Tag grouping system and tag grouping method

• US 20040178911A1
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Kenichi, Sakamoto, Kenji, Kunito, Goro
• Granted Patent: US 7,603,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2485 Simultaneous detection of multiple EAS tags

Abstract

To group ID tags distributed in a larger area than the coverage of a tag reader.

A parameter which represents a measure of the strength of relationship among a plurality of ID tags is stored in a parameter storage DB 11 and values of the parameter are increased and decreased according to the number of pieces of ID information detected simultaneously in the ID tags by a mobile tag reader 3. A plurality of ID tags are judged as belonging to the same group according to values of the parameter stored in the parameter storage DB 11. This makes it possible to group ID tags distributed in a larger area than the coverage 4 of a tag reader 3.

Claims

1. A tag grouping system comprising:

parameter storage means for storing a parameter which represents a measure of the strength of relationship among a plurality of ID tags;

parameter adjusting means for increasing and decreasing values of the parameter according to the number of pieces of ID information detected simultaneously in the ID tags by a mobile tag reader; and

judging means for judging a plurality of ID tags as belonging to the same group according to values of the parameter stored in the parameter storage means.

2. The tag grouping system according to claim 1, wherein when ID information is detected simultaneously in a pair of ID tags for the first time, the parameter adjusting means newly sets the parameter for the pair of ID tags to indicate the measure of relationship between the pair of ID tags.

3. The tag grouping system according to claim 2, wherein when ID information is detected in a plurality of ID tags, the parameter adjusting means increases the appropriate values of the parameter stored in the parameter storage means.

4. The tag grouping system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein if ID information is detected only in one of a pair of ID tags which has been registered in the parameter storage means, the parameter adjusting means decreases the parameter value of the appropriate ID tag.

5. The tag grouping system according to claim 2, wherein when a value of the parameter stored in the parameter storage means becomes zero, the parameter adjusting means clears the appropriate parameter setting.

6. The tag grouping system according to claim 1, wherein when a value of the parameter stored in the parameter storage means exceeds a predetermined threshold, the judging means judges that the ID tags relevant to the parameter value belong to the same group.

7. A tag grouping method for judging a plurality of ID tags as belonging to the same group according to values of a parameter which represents a measure of the strength of relationship among the plurality of ID tags, comprising a parameter setting step of newly setting the parameter for a pair of ID tags when ID information is detected simultaneously in the pair of ID tags for the first time.