RFID tag information service system

• US 8,275,862 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US12/381,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-222, 709/225, 709/245, 709/250, 713/156, 713/160, 713/165, 713189-190, 713167-170, 713176-181, 713/200, 707/600, 707/999.01, 707/E17.009, 707/E17.999, 3405721-5729, 340 105- 52, 340/9.16
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

A single unified server transmits/receives information in a common interface format with respect to a plurality of service servers and a portable terminal and has a common database in a data format corresponding to the common interface format, and the plurality of service servers connects to clients in a specific interface format to provide services by individual applications, respectively, and coverts a data format between higher-rank data transmitted/received in the common interface format and lower-rank data transmitted/received in the specific interface format. The portable terminal transmits/receives information in the common interface format using the application.

Claims

1. An information service system comprising:

a plurality of service servers configured to carry out services, each of said service servers carrying out an individual service by a corresponding individual application;

a single unified server provided in common to said plurality of service servers via network connection; and

a terminal device using data held in said unified server,

said unified server including;

a first transmission/reception portion capable of practicing information transmission/reception with respect to each of said plurality of service servers and said terminal device using a common interface format; and

a common database in a data format corresponding to said common interface format;

each of said plurality of service servers including;

a second transmission/reception portion capable of practicing information transmission/reception by means of using said common interface format with respect to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server;

a third transmission/reception portion capable of practice information transmission/reception with respect to a plurality of service terminals by means of using an interface format specific to said individual application, said plurality of service terminals using the individual application in common; and

a data format conversion processing portion configured to carry out data format conversion processing between higher-rank data transmitted/received with respect to said unified server by means of using said common interface format through said second transmission/reception portion and lower-rank data transmitted/received with respect to said plurality of service terminals by means of using said specific interface format through said third transmission/reception portion; and

said terminal device including;

a fourth transmission/reception portion capable of practicing information transmission/reception with respect to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server by means of using said common interface format;

wherein said common database is an XML database using an XML format as said data format corresponding to said common interface;

said second transmission/reception portion of said service server carries out information transmission/reception with respect to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server by means of using said common interface format corresponding to the XML format;

said data format conversion processing portion of said service server carries out said data format conversion processing between said higher-rank data in the XML format and said lower-rank data in the data format specific to said individual application; and

said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device carries out information transmission/reception with respect to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server by means of using aid common interface format corresponding to the XML format; and

wherein

the information service system further comprises;

an apparatus for producing RFID tags connected to said service server, said apparatus for producing RFID tags being configured to produce a RFID tag in which tag identification information corresponding to said lower-rank data is written via radio communication, wherein;

said data format conversion processing portion coverts said lower-rank data in said specific data format corresponding to said tag identification information into said higher-rank data in said XML format in a form corresponding to the tag identification information;

said common database stores and holds said higher-rank data in said XML format corresponding to said tag identification information; and

said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server transmits, when receiving an inquiry signal including said tag identification information from said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server, a response signal to said fourth transmission/reception portion or said second transmission/reception portion, said response signal including said higher-rank data corresponding to said tag identification information.

2. The information service system according to claim 1, wherein:

said data format conversion processing portion of said service server carries out said data format conversion processing so that said higher-rank data in said XML format has a data item specific to each of said plurality of service servers and a data item common to said plurality of service servers.

3. The information service system according to claim 2, wherein:

said common data items of said higher-rank data include security response elements; and

said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server transmits, only when receiving an inquiry signal corresponding to said security response elements from said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server, a corresponding response signal to said fourth transmission/reception portion or said second transmission/reception portion.

4. The information service system according to claim 2, wherein:

said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server transmits an inquiry signal including user information to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server; and

said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server transmits, when receiving said inquiry signal including user information from said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server, a response signal to said fourth transmission/reception portion or said second transmission/reception portion, said response signal being processed into a form corresponding to said user information.

5. The information service system according to claim 1, wherein:

said terminal device includes an information acquisition portion configured to get said tag identification information stored in said RFID tag via radio communication; and

said fourth transmission/reception portion transmits said inquiry signal including said tag identification information gotten by said information acquisition portion.

6. The information service system according to claim 5, wherein:

said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server transmits, when receiving said inquiry signal including a plurality of said tag identification information from said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server, a response signal to said fourth transmission/reception portion or said second transmission/reception portion, said response signal collectively including a plurality of said higher-rank data, each of the plurality of higher-rank data corresponding to one of the plurality of tag identification information.