System, computer, programme, and device of handling data to be used for returning items

• US 20030040931A1
• Filed: 07/05/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Europa N.V. (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Europa N.V. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Asaoka, Nobuyoshi, De Mol Van Otterloo, Maarten Joost, Nagasawa, Ken-Ichi, Otsuka, Sinichiro
• Application Number:
  US10/188,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20030040931A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/06 by returnable containers , i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles

Abstract

This invention introduces, as one aspect, a system for handling data to be used for returning items; comprising means for creating label data representing a label to be printed for returning items from a customer, means for adding additional information on the label data to be used for restricting usage of the label, means for sending the label data to a customer, means for receiving the additional information contained in the label data corresponding to the printed label to be used, and means for checking the received additional information to decide whether the printed label can be used or not. Accordingly usage of the label copied, modified, or faked would significantly minimised with a little additional cost. Further, checking identification of a returned item, the problem caused by sending other items or fake items can be solved.

Claims

1. A system for handling data to be used for returning items;

comprising

means for creating label data representing a label to be printed for returning items from a customer;

means for adding additional information on the label data to be used for restricting usage of the label;

means for sending the label data to a customer;

means for receiving the additional information contained in the label data corresponding to the printed label to be used; and

means for checking the received additional information to decide whether the printed label can be used or not.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said adding means adds the additional information as bar codes.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said adding means adds the additional information as watermark.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the additional information includes time information relating to an expiring date of the label, and said checking means checks the expiring date.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said adding means creates the time information by using time of sending the label data to the customer.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the additional information includes unique information of each label.

7. A system according to claim 6, further comprising means for storing unique information of labels, corresponding to label data sent to the customer, with a tag representing whether each label has been used or not;

and wherein said checking means checks the unique information to decide whether the label has been used or not by referring said storing means.

8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising means for renewing the tag stored in said storing means depending upon the decision whether the printed label can be used or not.

9. A system according to claim 6, wherein the additional information further includes product information identifying the product owned by the customer and said checking means checks a combination of the additional information and the product information are checked whether the combination is proper or not.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving means receives image data of the printed label and decodes the image data to reproduce the additional data.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said receiving means reproduces the additional data by decoding bar codes located on the printed label.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein said receiving means reproduces the additional data by decoding watermarks embedded on the printed label.

13. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means for sending a massage to warn the customer that the label data cannot be used in response to the decision made by said checking means.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein said creating means creates the label data including data which represents the carrier to return the items and is authorised by the carrier and data which represents the destination to which the items are transferred by the carrier and a name of the customer.

15. A set of computer programmes to be used for returning items;

comprising

programme for creating label data representing a label to be printed and to be used for returning items from a customer;

programme for adding additional information on the label data to be used for restricting usage of the label;

programme for sending the label data to a customer;

programme for receiving the additional information contained in the label data corresponding to the printed label to be used; and

programme for checking the received additional information to decide whether the printed label can be used or not.

16. A set of computer programmes according to claim 15, wherein the additional information is added by bar codes.

17. A set of computer programmes according to claim 15, wherein the additional information is added by watermarking.

18. A set of computer programmes according to claim 15, wherein time additional information includes time information relating to an expiring date of the label, and said checking means checks the expiring date.

19. A set of computer programmes according to claim 18, wherein the time information is created by using time of sending the label data to the customer.

20. A set of computer programmes according to claim 15, wherein the additional information is unique of each label.

21. A set of computer programmes according to claim 20, wherein the unique information of the label is used for checking whether the label has been used or not by referring a stored tag in association with the unique information corresponding to label data sent to the customer.

22. A set of computer programmes according to claim 21, further comprising programme for renewing the stored tag depending on the decision whether the printed label can be used or not.

23. A set of computer programmes according to claim 19, wherein the label information further includes product information identifying product owned by the customer and combination of the additional information and the product information are checked whether the combination is proper or not.

24. A set of computer programmes according to claim 15, wherein image data of the printed label is received by the receiving programme and the image data is decoded to reproduce the additional data by the checking programme.

25. A set of computer programmes according to claim 24, wherein the additional data is reproduced by decoding bar codes located on the printed label.

26. A set of computer programmes according to claim 24, wherein the additional data is reproduced by decoding watermarks embedded on the printed label.

27. A set of computer programmes according to claim 15, further comprising programme for sending a massage to warn the customer that the label data cannot be used in response to the decision made by said checking programme.

28. A device for handling data to be used for returning items, the device being connected to a network to which a device of a customer is connected, the device comprising;

a label creator for creating label data representing a label to be printed by the customer and to be used for returning items from a customer;

an adder for adding additional information on the label data to be used for restricting usage of the label;

a sender for sending the label data to a customer;

a receiver for receiving the additional information contained in the label data corresponding to the printed label to be used; and

a checker for checking the received additional information to decide whether the printed label can be used or not.

