Electronic Boarding Pass Verification via OCR
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic boarding passes for international flights are impractical due to the risk of airlines transporting passengers without proper travel documentation, leading to fines and inefficiencies in the check-in process, as they require manual verification by airline personnel or kiosks.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for electronically capturing and verifying travel document information using visual image capture or wireless communication, performing OCR to extract text, and comparing it to registered passenger lists to issue electronic boarding passes without manual presentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If electronic boarding passes are used for international flights, then the check-in process becomes faster and more efficient, but the risk of transporting passengers without proper documentation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary capture and verification of travel document information during the online check-in process before the passenger boards the flight. The airline receives and validates travel document data in advance, ensuring proper documentation is confirmed before transportation begins, thus eliminating the risk of transporting undocumented passengers while maintaining efficient electronic check-in.
2Reliability
If manual verification of travel documents is required, then documentation accuracy is ensured, but the check-in process becomes slower and requires more resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical verification processes with automated electronic verification. Optical character recognition (OCR) technology automatically extracts text from travel document images, and computer systems automatically compare this data against passenger information and documentation requirements. This substitution eliminates manual intervention while maintaining verification accuracy, significantly reducing check-in time and resource requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates electronic copies of travel document information through image capture and OCR text extraction. These digital copies are then automatically validated against required documentation standards and passenger details. This copying approach enables rapid automated verification without requiring physical inspection of original documents, thus ensuring accuracy while minimizing check-in time.
3Ease of operation
If electronic capture of travel document information is implemented, then the check-in process is streamlined, but new technical challenges in verification arise
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multi-functional components that handle multiple tasks within the verification process. The image capture device not only captures travel document images but also validates image quality. The OCR server both extracts text from images and formats it for comparison. The application server performs multiple functions including receiving check-in requests, storing travel document data, comparing information against requirements, and issuing boarding passes. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, simplifying the overall system despite the sophisticated verification processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables secure and efficient electronic verification of travel documents, reducing the risk of fines and streamlining the check-in process for international flights by allowing electronic boarding passes to be issued without manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
performing optical character recognition (OCR) on the image of the travel document to extract text
Data Source
AI summary
A user may check-in to an international flight and receive an electronic boarding pass using captured travel document information. If the travel document information has not been captured, the travel document information may be captured from a travel document by one of visual image capture or wireless communication. Visual image capture includes capturing an image of the travel document, performing optical character recognition (OCR) on the image of the travel document to extract text; and storing the extracted text on a computer-readable medium. Wireless communication includes receiving travel document information from a wireless communication device included in the travel document. The captured travel document information is compared to a list of registered passengers to determine if the passenger associated with the travel document is registered for the international flight. If the passenger is determined to be registered for the first international flight an electronic boarding pass is generated.