Product identification data management system and product identification data management method

• US 20050139665A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,416,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a product identification data management system and method. According to the present invention, an input device of a purchasing department reads a bar code and an RF tag as data of two identification data systems added to a product such that the identification data of the two identification data systems are related with each other. The read bar code data and RF tag data are stored and managed in first and second databases of a information department, respectively. When a user terminal such as a product data terminal issues a request to acquire predetermined data on the basis of the bar code data of the product, the predetermined data is retrieved from either or both of the first and second databases. The acquired data is returned to the user terminal. The consistency between identification data added to each product can also be checked.

Claims

1. A product identification data management system comprising:

identification data input means for inputting identification data of two data systems added to each product such that the identification data of one data system is related with that of the other data system every product;

a database for storing the identification data of the two data systems input by the identification data input means such that the identification data of one data system is related with that of the other data system every product, and

database retrieval means for retrieving the identification data of one data system from the database and acquiring the identification data when identification data of the other data system is designated.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the database includes database segments such that identification data of each product is stored in correspondence with auxiliary data concerned with the product every data system.

5. The system according to claim 4, further comprising:

database segment cooperative retrieval means for retrieving data, which does not exist in one database segment of one data system, from the other database segment of the other data system on the basis of identification data of the same product.

2. A product identification data management system comprising:

relation mode reading means for reading identification data of two data systems correctly added to each product in order to identify the same product;

relating means for relating the class fields of the identification data of the two data systems, read by the relation mode reading means, with each other every kind of product, the class field serving as a data segment to identify the kind of product;

a database for storing the identification data of the two data systems with the class fields related by the relating means; and

database retrieval means for retrieving the identification data of one data system from the database and acquiring the identification data when the class field of the identification data of the other data system is designated.

3. A product identification data management system comprising:

relation mode reading means for reading identification data of two data systems correctly added to each product in order to identify the same product;

relating means for relating the class fields of the identification data of the two data systems, read by the relation mode reading means, with each other every kind of product, the class field serving as a data segment to identify the kind of product;

a database for storing the identification data of the two data systems with the class fields related by the relating means;

check mode reading means for reading identification data of the two data systems added to the same product in order to check the unknown relation therebetween;

check mode retrieval means for retrieving identification data of one data system, which is related with the identification data of the other data system read by the check mode reading means, from the database;

identification data checking means for checking whether the identification data retrieved by the check mode retrieval means is identical to the identification data with the related class field read by the check mode reading means; and

relation determination means for determining that the identification data of the two data systems with the unknown relation therebetween added to the product, read by the check mode reading means, are related with each other as identification data of the same product when the identification data checking means obtains the consistency of both the identification data, and for determining that the identification data of the two data systems are not related with each other as identification data of the same product in other cases.

6. A product identification data management method comprising:

an identification data input step of inputting identification data of two data systems added to each product such that the identification data of one data system is related with that of the other data system every product;

a database construction step of storing the identification data of the two data systems input in the identification data input step in a database such that the identification data of one data system is related with that of the other data system every product; and

a database retrieval step of retrieving the identification data of one data system from the database and acquiring the identification data when the identification data of the other data system is designated.

7. A product identification data management method comprising:

a relation mode reading step of reading identification data of two data systems correctly added to each product in order to identify the same product;

a relating step of relating the class fields of the identification data of the two data systems, read in the relation mode reading step, with each other every kind of product, the class field serving as a data segment to identify the kind of product;

a database construction step of storing the identification data of the two data systems with the class fields related in the relating step in a database; and

a database retrieval step of retrieving the identification data of one data system from the database and acquiring the identification data when the class field of the identification data of the other data system is designated.

8. A product identification data management method comprising:

a relation mode reading step of reading identification data of two data systems correctly added to each product in order to identify the same product;

a relating means for relating the class fields of the identification data of the two data systems, read in the relation mode reading step, with each other every kind of product, the class field serving as a data segment to identify the kind of product;

a database construction step of storing the identification data of the two data systems with the class fields related in the relating step in a database;

a check mode reading step of reading identification data of the two data systems added to the same product in order to check the unknown relation therebetween;

a check mode retrieval step of retrieving identification data of one data system, which is related with the identification data of the other data system read in the check mode reading step, from the database;

an identification data checking step of checking whether the identification data retrieved in the check mode retrieval step is identical to the identification data with the related class field read in the check mode reading step; and

a relation determination step of determining that the identification data of the two data systems with the unknown relation therebetween added to the product, read in the check mode reading step, are related with each other as identification data of the same product when the consistency of both the identification data is obtained in the identification data checking step, and of determining that the identification data of the two data systems are not related with each other as identification data of the same product in other cases.

9. A product identification data management system comprising:

a first computer-readable recording medium for recording first identification data, the first recording medium being attached to each product to be managed;

a second computer-readable recording medium for recording second identification data having a data system independent of that of the first identification data, the second recording medium being attached to each product together with the first recording medium;

a first storage device for storing the first identification data and data recorded in connection with the first identification data;

a second storage device for storing the first and second identification data such that the first identification data recorded in the first recording medium attached to the product is related with the second identification data recorded in the second recording medium attached to the same product; and

a processor for executing a process of retrieving data on the basis of input second identification data by using first identification data corresponding to the input second identification data.

10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a third storage device for storing the second identification data and data recorded in connection with the second identification data.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising:

a processor for executing a process of checking data stored in the first storage device against data stored in the third storage device on the basis of the relation stored in the second storage device.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first recording medium includes a bar code printed matter and the second recording medium includes an RF tag.