Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Harry T. Edwards ·
Assignee(s)	Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. ·  View assignee updates
Primary Examiner	Patrick Mackey ·
Assistant Examiner	Terrell Matthews ·
Application Number	US10710442
Filing date	07/12/2004
Issue date	04/08/2008
Prior Publication Data	US20050011814 - 01/20/2005
Predicted expiration date	07/12/2024
U.S. Classifications	209/552  · 198/348  · 209/922  · 198/416  · 209/630  ·
International Classifications	B07C500  ·
Kind Code	B2
Related U.S. Application Data	CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/487,791, filed Jul. 16, 2003, by Harry T. Edwards, for a BAGGAGE SCREENING SYSTEM AND METHOD, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Patent Family

Abstract

A baggage screening system and method includes providing a plurality of screening subsystems, each including an automated baggage screen device and a feed conveyor for feeding bags to the screen device. A supply conveyor is provided for supplying bags to the screen subsystems. A sortation network sorts bags downstream of the screen device as a function of the screening of the bags.

Independent Claims | See all claims (40)

1. 1. A baggage screening system, comprising: a plurality of screening subsystems, each comprising an automated bag screen device and a feed conveyor for feeding bags to said screen device, said bag screen device adapted to screen baggage for at least one chosen from weapons and explosive devices; a supply conveyor adapted to selectively supply bags to said screening subsystems; a cleared bag conveyor and an uncleared bag conveyor, said uncleared bag conveyor adapted to deliver bags to a manual screening function; and a sortation conveyor network downstream of said screening subsystem to selectively divert bags to said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor; wherein said sortation conveyor network comprises a secondary bag screen system, said secondary bag screen system downstream of each said bag screen device, a first diverter between said bag screen device and said secondary bag screen system being adapted to divert a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said secondary bag screen system, a second diverter downstream of the associated said secondary bag screen system being adapted to divert a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor, wherein bags cleared by either said bag screen device or said secondary bag screening system are delivered to said cleared bag conveyor, wherein bags not cleared by said bag screen device are delivered to said secondary bag screen system, and wherein bags not cleared by said secondary bag screening system are delivered to said uncleared bag conveyor for delivery to said manual screening function.
2. 7. A baggage screening system, comprising: a plurality of screening subsystems, each comprising an automated bag screen device and a feed conveyor for feeding bags to said screen device, said bag screen device adapted to screen baggage for at least one chosen from weapons and explosive devices; a supply conveyor adapted to selectively supply bags to said screening subsystems, said supply conveyor supplying bags only to a screening subsystem that has no more than a particular number of unscreened bags that are at that screening subsystem; a cleared bag conveyor and an uncleared bag conveyor; and a sortation conveyor network downstream of said screening subsystem to selectively divert bags to said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor; wherein said sortation conveyor network comprises a secondary bag screen system, said secondary bag screen system downstream of each said bag screen device, a first diverter between said bag screen device and said secondary bag screen system being adapted to divert a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said secondary bag screen system, a second diverter downstream of the associated said secondary bag screen system being adapted to divert a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor, wherein bags cleared by either said bag screen device or said secondary bag screening system are delivered to said cleared bag conveyor, wherein bags not cleared by said bag screen device are delivered to said secondary bag screen system, and wherein said secondary bag screening system uses images of bags captured by said screen device and includes a display, said display adapted to display the bag images captured by said screen device.
3. 10. A screening module for a baggage screening system having an automated bag screen device and a supply conveyor adapted to selectively supply bags to said screening module from a supply conveyor, said screening module comprising: a feed conveyor for feeding bags to the screen device and a sortation conveyor network downstream of said screen device, said bag screen device adapted to screen baggage for at least one chosen from weapons and explosive devices; a cleared bag conveyor and an uncleared bag conveyor, said uncleared bag conveyor adapted to deliver bags to a manual screening function; said feed conveyor comprising a deceleration conveyor for decreasing speeds of individual bags being supplied to said bag screen device; and said sortation conveyor network sorting bags as a function of the screening of the bags wherein said sortation conveyor network selectively diverts bags to said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor; wherein said sortation conveyor network comprises a secondary bag screen system, said secondary bag screen system downstream of each said bag screen device, a first diverter between said bag screen device and said secondary bag screen system being adapted to divert a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said secondary bag screen system, a second diverter downstream of the associated said secondary bag screen system being adapted to divert a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor, wherein bags cleared by either said bag screen device or said secondary bag screening system are delivered to said cleared bag conveyor, wherein bags not cleared by said bag screen device are delivered to said secondary bag screen system, and wherein bags not cleared by said secondary bag screening system are delivered to said uncleared bag conveyor for delivery to said manual screening function.
4. 15. A method of screening bags, comprising: providing a plurality of automated bag screen devices and a conveyor system, said bag screen devices adapted to screen baggage for at least one chosen from weapons and explosive devices; supplying bags individually to said screen devices with said conveyor system; providing a cleared bag conveyor and an uncleared bag conveyor; delivering bags on said uncleared bag conveyor to a manual screening function; providing a sortation conveyor network downstream of said screen devices to selectively divert bags to said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor; wherein said sortation conveyor network comprises a secondary bag screen system, said secondary bag screen system downstream of each said screen device and a first diverter between said bag screen device and said secondary bag screen system; diverting a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor with said first diverter; and diverting a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor with a second diverter downstream of the associated said secondary bag screen system; wherein bags cleared by either said bag screen device or said secondary bag screening system are diverted to said cleared bag conveyor, wherein bags not cleared by said bag screen device are delivered to said secondary bag screen system, and wherein bags not cleared by said secondary bag screening system are delivered to said uncleared bag conveyor for delivery to said manual screening function.
5. 23. A method of screening bags, comprising: providing a plurality of automated bag screen devices and a conveyor system, said bag screen devices adapted to screen baggage for at least one chosen from weapons and explosive devices; supplying bags individually to said screen devices with said conveyor system; providing a cleared bag conveyor and an uncleared bag conveyor; providing a sortation conveyor network downstream of said screen devices to selectively divert bags to said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor; wherein said sortation conveyor network comprises a secondary bag screen system, said secondary bag screen system downstream of each said screen device and a first diverter between said bag screen device and said secondary bag screen system; screening bags at said secondary bag screening system using images of bags captured by said screen device; diverting a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor with said first diverter; and diverting a bag to either said cleared bag conveyor or said uncleared bag conveyor with a second diverter downstream of the associated said secondary bag screen system; wherein bags cleared by either said bag screen device or said secondary bag screening system are delivered to said cleared bag conveyor.