Positional information management system

• US 7,437,300 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2003
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PositionTech LLC (Endpoint IP LLC)
• Original Assignee: Aruze Corp.
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Plucinski; Jamisue A
• Application Number:
  US10/735,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20040138918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/5, 705/16, 705/18, 705/21, 340/539.13, 340/825.28, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1083 Pager locating systems

Abstract

A positional information management system includes a tag attached to an article and having a tag IC storing a tag ID; detectors, each detector having a detector ID and being installed in a hotel, for detecting the tag ID transmitted from the tag IC, the tag ID and the detector ID being transmitted by the detector; a recording device recording pairs of the tag ID and the detector ID, and time at which the tag ID has been detected; and a positional information management device for managing positional information of the article, based on the pairs and the times recorded. Positional information of the articles in the hotel or in various hotel facilities can be obtained.

Claims

1. A positional information management system for a hotel comprising:

a tag attached to an article in the hotel and having a tag integrated circuit (IC) storing a tag identification (ID);

a plurality of proximity detectors located at respective detector locations in the hotel, each detector having a respective detector ID, each proximity detector detecting the tag ID from the tag IC when the tag is within a respective detection range of the proximity detector, and transmitting the tag ID that is detected and the detector ID;

a computer network including and providing communication between

a hotel server programmed to manage hotel tasks and including a memory recording relationships between a customer, a house card issued to the customer for payment for hotel services, and the tag ID of a tag attached to an article belonging to the customer,

a house card server programmed to manage accounts when a customer employs a house card, issued to and indentifying the customer, in payment for a hotel service, and programmed to authenticate a house card that has been issued to a customer,

a plurality of card terminals located at respective terminal locations in the hotel for reading a house card that identifies the customer to whom the house card has been issued, for transacting payment for hotel services through the house card read and authenticated by the house card server, and for input of a tag ID, and

a positional information management server programmed to receive, record, manage, and supply the tag ID detected and the detector ID of the proximity detector detecting the tag ID, from each of the plurality of proximity detectors, as pairs of the tag ID detected and the detector ID, and time at which the respective proximity detector detected the tag ID, and to specify location of the article based upon detection of the tag ID and the detector ID of the proximity detector detecting the tag ID, wherein the positional information management server is programmed to search for the location of the article in response to reading of a house card by one of the card terminals, authentication of the house card by the hotel server, and input to the card terminal of the tag ID associated with the house card read, and is programmed to send results of the search to the card terminal reading the house card.

2. The positional information management system according to claim 1, wherein the tag comprises a detachable sticker.

3. The positional information management system according to claim 1, wherein the positional information management server is programmed to produce a movement history of the article from locations of the article based on the detector IDs of the proximity detectors that have detected the tag ID, and the time of detection.

4. The positional information management system according to claim 1, wherein the positional information management system detects movement of the article based on the respective detection ranges and the tag ID detected in the respective detection ranges.

5. The positional information management system according to claim 1, wherein the positional information management server is programmed to determine a detection area defined by at least one of the proximity detectors and to determine whether the article is in the area, based on the detector ID and the tag IDs detected in the area.

6. The positional information management system according to claim 5, wherein the positional information management server is programmed to define the area as a restricted area and is programmed to manage security by generating an alarm or by setting a flag when the article is in the restricted area.

7. The positional information management system according to claim 1, wherein the hotel server is programmed to record a relationship between name of the customer to whom a house card has been issued and the tag ID of the article belonging to the customer and the positional information management server is programmed to search for the location of the article in response to input of the name of the customer into the card terminal.

8. The positional information management system according to claim 1, wherein,

based on a tag ID and a room number of a customer that are transmitted from the positional information management server, the hotel server adds the tag ID to the customer information and records the tag ID in the memory of the hotel server, and

the tag in which the tag ID has been set is issued to the customer at a front desk terminal.

9. The positional information management system according to claim 1 wherein, when a customer requests settlement, in settling the customer'"'"'s account, the hotel server instructs the positional information management server to erase data concerning the tag ID of the customer.

10. The positional information management system according to claim 9 wherein, in response to an instruction from the hotel server to erase the data concerning the tag ID of the customer, the positional information management server erases data concerning previous use of the tag having the tag ID of the customer and updates current use of the tag ID of the customer.