Data communication systems, identification tags and methods of notifying an elapsed time period

• US 7,086,588 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hoshina, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US10/996,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20050127174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/492, 235/380, 3405721-5729, 349/86
• US Class Current: 235/380
• 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 19/07703 the interface being visual
• 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

A data communication system is provided comprising: a reader/writer device; and an identification tag that is capable of data communications with the reader/writer device, wherein: the reader/writer device has a first data communication section that is capable of data communications with the identification tag; the identification tag has a second data communication section that is capable of data communications with the reader/writer device, and a display section that is capable of displaying based on data received by the second data communication section, and the display section is capable of retaining a display content for a predetermined period of time in a state in which no drive voltage is applied; and a display retaining period of the display section is variable.

Claims

1. A data communication system comprising:

a reader/writer device; and

an identification tag that communicates data with the reader/writer device, wherein;

the reader/writer device has a first data communication section that communicates data with the identification tag;

the identification tag has a second data communication section that communicates data with the reader/writer device, and a display section that displays based on data received by the second data communication section, and that retains a display content for a display retaining period after a drive voltage is applied to the display section for a drive voltage application time and while no drive voltage is applied to the display section;

the identification tag is attached to at least one of a commodity and a commodity package;

at least one of the drive voltage and the drive voltage application time are calculated based on a desired display retaining period that corresponds to a time limit of the commodity;

and

the display retaining period is controlled by the applied drive voltage and the drive voltage application time and corresponds to the desired display retaining period.

2. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein the identification tag has a control section that controls the second data communication section and the display section.

3. A data communication system according to claim 2, wherein the control section of the identification tag has an application time variable section that controls the drive voltage application time.

4. A data communication system according to claim 2, wherein the control section of the identification tag has an application voltage variable section that controls the applied drive voltage.

5. A data communication system according to claim 2, wherein

the first data communication section and the second data communication section are capable of contactless data communications;

the reader/writer device has an electromagnetic wave transmission section for electric power supply that transmits electromagnetic waves for electric power supply to the identification tags at the time of data communications by the first data communication section; and

the identification tag has an electric power generation section that generates electric power from the electromagnetic waves for electric power supply transmitted from the reader/writer device.

6. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein the reader/writer device has an application time variable section that controls the drive voltage application time.

7. A data communication system according to claim 1, wherein the reader/writer device has an application voltage variable section that controls the applied drive voltage.

8. A data communication system comprising:

a reader/writer device; and

a plurality of identification tags that communicate data with the reader/writer device, wherein;

the reader/writer device has a first data communication section that communicates data with the identification tags;

each of the identification tags has a second data communication section that communicates data with the reader/writer device, and a display section that performs a display based on data received by the second data communication section, and the display section retains a first display content for a first display retaining period after a drive voltage is applied to the display section for a first drive voltage application time and while no drive voltage is applied to the display section and a second display content for a second display retaining period after the applied drive voltage is applied to the display section for a second drive voltage application time and while no drive voltage is applied to the display section;

the identification tag is attached to at least one of a commodity and a commodity package;

the first drive voltage application time is calculated based on a first desired display retaining period that corresponds to a first time limit of the commodity;

the second drive voltage application time is calculated based on a second desired display retaining period that corresponds to a second time limit of the commodity; and

the first and second display retaining periods are controlled by the applied drive voltage and the first and second drive voltage application times.

9. An identification tag comprising:

a data communication section that communicates data with a reader/writer device;

a display section that displays based on data received by the data communication section, and that retains a display content for a display retaining period after a drive voltage is applied to the display section for a drive voltage application time and while no drive voltage is applied to the display section; and

a control section that controls the data communication section and the display section;

wherein the control section controls the applied drive voltage and the drive voltage application time to control the display retaining period of the display section;

wherein at least one of the drive voltage and the drive voltage application time are calculated based on a desired display retaining period;

and wherein the identification tag is attached to at least one of a commodity and a commodity package and the desired display retaining period corresponds to a time limit of the commodity.

10. An identification tag according to claim 9, wherein the control section has an application time variable section that controls the drive voltage application time.

11. An identification tag according to claim 9, wherein the control section has an application voltage variable section that controls the applied drive voltage.

12. An identification tag according to claim 9, wherein the data communication section is capable of contactless data communications with the reader/writer device, and has an electric power generation section that generates electric power from electromagnetic waves for electric power supply received from the reader/writer device.

13. A method for notifying an elapsed time period, comprising:

calculating at least one of a drive voltage and a drive voltage application time based on a desired display retaining period;

applying the drive voltage for the drive voltage application time to a display device that retains a display for a display retaining period after the applying and while no drive voltage is applied to the display device;

notifying an elapsed time period based on a change in a display state of the display device;

wherein the display retaining period is controlled by the applied drive voltage and the drive voltage application time and corresponds to the desired display retaining period.

14. A method for notifying an elapsed time period, comprising:

attaching an identification tag to an item, the identification tag having a display section that retains a display for a display retaining period after a drive voltage is applied to the display device for a drive voltage application time and while no drive voltage is applied to the display device,

calculating at least one of the drive voltage and the drive voltage application time based on a desired display retaining period,

notifying an expiration time of the item according to a change in a display state of the display section,

wherein the display retaining period is controlled by the applied drive voltage and the drive voltage application time to correspond to the desired display retaining period.