MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

• US 20180068140A1
• Filed: 09/06/2017
• Published: 03/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: AOKI, Kentaro, TADOKORO, Akinori
• Granted Patent: US 10,146,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes

Abstract

A management system includes: a reader that reads item information related to a target item from the target item; an identifier that identifies an authorized storage location where the target item is required to be stored, on the basis of the item information read by the reader; an acquisitor that acquires a reading location where the item information has been read; and a determiner that compares the authorized storage location with the reading location and determines whether or not the target item is stored in the authorized storage location.

Claims

1. A management system comprising:

a reader that reads item information related to a target item from the target item;

an identifier that identifies an authorized storage location where the target item is required to be stored, on the basis of the item information read by the reader;

an acquisitor that acquires a reading location where the item information has been read; and

a determiner that compares the authorized storage location with the reading location and determines whether or not the target item is stored in the authorized storage location.

2. The management system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage that stores a database specifying item storage locations according to item identification information, wherein

the item information includes identification information of the target item, and

the identifier identifies a storage location corresponding to the identification information of the target item as the authorized storage location among the storage locations specified in the database.

3. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the item information includes location information indicating the authorized storage location.

4. The management system according to claim 1, further comprising a notifier that notifies a communication terminal of a determination result of the determiner.

5. The management system according to claim 4, wherein the notifier transmits the determination result to a plurality of different communication terminals.

6. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the determiner

calculates a distance between the authorized storage location and the reading location,

determines that the target item is stored in the authorized storage location upon the distance being within a predetermined threshold, and

determines that the target item is not stored in the authorized storage location upon the distance exceeding the predetermined threshold.

7. A management apparatus comprising:

a reader that reads item information related to a target item from the target item;

an identifier that identifies an authorized storage location where the target item is required to be stored, on the basis of the item information read by the reader;

an acquisitor that acquires a reading location where the item information has been read; and

a determiner that compares the authorized storage location with the reading location and determines whether or not the target item is stored in the authorized storage location.

8. A management method comprising:

reading item information related to a target item from the target item;

identifying an authorized storage location where the target item is required to be stored, on the basis of the read item information;

acquiring a reading location where the item information has been read; and

comparing the authorized storage location with the reading location and determining whether or not the target item is stored in the authorized storage location.

9. A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable item management program, the program causing a computer to perform:

reading item information related to a target item from the target item;

identifying an authorized storage location where the target item is required to be stored, on the basis of the read item information;

acquiring a reading location where the item information has been read; and

comparing the authorized storage location with the reading location and determining whether or not the target item is stored in the authorized storage location.

10. A management system comprising:

a camera that shoots a code where item information related to a target item has been encoded;

a reader that detects the code from an input image obtained by shooting the code, and read the item information from the code;

a camera controller that acquires an item image representing the target item from the camera after the code is detected; and

a storage that stores the item image acquired by the camera controller, associating the item image with the item information.

11. The management system according to claim 10, wherein the camera controller detects the target item from input images sequentially obtained from the camera after the code is detected, and acquires the input image where the target item has been detected, as the item image.

12. The management system according to claim 11, wherein the camera controller executes at least one of a process of interrupting shooting with the camera and a process of outputting a warning indicating that it failed to detect the target item, upon not detecting the target item in predetermined time after the detection of the code.

13. The management system according to claim 12, wherein

the item image includes a still image and a moving image, and

the camera controller

causes the camera to start shooting to acquire the moving image, on the basis of the detection of the code, and

causes the camera to execute a shooting process to acquire the still image, on the basis of the detection of the target item, after the detection of the code.

14. The management system according to claim 10, wherein

a shooting mode of the camera includes a first shooting mode and a second shooting mode having a wider shooting field of view than the first shooting mode, and

the camera controller switches the shooting mode of the camera from the first shooting mode to the second shooting mode, on the basis of the detection of the code.

15. The management system according to claim 10, further comprising a communicator that communicates with a first communication terminal and a second communication terminal having a larger storage capacity than the first communication terminal, wherein

the communicator

transmits the item information to the first communication terminal, and

transmits the item image to the second communication terminal.

16. The management system according to claim 15, further comprising a comparator that compares a reference image obtained by shooting the target item in advance with the item image, wherein the communicator further transmits a result of the comparison between the reference image and the item image of the comparator to the second communication terminal.

17. The management system according to claim 16, wherein the communicator transmits a warning indicating that the item image is different from the reference image, as the comparison result, to the second communication terminal upon the comparison result indicating that the item image is different from the reference image.

18. A management apparatus comprising:

a camera that shoots a code Where item information related to a target item has been encoded;

a reader that detects the code from an input image obtained by shooting the code, and read the item information from the code;

a camera controller that acquires an item image representing the target item from the camera after the code is detected; and

a storage that stores the item image acquired by the camera controller, associating the item image with the item information.

19. A management method comprising:

shooting, with a camera, a code where item information related to a target item has been encoded;

detecting the code from an input image obtained by shooting the code, and reading the item information from the code;

acquiring an item image representing the target item from the camera after the code is detected; and

storing the item image acquired in the acquisition step in a storage, associating the item image with the item information.

20. A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable item management program, the program causing a computer to perform:

shooting, with a camera, a code Where item information related to a target item has been encoded;

detecting the code from an input image obtained by shooting the code, and reading the item information from the code;

acquiring an item image representing the target item from the camera after the code is detected; and

storing the item image acquired in the acquisition step in a storage, associating the item image with the item information.