Information storage device, scanner and information storage and reproducing apparatus

• US 6,105,860 A
• Filed: 12/16/1996
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Hattori, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US08/767,495
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 340/572
• US Class Current: 235/375
• 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 19/0728 the arrangement being an optical or sound-based communication interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• 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 information storage device and an information storage and reproducing apparatus for facilitating the management of information about products and users. A storage device 1 receives an electromagnetic wave through its receiving antenna 11, and produces a DC current, which powers the constituting elements in the storage device 1. A central processor unit 13 thus powered reads the information in a memory 14 and feeds it via a transmitting module 15 to a transmitting antenna 16, which in turns transmits the information on an electromagnetic wave. A scanner 2 transmits the electromagnetic wave through its transmitting module 26 and transmitting antenna 27 to energize the storage device 1, while receiving, through its receiving antenna 21 and receiving module 22, the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the storage device 1. A central processor unit 23 processes the received signal, namely the information stored in the storage device 1, and displays it on a display unit 25.

Claims

1. A product comprising:

an information storage device for reading information in a wireless manner including

a receiving antenna,

a transmitting antenna,

a rectifier circuit for generating a predetermined DC current based on the current induced in response to the electromagnetic wave at a first frequency input to the receiving antenna,

a semiconductor memory storing product information about the product operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit,

a central processor unit operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, for reading the product information stored in the semiconductor memory, and

a transmitting module operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, for feeding the product information read by the central processor unit, as a signal at a second frequency, to the transmitting antenna,

wherein the first frequency is different from the second frequency.

2. An information storage device according to claim 1 further comprising a detector circuit connected to the receiving antenna, for detecting the current induced in response to the first frequency electromagnetic wave input to the receiving antenna, whereby said central processor unit reads the information stored in the semiconductor memory according to a predetermined read command contained in the signal coming in from the detector circuit.

3. An information storage device according to claim 1 further comprising a detector circuit connected to the receiving antenna, for detecting the current induced in response to the first frequency electromagnetic wave input to the receiving antenna, whereby said central processor unit reads the information stored in the semiconductor memory according to a predetermined read command contained in the signal coming in from the detector circuit while writing, according to a predetermined write command contained in said signal, information coming in succession to the write command onto a predetermined address in the semiconductor memory.

4. An information storage device according to one of claims 1 through 3, wherein each of the constituting elements in said storage device is packaged in a ceramic mold.

8. The information storage device of claim 1, wherein said receiving antenna is separate from said transmitting antenna.

12. The product of claim 1 wherein the product information is information about the history of the product.

16. The product of claim 1, wherein the product information includes information about at least one of:

the date of manufacture of the product, the place of manufacture of the product, the production lot number of the product, the date of recycle of the product, the name of the manufacturer of the product, and the total use of the product.

20. The product of claim 1, wherein the product information is updated according to the history of the product.

5. A product comprising:

an information storage and reproducing apparatus for reading product information from a storage device in a wireless manner including

said storage device comprising;

a receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna, a rectifier circuit for generating a predetermined DC current based on the current induced in response to the electromagnetic wave at a first frequency input to the receiving antenna, a semiconductor memory storing product information about the product operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, a central processor unit operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, for reading the product information stored in the semiconductor memory, and a transmitting module operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, for feeding the product information read by the central processor unit as a signal at a second frequency to the transmitting antenna; and

a scanner comprising;

a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, a transmitting module for feeding a signal at the first frequency to the transmitting antenna, and a receiving module for extracting the product information contained in a signal at the second frequency input thereto from the receiving antenna

wherein the first frequency is different from the second frequency.

9. The information storage and reproducing device of claim 5, wherein each of said antennas are separate.

13. The product of claim 5 wherein the product information is information about the history of the product.

17. The product of claim 5, wherein the product information includes information about at least one of:

the date of manufacture of the product, the place of manufacture of the product, the production lot number of the product, the date of recycle of the product, the name of the manufacturer of the product, and the total use of the product.

21. The product of claim 5, wherein the product information is updated according to the history of the product.

6. A product comprising:

an information storage and reproducing apparatus for reading product information from a storage device in a wireless manner including

said storage device comprising;

a receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna, a detector circuit for detecting the current induced in response to an electromagnetic wave at a first frequency input to the receiving antenna, a rectifier circuit for generating a predetermined DC current based on the current induced in response to the first frequency electromagnetic wave input to the receiving antenna, a semiconductor memory storing the product information about the product operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, a central processor unit operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, for reading the product information stored in the semiconductor memory according to a predetermined read command contained in the signal coming in from the detector circuit, and a transmitting module operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, for feeding the product information read by the central processor unit as a signal at a second frequency to the transmitting antenna; and

a scanner comprising;

a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, a transmitting module for feeding said read command as a signal at the first frequency to the transmitting antenna, and a receiving module for extracting product information contained in a signal at the second frequency input thereto from the receiving antenna,

wherein the first frequency is different from the second frequency.

10. The information storage and reproducing device of claim 6, wherein each of said antennas are separate.

14. The product of claim 6 wherein the product information is information about the history of the product.

18. The product of claim 6, wherein the product information includes information about at least one of:

the date of manufacture of the product, the place of manufacture of the product, the production lot number of the product, the date of recycle of the product, the name of the manufacturer of the product, and the total use of the product.

22. The product of claim 6, wherein the product information is updated according to the history of the product.

7. A product comprising:

an information storage and reproducing apparatus for reading information from and writing information to a storage device in a wireless manner including

said storage device comprising;

a receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna, a detector circuit for detecting the current induced in response to an electromagnetic wave at a first frequency input to the receiving antenna, a rectifier circuit for generating a predetermined DC current based on the current induced in response to the first frequency electromagnetic wave input to the receiving antenna, a semiconductor memory storing the product information about the product operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, a central processor unit operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, for reading the product information stored in the semiconductor memory according to a predetermined read command contained in the signal coming in from the detector circuit, and for writing, according to a predetermined write command contained in said signal, product information coming in succession to the write command onto a predetermined address in the semiconductor memory, and a transmitting module operating from the DC current output from the rectifier circuit, for feeding the information read by the central processor unit as a signal at a second frequency to the transmitting antenna; and

a scanner comprising;

a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, a transmitting module for feeding said read command or said write command and product information as a signal at the first frequency to the transmitting antenna, and a receiving module for extracting product information contained in a signal at the second frequency input thereto from the receiving antenna,

wherein the first frequency is different from the second frequency.

11. The information storage and reproducing device of claim 7, wherein each of said antennas are separate.

15. The product of claim 7 wherein the product information is information about the history of the product.

19. The product of claim 7, wherein the product information includes information about at least one of:

the date of manufacture of the product, the place of manufacture of the product, the production lot number of the product, the date of recycle of the product, the name of the manufacturer of the product, and the total use of the product.

23. The product of claim 7, wherein the product information is updated according to the history of the product.

24. A method of keeping data regarding a product including a storage device, comprising:

(a) irradiating the storage device with a first signal at a first frequency;

(b) energizing the storage device with the first signal;

(c) outputting product information from a memory of the storage device;

(d) outputting a second signal at a second frequency from the storage device in response to the product information output in step (c); and

(e) receiving the second signal output in step (d) to obtain product information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein step (c) includes outputting product information about the history of the product.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein step (c) includes outputting product information including at least one of:

the date of manufacture of the product, the place of manufacture of the product, the production lot number of the product, the date of recycle of the product, the name of the manufacturer of the product, and the total use of the product.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein step (a) includes irradiating the storage device with a first signal including new product information, and the method further comprises writing the new product information into the memory of the storage device.