29. A device according to claim 28, wherein said adder adds unique information for each label sent to the customer by non-visible way.

30. A device according to claim 29, wherein the label information further includes product information identifying the product owned by the customer, and said checker checks whether combination of the unique information and the item information is proper or not.

31. A device according to claim 28, further comprising a sender for sending a massage to warn the customer that the label data cannot be used in response to the decision made by said checker.

32. A device for handling data to be used for returning items, the device being connected to a network to which a device of manufacturer is connected, the device of manufacturer sending label data presenting a label to be printed and to be used for returning items from a customer with unique information for each label to the network, the device comprising;

a scanner for scanning a printed label to obtain image data corresponding thereto;

a sender for sending the image data to the device of manufacturer so that the image data is to be checked; and

a receiver for receiving the result of checking whether the unique information contained in the image data of the printed label can be used or not from the device of manufacturer.

33. A device for handling data to be used for returning items, the device being connected to a network to which a device of manufacturer is connected, the device of manufacturer sending label data presenting a label to be printed and to be used for returning items from a customer with unique information for each label to the network, the device comprising;

a reader for reading a printed label to obtain the unique information corresponding thereto;

a sender for sending the unique information to the device of manufacturer so that the unique information is to be checked; and

a receiver for receiving the result of checking whether the unique information of the printed label can be used or not from the device of manufacturer.

34. A system for handling data to be used for returning items;

comprising

means for creating label data representing a label to be printed for returning an item from a customer, the label data including unique data;

means for sending the label data to a customer;

means for receiving identification data identifying an item to be returned by the customer;

means for storing the identification data in association with the unique data;

means for receiving identifying data from a returned item;

means for checking the received identifying data from the returned item to decide whether the returned item is proper or not by referring the identification data stored in said storing means; and

means for calling the unique data associating with the identification data if said checking means decides that the returned item is improper.

35. A system according to claim 34, wherein the label data further includes customer data regarding the customer and said calling means calls the customer data together with the unique data.

36. A system according to claim 35, further comprising means for sending a massage to warn the customer by using the customer data corresponding to the identifying data checked by said checking means as the returned item corresponding to the identifying data is improper.

37. A system according to claim 34, further comprising means for sending the decision made by said checking means to a place where the returned items are handled so that the returned item is to be recycled.

38. A system according to claim 34, wherein said checking means checks the received identifying data from the returned item to decide whether the identification data corresponding thereto is stored in said storing means or not.

39. A system according to claim 38, wherein said checking means further checks whether the returned item has been previously returned or not by referring the identification data stored in said storing means

40. A system according to claim 39, wherein said storing means stores identification data with a tag representing whether each item has been returned or not;

and further comprising renewing means for renewing the tag stored in said storing means in response to the decision that the returned item is proper.

41. A set of computer programmes for handling data to be used for returning items;

comprising

programme for creating label data representing a label to be printed for returning an item from a customer, the label data including unique data;

programme for sending the label data to a customer;

programme for receiving identification data identifying an item to be returned by the customer;

programme for storing the identification data in association with the unique data in a storage;

programme for receiving identifying data from a returned item;

programme for checking the received identifying data from the returned item to decide whether the returned item is proper or not by referring the identification data stored by storing means; and

programme for calling the unique data associating with the identification data if said checking means decides that the returned item is improper.

42. A set of computer programme according to claim 41, wherein the label data further includes customer data regarding the customer and said calling programme causes to call the customer data together with the unique data.

43. A set of computer programme according to claim 42, further comprising programme for sending a massage to warn the customer by using the customer data corresponding to the identifying data checked by said checking programme as the returned item corresponding to the identifying data is improper.

44. A set of computer programme according to claim 41, further comprising programme for sending the decision made by said checking programme to a place where the returned items are handled so that the returned item is to be recycled.

45. A set of computer programme according to claim 41, wherein said checking programme causes to check the received identifying data from the returned item to decide whether the identification data corresponding thereto is stored in the storage or not.

46. A set of computer programme according to claim 45, wherein said checking programme further causes to check whether the returned item has been previously returned or not by referring the identification data stored in the storage

47. A set of computer programme according to claim 46, wherein said storing programmes cause sot store identification data with a tag representing whether each item has been returned or not in the storage;

and further comprising renewing means for renewing the tag stored in the storage in response to the decision made by said checking programme that the returned item is proper.

48. A device for handling data to be used for returning items;

comprising

a label creator for creating label data representing a label to be printed for returning an item from a customer, the label data including unique data;

a sender for sending the label data to a customer;

a receiver for receiving identification data identifying an item to be returned by the customer;

a storage for storing the identification data in association with the unique data;

a receiver for receiving identifying data from a returned item;

a checker for checking the received identifying data from the returned item to decide whether the returned item is proper or not by referring the identification data stored in said storage; and

a caller for calling the unique data associating with the identification data if said checker decides that the returned item is improper.