US 12,147,918 B2
Method and systems for departure control
Lee William Huntley, III, Ball Ground, GA (US); Stephen David Goddard, Wick (GB); and Maurice Royston Pope, Halesowen (GB)
Assigned to SITA Information Networking Computing UK Limited, Middlesex (GB)
Filed by SITA Information Networking Computing UK Limited, Middlesex (GB)
Filed on Aug. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/366,305.
Application 18/366,305 is a continuation of application No. 15/979,851, filed on May 15, 2018, granted, now 11,720,827.
Prior Publication US 2024/0020588 A1, Jan. 18, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/02 (2012.01); G06F 16/25 (2019.01); G06F 16/955 (2019.01); G06Q 90/00 (2006.01)
CPC G06Q 10/02 (2013.01) [G06F 16/252 (2019.01); G06F 16/955 (2019.01); G06Q 90/00 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a computerized airline departure control system, the system comprising a central departure control system, an airport local departure control system, and shipboard local departure system arranged on board a ship and in intermittent contact with the central departure control system, the method comprising:
receiving check-in information for a flight from an airport from passengers on the ship via a terminal on the ship separate from the shipboard local departure control system;
recognizing a non-availability of communications with the central departure control system;
on recognition of the non-availability of communications with the central departure control system, assuming, via a shipboard local departure control system, responsibility for handling check-ins while the communications are non-available by reconfiguring check-in equipment to communicate with the shipboard local departure control system instead of the central departure control system, wherein the check-in equipment comprises the terminal;
communicating, via the terminal and over a local area network, the check-in information of the passengers on the ship to a communications interface at the shipboard local departure control system;
checking-in, via the shipboard local departure control system, passengers on the basis of the received check-in information, the central departure control system being responsible for controlling departure of the flight;
forming a passenger data message for the each of the passengers at the shipboard local departure control system based on the check-in information, each passenger data message comprising information necessary to validate the passenger to which it relates for boarding the flight for which the passenger is checking-in;
sending the passenger data message for each passenger checked in while communications with the central departure control system are unavailable, via a communications network from the shipboard local departure control system to the central departure control system for the flight when the shipboard local departure control system is able to communicate with the central departure control system;
upon restoration of communications with the central departure control system:
receiving and storing the passenger data messages at the central departure control system; and
deleting the passenger data messages; and
validating, via the airport local departure control system, a boarding pass of at least one passenger based on the passenger data messages received by the central departure control system.