Information processing system using IC tags

• US 20060087434A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kashiwase, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 7,336,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236

Abstract

There is disclosed an information processing system having plural IC tags (e.g. RFID tags), each of which transmits back a signal in response to an interrogatory signal sent from a cell phone acting as an interrogator. The information processing system includes the RFID tags and the cell phone. The cell phone transmits an interrogatory signal to the tags to read information from the tags. Each tag receiving the interrogatory signal transmits positional information stored in the tag to the cell phone in response to the interrogatory signal. The cell phone transmits a specific interrogatory signal including at least one of the transmitted sets of positional information. Each tag receiving the specific interrogatory signal makes a decision as to whether the positional information contained in the specific interrogatory signal matches the positional information stored in the tag itself. According to the specific interrogatory signal and the result of the decision, information contained in at least one of plural storage regions is transmitted to the interrogator.

Claims

1. An information processing system having plural IC tags and at least one interrogator;

wherein said interrogator has an interrogatory signal transmitter for transmitting an interrogatory signal to the IC tags to read information from each of the IC tags and

a specific interrogatory signal transmitter for transmitting a specific interrogatory signal in response to each set of positional information transmitted respectively from each IC tags, the specific interrogatory signal contains at least one of the sets of positional information;

wherein each of said IC tags has

a positional information storage for storing positional information about a position at which the IC tag is attached,

a positional information transmitter for transmitting the positional information stored in said positional information storage to said interrogator in response to the interrogatory signal sent from the interrogator,

a decision section for making a decision as to whether the positional information contained in said specific interrogatory signal matches the positional information stored in said positional information storage,

an information storage for storing plural sets of information in plural storage regions, respectively,

a region selecter for selecting at least one from said plural storage regions in response to the specific interrogatory signal sent from said interrogator,

and an information transmitter for transmitting information contained in the storage region selected by said region selecter to said interrogator in a case where a decision made by said decision section indicates a match.

2. An information processing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the specific interrogatory signal sent from said interrogator has sets of given identification information,

wherein said information storage stores said information of each set given identification information in their respective storage regions, and

wherein said region selecter selects one of said storage regions which corresponds to the identification information contained in the specific interrogatory signal sent from said interrogator.

3. An information processing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein each of said IC tags further includes a random number generating section for generating random numbers, and

said positional information transmitter determines a time at which said positional information is transmitted, according to said random numbers.

4. An interrogator having a specific interrogatory signal transmitter for transmitting a specific interrogatory signal including at least one set of positional information of plural sets of positional information contained in sets of information respectively transmitted from plural IC tags attached to a given page of a book according to positional information which indicates the given page and which is contained in said transmitted information,

wherein when said sets of positional information respectively transmitted from the IC tags given positional information indicating that the page is the first page of the book, said specific interrogatory signal transmitter transmits the specific interrogatory signal including positional information indicating a highest page number out of page numbers indicated by the transmitted sets of positional information, and

wherein when said sets of positional information respectively transmitted from the IC tags contain positional information indicating that the page is the last page of the book, the signal transmitter transmits the specific interrogatory signal containing positional information indicating a lowest page number of the page numbers indicated by the transmitted sets of positional information.

5. An interrogator as set forth in claim 4, further including:

a key entry acceptance section for accepting entry of plural keys;

a key code assignment section for assigning key codes to the keys, respectively; and

a key entry control section included in said key entry acceptance section;

wherein when information transmitted from said IC tags contains key operation information containing said key codes, the key entry control section performs key entry according to the key codes contained in the key operation information.

6. A method of reading IC tags in an information processing system including the plural IC tags and at least one interrogator, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting an interrogatory signal from said interrogator to each of the IC tags to read information from each of the IC tags; and

transmitting from said interrogator a specific interrogatory signal in response to each set of positional information transmitted respectively from each IC tag, the specific interrogatory signal containing at least one of the sets of positional information;

wherein each of said IC tags performs a method comprising the steps of;

transmitting positional information about a position at which this IC tag is attached to the interrogator in response to the interrogatory signal sent from the interrogator;

making a decision as to whether the positional information contained in said specific interrogatory signal matches the above-described positional information about a position at which this IC tag is attached;

selecting at least one storage region according to the specific interrogatory signal sent from the interrogator; and

transmitting the information stored in the storage region

selected in the step of selecting at least one storage region to the interrogator in a case there the decision indicates a match.