Enhanced air travel security method and apparatus

Abstract

A method of screening passengers for a passenger aircraft flight includes a step of obtaining voluntary consent from a plurality of passengers to perform a background check. The method further includes formulating a data record associated with each of the plurality of passengers. The passenger aircraft flight is scheduled as one of a plurality of regular scheduled flights. Prior to the passenger aircraft flight, it is determined whether a person is associated with a formulated data record. The method includes denying participation by the person in the passenger aircraft flight if the person is not associated with a formulated data record.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method of screening passengers for a passenger aircraft flight, the method comprising: 
 a) obtaining voluntary consent from a first passenger to perform a background check on the first passenger;    b) formulating a data record associated with the first passenger if the passenger passes the background check;    c) obtaining biologically oriented identification data associated with the first passenger;    d) storing the biologically oriented identification data in the data record;    e) prior to the passenger aircraft flight, obtaining biological oriented measurement data from a person purporting to be the first passenger;    f) comparing the biologically oriented measurement data to the biologically oriented identification data;    g) selectively permitting the person to participate in the passenger aircraft flight based on the comparison.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step b) further comprises formulating a data record associated with the first passenger if and only if the passenger passes the background check.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step b) further comprises storing positive screening results data in the data record if and only if the passenger passes the background check.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step e) further comprises associating the person with a first fractional aircraft owner.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step e) further comprises scanning a portion of the person to gather the biological oriented measurement data;  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the passenger aircraft flight is one of a set of regular repeating scheduled flights.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus comprising: 
 a) a memory;    b) a communication device;    c) a processing circuit operable to 
 formulate and store in the memory a data record associated with a first passenger, the data record including an indication that the first passenger has passed a background check, the data record further including biologically oriented identification data associated with the first passenger,  
 receive biological oriented measurement data associated with a person,  
 compare the biologically oriented measurement data to the biologically oriented identification data in the data record, and  
 provide an indication signal to the communication device, the communication signal operable to cause the communication device to provide a human-perceivable indicia representative of the result of the comparison.  
   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the processing circuit includes more than one processors.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the processing circuit includes more than one processors connected via a network.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the more that one processors are connected via the Internet.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the communication device includes a visible display.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the communication device includes an audible sound generator.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the communication device includes a visible indicator.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the processing circuit is further operable to associate the person with a first fractional aircraft owner.  
     
     
         15 . A method of screening passengers for a passenger aircraft flight, the method comprising: 
 a) obtaining voluntary consent from a plurality of passengers to perform a background check;    b) formulating a data record associated with each of the plurality of passengers;    c) scheduling the passenger aircraft flight as one of a plurality of regular scheduled flights    d) prior to the passenger aircraft flight, determining whether a person is associated with a formulated data record; and    e) denying participation by the person in the passenger aircraft flight if the person is not associated with a formulated data record.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein step d) includes: 
 gathering biologically oriented measurement data from the person;  
 comparing the biologically oriented measurement data to biologically oriented identification data previously stored within the data record.  
 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus comprising: 
 a) a memory;    b) a first processing circuit operable to 
 formulate and store in the memory a data record associated with each of a plurality of passengers, each data record including an indication that the associated passenger has passed a background check,  
   c) a second processing circuit operable to 
 receive a signal from an input circuit indicative of an identification of a person, the person attempting to participate in an aircraft flight;  
 determining whether the signal correlates to one of the plurality the data records;  
 provide an indication signal to a communication device, the indication signal operable to cause the communication device to provide a human-perceivable indicia representative of the result of the determination.  
   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the first processing circuit and the second processing circuit constitute a single processing device.  
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the first processing circuit and the second processing circuit are connected by a network.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein the first processing circuit and the second processing circuit are connected by a Internet.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the aircraft is fractionally-owned by a plurality of fractional owners.  
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the second processing circuit is further operable to associate at least one of the plurality of data records with a first fractional aircraft owner.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein said indication is the existence of the data record.