WO2007150079A1

WO2007150079A1 - Method and apparatus for protecting luggage

Info

Publication number: WO2007150079A1
Application number: PCT/ZA2007/000036
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean Reyneke; Anthony Frederick Johannes Botha; Lourraine Eayrs
Original assignee: Baggage Protection Services-International (Pty) Limited
Priority date: 2006-06-22
Filing date: 2007-07-02
Publication date: 2007-12-27
Also published as: WO2007150079A8; ZA200704579B

Abstract

A luggage protection device (10) which includes a housing (12, 14, 16) with a luggage ' inlet, a plastic film dispenser (38, 40) attached to the housing (12) and from which a heat shrinkable plastics film (16) is dispensed to lie across the luggage inlet, a heat source located within the housing and a transport means (30, 34) to introduce an item of luggage to an interior of the housing, through the inlet, to cause the heat shrinkable plastics film to a least partly envelope the item of luggage (33).

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING LUGGAGE

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a method and apparatus for protecting luggage primarily, though not exclusively, for luggage to be conveyed by public transport, particularly by air.

[0002] Pilferage from, theft of and damage to aircraft luggage has become fairly commonplace for passengers. Also it is known to transport illegal substances in an innocent passenger's luggage. This is bothersome and incurs unnecessary expense, to say the least, to airways and airport operators, who additionally experience damage to conveyors by luggage and items that fall out of damaged or opened luggage.

[0003] Protection of luggage by wrapping it with thin, plastics film of the type known as "cling wrap" is known. The wrapping is applied using a table and one or more rotating arms or a carousel and a stationary arm and is usually done by private operators at the entrances to airports, because of security and commercial restraints. Airways and airport operators do not do the wrapping, presumably because of the additional expense. Such wrapping is relatively slow, i.e. it takes about one minute to wrap each piece of luggage. Unfortunately, this type of wrapping can be undone or bypassed in an undetectable way and experience has shown that detached wrapping material frequently damages conveyors and interferes with luggage handling and prevents relative sliding of luggage items.

[0004] The invention seeks to provide means for protecting luggage that at least ameliorates the above-mentioned problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The invention provides a method of protecting luggage which includes the steps of:

(a) enveloping an item of luggage, at least partly, with a heat shrinkable plastics film; and

(b) heating the heat shrinkable plastics film to cause it to shrink and firmly engage the item of luggage.

[0006] The heat shrinkable plastics film may be supplied as a strip which is presented to the item of luggage prior to enveloping it.

[0007] The heat shrinkable plastics film may be constituted and formed to enable the strip to shrink by at least 80% of an original width of the strip and by at least 20% of a length of the strip, thereby to cause the strip to firmly engage the item of luggage, irrespective of the dimensions of the item.

[0008] The heat shrinkable plastics film may be made from low density polyethylene (LDPE).

[0009] The item of luggage may be orientated with respect to the strip to cause side- edges of the strip, when enveloping the item of luggage, to overlap one another.

[0010] The method may include the step of severing a respective trailing section of an underlying portion, and an overlapping portion, of the strip, subsequent to the strip enveloping the item of luggage, to form trailing edges. [0011] The side-edges and trailing-edges of the strip may be heated to cause the edges to weld together.

[0012] The method may include the step of printing desired information or advertising onto the heat shrinkable plastics film. The desired information may be pre-printed directly onto the plastics film, either on the inside or outside of the film, prior to application of the film to the item of luggage.

[0013] The desired information may be printed onto the heat shrinkable plastics film after application to the item of luggage.

[0014] The desired information may include at least one of the following: a scanned copy of an identification document, the mass of the item of luggage, an x-ray image of the item of luggage or routing information regarding the item of luggage.

[0015] Preferably, advertising material is applied to the heat shrinkable plastics film. This is done to amortise the cost of the protection method of the invention, particularly if it is applied at no cost to a passenger, airline or airport operator, or as a means of generating income.

[0016] The item of luggage may include regular shaped items e.g. suitcases, briefcases and boxes, and may include irregular shaped items such as bags and holdalls.

[0017] The invention also provides an apparatus for protecting luggage which includes a plastics film dispenser which provides a heat shrinkable plastics film to an item of luggage to be, at least partly, enveloped thereby and a heat source which provides heat to the heat shrinkable plasties film, once the plasties film has, at least partly, enveloped the item of luggage, to cause the heat shrinkable plasties film to shrink and firmly engage the item of luggage.

