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

• US 20090256672A1
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nakamura, Mitsuru, Yamamoto, Kazutaka, Ichikawa, Yasuhisa, Oida, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,305,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

An article management system 1 comprising a handheld reader having a reader antenna for transmitting and receiving information with RFID tags and configured to search for a plurality of article tags respectively provided to a plurality of printers, and a database connected in an information transmittable and receivable manner to the handheld reader, wherein: the database stores in association the article name of each printer, management status information, and corresponding article tag ID; and the handheld reader performs a step of scanning an article tag ID from the article tag, a step of issuing a primary notification based on vibration to a user when the article tag ID is received, and a step of issuing a secondary notification based on sound generation to the user when a cross-check of the scanned tag ID and the article tag ID that is the search target results in a match.

Claims

1. An article management system comprising:

a portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag that has an apparatus antenna for transmitting and receiving information with a RFID circuit element comprising an IC circuit part configured to store information and a tag antenna configured to transmit and receive information, and searches for a plurality of article RFID circuit elements respectively provided to a plurality of managed articles; and

a database connected by a wired or radio communication line to said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag;

wherein;

said database stores in association article information of said managed article, and tag identification information of said article RFID circuit element corresponding to said managed article;

said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag includes;

a transmission processing portion configured to generate an unconditional information acquisition instruction for unconditionally acquiring information stored in said IC circuit part and to transmit the unconditional information acquisition instruction via said apparatus antenna;

a reception processing portion configured to receive a reply signal returned from said article RFID circuit element via said apparatus antenna in response to said unconditional information acquisition instruction;

a primary notifying device configured to make a notification in a first form to an operator when said reply signal is received by said reception processing portion;

a collating portion configured to collate whether or not the tag identification information of said article RFID circuit element included in said reply signal received by said reception processing portion matches the tag identification information of said article RFID circuit element provided to said managed article that is the search target of said operator; and

a secondary notifying device configured to make a notification to said operator in a second form that differs from said first form when the collation results of said tag identification information by said collating portion indicate a match.

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

said primary notifying device of said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag is a vibrating notifying device configured to make a notification to said operator based on vibration as said first form; and

said secondary notifying device of said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag is a sound notifying device configured to make a notification to said operator based on sound as said second form.

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

said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag further includes;

a timer device configured to measure the elapsed time since a first transmission of said unconditional information acquisition instruction by said transmission processing portion; and

a time information display device configured to display time information corresponding to said elapsed time measured by said timer device to said operator.

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

said portable apparatus for communication with a RFID tag further includes a transmission control portion configured to stop transmission of said unconditional information acquisition instruction from said transmission processing portion when said elapsed time measured by said timer device is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value.

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

said database stores user identification information related to a user permitted take-out of said managed article; and

said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag further includes;

a user identification information acquisition portion configured to acquire said user identification information from said RFID circuit element for a user possessed by said operator via said apparatus antenna; and

a user determining portion configured to access said database and determine whether or not said operator is a user who is permitted take-out of said managed article, based on said user identification information acquired by said user identification information acquisition portion.

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

said database stores in association said article information, said tag identification information, and management status information of said managed article; and

said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag further includes a take-out processing portion configured to change said management status information of the managed article stored in said database to a taken-out state in a case where said operator, who has been determined as take-out permitted by said user determining portion after the collation results of said tag identification information by said collating portion indicate a match, inputs an intention to take out said managed object.

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

said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag further includes a confirmation display device configured to present a confirmation display to said operator for confirming whether or not the corresponding managed article is to be taken out, in a case where the collation results of said tag identification information by said collating portion indicate a match; and

said take-out processing portion changes said management status information to said taken-out state in the case where said operator inputs said intention to take out in response to said confirmation display by said confirmation display device.

8. The article management system according to claim 5, further comprising a search terminal connected by a wired or radio communication line to said database, wherein:

said search terminal includes;

an operation device configured to enable a searcher to execute operation input of said article information of said managed article;

an operation display device configured to display said entered article information in accordance with said operation input at said operation device;

a search instructing device for said searcher to execute instruction input for searching said database based on said article information, with said article information displayed on said operation display device;

a management status information acquisition portion configured to access said database and acquire said management status information of said managed article for which said article information is displayed on said operation display device, based on said instruction input at said search instructing device; and

an operation history storage device configured to store said operation input history of said searcher; and

said operation display device first displays said article information of past operation inputs based on the stored contents of said operation history storage device.

9. A portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag that has an apparatus antenna for transmitting and receiving information with a RFID circuit element comprising an IC circuit part configured to store information and a tag antenna configured to transmit and receive information, and searches for said article RFID circuit element provided to a managed article, comprising:

a transmission processing portion configured to generate an unconditional information acquisition instruction for unconditionally acquiring information stored in said IC circuit part and to transmit the unconditional information acquisition instruction via said apparatus antenna;

a reception processing portion configured to receive a reply signal returned from said article RFID circuit element via said apparatus antenna in response to said unconditional information acquisition instruction;

a primary notifying device configured to make a notification in a first form to an operator when said reply signal is received by said reception processing portion;

a collating portion configured to collate whether or not the tag identification information of said article RFID circuit element included in said reply signal received by said reception processing portion matches the tag identification information of said article RFID circuit element provided to said managed article that is the search target of said operator; and

a secondary notifying device configured to make a notification to said operator in a second form that differs from said first form when the collation results of said tag identification information by said collating portion indicate a match.