Method for recycling identification codes

• US 20060032917A1
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Swisscom AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom Mobile AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Ritter, Rudolf
• Application Number:
  US11/203,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20060032917A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• 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

Abstract

Method for recycling one-time codes for individually marking individual products (11-15), the codes being each stored in a RFID tag (91-95) or encoded in the form of a bar code, including the following steps:

• • determining that a one-time code individually marking a product (11-15) that no longer needs to be traced is available, offering said code for individually marking another product. With this method, one-time codes can be recycled independently from their carriers such as for example RFID tags or bar codes and sold to buyers interested in new codes.

Claims

1. Method for recycling one-time codes for individually marking individual products, the codes being each stored in a RFID tag or encoded in the form of a bar code, including the following steps:

determining in a data processing system on the basis of data from a code reader and/or on the basis of a time span that a one-time code individually marking a product that no longer needs to be traced is available again,

offering said newly available code for individually marking another product.

2. Method according to the preceding claim, said step of determining including the reading of said newly available code from a RFID tag or from a bar code.

3. Method according to claim 1, with the following additional step:

destroying said RFID tag or said bar code.

4. Method according to claim 3, with the following additional step:

recording in said RFID tag the recycling of said newly available code.

5. Method according to claim 4, said reading being performed at a collection point for recycling said product or a part of said product.

6. Method according to claim 5, said reading being performed with a mobile device having a RFID reader or a bar code reader and an interface to a telecommunication network.

7. Method according to claim 1, said step of determining being decided after a certain time after production, distribution and/or end sale of said product.

8. Method according to claim 1, a deposit refund for the recycling of said code and/or of said product being credited to a user.

9. Method according to claim 1, costs for recycling said product being billed to a user or to a producer of said product.

10. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code including a data set for identifying a producer of said product.

11. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code being first offered to said producer.

12. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code being offered by said producer to another buyer.

13. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code being sold.

14. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code being sold at an auction.

15. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code being sold electronically.

16. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code being via Internet.

17. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code being offered together with other codes that have a common data set with said newly available code.

18. Method according to claim 1, with the following additional step:

archiving data about said product in a tracing system.

19. Method according to claim 18, with the following additional step:

recording the recycling of said code in said data.

20. Method according to claim 1, said newly available code being an EPC code.

21. Method according to claim 20, with the following additional step:

modifying in an ONS server the correlation of at least one PML page allocated to said newly available code.

22. Method according to claim 20 or 21, with the following additional step:

modifying a PML page containing data over said product that is no longer to be traced.

23. Method according to one of the claims 20 to 22, with the following additional step:

allocating in an ONS server a new PML page with said newly available code.