Traceability system

• US 7,397,374 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sasaki, Shigeru, Nakatani, Takeshi, Kobayashi, Yuichi, Sato, Yoshifumi, Terada, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/645,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/10.1, 340/10.42, 340/10.51, 340/505, 340/5.92, 235/385, 235/383, 235/384, 235/492, 235/375, 235/376, 700/226, 705/28
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Traceability arrangements for managing an individual article distributed through a plurality of sites with a form thereof changed at at least one of the plurality of sites, the traceability arrangements including: receiving, from information processing apparatuses installed at each of the plurality of sites, both identification information read from a tag attached to each individual article for identifying the article, and index information including change information indicating a change in distribution situation and form of a predetermined individual article; associating and storing the received change information with one another in accordance with the identification information; accepting an input of search condition information including the identification information; and specifying a distribution route of the each individual article based on the accepted search condition information.

Claims

1. A traceability system for managing an individual article distributed through a plurality of sites with a form thereof changed at at least one of the plurality of sites, the traceability system comprising:

means for receiving, from information processing apparatuses installed at each of the plurality of sites, both identification information read from a tag attached to each individual article for identifying the article, and index information including change information for indicating a change in distribution situation and form of a predetermined individual article;

means for associating and storing the received change information with one another in accordance with the identification information;

means for accepting an input of search condition information including the identification information; and

means for specifying a distribution route of the each individual article based on the accepted search condition information.

2. The traceability system according to claim 1,

wherein the receiving means receives both pre-process identification information added to the individual article at a site before the concerned site, and post-process identification information added if the individual article is processed to change the form thereof at the concerned site, and

the associating means associates the pre-process identification information and the post-process identification information with the change information.

3. The traceability system according to claim 1,

wherein the change information includes at least one of operations of:

division to divide the individual article into a plurality of articles, change to change the form or name of the individual article, and integration to integrate a plurality of individual articles.

4. The traceability system according to claim 3,

wherein the individual article is a meat, and

the change information includes dressing applied to the meat and packing of the meat.

5. The traceability system according to claim 1,

wherein the post-process identification information is prepared from the pre-process identification information in accordance with a predetermined rule.

6. The traceability system according to claim 5,

wherein the pre-process identification information is expressed by a numerical value of a predetermined number of digits, and in the predetermined rule, the post-process identification information is created by adding a numerical value of a predetermined number of digits to the pre-process identification information.

7. The traceability system according to claim 1,

wherein a tag in which an identifier capable of identifying a concerned individual article when stored is attached to the individual article, and

the traceability system further comprises means for storing any one of tags attached to individual articles before integration as being active if the change information indicates the integration.

8. A traceability method for managing an individual article distributed through a plurality of sites with a form thereof changed at at least one of the plurality of sites, the traceability method comprising:

receiving, from information processing apparatuses installed at each of the plurality of sites, both identification information read from a tag attached to each individual article for identifying the article, and index information including change information indicating a change in distribution situation and form of a predetermined individual article;

associating and storing the received change information with one another in accordance with the identification information;

accepting an input of search condition information including the identification information; and

specifying a distribution route of the each individual article based on the accepted search condition information.

9. The traceability method according to claim 8,

wherein the receiving receives both pre-process identification information added to the individual article at a site before the concerned site, and post-process identification information added if the individual article is processed to change the form thereof at the concerned site, and

the associating associates the pre-process identification information and the post-process identification information with the change information.

10. The traceability method according to claim 8,

wherein the change information includes at least one of operations of:

division to divide the individual article into a plurality of articles, change to change the form or name of the individual article, and integration to integrate a plurality of individual articles.

11. The traceability method according to claim 10,

wherein the individual article is a meat, and

the change information includes dressing applied to the meat and packing of the meat.

12. The traceability method according to claim 8,

wherein the post-process identification information is prepared from the pre-process identification information in accordance with a predetermined rule.

13. The traceability method according to claim 12,

wherein the pre-process identification information is expressed by a numerical value of a predetermined number of digits, and in the predetermined rule, the post-process identification information is created by adding a numerical value of a predetermined number of digits to the pre-process identification information.

14. The traceability method according to claim 8,

wherein a tag in which an identifier capable of identifying the concerned individual article when stored is attached to the individual article, and

the traceability method further comprises storing any one of tags attached to individual articles before integration as being active if the change information indicates the integration.