Goods information providing terminal and goods management server for managing goods at home

• US 7,905,402 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Kyung Hee, Ahn, Sung Ho, Kim, Ji Yong, Kwak, Ji Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARIFZADA, ALI R
• Application Number:
  US11/636,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20070131766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 235/385, 235/487, 235/492, 705/1.1, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

Provided is a goods information providing terminal that includes an authentication unit authenticating a user based on bio information including a user'"'"'s fingerprint and initiating a user session when the user is authenticated; a goods information request unit requesting a goods management server that manages goods information and information on the location of goods from a radio frequency identification (RFID) attached to the goods to provide the goods information and the information on the location of the goods; a goods information display unit displaying to the user the goods information or the information on the location of the goods acquired from the goods management server; and a goods processing unit acquiring goods information including how to contact a seller from the goods management server, and contacting an associated agency including the seller when the goods need to be repaired or exchanged.

Claims

1. A goods management server comprising:

a goods information acquiring unit periodically acquiring goods information from RFIDs attached to goods;

a location information acquiring unit mapping the location of the goods and a map of a space in which the goods exist based on information on the distance of the goods acquired from the strength of a signal between RFIDs or a signal transfer delay;

a goods information management unit storing the goods information and the information on the location of the goods and periodically updating the goods information and the information on the location of the goods;

a goods information request unit that manages goods information and information on the location of goods from the RFID attached to the goods in order to provide the goods information and the information on the location of the goods, wherein the goods information request unit comprises;

a personal goods registration unit registering specific goods as a user'"'"'s personal goods;

a goods information providing unit coupled to the goods information management unit and a goods information providing terminal, the goods information providing terminal to display a goods search function on a screen from which a specific user among of users selects desired goods and the user'"'"'s personal goods among the selected desired goods, the goods information providing terminal further to display an information service menu relating to selected goods in response to the specific user'"'"'s selection, wherein the information service menu provides the information on the location of the selected goods, how to use the selected goods, and information on order, exchange or repair of the selected goods, wherein said information relating to the specific user'"'"'s personal goods is available only to the specific user among the plurality of users; and

a goods information display unit outputting, in audio and graphics forms, information of the selected goods in response to a request from the user.

2. The goods management server of claim 1, wherein the goods information acquiring unit comprises:

an RFID scanner acquiring the goods information from the RFIDs attached to the goods using an RF signal; and

an RFID recognition unit receiving the goods information and transferring the goods information to the goods information management unit.

3. The goods management server of claim 1, wherein the location information acquiring unit acquires the information on the location of the goods using the information on the location of the goods measured by a goods location recognizer based on the strength of the signal between RFIDs or the signal transfer delay.

4. The goods management server of claim 1, wherein the goods information management unit comprises:

a goods information update unit periodically updating the goods information and the information on the location of the goods in a database; and

a session management unit authenticating the user and initiating a user session when the user is authenticated.

5. The goods management server of claim 1, wherein the goods information providing unit comprises:

a location information display unit providing the information on the location of the goods on the goods information display unit in two dimensional graphic form when the user requests that information on the location of the goods be provided.

6. The goods management server of claim 1, wherein the goods information providing unit sends goods information including how to contact a seller to the goods information providing terminal when the goods need to be repaired or exchanged.