Container and information provision system

• US 7,663,497 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Morita, Kugo, Chishima, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US11/259,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20060119484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.1, 340/603, 340/612, 340/613, 340/539.1
• US Class Current: 340/686.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/284 Electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2845 for discrete levels G01F23/288, G01F23/292 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/04 for weighing fluids, e.g. gases, pastes

Abstract

One of the embodiment of present invention includes at least one transmitter-receiver set including a transmitter and a receiver opposed with an object to be measured therebetween; and a transmission device that estimates the amount of the object based on the attenuation of electromagnetic waves that are transferred between the transmitter and the receiver of the transmitter-receiver set, and transmits information on the estimated amount of the object to be measured.

Claims

1. A container including a container main body and a lid corresponding to the container main body, the container comprising:

a content-amount determination device that determines the amount of an object contained in the container main body;

an information storage that stores information on the determined amount of the object; and

a lid detection device that detects whether or not the container main body is sealed by the lid;

wherein

the information storage stores the information on the amount of the object determined by the content-amount determination device at the time when the container is brought from the state in which the container main body is not sealed by the lid into the state in which the container main body is sealed by the lid.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein

the amount of the object is represented by the weight or the number of the object or both.

3. The container according to claim 1, further comprising

a display device that displays the information stored in the information storage.

4. The container according to claim 1, further comprising

a transmission device that transmits the information stored in the information storage to a mobile terminal.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein when the amount of the object determined by the content-amount determination device reaches a value smaller than a predetermined threshold, the information stored in the information storage is erased.

6. The container according to claim 1, wherein when the container is placed upside down for a predetermined time in a state in which the container main body is not sealed by the lid, the information stored in the information storage is erased.

7. The container according to claim 1, wherein at the time when the container is brought from the state in which the container main body is not sealed by the lid into the state in which the container main body is sealed by the lid specifies the exact moment at which the change in states occurs.

8. A container including a container main body and a lid corresponding to the container main body, the container comprising:

a content-amount determination device that determines the amount of an object contained in the container main body;

an information storage that stores information on the determined amount of the object;

a lid detection device that detects whether or not the container main body is sealed by the lid; and

a reception device that receives a signal from a radio-signal transmitter;

wherein

the information storage stores information on the signal received by the reception device in the state in which the container main body is not sealed by the lid.

9. The container according to claim 8, wherein when the lid is brought closer to the radio-signal transmitter, the radio-signal transmitter transmits a signal.

10. The container according to claim 9, wherein the radio-signal transmitter is an RFID tag.

11. The container according to claim 10, wherein the radio-signal transmitter is affixed to a package of the object and transmits a signal containing information about the object.

12. The container according to claim 8, wherein the radio-signal transmitter is affixed to a package of the object and transmits a signal containing information about the object.

13. the container according to claim 9, wherein the radio-signal transmitter is affixed to a package of the object and transmits a signal containing information about the object.