ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20110298593A1
• Filed: 06/03/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Makoto
• Application Number:
  US13/152,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298593A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves

Abstract

An electronic device includes a reader-writer unit configured to read from and write to an RFID tag and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control the reader-writer unit to read a tag ID or a tag data of the RFID tag and configured to prevent or warn against a multiple-writing if it is determined that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing based on the tag ID or the tag data of the RFID tag read by the reader-writer unit.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a reader-writer unit configured to read from and write to an RFID tag; and

a control unit configured to control the reader-writer unit to read a tag ID or a tag data of the RFID tag and configured to prevent or warn against a multiple-writing if it is determined that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing based on the tag ID or the tag data of the RFID tag read by the reader-writer unit.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with a host device having a database of tag IDs including the tag ID of the RFID tag to which the tag data has been previously written,

wherein the reader-writer unit is configured to read the tag ID of the RFID tag, the communication interface is configured to transmit the tag ID read by the reader-writer unit to the host device, and the control unit is further configured to prevent writing of the tag data to the RFID tag or warn against the multiple-writing if a reply from the host device, responsive to the tag ID transmitted by the communication interface, indicates that the tag data of the RFID tag has been already subjected to writing.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with a host device having a database of tag IDs including the tag data of the RFID tag to which the tag data has been previously written,

wherein the reader-writer unit is configured to read the tag data of the RFID tag, the communication interface is configured to transmit the tag data read by the reader-writer unit to the host device, and the control unit is further configured to prevent writing of the tag data to the RFID tag or warn against the multiple-writing if a reply from the host device, responsive to the tag data transmitted by the communication interface, indicates that the tag data of the RFID tag has been already subjected to writing.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the reader-writer unit is configured to write the tag data to the RFID tag and provide a warning of the multiple-writing if the reply from the host device, indicating that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing, is received.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to prevent writing of the tag data to the RFID tag if the reply from the host device indicates that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing, and configured to allow the reader-writer unit to write the tag data to the RFID tag if the reply from the host device indicates that the tag data of the RFID tag has not previously subjected to writing.

6. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the reader-writer unit is configured to write the tag data to the RFID tag and provide a warning of the multiple-writing if the reply from the host device, indicating that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing, is received.

7. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to prevent writing of the tag data to the RFID tag if the reply from the host device indicates that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing, and configured to allow the reader-writer unit to write the tag data to the RFID tag if the reply from the host device indicates that the tag data of the RFID tag has not previously subjected to writing.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store the tag ID or the tag data of the RFID tag; and

an operation panel configured to warn against the multiple-writing.

9. A method for controlling an electronic device having a reader-writer unit configured to read from and write to an RFID tag, comprising:

reading, by the reader-writer unit, a tag ID or a tag data of an RFID tag;

determining whether the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing based on the tag ID or the tag data of the RFID; and

if it is determined that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing, preventing writing of the tag data to the RFID tag or warning against a multiple-writing.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

writing the tag data to the RFID tag regardless of whether the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing; and

if it is determined that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing, providing a warning of the multiple-writing.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

before writing the tag data to the RFID tag, storing the tag data previously stored in the RFID tag to a storage unit of the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

if it is determined that the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing, preventing the tag data from being written to the RFID tag and providing a message that the tag data is not written to the RFID tag; and

if it is determined that the tag data of the RFID tag has not been previously subjected to writing, writing the tag data to the RFID tag.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing comprises:

searching a database of tag IDs in a host device for the tag ID of the RFID tag.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether the tag data of the RFID tag has been previously subjected to writing comprises:

searching a database of tag data in a host device for the tag data of the RFID tag.

15. A method for controlling an electronic device, having a reader-writer unit configured to read from and write to an RFID tag, comprising:

reading, by the reader-writer unit, a tag information from an RFID tag;

determining whether the RFID tag has been previously written based on the tag information of the RFID; and

if it is determined that the RFID tag has been previously written, providing a warning of previous writing to the RFID tag.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

if it is determined that the RFID tag has been previously written, preventing the tag information from being written to the RFID tag.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the tag information includes a tag ID and a tag data, and wherein the determination of if the RFID tag has been previously written is based on the tag data.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether the RFID tag has been previously written comprises:

providing the tag information to a host device; and

determining whether the tag information is registered in a database of the host device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining whether the RFID tag has been previously written further comprises:

if the tag information is not registered in the database of the host device, registering the tag information in the database of the host device.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

writing the tag information to the RFID tag.