Tag reading apparatus

• US 20070095911A1
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yasuo, Sano, Kouichi, Shimura, Takahiro, Kiji, Yasuhito, Murofushi, Nobuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,690,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers

Abstract

There are provided a barcode reader for reading an article code in a barcode form from an article tag, and an RFID tag reader for reading a shelf code from a shelf tag in a non-contact wireless manner. The article code read by the barcode reader is stored in an article code memory, and the shelf code read by the RFID tag reader is stored in a shelf code memory. There are also provided an information processing unit, a control unit and a transmission unit. The information processing unit is controlled by the control unit to process the article code and the shelf code as one set of information for article management. Then, the transmission unit transmits the processed information to a personal computer.

Claims

1. A reading apparatus comprising:

a first reader reading article information regarding an article;

a second reader reading position information regarding a position; and

a controller which associates the article information read by the first reader with the position information read by the second reader to process article information and position information as one set of information.

2. The reading apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller activates only one of the first reader and the second reader, and deactivates the activated one reader after this reader has read target information, and then activates only the other reader after the one reader has been deactivated.

3. The reading apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller processes the article information and the position information as the set information in such a relation that one of the article information and the position information is one in number and the other is multiple in number.

4. The reading apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein reading type of the first reader is different from reading type of the second reader.

5. The reading apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein one reader chosen from a group consist of the first reader and the second reader is a barcode reader, and the other is an RFID tag reader.

6. The reading apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the types of both the first reader and the second reader are wireless tag readers.

7. The reading apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein response frequency of the first reader is different in response frequency of the second reader.

8. The reading apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the response frequency of the first reader is higher than the response frequency of the second reader.

9. The reading apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first reader and the second reader comprise a common reader.

10. The reading apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a common memory which stores information read by the common reader,

wherein the controller recognizes an identifier attached to the article information and an identifier attached to the position information.

11. A reading apparatus comprising:

a first reader reading article information associated with an article and stored in an article tag;

a second reader reading position information associated with a position and stored in a position tag; and

a controller which associates the article information read by the first reader with the position information read by the second reader to process article information and position information as one set of information.

12. The reading apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein both the first reader and the second reader are wireless tag readers, and response frequency of the first reader is different in response frequency of the second reader.

13. The reading apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the first reader and the second reader comprise a common reader.

14. The reading apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a common memory which stores information read by the common reader,

wherein the controller recognizes an identifier attached to the article information and an identifier attached to the position information.

15. A reading apparatus comprising:

first reading means for reading article information regarding an article;

second reading means for reading position information regarding a position; and

first control means for associating the article information read by the first reading means with the position information read by the second reading means to process them as one set of information.

16. The reading apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

second control means for activating one of the first reading means and the second reading means, and deactivating the activated one reading means after this reading means has read target information, and then activates the other reading means after the one reading means has been deactivated.

17. The reading apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein both the first reading means and the second reading means are wireless tag reading means.

18. The reading apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein response frequency of the first reading means is different in response frequency of the second reading means.

19. The reading apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the first reading means and the second reading means comprise common reading means.

20. The reading apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:

common storage means for storing information read by the common reading means; and

third control means for recognizing an identifier attached to the article information and an identifier attached to the position information.