Label and RFID tag issuing apparatus

• US 20050218219A1
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabuhsiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yasuo, Sano, Kouichi, Kiji, Yasuhito, Murofushi, Nobuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,360,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/22 Simultaneous marking and printing on different record carriers, e.g. on different types of record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/02 the verifying forming a part of the marking action
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device

Abstract

A label and RFID tag issuing apparatus comprises a recording apparatus that records information on a production label and an RFID tag reader/writer that writes and reads part of the recorded information to/from an RFID tag. This label and RFID tag issuing apparatus writes a production number to the RFID tag attached to the container if a container for containing an article or articles carrying the production label and RFID tag is judged to be on the container loading plate. The apparatus, subsequently confirming presence of the container on the container loading plate, records on the production label production information including bar-code data corresponding to the production number that has been written to the RFID. Thus, information recorded on the production label and information stored in the RFID tag are tied, and thereby accidental affixing of a wrong production label onto the container can be prevented.

Claims

1. A label and RFID tag issuing apparatus, comprising:

a sensor for detecting presence of an RFID tag attached to a container or a container carrying an RFID tag;

a printer for recording information on a recording medium to be affixed to the container;

an RFID tag reader/writer for writing part of the recording information recorded on the recording medium to said RFID tag; and

a controller for controlling said sensor, said printer, and said RFID tag reader/writer,

wherein, when said sensor detects the presence of said RFID tag after said RFID tag reader/writer has written the part of the information to said RFID tag, said controller authorizes said printer to record the recording data including the data written to said RFID tag.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller authorizes said RFID tag reader/writer to write to a subsequent RFID tag part of recording information recorded on a subsequent recording medium, when said printer completes recording on the recording medium and then said sensor detects an absence of said RFID tag or said container carrying said RFID tag.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is a weight sensor.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is an optical sensor.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said printer records on the recording medium a bar-code that contains, either in part or in full, information that has been written to said RFID tag.

6. A label and RFID tag issuing apparatus, comprising:

detecting means for detecting presence of a container by reading data written to an RFID tag attached to said container;

a printer for recording information on a recording medium to be affixed to the container;

an RFID tag reader/writer for writing to said RFID tag part of the information recorded on said recording medium; and

a controller for controlling said detecting means, said printer, and said RFID tag reader/writer,

wherein, said controller authorizes said printer to record the recording information including the information written to said RFID tag, provided that said detecting means detects the presence of said RFID tag after said RFID tag reader/writer has written the part of the information to said RFID tag.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said printer records on the recording medium a bar-code that contains, either in part or in full, information that has been written to the RFID tag.

8. A label and RFID tag issuing apparatus, comprising:

a sensor for detecting presence of an RFID tag attached to a container or a container carrying an RFID tag;

a printer for recording information that corresponds to a bar-code on a recording medium affixed to the container;

a bar-code reader for reading the bar-code recorded on the recording medium;

an RFID tag reader/writer for writing information corresponding to the bar-code to the RFID tag; and

a controller for controlling said sensor, said printer, said bar-code reader, and said RFID tag reader/writer,

wherein, said controller authorizes said RFID tag reader/writer to write the information corresponding to the bar-code to said RFID tag, if the information corresponding to the bar-code for recording by the printer conforms to the information corresponding to the bar-code read by the bar-code reader and if said sensor detects the presence of said RFID tag.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said controller authorizes said printer to record subsequent data on a subsequent recording paper affixed to a subsequent container, if said RFID tag reader/writer completes writing to the RFID tag the first data and said sensor detects absence of the RFID tag.