PRODUCT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20120299705A1
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: ARAI, Yasuyuki, AKIBA, Mai, TACHIMURA, Yuko, KANNO, Yohei
• Granted Patent: US 9,013,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

One feature of the present invention is a product management system that includes a package body for packing a product attached with an ID tag, and a reader/writer. The ID tag includes a thin film integrated circuit portion and an antenna, the package body includes a resonance circuit portion having an antenna coil and a capacitor, and the resonance circuit portion can communicate with the reader/writer and the ID tag. Accordingly, the stability of communication between an ID tag attached to a product and an R/W can be secured, and management of products can be conducted simply and efficiently, even if a product is packed by a package body.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a resonance circuit; and

a reader/writer for at least one of reading information stored in a semiconductor device and writing information in the semiconductor device,

wherein the resonance circuit comprises an antenna coil and a capacitor,

wherein the resonance circuit is configured to receive a first electric power from the reader/writer, and

wherein the semiconductor device is configured to receive a second electric power from the resonance circuit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the resonance circuit, and a communication method between the resonance circuit and the semiconductor device are identical to each other.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the communication method is an electromagnetic induction method.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the resonance circuit is different from a communication method between the resonance circuit and the semiconductor device.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the resonance circuit is any one of an electromagnetic induction method and a microwave method.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is selected from the group of an ID tag, an ID chip, an ID label, an ID seal and an ID sticker.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the resonance circuit further comprises any one of a battery, a CPU and a memory.

8. A system comprising:

a first resonance circuit;

a second resonance circuit; and

a reader/writer for at least one of reading information stored in a semiconductor device and writing information in the semiconductor device,

wherein the first resonance circuit comprises a first antenna coil and a first capacitor,

wherein the second resonance circuit comprises a second antenna coil and a second capacitor,

wherein the second resonance circuit is configured to receive a first electric power from the reader/writer,

wherein the first resonance circuit is configured to receive a second electric power from the second resonance circuit, and

wherein the semiconductor device is configured to receive a third electric power from the first resonance circuit.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the first resonance circuit, a communication method between the first resonance circuit and the second resonance circuit, and a communication method between the second resonance circuit and the semiconductor device are identical to each other.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the communication method is an electromagnetic induction method.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the second resonance circuit is different from a communication method between the first resonance circuit and the semiconductor device.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the second resonance circuit is any one of an electromagnetic induction method and a microwave method.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor device is selected from the group of an ID tag, an ID chip, an ID label, an ID seal and an ID sticker.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the first resonance circuit and the second resonance circuit further comprises any one of a battery, a CPU and a memory.

15. A method comprising:

sending a first electric power from a reader/writer to a resonance circuit, wherein the resonance circuit comprises an antenna coil and a capacitor;

sending a second electric power from the resonance circuit to a semiconductor device in response to a receipt of the first electric power, wherein said semiconductor device comprises a transistor, and an antenna.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the semiconductor device is selected from the group of an ID tag, an ID chip, an ID label, an ID seal and an ID sticker.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the resonance circuit further comprises any one of a battery, a CPU and a memory.