[0018] The heat source may be at least one infra red element in a lamp. A plurality of infra-red sources may be arranged in a suitable array to ensure substantially even heating, and hence shrinkage, of the plastics film.

[0019] The apparatus may include a sensor which senses the presence of the item of luggage and which, in response to the presence and the absence thereto, causes the infra-red element to switch on and switch off respectively.

[0020] The apparatus may include a sealing device for severing the plastics film, after the film has enveloped the item of luggage, at a respective trailing section of an underlying portion, and of an overlapping portion, of the film, to form trailing edges, and for welding together the trailing edges.

[0021] The sealing device may include a bar, actuable to move horizontally upward and downward, with an energisable severing and sealing element.

[0022] The invention extends to a luggage protection device which includes a housing with a luggage inlet, a plastics film dispenser attached to the housing and from which a heat shrinkable plastics film is dispensed to lie across the luggage inlet, a heat source located within the housing and a transport means to introduce an item of luggage to an interior of the housing, through the inlet, to cause the heat shrinkable plastics film to at least partly envelope the item of luggage. [0023] The transport means may be at least one conveyor belt.

[0024] Another aspect of the invention provides a luggage protection, weighing and marking system which includes the luggage protection device hereinbefore described, a weighing module which weighs the item of luggage, and a printer module which prints desired information onto the heat shrinkable plastics film after the item of luggage has been enveloped by the film.

[0025] The luggage protection, weighing and marking system may include a scanning module for scanning an image which is to be printed onto the heat shrinkable plastics film by the printer module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figures 1 to 5 are respective side views of a luggage protecting apparatus of the invention in successive stages in applying heat shrink wrap to a suitcase; Figure 6 is a side view of a first compartment of the luggage protecting apparatus, illustrating a seal bar mounted to a rack and pinion gear system; and Figure 7 is an insert to Figure 6 detailing the components of the rack and pinion gear system.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFFERED EMBODIMENT

[0027] The drawings show an apparatus 10, comprising of a first compartment 12, a heating compartment 14 and a cooling compartment 16. Each compartment has a solid roof section 18 and solid side walls (not numbered). [0028] The apparatus 10 has an inlet end 20, and an outlet end 22. The inlet end and the outlet end are covered with vertical blinds, respectively designated 24 and 26. The compartments 12, 14 and 16 are separated from each other by vertical flaps, respectively designated 28 and 30.

[0029] A lead conveyor 30 is situated adjacent the inlet end 20 to feed a suitcase 33, placed thereon, into the first compartment 12, through the inlet end 20, and onto a second conveyor 34. The second conveyor relays the suitcase from the first compartment, through the flap 28, onto a third conveyor 36, wholly located in the heating compartment 14. Leaving the heating compartment, journeying on the third conveyer, the suitcase passes through the flap 30 before passing to a roller assembly 37, into the cooling compartment 16, from where the suitcase can be uplifted through the outlet end 22.

[0030] An upper roll 38 of plastic film and a lower roll 40 of plastic film are supported by respective roller beds (not shown). The upper roll of plastic is mounted atop the first compartment 12, whilst the lower roll of plastic is mounted below the conveyors 30 and 34.

[0031] A first plastic sheet 46, supplied from the upper roll 38, and a second plastic sheet 48, supplied from the lower roll 40, are joined together at a junction (not shown), by the sealing action of a heat source, to form a continuous integral plastic film 56.

[0032] The plastic film 56 is held taut across the inlet end 20. The tension on the plastic film is created by motorised pulley systems, respectively designated 52 and 54, and maintained by a controlled and co-ordinated rate of feed of the first plastic sheet 46 and the second plastic sheet 48 from the rolls 38 and 40 respectively. Each motorised pulley system is powered by a respective electric motor (not shown), under the control of a suitable programmable logic controller (PLC) (not shown).

[0033] The lead conveyer 30 incorporates load cells 44 which weigh the suitcase 33, when placed upon the lead conveyor. Also incorporated to an upper surface of the lead conveyor is a first infrared sensor 58 which detects the presence of the suitcase thereon to cause the lead conveyer to start moving, following a predefined lag period during which the suitcase is weighed, conveying the suitcase towards the inlet end 20.

[0034] As the suitcase 33 moves under the action of the lead conveyor 30, it is introduced to the plastic film 56, presented under tension across the inlet end 20. The plastic film yields to, and envelopes, the suitcase as it continues to journey forwardly.

