Commodity Incoming/Outgoing Management System

• US 20080040246A1
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukamachi, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US11/574,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040246A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1371 with data records
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

There is provided a commodity incoming/outgoing management system for managing incoming/outgoing of a commodity. The system includes: a first identifier storage device attached to a commodity and capable of storing first information; an information write unit for recording the first information in the first identifier storage device; a first information read unit for reading the first information from the first identifier storage device attached to a commodity; and a first information processing device for receiving the first information read by the first information read unit and processing the information on incoming/outgoing of the commodity to which the first identifier information storage device is attached according to the information received.

Claims

1. A commodity incoming/outgoing management system for managing an incoming and an outgoing of a commodity, comprising:

a first identifier storage device that can be attached to the commodity and can store first information;

an information write unit that records the first information to said first identifier storage device;

a third identifier storage device that stores third information which indicates a return of the commodity to which said first identifier storage device is attached;

a first information read unit that can read out the first information in said first identifier storage device which is attached to the commodity and the third information in said third identifier storage device; and

a first information processing device that can receive the information which is read out by said first information read unit and, based on the information, process information about the incoming or the outgoing of the commodity to which said first identifier storage device is attached, wherein

if said first information read unit reads out the first information of said first identifier storage device and the third information of said third identifier storage device, said first information processing device performs a return processing of the commodity to which said first identifier storage device is attached.

2. The commodity incoming/outgoing management system according to claim 1, further comprising

a second identifier storage device that can be attached to a case which houses the commodity and can store second information,

wherein:

said information write unit records the second information to said second identifier storage device;

said first information read unit can read out the second information in said second identifier storage device which is attached to the case; and

if said first information read unit reads out the first information in said first identifier storage device and the second information in said second identifier storage device said first information processing device can receive the first information and the second information, based on the information, process information about the incoming or the outgoing of the commodity to which said first identifier storage device is attached, while associating the information about the incoming or the outgoing of the commodity with information about an incoming or an outgoing of the case to which said second identifier storage device is attached.

4. The commodity incoming/outgoing management system according to claim 1, wherein

the first information includes delivery destination information about a delivery destination to which the commodity is to be delivered and commodity information which indicates a type of the commodity.

5. The commodity incoming/outgoing management system according to claim 4, wherein

the second information includes delivery destination information about a delivery destination to which the case is to be delivered.

6. The commodity incoming/outgoing management system according to claim 5, wherein

said first information processing device determines whether the delivery destination information of the first information read out by said first information read unit agrees with the delivery destination information of the second information read out by said information read unit or not.

7. The commodity incoming/outgoing management system according to claim 6, wherein

said first information processing device can store the commodity information and the delivery destination information of the commodity and determine whether the commodity information of the commodity of which delivery destination information is identical to the delivery destination information of the second information read out by said first information read unit agrees with the commodity information of the first information read out or not.

10. The commodity incoming/outgoing management system according to claim 2, wherein:

the first information includes information about a delivery destination to which the commodity is to be delivered with said first identifier storage device attached and information about delivery means which serves for delivering the commodity; and

the second information includes information about the delivery means.

11. The commodity incoming/outgoing management system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a second information processing device that is connected to said first information processing device and can access information about a commodity to be delivered and is disposed at a delivery destination of the commodity; and

a second information read unit that can read out the first information stored in said first identifier storage device and the second information stored in said second identifier storage device,

wherein

said second information processing device cross-checks the first information and the second information both of which are read out by said second information read unit with the information about a commodity to be delivered and sends a result of the cross-checking to said first information processing device.

12. The commodity incoming/outgoing management system according to claim 1, further comprising

an account adjusting unit that displays an amount of money and transacts a transfer of money which corresponds to the amount of money,

wherein:

the first information is information about a price of the commodity;

the third information is information about an amount of money to be paid back when the commodity is returned; and

said first information processing device derives the amount of money required for an account adjustment based on at least of the first information and the third information which are read out by said first information read unit.

3. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. An IC tag reader for reading out information stored in a noncontact type IC tag, comprising a portion on which the noncontact type IC tag can be mounted for the reading out information, said portion being capable of rotating in an approximate horizontal plane.

19. The IC tag reader according to claim 18, further comprising

a tunnel like structure unit which covers at least a part of said portion and through which the noncontact type IC tag can pass,

wherein:

an antenna is disposed on an inner wall surface of said tunnel like structure unit; and

a reflector that can reflects a radio wave is disposed on at least a part of the inner wall surface of said tunnel like structure unit.

20. The IC tag reader according to claim 18,

wherein

said portion can rock to slant from the approximate horizontal plane with the noncontact type IC tag mounted on said the portion.

21. The IC tag reader according to claim 18,

wherein

said portion can reciprocate vertically with the noncontact type IC tag mounted on said portion.

22. The IC tag reader according to claim 18,

wherein

said portion can measure a weight of an object mounted on said portion.

23. A noncontact type IC tag having an IC chip unit and an antenna unit, wherein:

said noncontact type IC tag is housed in a structure; and

said structure in which said noncontact type IC tag is housed has thicknesses of at least 1.5 mm from a center of said antenna unit in a direction perpendicular to a direction of a best radio wave reception performance of said antenna unit and has a thickness of at least 3 mm in the perpendicular direction.

14. The noncontact type IC tag according to claim 23, wherein

said noncontact type IC tag uses a radio wave of a 2.45 GHz frequency band in transmission and reception of information.