Wireless ID management apparatus, wireless ID management method, and wireless ID recorder

• US 8,446,261 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Chatani, Masayuki, Numaoka, Chisato
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGDORF, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US12/446,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20100013603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,142 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/385, 340/5.74, 340 59- 592, 340/10.1, 340 104- 1052, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/10.6, 4554561-4563, 455/457, 707/791, 707/795, 707/812, 707/956, 707/E17.018
• US Class Current: 340/10.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The RFID reader reads out an RFID stored in an RFID tag in the vicinity through wireless communication. The clock acquires an RFID readout time. The location sensor acquires an RFID readout location. The memory stores the RFID in association with the readout time and the readout location. The communication I/F acquires RFID-related information from a server asynchronously with readout of the RFID. The processor generates in the memory an RFID aggregate structure, which is a data structure of RFID aggregates constructed by classifying a plurality of RFIDs stored in the memory based on the readout time and the readout location and in which RFID-related information is stored in association with the constructed RFIDs.

Claims

1. A wireless ID management apparatus comprising:

a wireless RFID reader, which detects, through wireless communication, a wireless ID stored in a wireless RFID tag in the vicinity of the wireless RFID reader;

a time information acquirer, which acquires a detection time of the wireless ID;

a location information acquirer, which acquires a detection location of the wireless ID;

a communicator, which acquires from a server, wireless ID related information, which is information associated with the wireless ID, asynchronously from the detection of the wireless ID;

an aggregate RFID storage contained in a memory, in which the wireless ID is stored in association with the detection time, the detection location, and the wireless ID related information;

a classifier, which generates in the aggregate RFID storage a wireless ID aggregate structure, which is a data structure of wireless ID aggregates hierarchically constructed by classifying a plurality of wireless IDs stored in the aggregate RFID storage based on a similar detection time and a similar detection location and in which the wireless ID related information is stored in association with the constructed wireless ID;

an interface, which allows for the user to select a filtering condition on wireless IDs that have been detected and stored in the aggregate RFID storage from;

a location filtering condition of a location range among a plurality of ranges of distance from the present user location presented to the user;

a time filtering condition of an elapsed detection time range among a plurality of ranges of elapsed detection time from the present time presented to the user, or

a wireless ID related information filtering condition from a plurality of options presented to the user; and

a notifier, which, upon receiving from the user a selection of the location filtering condition, the time filtering condition, or the wireless ID related information filtering condition, determines, from among the stored wireless IDs, filtered wireless IDs whose respective detection locations are within the range of the location filtering condition, or whose respective detection times are within the range of the time filtering condition, or whose wireless ID related information meet the wireless ID related information filtering condition, and notifies the user of resulting filtered wireless IDs,

wherein the interface accepts from the user feedback for an article related to a wireless ID among the resulting filtered wireless IDs notified by the notifier.

2. The wireless ID management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the classifier generates in the aggregate RFID storage a wireless ID aggregate structure hierarchically constructed by classifying the plurality of wireless IDs based on the detection location and further by classifying based on the detection time.

3. A wireless ID management method comprising the steps of:

automatically detecting, through wireless communication, a wireless ID stored in a wireless RFID tag existing in the vicinity of a user using a wireless RFID reader without conscious operation by the user;

acquiring wireless ID related information of the wireless ID from a server;

storing the detected wireless ID in an aggregate RFID storage contained in a memory, in association with the wireless ID'"'"'s detection time, detection location, and wireless ID related information;

classifying the wireless ID related information of a plurality of wireless IDs stored in the aggregate RFID storage based on a similar detection time and a similar detection location;

selecting a filtering condition on wireless IDs that have been detected and stored in the aggregate RFID storage from;

a location filtering condition of a location range among a plurality of ranges of distance from a present user location presented to the user,

a time filtering condition of an elapsed detection time range among a plurality of ranges of elapsed detection time from a present time presented to the user, and

a wireless ID related information filtering condition from a plurality of options presented to the user;

receiving from the user a selection of the location filtering condition, or the time filtering condition, or the wireless ID related information filtering condition, and determining from among the stored wireless IDs, filtered wireless IDs whose respective detection locations are within the range of the location filtering condition, or whose respective detection times are within the range of the time filtering condition, or whose wireless ID related information meets the wireless ID related information filtering condition;

giving notification of resulting filtered wireless IDs; and

accepting from the user feedback for an article related to the wireless ID notified by the notifier.

4. The wireless ID management method according to claim 3, wherein the step of classifying generates a wireless ID aggregate structure hierarchically constructed by classifying the plurality of stored wireless IDs based on the detection location and further by classifying them based on the detection time and stores related information of the wireless IDs in association with the wireless IDs hierarchically constructed.

5. A wireless ID recorder comprising:

a wireless RFID reader which reads out a wireless ID stored in a wireless RFID tag in the vicinity through wireless communication;

a time information acquirer which acquires the wireless ID detection time;

a location information acquirer which acquires the wireless ID detection location;

a communicator which acquires from a server, wireless ID related information, which is information associated with the wireless ID, asynchronously from the detection of the wireless ID;

an aggregate RFID storage contained in a memory, in which the wireless ID is stored in association with the detection time, the detection location, and the wireless ID related information;

a classifier which generates in the aggregate RFID storage a wireless ID aggregate structure, which is a data structure of wireless ID aggregates hierarchically constructed by classifying a plurality of wireless IDs stored in the aggregate RFID storage based on a similar detection time and a similar detection location and in which the wireless ID related information is stored in association with the constructed wireless ID;

an interface, which allows for the user to select a filtering condition on wireless IDs that have been detected and stored in the aggregate RFID storage from;

a location filtering condition of a location range among a plurality of ranges of distance from the present user location presented to the user;

a time filtering condition of an elapsed detection time range among a plurality of ranges of elapsed detection time from the present time presented to the user, or

a wireless ID related information filtering condition from a plurality of options presented to the user; and

a notifier, which, upon receiving from the user a selection of the location filtering condition, the time filtering condition, or the wireless ID related information filtering condition, determines, from among the stored wireless IDs, filtered wireless IDs whose respective detection locations are within the range of the location filtering condition, or whose respective detection times are within the range of the time filtering condition, or whose wireless ID related information meet the wireless ID related information filtering condition, and notifies the user of resulting filtered wireless IDs,

wherein the interface accepts from the user feedback for an article related to a wireless ID among the resulting filtered wireless IDs notified by the notifier.