Management system and management method for managing a wireless tagged article

• US 7,283,051 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Kenichi, Sakamoto, Kenji, Kunito, Goro, Yamada, Naoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAU, HOI CHING
• Application Number:
  US11/110,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20050242922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340 51- 591, 235/375
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A management system includes a manager determining unit determining a manager who manages an article, a user determining unit determining a user related to the article based upon detection of a wireless tag by a wireless tag reader, and an attribute information holding unit holding a wireless tag identifier, the manager, and the user while associating them with each other. The wireless tag identifier uniquely identifies a wireless tag.

Claims

1. A management system configured to manage an article to which a wireless tag is attached, comprising:

an attribute database configured to store an article identifier, manager information, and user information associated with each other;

a wireless tag reader configured to detect the article identifier and at least one of the manager information and the user information;

a sensor configured to detect status information indicating a status of the article;

a manager determining unit configured to determine a new manager based upon the attribute database, the status information, the article identifier detected by the wireless tag reader, and the manager information detected by the wireless tag reader; and

a user determining unit configured to determine a new user based upon the attribute database, the article identifier detected by the wireless tag reader, and the user information detected by the wireless tag reader, wherein

the article identifier identifies the article,

the manager information identifies a manager to manage the article,

the user information identifies a user related to the article, and

at least one of the manager determining unit and the user determining unit update the attribute database based upon a result of determining the new manager or the new user.

2. The management system of claim 1, further comprising:

a condition table storing unit configured to store a condition table which associates a user level with a predetermined condition concerning the user level, wherein

the user level indicates a degree of relation between the user and the article,

the user determining unit determines the user level for the user based upon the condition table, the article identifier detected by the wireless tag reader, and the user information detected by the wireless tag reader, and

the attribute database stores the user level, the article identifier, the manager information, and the user information associated with each other.

3. The management system of claim 1, wherein the status information includes at least one of information indicating whether the article has been purchased, abandoned, or transferred.

4. A method for managing an article to which a wireless tag is attached, comprising:

storing, at an attribute database, an article identifier, manager information, and user information associated with each other;

detecting, at a wireless tag reader, the article identifier, and at least one of the manager information and the user information;

detecting, at a sensor, status information indicating a status of the article;

determining, at a manager determining unit, a new manager based upon the attribute database, the status information, the article identifier detected by the wireless tag reader, and the manager information detected by the wireless tag reader;

determining, at a user determining unit, a new user based upon the attribute database, the article identifier detected by the wireless tag reader, and the user information detected by the wireless tag reader; and

updating, at the manager determining unit or the user determining unit, the attribute database based upon a result of determining the new manager or the new user, wherein

the article identifier identifies the article,

the manager information identifies a manager to manage the article, and

the user information identifies a user related to the article.

5. The management system of claim 4, further comprising:

storing, at a condition table storing unit, a condition table;

determining, at the user determining unit, a user level for the user based upon the condition table, the article identifier detected by the wireless tag reader, and the user information detected by the wireless tag reader; and

storing, at the attribute database, the user level, the article identifier, the manager information, and the user information, wherein

the user level indicates a degree of relation between the user and the article, and

the condition table associates the user level with a predetermined condition concerning the user level.

6. The method for managing the article of claim 4, wherein the detecting the status information includes detecting at least one of information indicating whether the article has been purchased, abandoned, or transferred.