Article management apparatus and information processing methods

• US 20050093698A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• 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 7,218,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

In a tag reader/writer 10 according to the present invention, first, a temporary ID receiver 11 receives a temporary ID unit of temporary IDs of RFID tags 41-44, and 47 detected by another tag reader/writer 20, and stores them into a temporary ID storage DB 12. When the tag reader/writer 10 detects RFID tags 41, 43, 45, 46, and 48 within a communication area of its own, a temporary ID acquirer 13 thereof acquires temporary IDs of those RFID tags and stores them into the temporary ID storage DB 12. Thereafter, the tag reader/writer 10 makes a temporary ID comparator 14 compare temporary ID units stored, to specify a temporary ID corresponding to a difference between them, based on the result of the comparison. When the temporary ID is a decrease, it is determined to be a lost article, and a message of the lost article is sent. When the temporary ID is an increase, it is determined to be a newly purchased article, and related advertisement information is provided.

Claims

1. An article management apparatus comprising:

acquiring means for acquiring an RFID tag ID unit;

specifying means for comparing the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means, with an RFID tag ID unit acquired at different time from the acquiring time of the former RFID tag ID unit, and for specifying an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison; and

transmitting means for transmitting information according to the RFID tag ID specified by the specifying means.

2. The article management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the acquiring means acquires an RFID tag ID unit comprising an ID of an RFID tag attached to an article and enabling identification of an owner of the article;

further comprising storing means for storing the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means; and

wherein the specifying means compares the RFID tag ID unit corresponding to the owner, acquired by the acquiring means, with an RFID tag ID unit corresponding to the owner of an article corresponding to an RFID tag ID, acquired by the acquiring means, among RFID tag ID units stored by the storing means prior to the acquisition by the acquiring means, and specifies an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

3. The article management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an RFID tag ID database for storing an ID of an RFID tag and an owner of an article to which the RFID tag is attached, in correspondence with each other;

storing means for storing the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means; and

wherein the specifying means refers to the RFID tag ID database to specify an owner of an article corresponding to an RFID tag ID acquired by the acquiring means, compares the RFID tag ID unit corresponding to the specified owner, acquired by the acquiring means, with an RFID tag ID unit corresponding to the owner among RFID tag ID units stored by the storing means prior to the acquisition by the acquiring means, and specifies an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

4. The article management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an RFID tag ID database for storing discrimination information for discrimination between a person with an RFID tag and an article with an RFID tag, in correspondence with an ID of each RFID tag;

storing means for storing the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means; and

wherein the specifying means refers to the RFID tag ID database to specify an ID of an RFID tag attached to a person, out of the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means, compares the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means, with an RFID tag ID unit acquired simultaneously with the ID of the RFID tag attached to the person, among RFID tag ID units stored by the storing means prior to the acquisition by the acquiring means, and specifies an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

5. The article management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing means for storing the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means;

comparing means for comparing the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means, with an RFID tag ID unit stored by the storing means prior to the acquisition by the acquiring means; and

wherein the specifying means, when a result of the comparison by the comparing means is that the two RFID tag ID units have identical IDs over a given number, compares the RFID tag ID unit acquired by the acquiring means, with the RFID tag ID unit stored by the storing means, to specify an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

11. The article management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing means for storing an RFID tag ID unit comprising an ID of an RFID tag enabling identification of an owner, in advance;

wherein the acquiring means acquires an RFID tag ID unit comprising an ID of an RFID tag enabling identification of an owner; and

the specifying means compares the RFID tag ID unit stored in the storing means, with an RFID tag ID unit having an identical identified owner to that of the stored RFID tag ID unit and acquired by the acquiring means, and specifies an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

6. An information processing method in an article management apparatus comprising:

an acquiring step of acquiring an RFID tag ID unit;

an specifying step of comparing the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step, with an RFID tag ID unit acquired at different time from the acquiring time of the former RFID tag ID unit, and specifying an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison; and

transmitting step of transmitting information according to the RFID tag ID specified in the specifying step.

7. The information processing method according to claim 6,

wherein the acquiring step acquires an RFID tag ID unit comprising an ID of an RFID tag attached to an article and enabling identification of an owner of the article;

further comprising a storing step of storing the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step; and

wherein the specifying step compares the RFID tag ID unit corresponding to the owner, acquired in the acquiring step, with an RFID tag ID unit corresponding to the owner of an article corresponding to an RFID tag ID acquired in the acquiring step, among RFID tag ID units stored in the storing step prior to the acquisition in the acquiring step, and specifies an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

8. The information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising:

a storing step of storing the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step; and

wherein the specifying step refers to an RFID tag ID database storing an ID of an RFID tag and an owner of an article to which the RFID tag is attached, in correspondence with each other, to specify an owner of an article corresponding to an RFID tag ID acquired in the acquiring step, compares the RFID tag ID unit corresponding to the specified owner, acquired in the acquiring step, with an RFID tag ID unit corresponding to the owner among RFID tag ID units stored in the storing step prior to the acquisition in the acquiring step, and specifies an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

9. The information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising:

a storing step of storing the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step; and

wherein the specifying step refers to an RFID tag ID database storing discrimination information for discrimination between a person with an RFID tag and an article with an RFID tag, in correspondence with an ID of each RFID tag, to specify an ID of an RFID tag attached to a person, out of the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step, compares the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step, with an RFID tag ID unit acquired simultaneously with the ID of the RFID tag attached to the person, among RFID tag ID units stored in the storing step prior to the acquisition in the acquiring step, and specifies an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

10. The information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising:

a storing step of storing the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step;

a comparing step of comparing the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step, with an RFID tag ID unit stored in the storing step prior to the acquisition in the acquiring step; and

wherein the specifying step, when a result of the comparison in the comparing step is that the two RFID tag ID units have identical IDs over a given number, compares the RFID tag ID unit acquired in the acquiring step, with the RFID tag ID unit stored in the storing step, to specify an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.

12. The information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising:

a storing step of storing an RFID tag ID unit comprising an ID of an RFID tag enabling identification of an owner, in advance into storing means;

wherein the acquiring step acquires an RFID tag ID unit comprising an ID of an RFID tag enabling identification of an owner; and

the specifying step compares the RFID tag ID unit stored in the storing means in the storing step, with an RFID tag ID unit having an identical identified owner to that of the stored RFID tag ID unit and acquired in the acquiring step, and specifies an RFID tag ID corresponding to a difference obtained by the comparison.