RFID tag information communicating apparatus

• US 20080124162A1
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Koshiro, Wanibe, Hisayoshi, Kato, Shigeki, Yasui, Kunihiro, Yamada, Shiro, Shibata, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/08 Feeding or discharging cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/087 flux-sensitive, e.g. magnetic, detectors G06K7/10336 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22

Abstract

An RFID tag information communicating apparatus includes a feeding roller driving shaft that is provided within a housing constituting a shell of an apparatus main body and feeds a base tape, and an antenna for label production and an antenna for information transmission and reception, which are capable of transmitting and receiving information with an RFID circuit element for label production included in a base tape and an RFID circuit element for information transmission and reception located outside the housing. Each of the RFID circuit elements has an IC circuit part that stores information and an antenna that transmits and receives information. The apparatus is configured capable of performing both of the information reading and information writing with the RFID circuit element for label production and the RFID circuit element for information transmission and reception via the antennas.

Claims

1. An RFID tag information communicating apparatus, comprising:

a feeding device disposed in a housing constituting a shell of an apparatus main body that feeds a label medium including a tag medium;

an apparatus antenna device that is capable of transmitting/receiving information with a first RFID circuit element provided at said tag medium and a second RFID circuit element located outside said housing, each of said RFID circuit elements being provided with an IC circuit part storing information and a tag antenna transmitting and receiving information; and

a read/write control portion that is capable of performing both of information reading and information writing with said first RFID circuit element as well as performing both of information reading and information writing with said second RFID circuit element via said apparatus antenna device.

2. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an energization mode switching portion that is capable of switching between an energization processing mode for starting energization for performing information reading or information writing with said second RFID circuit element and an energization stop mode for stopping the energization for performing the information reading or the information writing with said second RFID circuit element.

3. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 2 wherein:

said energization stop mode includes a label producing process mode for starting energization in response to an input of an instruction signal to perform tag label producing process by using said tag medium including said first RFID circuit element;

said energization mode switching portion is capable of switching between said energization processing mode and said label producing process mode.

4. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 2 wherein:

said energization mode switching portion includes a proximity detecting device that detects contactlessly proximity of said second RFID circuit element when performing the information reading or information writing with said second RFID circuit element.

5. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 4 wherein:

said proximity detecting device is a first optical detecting device that optically detects the proximity of said second RFID circuit element when performing the information reading or information writing with said second RFID circuit element.

6. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 5 wherein:

said energization mode switching portion includes a second optical detecting device provided at said apparatus main body separately from said first optical detecting device and switches between said energization processing mode and said energization stop mode depending on detection results of said first and second optical detecting device.

7. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said read/write control portion performs both of the information reading and information writing with said second RFID circuit element.

8. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said read/write control portion performs only the information reading with said second RFID circuit element.

9. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a communication mode switching portion that is capable of switching between a read and write mode in which said read/write control portion performs both of the information reading and information writing with said second RFID circuit element and a read mode in which said read/write control portion performs only the information reading with said second RFID circuit element.

10. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 2 wherein:

said energization mode switching portion is configured capable of performing mode switching according to a position change of the entire or a part of said apparatus main body.

11. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 10 wherein:

said energization mode switching portion includes a switch being switchable according to the position change of the entire or a part of said apparatus main body.

12. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 11 wherein:

said apparatus antenna device includes an antenna for label production that performs information transmitting and receiving with said first RFID circuit element and an antenna for external communication that performs information transmitting and receiving with said second RFID circuit element.

13. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

said communication mode switching portion switches to said read and write mode when said apparatus main body is placed in a position that said antenna for external communication is located on the top face side of said housing.

14. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

said communication mode switching portion switches to said read mode when said apparatus main body is placed in a position that said antenna for external communication is located on the side face side of said housing.

15. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

said housing includes a protrusion formed so as to protrude from the surrounding portion thereof and said antenna for external communication is provided at said protrusion.

16. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a shock absorber for protecting said antenna for external communication.

17. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

said housing includes a turning part capable of turning to open/close, and said antenna for external communication is provided at said turning part.

18. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

said housing includes an indication part for indicating installation location of said antenna for external communication.

19. An RFID tag information communicating apparatus, comprising:

a feeding device disposed in a housing constituting a shell of an apparatus main body that feeds a label medium including a tag medium;

an apparatus antenna device that is capable of transmitting/receiving information with a first RFID circuit element provided at said tag medium and a second RFID circuit element located outside said housing, each of said RFID circuit elements being provided with an IC circuit part storing information and a tag antenna transmitting and receiving information; and

a read/write controller that is capable of performing both of information reading and information writing with said first RFID circuit element as well as performing both of information reading and information writing with said second RFID circuit element via said apparatus antenna device.

20. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

said read/write controller performs both of the information reading and information writing with said second RFID circuit element.

21. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

said read/write controller performs only the information reading with said second RFID circuit element.

22. The RFID tag information communicating apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

said RFID tag information communicating apparatus is configured capable of switching between a read and write mode in which said read/write controller performs both of the information reading and information writing with said second RFID circuit element and a read mode in which said read/write controller performs only the information reading with said second RFID circuit element.