The plastic film yields by virtue of the simultaneously co-ordinated feed from the upper and lower rolls 38 and 40. At this stage the suitcase is presented, now substantially enveloped by the plastic film, to the second conveyor 34 which, initially, is stationary. The lead conveyor 30, with the suitcase now absent therefrom, stops moving until another item of luggage is placed thereupon.

[0035] A seal bar 64 is mounted to a moving rack 90, engaged with a pinion 92, driven by an electric motor or compressed air driven motor (not shown), which in turn engages with a stationary rack 94 ("a rack and pinion gear system") (see Figure 6). The stationary rack is mounted to sidewalls of the first compartment 12, immediately behind the plastic film 56. The seal bar is initially located in an upper portion of the first compartment, under the roof section 18. Upon detection of the suitcase by a second infrared sensor 62 mounted to the upper face of the second conveyor 34 the seal bar is caused to move downwardly, via the co-ordinating functionality of the PLC, to engage with trailing portions of upper and lower sandwiching layers of the plastic film 56. The seal bar terminates its downward journey by abutting an upper surface of the second conveyor and, in so doing, pinches a section of the plastic film. A luggage enveloping loop 68, enclosing the suitcase, is thereby severed from the plastic film. The first plastic sheet 46 and the second plastic sheet 48 are then re-joined to each other at a junction line 70, by the welding effect of the seal bar.

[0036] The severing and sealing functions of the seal bar 64 are effected by a wire thread 72 which runs the length of an under-surface of the seal bar. The wire thread is electrically conductive and, as an electrical current is momentarily pulsed through the wire thread, under the co-ordinated control of the PLC, the wire thread, acting as a heating element, rapidly generates heat. The heat thus generated causes the pinched section of the plastic film 56 to melt, severing and sealing the enveloping loop 68 from the plastic film 56, sealing a trailing edge of the enveloping loop, and simultaneously reconstituting the plastic film by heat welding the first plastics sheet 46 to the second plastic sheet 48. Electrical current only flows through the wire thread at a predetermined stage of the seal bar's journey i.e. when the seal bar is moved downwardly to a lower limiting position, abutting the upper surface of the second conveyor 34.

[0037] The seal bar 64, having completed its severing and sealing functions, begins to move upwardly under reverse action of the rack and pinion gear system. A roller motor sensor (not shown) which is mounted to the seal bar, detects this upward motion and inputs this information to the PLC, which then stops respective motors of the pulley systems 52 and 54, thereby halting the feed of the first plastic sheet 46 and second plastic sheet 48. The upward motion of the seal bar also has the effect of causing the second conveyor 34, with the suitcase 33, to start moving forwardly.

[0038] Under forward motion of the second conveyor 34, the suitcase 33 is introduced to a pair of resiliency loaded, inwardly biased, panels 78 which are affixed to respective sidewalls of the first compartment 12. The panels urge the presently loose side edges of the enveloping loop 68 to overlap and partially bond to one another to totally enclose the suitcase.

[0039] The suitcase 33, initially only loosely enveloped within the enveloping loop 68, exits the first compartment 12, under the flap 28, and is delivered to the third conveyor

36, within the heating compartment 14. The heating compartment houses, on each sidewall, an array of infrared elements 80, mounted to a ceramic board. The infrared elements are actuated, by the PLC, in response to upward movement of the seal bar, to emit radiant heat which heats the enveloping loop 68, causing the plastic sheet material of the enveloping loop to shrink around, and tightly engage with, the suitcase.

[0040] The sidewalls and respective the roof section 18 of the heating compartment 14 comprise of an inner double layer of insulation (not shown) and an outer layer (not shown), void of insulation, in which cool air is piped from the cooling compartment 16.

[0041] The third conveyor 36, which is initially stationary, starts up under the control of the PLC, following the elapse of a pre-determined period of time to allow the heating and shrinking of the enveloping loop. The suitcase 33 is transported to the roller assembly 37 and, consequently, the cooling compartment 16. Fans 84 are mounted to the respective roof section 18 of the cooling compartment to cool the enveloping loop 68 as may be necessary. The fans are controlled by the PLC, to switch on only in response to the presence of the suitcase in the cooling compartment.

[0042] Fans can also be mounted to a floor of the cooling compartment 16 to direct cooled air to an under-surface of the suitcase 33.

[0043] A printer module 88 can be operatively positioned, within the heater compartment 14, alternatively the cooling compartment 16, to print an image or desired information onto the enveloping loop 68 that now tightly envelopes the suitcase.

