Distribution management system

• US 7,046,148 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Miyazawa, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US10/870,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20050140509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/571, 235/384, 235/385
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

Electronic tags are directly attached to commodities to be transported one by one. Gate terminals are installed on buildings or sites of traders long a distribution channel of the commodities. The electronic tag detects the commodity temperature and records it at intervals. When the commodity passes near the gate terminal, the information of the commodity temperature is transmitted to the gate terminal through the wireless communication. If the received information shows failure of the temperature control, the gate terminal output a warning.

Claims

1. A distribution management system comprising:

a great number of electronic tags that are directly attached to commodities to be transported, one by one; and

a great number of gate terminals located on distribution channels of said commodities,

wherein each of said electronic tags includes,

a recording portion that stores information,

a transmitting portion that transmits information to said gate terminals;

a commodity temperature detecting portion that detects temperature of the commodity to which the electronic tag is attached;

a record controlling portion that records information created based on the commodity temperature detected by said commodity temperature detecting portion into said recording portion at the predetermined time intervals, and

a transmission controlling portion that makes said transmitting portion transmit the information stored in said recording portion to said gate terminals,

wherein each of said gate terminals includes,

a receiving portion that receives the information from said electronic tags,

a determining portion that determines whether a warning should be output or not based on the received information from said electronic tags, and

a warning portion that outputs the warning when said determining portion determines that the warning should be output.

2. The distribution management system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage device that is connected with said gate terminals through a network, said storage device including a receiving portion that receives the information from said respective gate terminals and a recording portion that stores the information received by said receiving portion of said storage device,

wherein each of said gate terminals further includes a transmitting portion that transmits information to said storage device, and a transmission controlling portion that makes said transmitting portion of said gate terminal transmit the received information to said storage device when said receiving portion of said gate terminal receives the information from said electronic tags.

3. The distribution management system according to claim 1, wherein said record controlling portion records the commodity temperature information detected by said commodity temperature detecting portion at the predetermined time interval to said recording portion of said electronic tag, and records deterioration information to said recording portion of said electronic tag when the commodity temperature information recorded in said recording portion of said electronic tag does not satisfy a predetermined requirement, said deterioration information showing that the commodity temperature information does not satisfy said requirement,

wherein said transmission controlling portion of each of said electronic tags makes said transmitting portion of said electronic tag transmit said deterioration information recorded in said recording portion of said electronic tag to said gate terminals, and

wherein said determining portion of each of said gate terminals determines whether a warning should be output or not based on said deterioration information received by said receiving portion of said gate terminal from said electronic tag.

4. The distribution management system according to claim 2, wherein said record controlling portion of each of said electronic tags records the commodity temperature information detected by said commodity temperature detecting portion at the predetermined time interval to said recording portion of said electronic tag,

wherein said transmission controlling portion of each of said electronic tags makes said transmitting portion of said electronic tag transmit the commodity temperature information recorded in said recording portion of said electronic tag to said gate terminals,

wherein said storage device further includes a transmitting portion that determines whether the commodity information at the predetermined time intervals for each of said electronic tag recorded in said recording portion of said storage device satisfies a predetermined requirement or not and that transmits the result information of the determination to said gate terminal,

wherein each of said gate terminals further includes a receiving portion that receives said information of the result from said storage device, and

wherein said determining portion of each of said gate terminals determines whether a warning should be output or not based on the information of the result received by said receiving portion of said gate terminal from said storage device.

5. The distribution management system according to claim 1, wherein each of said electronic tags further includes a receiving portion that receives information sending instruction from any one of said gate terminals,

wherein said transmission controlling portion of said electronic tag makes said transmitting portion transmit the information recorded in said recording portion of said electronic tag to said gate terminals, and

wherein each of said gate terminals further includes an instructing portion that periodically instructs said each of said electronic tags to transmit the information to itself.