Article management system, RFID tag, and apparatus for communicating with RFID tag

• US 8,179,262 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Yasuhisa, Nagai, Takuya, Yamada, Shiro
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/455,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.7, 340/571, 340/568.1, 340/568.5, 340/568.8, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/10.1, 235/383, 235/384, 235/385, 463/25, 463/42
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1371 with data records
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2209/04 Indication location means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An article management system includes a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) circuit elements respectively handled in association with articles to be managed; and an apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag, each of the RFID tag circuit elements having an IC circuit part storing tag identification information, own target information, and management position information, and the apparatus having a communicating device; a position-information obtainment portion configured to obtain the management position information; and a position-information display output portion configured to output a signal for displaying the management position information.

Claims

1. An article management system comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit elements respectively handled in association with articles to be managed; and

an apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag, each of said RFID tag circuit elements having an IC circuit part storing information and a tag antenna for information transmission/reception, said IC circuit part storing tag identification information, own target information of said article to be managed, and management position information of the article to be managed, and said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag having;

a communicating device configured to carry out information transmission/reception with said RFID tag circuit element via radio communication;

a position-information obtainment portion configured to obtain said management position information stored in said IC circuit part of said RFID tag circuit element through said communicating device; and

a position-information display output portion configured to output a signal for displaying said management position information obtained by said position-information obtainment portion to a display device, wherein;

said IC circuit part of each of said plurality of RFID tag circuit elements stores own reservation information indicating presence/absence of reservation of use of the corresponding article to be managed; and

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag includes a first reservation-information obtainment portion configured to obtain said own reservation information stored in said IC circuit part.

2. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein:

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag includes a first tag-identification information obtainment portion configured to obtain said tag identification information stored in said IC circuit part of said RFID tag circuit element corresponding to said own target information using an inquiry signal including the own target information.

3. The article management system according to claim 2, wherein:

said IC circuit part of each of the plurality of RFID tag circuit elements stores own arrival/shipping history information indicating arrival/shipping history of a corresponding article to be managed; and

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag includes a first history-information obtainment portion configured to obtain said own arrival/shipping history information stored in said IC circuit part.

4. The article management system according to claim 2, wherein:

said IC circuit part of each of the plurality of RFID tag circuit elements stores own total-stock information indicating a total stock quantity of the corresponding article to be managed; and

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag has a first total-stock-information obtainment portion configured to obtain said own total-stock information stored in said IC circuit part.

5. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein:

said IC circuit part of each of the plurality of RFID tag circuit elements stores neighbor target information corresponding to another RFID tag circuit element located in a neighborhood predetermined range; and

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag includes a second tag-identification information obtainment portion configured to obtain said tag identification information of the RFID tag circuit element provided with said IC circuit part storing the neighbor target information using an inquiry signal including said neighbor target information.

6. The article management system according to claim 5, wherein:

said IC circuit part of each of the plurality of RFID tag circuit elements stores neighbor arrival/shipping history information indicating arrival/shipping history of said article to be managed corresponding to said another RFID tag circuit element; and

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag includes a second history-information obtainment portion configured to obtain said neighbor arrival/shipping history information stored in said IC circuit part.

7. The article management system according to claim 5, wherein:

said IC circuit part of each of the plurality of RFID tag circuit elements stores neighbor-total-stock information indicating a total stock quantity of said article to be managed corresponding to said another RFID tag circuit element; and

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag includes a second total-stock-information obtainment portion configured to obtain said neighbor-total-stock information stored in said IC circuit part.

8. The article management system according to claim 5, wherein:

said IC circuit part of each of the plurality of RFID tag circuit elements stores neighbor-reservation information indicating presence/absence of reservation of use of said article to be managed corresponding to said another RFID tag circuit element; and

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag includes a second reservation-information obtainment portion configured to obtain said neighbor-reservation information stored in said IC circuit part.

9. The article management system according to claim 5, wherein:

said IC circuit part of each of the plurality of RFID tag circuit elements stores compatibility information of corresponding article to be managed with said article to be managed corresponding to said another RFID tag circuit element; and

said apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag includes;

a compatibility-information obtainment portion configured to obtain said compatibility information stored in said IC circuit part; and

a compatibility-information display output portion configured to output a signal for displaying said compatibility information obtained by said compatibility-information obtainment portion to a display device.