[0044] The functioning of the motorised pulley systems 52 and 54, the rack and pinion gear system, the conveyors 30, 34 and 36 the wire element 72, the infrared elements 80 and the fans 84, is all controlled and co-ordinated by the PLC.

[0045] The plastic film 56 is made from a suitable heat shrinkable, substantially non- tacky plastics material which is formulated with fire-retardant and anti-smoulder additives. The film is about 60 microns thick prior to heating to provide the required degree of protection, but may be in the range of 40 to 300 microns as desired.

[0046] The plastic film 56 is made of LDPE which is "blown", in the manufacturing process, to at least 8 times its original width and twice its original length. This is done on the knowledge that plastic sheeting has a tendency towards returning to its original "pre- blown" dimensions when heated. A fire retardant constituent can be added, in the manufacturing process, to confer fire retardant properties to the plastic film. [0047] The benefits which arise from the use of the heat-shrinkable plasties film, as opposed to the cling-wrap type material, include the following: tampering is easily detectable; printing of images or information onto the film is possible and hence advertising is possible and largely preserved in use; there are no loose ends; the possibility of damaging conveyors and luggage handling equipment is at least minimised; there is a thicker protective layer; the film has a neater and more professional appearance; the film is quicker to apply (± 4 times per minute), and requires fewer operators for a given throughput.

[0048] The invention is not limited to the precise details described above and shown in the drawings. Modifications may be made and other embodiments developed without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, an x-ray scanner (not shown) can be provided in the first compartment 12, and a printer (not shown) can be mounted to the first compartment to print x-ray images of the suitcase onto a side of the plastics film e.g. a side that is innermost after application of the film. Another possibility is to make use of a scanner (not shown) at any suitable location on the apparatus 10, to scan owner identification documents or images. The printer can print the identification data onto a tag or directly onto the plastics film together with routing information which facilitates downstream handling of the suitcase.

Claims

1. A method of protecting an item of luggage which includes the steps of:

(a) enveloping the item of luggage, at least partly, with a heat shrinkable plastics film; and (b) heating the heat shrinkable plastics film to cause the plastics film to shrink and firmly engage the item of luggage.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the heat shrinkable plastics film is supplied as a strip which is presented to the item of luggage prior to enveloping the item.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the item of luggage is orientated with respect to the strip to cause side-edges of the strip, when enveloping the item of luggage, to overlap one another.

4. A method according to claim 2 or 3 which includes the step of severing a respective trailing section of an underlying portion of the strip and of an overlapping portion of the strip, subsequent to the strip enveloping the item of luggage, to form trailing edges.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein side-edges and trailing-edges of the strip are heated to cause adjacent edges to weld together.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 which includes the step of printing desired information or advertising onto the heat shrinkable plastics film.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the desired information is printed onto the heat shrinkable plastics film after application of the film to the item of luggage.

8. A method according to claim 6 or 7 wherein the desired information includes at least one of the following: a scanned copy of an identification document, the mass of the item of luggage, an x-ray image of the item of luggage or routing information regarding the item of luggage.

9. An apparatus for protecting luggage which includes a plastics film dispenser which provides a heat shrinkable plastics film to an item of luggage to be, at least partly, enveloped thereby and a heat source which provides heat to the heat shrinkable plastics film, once the plastics film has, at least partly, enveloped the item of luggage, to cause the heat shrinkable plastics film to shrink and firmly engage the item of luggage.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the heat source includes at least one infra red element.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9 or 10 which includes a sensor which senses the presence of the item of luggage and which, in response to the presence and the absence thereto, causes the heat source to switch on and switch off respectively.

12. A luggage protection apparatus which includes a housing with a luggage inlet, a plastics film dispenser which is attached to the housing and from which a heat shrinkable plastics film is dispensed to lie across the luggage inlet, a heat source located within the housing and a transport means to introduce an item of luggage to an interior of the housing, through the inlet, to cause the heat shrinkable plastics film to at least partly envelope the item of luggage.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the transport means is at least one conveyor belt.

14. A luggage protection, weighing and marking system which includes the luggage protection apparatus as claimed in claim 12 or 13, a weighing module which weighs the item of luggage, and a printer module which prints desired information onto the heat shrinkable plastics film after the item of luggage has been enveloped by the film.

15. A luggage protection, weighing and marking system according to claim 14 which includes a scanning module for scanning an image of the item of luggage which is then printed onto the heat shrinkable plastics film by the printer module.