US20110132707A1 - Luggage Identification System and Method - Google Patents

Abstract

A luggage identification system and method is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the luggage identification system includes a luggage bag with an aperture disposed on a front panel. A sleeve is secured over the aperture using stitching or adhesive to provide a durable connection between the sleeve and the luggage material and provide structural support to the front panel of the luggage. A customized 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. A top flap or zipper is used to access the top of the opening and 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.

Description

I. 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.
II. FIELD
• The present disclosure is generally related to a luggage identification system and method.
III. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
• 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.
IV. 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.
V. 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 ofFIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the pocket panel shown inFIGS. 1 and 2; and
• FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view across the top of the pocket panel shown inFIGS. 1-3.
VI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• A first particular illustrative embodiment of a luggage identification system is disclosed inFIG. 1. Aluggage bag102 may include ahandle104, azipper pocket106 and afront panel108. Referring now toFIG. 2, thefront panel108 includes a surrounding piece ofluggage material202 that may be a cotton, synthetic, blend, or a natural material (e.g., leather). An aperture is disposed on thefront panel108 within theluggage material202. Asleeve204 is secured to the surrounding piece ofluggage material202 and over the aperture. Stitching206 or adhesive may be used to provide a durable connection between thesleeve204 and theluggage material202. A customizedidentification sheet208 is adapted to slide within thesleeve204 through top opening212 that is formed between a front and rear side of thesleeve204. Atop flap210 is folded over the top of the opening212 to secure theidentification sheet208 within thesleeve208. In an alternative embodiment, the top of the opening212 may include a zipper instead of, or in addition to, thetop flap210. Theidentification sheet208 may include a personal photograph or a photograph of something the user owns (e.g. pet, a pair of shoes). In addition, theidentification sheet208 may be a unique depiction or drawing of any object that only the user can identify. Thesleeve204 includes a front side that is comprised of a clear durable material and viewable from the outside of theluggage102. The size of thesleeve204 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 toFIG. 3, a cross sectional view of thesleeve204 is illustrated. Thesleeve204 is secured over the aperture disposed on thefront panel108. The front side of thesleeve204 may be clear and faces the exterior of theluggage102 so that theidentification sheet208 is viewable from the outside of theluggage102. The rear side of thesleeve204 may be clear or not. Thetop flap210 is shown folded over the top of thesleeve108 to secure theidentification sheet208 therein. In an alternative embodiment, the top of the opening212 may include a zipper instead of, or in addition to, thetop flap210.
• The top opening of thesleeve204 is shown inFIG. 4 without thetop flap210 for clarity. As can be seen inFIG. 4, theluggage material202 includes an aperture and the sleeve fills the void and forms an integral part of thepanel108 and provides structural support to thefront panel108 of theluggage bag102.
• In use, theidentification sheet208 is selected for use with the luggage identification system100. A picture of a house was selected for illustrative purposes as shown inFIG. 1. The house is clearly visible from the outside of theluggage bag102. Thetop flap212 of thesleeve204 is lifted up as thetop flap212 is constructed to be biased to remain closed over thesleeve204. Additional fasteners such as a zipper, snaps, buttons, hook and loop material, may be used to further secure thetop flap212 over thesleeve204, or any combination thereof. The zipper, or other fastener may be used instead of thetop flap212 to secure theidentification sheet208 inside thesleeve204. Theselected identification sheet208 is then slid between the front and rear sides of thesleeve204 until thesheet208 is fully inserted to fit snugly and thetop flap212 can be closed. Theidentification sheet208 is then visible from the outside of theluggage102 and easily identifiable to the user.
• Alarge zipper pocket106 may be disposed on the front of theluggage bag102 as shown inFIG. 1. Thesleeve204 may be accessed through an inner side of thelarge zipper pocket106, where thesleeve204 also has a zipper at thetop opening212. The inside of thelarge zipper pocket106 provides secure access to thetop opening212 of thesleeve204 into which theidentification sheet208 is placed.
• An advantage of the luggage identification system100 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.

Claims (14)

1. A luggage identification system, the system comprising:

a luggage bag, wherein the luggage bag having a front panel and a rear panel;

an aperture disposed on the front panel, wherein the aperture is circumscribed by a luggage material of the front panel;

a sleeve is secured over the aperture, wherein the sleeve is adapted to provide structural support to the front panel of the luggage bag;

a top opening of the sleeve is accessible only from an interior of the luggage bag; and

an identification sheet adapted to slide within the top opening of the sleeve and to fit snugly within the sleeve, wherein the identification sheet is visible from an exterior of the luggage bag through the sleeve.

2. The luggage identification system ofclaim 1, wherein the sleeve further comprising a top flap on the interior of the luggage bag and adapted to removably cover the top opening of the sleeve, wherein the top flap is biased to remain closed over the top opening.

3. The luggage identification system ofclaim 2, wherein stitching or adhesive secures the sleeve to the front panel.

4. The luggage identification system ofclaim 3, wherein the sleeve is comprised of a transparent material.

5. The luggage identification system ofclaim 1, further comprising a zipper that is used to open and close the top opening of the sleeve.

6. The luggage identification system ofclaim 5, further comprising:

a rear aperture disposed on the rear panel, wherein the rear aperture is circumscribed by the luggage material of the rear panel; and

a rear sleeve is secured over the rear aperture, wherein the rear sleeve is adapted to provide structural support to the rear panel of the luggage bag.

7. The luggage identification system ofclaim 1, wherein the identification sheet depicts a unique photograph selected by a user, wherein the unique photograph is recognizable by the user.

8. A luggage identification method, the method comprising:

providing a luggage bag, wherein the luggage bag having a front panel and a rear panel;

removing a portion of the front panel to create an aperture disposed on the front panel, wherein the aperture is circumscribed by a luggage material of the front panel;

securing a sleeve over the aperture, wherein 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, wherein the identification sheet is visible from an exterior of the luggage bag through the sleeve.

9. The luggage identification method ofclaim 8, further comprising providing a top flap on the interior of the luggage bag and adapted to removably cover the top opening of the sleeve, wherein the top flap is biased to remain closed over the top opening.

10. The luggage identification method ofclaim 9, further comprising stitching or adhering the sleeve to the front panel.

11. The luggage identification method ofclaim 10, wherein the sleeve is comprised of a transparent material.

12. The luggage identification method ofclaim 8, further comprising securing the top flap over the sleeve with a zipper.

13. The luggage identification method ofclaim 12, further comprising:

removing a portion of the rear panel to create a rear aperture disposed on the rear panel, wherein the rear aperture is circumscribed by luggage material of the rear panel; and

securing a rear sleeve over the rear aperture, wherein the rear sleeve is adapted to provide structural support to the rear panel of the luggage bag.

14. The luggage identification method ofclaim 8, wherein the identification sheet depicts a unique photograph selected by a user, wherein the unique photograph is recognizable by the user.

Images