Terminal device, service providing server, and RF tag sheet

• US 20040238635A1
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ito, Hiromichi, Ozaki, Tomochika
• Application Number:
  US10/770,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20040238635A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• 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

Abstract

Services can be simply installed in a terminal. A terminal includes a radio frequency (RF) tag reader for reading identification information of an RF tag, a communicating unit for communicating with a server controlling services, a transmitter for transmitting by the communicating unit the identification information of the RF tag read by the RF tag reader to the server, a receiver for receiving, from the server, information regarding a service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag. The terminal also includes an install function for installing therein a service according to service information received by the receiver. When the RF tag is within a readable range in which the terminal can read the RF tag, the terminal installs the service corresponding to the RF tag.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising:

radio frequency (RF) tag reading means for reading identification information of an RF tag;

communicating means for communicating with a server controlling services;

transmitting means for transmitting by the communicating means the identification information of the RF tag read by the RF tag reading means to the server;

receiving means for receiving, from the server, information regarding a service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag; and

installing means for installing in the terminal device the service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag according to the information regarding the service received by the receiving means.

2. A terminal device according to claim 1, wherein when the identification information of the RF tag is disposed at a position at which the identification information can be read by the terminal device, the service corresponding to the RF tag can be used.

3. A terminal device according to claim 1, wherein when the RF tag is fixed on the terminal device in a situation in which the terminal device can read the identification information, the service corresponding to the RF tag can be used.

4. A terminal device according to claim 3, wherein a position of the terminal onto which the RF tag is to be fixed is marked.

5. A terminal device, comprising:

radio frequency (RF) tag reading means for reading identification information of an RF tag;

communicating means for communicating with a server controlling services;

transmitting means for transmitting by the communicating means the identification information of the RF tag read by the RF tag reading means to the server;

receiving means for receiving, from the server, information regarding a service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag;

installing means for installing in the terminal device the service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag according to the information regarding the service received by the receiving means; and

service controlling means for controlling a correspondence between the identification information of RF tags and installed services installed in the terminal device, wherein

when identification information of an RF tag cannot be read, the service control means prevents use of a service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag.

6. A terminal device according to claim 5, wherein when the service information received from the server controlling the service includes error information of an error, the service is not installed.

7. A terminal device according to claim 5, wherein in a case in which the service information received from the server controlling the service includes a restriction regarding a use count of the service, the use of the service is prevented when the restriction of use count is reached.

8. A terminal device, comprising:

radio frequency (RF) tag reading means for reading identification information of an RF tag;

communicating means for communicating with a server controlling services;

transmitting means for transmitting by the communicating means the identification information of the RF tag read by the RF tag reading means to the server;

receiving means for receiving, from the server, information regarding a service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag; and

installing means for installing in the terminal device the service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag according to the information regarding the service received by the receiving means, wherein;

when an adhesive sheet including an RF tag is fixed onto the terminal device, a service corresponding to the RF tag can be used; and

when the adhesive sheet including an RF tag is removed from the terminal device, the service corresponding to the RF tag cannot be used.

9. A terminal device, comprising:

radio frequency (RF) tag reading means for reading identification information of an RF tag;

communicating means for communicating with a server controlling services;

transmitting means for transmitting by the communicating means the identification information of the RF tag read by the RF tag reading means to the server;

receiving means for receiving, from the server, information regarding a service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag; and

installing means for installing in the terminal device the service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag according to the information regarding the service received by the receiving means, wherein;

when a card including an RF tag is inserted into the terminal device or into a cover thereof, a service corresponding to the RF tag can be used; and

when the card including an RF tag is drawn from the terminal device or from the cover thereof, the service corresponding to the RF tag cannot be used.

10. A service providing server, comprising:

receiving means for receiving identification information of an RF tag from a terminal device;

service control means for controlling a correspondence between identification information of RF tags and services; and

means for transmitting to the terminal device information regarding a service corresponding to the identification information received from the terminal device.

11. A service providing server, comprising:

means for receiving identification information of an RF tag from a terminal device;

service control means for controlling a correspondence between identification information of RF tags and services and information regarding a use count of a service available using identification information corresponding to the service, wherein

in a case in which identification information of an RF tag is received from the terminal device, if a service corresponding to the identification information is absent from the service control means or if the use count of the service available by using the identification information is zero, the server sends particular information to the terminal device to thereby preventing use of the service.

12. An RF tag sheet comprising an RF tag for use in a terminal device capable of reading identification information of the RF tag, wherein:

the identification information of the RF tag of the sheet is sent from the terminal device to a server controlling services;

information regarding a service corresponding to the identification information of the RF tag from the server is received by the terminal;

the service is installed therein; and

the service installed therein can be discriminated by a color of the sheet, a shape of the sheet, characters and letters on the sheet, or a combination thereof.