Information providing system and image forming apparatus

• US 20060214775A1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masao, Kusano, Nobumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,920,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.410
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs

Abstract

The present invention provides information providing system including: a wireless sheet attached to an article; and an information notifying apparatus which notifies information on the article in response to a radio signal sent from the wireless sheet, wherein, the wireless sheet includes a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving a radio signal, generates and sends a radio signal having identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet, and the information notifying apparatus includes: a transmitter/receiver which exchanges radio signals with the wireless sheet; a storage unit which stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other; and a notifying unit which extracts from the received radio signal, the identification data and the physical quantity data, and reads the article information stored in association with the identification data in the storage unit, and notifies the article information and the physical quantity data.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a wireless sheet attached to an article; and

an information notifying apparatus which notifies information on the article in response to a radio signal sent from the wireless sheet, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving a radio signal, generates and sends a radio signal by using the received radio signal as an energy source, the sent radio signal having identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet, and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a transmitter/receiver which exchanges radio signals with the wireless sheet;

a storage unit which stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other; and

a notifying unit which extracts from a radio signal received by the transmitter/receiver the identification data and the physical quantity data, and reads the article information stored in association with the identification data in the storage unit, and notifies the article information and the physical quantity data.

5. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet is any one of pressure, temperature, light, and acceleration.

6. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless measuring unit comprises:

an exciter which receives a radio signal and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on which a surface acoustic wave is generated by a mechanical vibration that is generated by the exciter, and on which an attribute of the surface acoustic wave changes in response to physical quantity; and

a transmitter which converts a surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends it as a radio signal.

7. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the information notifying apparatus further comprises a distance calculation unit which calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of the received radio signal.

2. An information providing system comprising:

a wireless sheet attached to an article;

an information notifying apparatus which notifies information on the article in response to a radio signal sent from the wireless sheet; and

a database connected to the information notifying apparatus via a network, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving a radio signal, generates and sends a radio signal by using the received radio signal as an energy source, the sent radio signal having identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet,

the database stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other, and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a transmitter/receiver which exchanges radio signals with the wireless sheet; and

a notifying unit which extracts from a radio signal received by the transmitter/receiver the identification data and the physical quantity data, and reads from the database the article information stored in association with the identification data, and notifies the article information and the physical quantity data.

3. An information providing system comprising:

a wireless sheet attached to an article; and

an information notifying apparatus which notifies information on the article in response to a radio signal sent from the wireless sheet, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises;

an identification data transmitter which, when receiving a first radio signal, sends a radio signal having identification data of the wireless sheet or the article; and

a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving a second radio signal, generates and sends a radio signal by using the second radio signal as an energy source, the sent radio signal having identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet, and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a transmitter/receiver which exchanges radio signals with the wireless sheet;

a storage unit which stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other; and

a notifying unit which extracts from a radio signal received by the transmitter/receiver the identification data and the physical quantity data, and reads the article information stored in association with the identification data in the storage unit, and notifies the article information and the physical quantity data.

4. An information providing system comprising:

a wireless sheet attached to an article;

an information notifying apparatus which notifies information on the article in response to a radio signal sent from the wireless sheet; and

a database connected to the information notifying apparatus via a network, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises;

an identification data transmitter which, when receiving a first radio signal, sends a radio signal having identification data of the wireless sheet or the article; and

a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving a second radio signal, generates and sends a radio signal by using the second radio signal as an energy source, the sent radio signal having identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet,

the database stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other, and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a transmitter/receiver which exchanges radio signals with the wireless sheet; and

a notifying unit which extracts from a radio signal received by the transmitter/receiver the identification data and the physical quantity data, and reads from the database the article information stored in association with the identification data, and notifies the article information and the physical quantity data.

8. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit which generates a toner image on the basis of image data, transfers and fixes the toner image on a sheet, and thereby forms an image on the sheet; and

an information providing system, wherein

the information providing system comprises;

a wireless sheet attached to a component of the image forming apparatus; and

an information notifying apparatus which notifies information on the component in response to a radio signal sent from the wireless sheet, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving a radio signal, generates and sends a radio signal by using the received radio signal as an energy source, the sent radio signal having identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet, and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a transmitter/receiver which exchanges radio signals with the wireless sheet;

a storage unit which stores the identification data and the component information in association with each other; and

a notifying unit which extracts from a radio signal received by the transmitter/receiver the identification data and the physical quantity data, and reads the article information stored in association with the identification data in the storage unit, and notifies the component information and the physical quantity data.