Installation providing data concerning an object

• US 7,167,700 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2001
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L'Air Liquide SA
• Original Assignee: L'Air Liquide SA
• Inventors: Brugerolle, Jean-Renaud, Ferenczi, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doan; Phuoc
• Application Number:
  US10/343,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20040050940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/410, 455/414, 709/228, 235/462.01
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L

Abstract

An installation to provide data concerning an object. An electronic label, which includes data storage, is fixed on the object. The installation is capable of reading least part of the data stored by the label and is also capable of accessing a database which contains data concerning the object. The database is associated with an address in that database locating information is stored in the electronic label. The database is accessed on the basis of this locating data, which may be read by a reader. The installation may be used for marking and tracing gas packages.

Claims

1. An installation providing information concerning a gas package (4), comprising an electronic label (2) fixed on this gas package (4) and which includes means of storage of information (6), the installation also comprising means of reading (18, 20, 22) of at least part of the information stored in the electronic label (2) and means of access (26, 32, 38) to at least one database (12₀, . . . , 12_n−

1, 12_n+1, . . . , 12_n+p) containing complementary information concerning this gas package (4), wherein the database (12₀, . . . , 12<sub>n−

1</sub>, 12_n+1, . . . , 12_n+p) is associated with an address, in that database locating information (10₀, . . . , 10_n) is stored in the electronic label (2), and wherein the database (12₀, . . . , 12<sub>n−

1</sub>, 12_n+1, . . . , 12_n+p) is a local database, situated on the site to which the gas package (4) is affiliated, and wherein data for identifying the gas package (4) which are associated with the locating information (10₀, . . . , 10_n), are stored in the electronic label (2), and in that the means of access (26, 32, 38) are adapted for access to the database as a function of the locating information (10₀, . . . , 10_n) and of the identifying data.

2. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the locating information (10₀, . . . , 10_n−

1) comprises the address associated with the corresponding database.

3. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means of access (26, 32, 38) are adapted for access to the database (12₀, . . . , 12_n−

1, 12_n+1, . . . , 12_n+p) through an information transmission network (14, 16), and in that the address associated with the database includes its universal address on this network.

4. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means of access (26, 32, 38) are adapted for access to the database (12₀, . . . , 12_n−

1, 12_n+1, . . . , 12_n+p) through an information transmission network (14, 16), and in that the address associated with the database includes its universal address on this network.

5. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 3, wherein the information transmission network (14, 16) comprises at least one of the elements from among a network of Intranet type, a network of Extranet type, a network of Internet type, a switched telephone network and a wireless telecommunication network.

6. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 4, wherein the information transmission network (14, 16) comprises at least one of the elements from among a network of Intranet type, a network of Extranet type, a network of Internet type, a switched telephone network and a wireless telecommunication network.

7. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means of access to the database comprise a wireless telecommunication device (38) and in that the means of reading (22) comprise an interface (36) for exchanging information with the wireless telecommunication device (38).

8. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means of access to the database comprise a wireless telecommunication device (38) and in that the means of reading (22) comprise an interface (36) for exchanging information with the wireless telecommunication device (38).

9. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 3, wherein the means of access to the database comprise a wireless telecommunication device (38) and in that the means of reading (22) comprise an interface (36) for exchanging information with the wireless telecommunication device (38).

10. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 4, wherein the means of access to the database comprise a wireless telecommunication device (38) and in that the means of reading (22) comprise an interface (36) for exchanging information with the wireless telecommunication device (38).

11. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means of access to the database comprise a wireless telecommunication device (38) and in that the means of reading (22) comprise an interface (36) for exchanging information with the wireless telecommunication device (38).

12. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 6, wherein the means of access to the database comprise a wireless telecommunication device (38) and in that the means of reading (22) comprise an interface (36) for exchanging information with the wireless telecommunication device (38).

13. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 7, wherein the means of reading (22) are integrated into the wireless telecommunication device (38).

14. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the means of reading (22) are integrated into the wireless telecommunication device (38).

15. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 11, wherein the means of reading (22) are integrated into the wireless telecommunication device (38).

16. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wireless telecommunication device (38) comprises means of automatic transmission of data for locating the gas package (4) to the database (12₀, . . . , 12_n+p).

17. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless telecommunication device (38) comprises means of automatic transmission of data for locating the gas package (4) to the database (12₀, . . . , 12_n+p).

18. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wireless telecommunication device (38) comprises means of automatic transmission of data for locating the gas package (4) to the database (12₀, . . . , 12_n+p).

19. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 13, wherein the wireless telecommunication device (38) comprises means of automatic transmission of data for locating the gas package (4) to the database (12₀, . . . , 12_n+p).

20. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 14, wherein the wireless telecommunication device (38) comprises means of automatic transmission of data for locating the gas package (4) to the database (12₀, . . . , 12_n+p).

21. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 15, wherein the wireless telecommunication device (38) comprises means of automatic transmission of data for locating the gas package (4) to the database (12₀, . . . , 12_n+p).

22. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises means (8) of automatic tagging of the locating information (10₀, . . . , 10_n) in the means of storage (6) by the means of reading (18, 20, 22).

23. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means of storage (6) comprise means of limitation of access by the means of reading (18, 20, 22) to the locating information (10₀, . . . , 10_n) of the database.

24. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means of reading (18, 20, 22) comprise means (25, 29, 35) of automatic updating of the locating information (10₀, . . . , 10_n) stored in the means of storage (6), in case of change of the address associated with the database.

25. The installation providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein it furthermore comprises at least one intermediate database (12_n) containing locating information (10_n+1, . . . , 10_n+p) of a multiplicity of databases (12_n+1, . . . , 12_n+p) each containing complementary information concerning the gas package (4), in that the intermediate database (12_n) is associated with an address, and in that at least part of the locating information (10_n) stored in the electronic label (2) comprises the address of the intermediate database (12_n).