily identifiable to the user.

A large zipper pocket 106 may be disposed on the front of the luggage bag 102 as shown in FIG. 1. The sleeve 204 may be accessed through an inner side of the large zipper pocket 106, where the sleeve 204 also has a zipper at the top opening 212. The inside of the large zipper pocket 106 provides secure access to the top opening 212 of the sleeve 204 into which the identification sheet 208 is placed.

An advantage of the luggage identification system 100 is that the luggage is easily identifiable from a distance and provides an ability to customize the appearance of the luggage to each particular user. For example, one user may choose to use a colorful design as the identification sheet to give the luggage bag a unique appearance as opposed to a standard black or red color. Another user may choose to use a personal picture of a spouse or child that may provide a calming frame of mind to a traveler that otherwise may have anxiety while traveling.

The luggage identification method includes providing a luggage bag, where the luggage bag having a front panel and a rear panel. The method also includes removing a portion of the front panel to create an aperture disposed on the front panel, where the aperture is circumscribed by a luggage material of the front panel. In addition, the method includes securing a sleeve over the aperture, where the sleeve is adapted to provide structural support to the front panel of the luggage bag, and sliding an identification sheet within a top opening of the sleeve that is accessible only from an interior of the luggage bag, where the identification sheet is visible from an exterior of the luggage bag through the sleeve.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a complete description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many other embodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from the disclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangement designed to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the description.