Label and RFID tag issuing apparatus

• US 7,360,714 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabuhsiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yasuo, Murofushi, Nobuo, Sano, Kouichi, Kiji, Yasuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US11/079,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20050218219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/375, 235/462.01, 235/383, 340/854.6, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/22 Simultaneous marking and printing on different record carriers, e.g. on different types of record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/02 the verifying forming a part of the marking action
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device

Abstract

A label and RFID tag issuing apparatus comprises a recording apparatus that records information on a production label and an RFID tag reader/writer that writes and reads part of the recorded information to/from an RFID tag. This label and RFID tag issuing apparatus writes a production number to the RFID tag attached to the container if a container for containing an article or articles carrying the production label and RFID tag is judged to be on the container loading plate. The apparatus, subsequently confirming presence of the container on the container loading plate, records on the production label production information including bar-code data corresponding to the production number that has been written to the RFID. Thus, information recorded on the production label and information stored in the RFID tag are tied, and thereby accidental affixing of a wrong production label onto the container can be prevented.

Claims

1. A label issuing apparatus, comprising:

a sensor for detecting a container or a container carrying an RFID tag, the sensor outputting a detection signal when the sensor detects the container;

a printer for recording a first information on a recording medium to be affixed to the container;

an RFID tag reader/writer for writing a second information included in the first information to said RFID tag when the detection signal is outputted from the sensor; and

a controller for permitting said printer to record the first information on the recording medium provided that the detection signal is outputted from said sensor after said RFID tag reader/writer writes the second information to the RFID tag.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller permits said RFID tag reader/writer to write the second information to a subsequent RFID tag when said printer completes recording on the recording medium and no detection signal is output from said sensor.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is a weight sensor.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is an optical sensor.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said printer records on the recording medium a bar-code that contains, either in part or in full, the second information that has been written to said RFID tag.

6. A label issuing apparatus, comprising:

detecting means for detecting presence of a container by reading data written to an RFID tag attached to said container;

a printer for recording a first information on a recording medium to be affixed to the container;

an RFID tag reader/writer for writing to said RFID tag a second information included in the first information when the detecting means detects presence of the container; and

a controller for permitting said printer to record the first information on the recording medium, provided that said detecting means detects the presence of the container after said RFID tag reader/writer has written the second information to said RFID tag.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said printer records on the recording medium a bar-code that contains, either in part or in full, the second information that has been written to the RFID tag.

8. A label issuing apparatus, comprising:

a sensor for detecting a container carrying an RFID tag;

a printer for recording a bar-code corresponding to information included in a first information and the first information on a recording medium to be affixed to the container;

a bar-code reader for reading the bar-code recorded on the recording medium;

an RFID tag reader/writer for writing a second information corresponding to the bar-code to the RFID tag; and

a controller for permitting said RFID tag reader/writer to write the second information to said RFID tag, provided that information corresponding to the bar-code read by the bar-code reader conforms to the information included in the first information recorded on the recording medium and said sensor detects the presence of said container.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said controller permits said printer to record the bar-code on a subsequent recording medium to be affixed to a subsequent container, when said RFID tag reader/writer completes writing to the RFID tag the second information and said sensor detects absence of the container carrying the RFID tag.

10. A label issuing apparatus, comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a container carrying an RFID tag;

a printer configured to record a first information on a recording medium to be attached to the container;

an RFID tag writer configured to write a second information included in the first information recorded on the recording medium to said RFID tag when the sensor detects the container; and

a controller configured to permit said printer to record the first information on the recording medium provided that said sensor detects the container after said RFID tag writer has written the second information to said RFID tag.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sensor is a weight sensor.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sensor is an optical sensor.