Okoban
Encyclopedia
Okoban is an international company that established a standard and operates the system that allows individuals to register personal property online so that in the event these are lost and found that these can be returned to their owners.
Okoban neither makes nor sells products but manages the system on behalf of the travel goods industry, airlines, TSA
and other "Frequent Finders". Okoban is a spin-off of Travel Sentry
, the creators of the TSA Lock standard.
The name Okoban is based on the Japanese concept of Kōban
, or small local police stations, which in Japan are the central place for reporting lost items or turning in found items. In the Japanese language
the letter "O" preceding a word is a sign of respect; synonymous to "honorable". (see: Politeness in Japanese)
In a 2008 study conducted by the Ponemon Institute sponsored by Dell
there were an estimated 16,048 laptop computer lost or misplaced at the top 114 major U.S. and European and Middle East airports. Many of these were left behind at security screening checkpoints.
Procedures for handling these items found in airports vary from airport to airport but what these have in common is that these items are usually collected in a central lost and found office run by the TSA
, airport or airline.
According to the Ponemon study, the average weekly number of missing laptop computers at the largest U.S. airport is 286.
Okoban issues Unique identifier
(UID) codes to manufacturers of luggage and other products used in travel such as personal electronics. These codes are added to products at the time of production using a variety of processes, such as laser etching, adhesive labels, tags and plates. Okoban codes are also sold separately by some distributors on adhesive labels which can be added to personal items.
To use the system a user must first create an account at the Okoban website and then register the UID of the item they are protecting.
If the item is misplaced or lost, and then found, the finder can enter the UID into the Okoban system. An alert message is then sent to the email address and/or the phone registered by the user.
The user then contacts the finder to arrange recovery. No personal information of the owner is disclosed by Okoban to the finder.
Okoban can be used by anyone finding an item at no cost to the finder or the owner. The system was designed for professional lost and found offices which are operated by almost all large organizations such as airlines, airports, law enforcement agencies (including the TSA
), hotels, railways, ferries, schools, theaters, stadia and other public places.
The Okoban system is integrated into WorldTracer which is the central lost and found system used by the airlines. According to IATA and SITA who jointly operate the system, WorldTracer is used by over 400 airline and airport companies, at over 2,000 airports worldwide. When luggage or an item is found at an airport or on a flight if the airlines enter the Okoban code into their system and an alert is triggered via Okoban to inform the owner where their item has been found and how to get in touch with the finder.
Okoban neither makes nor sells products but manages the system on behalf of the travel goods industry, airlines, TSA
TSA
TSA most often refers to:* Transportation Security Administration, in the United States Department of Homeland Security* Tourette Syndrome Association, advocacy organizationbut may also refer to:- Organizations :...
and other "Frequent Finders". Okoban is a spin-off of Travel Sentry
Travel Sentry
Travel Sentry, Inc. is an American company that establishes and manages standards used in travel security. It neither makes nor sells products...
, the creators of the TSA Lock standard.
History
The first products based on the Okoban standard were first produced in 2009 by Sunco Luggage of Japan. These included luggage and travel accessories with Okoban codes. The Okoban system is provided to end-users free of charge.The name Okoban is based on the Japanese concept of Kōban
Koban
Koban may refer to:, Japanese neighborhood police substation, sometimes called a "police box", a former Japanese oval gold coin* Koban culture, a Central North Caucasian culture circa 1100 to 400 BC...
, or small local police stations, which in Japan are the central place for reporting lost items or turning in found items. In the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
the letter "O" preceding a word is a sign of respect; synonymous to "honorable". (see: Politeness in Japanese)
The Problem
According to the Baggage Report 2011 by SITA there is one bag mishandled by the airlines almost every second. While most of these are returned to their owners within a few days, each month about 50,000 bags are salvaged by the airlines because they could not find their owners.In a 2008 study conducted by the Ponemon Institute sponsored by Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
there were an estimated 16,048 laptop computer lost or misplaced at the top 114 major U.S. and European and Middle East airports. Many of these were left behind at security screening checkpoints.
Procedures for handling these items found in airports vary from airport to airport but what these have in common is that these items are usually collected in a central lost and found office run by the TSA
TSA
TSA most often refers to:* Transportation Security Administration, in the United States Department of Homeland Security* Tourette Syndrome Association, advocacy organizationbut may also refer to:- Organizations :...
, airport or airline.
According to the Ponemon study, the average weekly number of missing laptop computers at the largest U.S. airport is 286.
Standard
The Okoban standard includes three elements:- the diamond mark which signals to the professional lost and found offices that this is an Okoban code;
- the Unique identifierUnique identifierWith reference to a given set of objects, a unique identifier is any identifier which is guaranteed to be unique among all identifiers used for those objects and for a specific purpose...
(UID) code, composed of twelve alpha-numeric characters; - a notice to the finder: IF FOUND : OKOBAN.COM
Okoban issues Unique identifier
Unique identifier
With reference to a given set of objects, a unique identifier is any identifier which is guaranteed to be unique among all identifiers used for those objects and for a specific purpose...
(UID) codes to manufacturers of luggage and other products used in travel such as personal electronics. These codes are added to products at the time of production using a variety of processes, such as laser etching, adhesive labels, tags and plates. Okoban codes are also sold separately by some distributors on adhesive labels which can be added to personal items.
How it Works
The Okoban UID codes are used for registering luggage and other personal items such as passports, personal electronic devices like phones, computers, cameras which are at risk of being misplaced or lost when traveling.To use the system a user must first create an account at the Okoban website and then register the UID of the item they are protecting.
If the item is misplaced or lost, and then found, the finder can enter the UID into the Okoban system. An alert message is then sent to the email address and/or the phone registered by the user.
The user then contacts the finder to arrange recovery. No personal information of the owner is disclosed by Okoban to the finder.
Okoban can be used by anyone finding an item at no cost to the finder or the owner. The system was designed for professional lost and found offices which are operated by almost all large organizations such as airlines, airports, law enforcement agencies (including the TSA
TSA
TSA most often refers to:* Transportation Security Administration, in the United States Department of Homeland Security* Tourette Syndrome Association, advocacy organizationbut may also refer to:- Organizations :...
), hotels, railways, ferries, schools, theaters, stadia and other public places.
The Okoban system is integrated into WorldTracer which is the central lost and found system used by the airlines. According to IATA and SITA who jointly operate the system, WorldTracer is used by over 400 airline and airport companies, at over 2,000 airports worldwide. When luggage or an item is found at an airport or on a flight if the airlines enter the Okoban code into their system and an alert is triggered via Okoban to inform the owner where their item has been found and how to get in touch with the finder.