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Bagtones

To aid in your search for your luggage at the baggage claim carousel (note: I'm a little tired and nothing looks like it's spelled right for some reason. Pleas bear with me if I botch this)
 
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A small device that goes in your luggage, perhaps sewn into the lining, which consists of a recorder, speaker, and key fob signal reciever, and powered by AA batteries. Simply record any kind of sound you want it to play (keep in mind it should be loud enough to hear over the hubbub of the crowded airport) like a track from your favorite CD, your own voice, etc... (something high-pitched may be easiest to hear over a crowd)

Having trouble finding your bag on the carousel? So many bags look just like your own, you're afraid you'll overlook it? Simply press the button on the fob and your bag's unique tone starts playing loud and clear, so you can follow the sound.

21 Quest, Sep 01 2007

Alarm Bag http://www.halfbake...om/idea/Alarm_20Bag
Great idea, 21 Quest. In fact I would say that it is bordering on genius. That's why I thought of it first, though with some minor differences. [marked-for-deletion] redundant? [DrBob, Sep 04 2007]

[link]






       Well yeah, aside from that...
21 Quest, Sep 01 2007
  

       < bends ear listening for Hendrix's "Little Wing"... > +
xandram, Sep 01 2007
  

       I did Shoutcase a while back, but it had a timer... so (+) for the fob addition.
xenzag, Sep 01 2007
  

       Wow, good idea, xenzag! I didn't think to look in the product category for prior art. Perhaps a combination would be ideal.
21 Quest, Sep 01 2007
  

       Great! Can I have my tone be a countdown...?
  

       But seriously, this would surely fall foul of the "turn your electronic devices off" requirement in aircraft taking off and landing. How is the bagtone going to know to deactivate/reactivate at the critical junctures?
DrCurry, Sep 01 2007
  

       I thought that only applied to carry-on.... maybe have the electronics in a passive mode that doesn't look like it works upon cursory inspection. It need only look like a simple tape recorder, hardly arousing suspicion in a cursory inspection.
21 Quest, Sep 01 2007
  

       Great idea until everyone has one. Ringtones for bags. Neutral.
wagster, Sep 01 2007
  

       This just cries out for a list of possible BagTones. For example, the Mission Impossible Theme, Leaving On A Jet Plane, Amazing Grace ("I once was lost but now am found"), On A Carousel (The Hollies), Don't Leave Me This Way, and so on.
Canuck, Sep 02 2007
  

       "On the Road Again" is one of my personal favorites.
21 Quest, Sep 03 2007
  

       21 Quest: given that the problem, at least in theory, is that the electronic item in question emits some signal that interferes with the plane's electronics, causing it to crash. (This is not considered very likely with current aircraft electronics, but understandably, the airlines are erring on the side of caution in this respect.)
  

       So, no, you really don't want your bags giving off any kind of electronic signals.
DrCurry, Sep 03 2007
  

       I think I understand your postion, DrCurry. However, if the device in question is simply a passive signal reciever (it doesn't emit any signals, it's only intended to recieve the signal from the fob) it shouldn't arouse any concerns at all. Also, if mass-produced by a well-established company, say Nextel for instance, then all fobs would emit their signal on a known frequency (known to the manufacturer) and could conceivably be blocked from being used while on a plane by a jammer device tuned to that frequency. That being the case, the only possible signal interference would come from the jammer itself, which being operated by the concerned airline could be worked with.
21 Quest, Sep 03 2007
  

       I suppose you could just take two mobile phones with you, leave one inside the suitcase and ring it up from the other one. Of course, that would depend on your phone having access to a network at the arrival airport (not something you can take for granted in international travel).
pertinax, Sep 03 2007
  

       I thought of that. The other problem I see is that it requires having a 2nd active phone line, which costs more and is possibly unavailable to those with poor credit. pay-as-you-go phones usually don't work outside the country since there's no way for the company to bill you for long-distance or roaming. Also, that would be a direct violation of the No Cell Phone policy, since you can't remotely turn on a cell phone (not that I've ever heard of, anyway).
21 Quest, Sep 03 2007
  

       Bun from me. Could the device use a mechanical altimeter to trigger the device upon landing?
theleopard, Sep 04 2007
  

       [admin: I think this is different enough in application to stay along with the other bag alarm idea.]
jutta, Nov 21 2007
  
      
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