ID system and method or writing data in an ID system

• US 4,827,115 A
• Filed: 03/08/1988
• Issued: 05/02/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omron Tateisi Electronics Co. (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Tateisi Electronics Co. (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujisaka, Hisato, Uchida, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US07/164,932
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer

Abstract

An ID system includes a data carrier attached to an article to be identified, and an ID controller capable of communicating with the data carrier. The data carrier is provided with first and second data buffers in addition to a readable/writable memory. Data to be written in the memory is temporarily written in the first data buffer. Old data at a location of the memory in which the aforementioned data is to be written is read out of the memory and temporarily stored in the second data buffer. Thereafter, the data in the first data buffer is written in the memory. In order to check whether the data has been written in the memory correctly, the written data is read out of the memory. In the event that a write error is detected in the checking operation, the old data of memory will have been preserved in the second data buffer, thereby enabling recovery of the old data.

Claims

1. A method of writing data in an ID system comprising a first device which has an electrically readable/writable memory for holding data and which is attached to an article to be identified, and a second device capable of contactless communication with said first device, wherein said first device is provided with first and second temporary storage means in addition to said electrically readable/writable memory, the method comprising the following steps performed in said first device:

receiving a write command and write data from said second device and, in response thereto, storing the received write data in said first temporary storage means;

reading data out of said memory from a location thereof in which the write data is to be written and storing this read data in said second temporary storage means; and

thereafter writing the write data stored in said first temporary storage means in said location of said memory; and

the following steps performed in said second device;

sending a read command to said first device after sending the write command, thereby causing the data written in said memory by the write processing to be read out;

receiving this read data;

comparing this received data with write data preserved in said second device;

outputting a normal write response if the two items of compared data agree;

causing said first device to send the data stored in said second temporary storage means thereof to said second device if the two items of compared data fail to agree; and

outputting the data of said second temporary storage means together with a response indicating non-agreement of the compared data.

2. An ID system which comprises:

a data carrier attached to an article to be identified; and

an ID controller capable of communicating with said data carrier;

said data carrier comprising;

a data readable/writable memory;

first and second temporary storage means;

means responsive to a write command from said ID controller for storing write data received together with the write command in said first temporary storage means, reading old data out of said memory from a location thereof in which the write data is to be written and storing this old data in said second temporary storage means, and storing the stored data of said first temporary storage means in said location of said memory;

means responsive to a first read command from said ID controller for reading the data written in said memory by the above processing out of said memory and sending the data to said ID controller; and

means responsive to a second read command from said ID controller for reading out the old data stored in said second storage means and sending the old data to said ID controller; and

said ID controller comprises;

means for comparing said data sent from the data carrier responsive to the first read command with the write data held in said ID controller; and

means for sending the second read command to said data carrier if the comparison indicates that the two compared items of data fail to agree.

3. A data carrier attached to an article to be identified and capable of communicating with an ID controller, which comprises:

a data readable/writable memory;

first and second temporary storage means;

means responsive to a write command from said ID controller for storing write data received together with the write command in said first temporary storage means, reading old data out of said memory from a location thereof in which the write data is to be written and storing this old data in said second temporary storage means, and storing the stored data of said first temporary storage means in said location of said memory;

means responsive to a first read command from said ID controller for reading the data written in said memory by said processing out of said memory and sending the data to said ID controller; and

means responsive to a second read command from said ID controller for reading out the old data stored in said second storage means and sending the old data to said ID controller.