Traceability system

• US 7,760,075 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakatani, Takeshi, Kobayashi, Yuichi, Sato, Yoshifumi, Terada, Shuji, Sasaki, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Toan N
• Application Number:
  US12/359,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20090160624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.42, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/5.92, 340/10.1, 340/10.51, 340/505, 235/385, 235/383, 235/384, 235/492, 235/375, 235/376, 700/226, 705/28
• US Class Current: 340/10.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

An individual article management arrangements for managing an individual article distributed through a plurality of sites with a form thereof changed at least one of said plurality of sites, including: information processing apparatuses installed at said plurality of sites; and a data center apparatus connected to each of said information processing apparatuses through a network. The data center apparatus and the information processing apparatuses are configured to effect predetermined operations.

Claims

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

information processing apparatuses installed at said plurality of sites; and

a data center apparatus connected to each of said information processing apparatuses through a network, wherein;

the data center apparatus is configured to;

1) receive each of identification information having been appended to each of individual articles and each of index data including change information showing a process to each of the individual articles at the corresponding site for each of the individual articles, the identification information and the index data being transmitted from each of the information processing apparatus; and

2) store each of the index data into a storing apparatus so as to be associated with each other on the basis of the identification information for identifying each of the individual articles, and wherein;

each of the information processing apparatuses is configured to;

1) receive search condition information including each of identification information; and

2) determine a distribution route for each of the individual articles based on the search condition information having been received.

2. The individual article management system according to claim 1, wherein said identification information is a mono ID for identifying said individual article.

3. The individual article management system according to claim 2,

wherein said data center apparatus receives, as said identification information, pre-process identification information added to said individual article at a site before the concerned site and post-process identification information added if said individual article is processed, as said process, to change the form thereof at the concerned site;

and

stores said pre-process identification information and said post-process identification information into said storing apparatus so as to be associated with said change information.

4. The individual article management system according to claim 3,

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

5. The individual article management system according to claim 4,

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

6. The individual article management system according to claim 1,

wherein said change information includes:

at least one 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 as said process.

7. The individual article management system according to claim 6,

wherein said individual article is a meat, and said change information includes dressing into the meat and packing of the meat as said process.

8. The individual article management system according to claim 6,

wherein said data center apparatus stores any one of the tags attached to the individual articles before the integration as being active into said storing apparatus, if said change information indicates said integration.

9. The individual article management system according to claim 1,

wherein said identification information is a process ID for identifying each process for said individual article.

10. An individual article management method, carried out by a computing system, for managing an individual article distributed through a plurality of sites with a form thereof changed at least one of said plurality of sites, the computing system including:

information processing apparatuses installed at said plurality of sites; and

a data center apparatus connected to each of said information processing apparatuses through a network;

the individual article management method comprising;

the data center apparatus effecting operations of;

1) receiving each of identification information having been appended to each of individual articles and each of index data including change information showing a process to each of the individual articles at the corresponding site for each of the individual articles, the identification information and the index data being transmitted from each of the information processing apparatus; and

2) storing each of the index data into a storing apparatus so as to be associated with each other on the basis of the identification information for identifying each of the individual articles, and

each of the information processing apparatuses effecting operations of;

1) receiving search condition information including each of identification information; and

2) determining a distribution route for each of the individual articles based on the search condition information having been received.

11. The individual article management method according to claim 10, wherein said identification information is a mono ID for identifying said individual article.

12. The individual article management method according to claim 11,

wherein said data center apparatus effecting operations of:

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

storing said pre-process identification information and said post-process identification information into said storing apparatus so as to be associated with said change information.

13. The individual article management method according to claim 12,

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

14. The individual article management method according to claim 13,

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

15. The individual article management method according to claim 10,

wherein said change information including:

at least one 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 as said process.

16. The individual article management method according to claim 15,

wherein said individual article is a meat, and said change information including dressing into the meat and packing of the meat as said process.

17. The individual article management method according to claim 15,

wherein said data center apparatus storing any one of the tags attached to the individual articles before the integration as being active into said storing apparatus, if said change information indicates said integration.

18. The individual article management method according to claim 10,

wherein said identification information is a process ID for identifying each process for said individual article.