Article transport material

• US 7,926,724 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Kawai, Wakahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marshall; Christle I
• Application Number:
  US11/660,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20070295822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• Field of Search: 235/486, 235/439, 235/451, 235/483, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/486
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0012 forming a continuous plane contact surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/38 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00029 Wood
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00034 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00064 Wood
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00069 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00268 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00288 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00318 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00338 contact surface having a discrete foot-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00343 contact surface being substantially in the form of a panel
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00825 Finishing of the external surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

An article transport material loaded with an article on a base and used for transport includes noncontact communication means for conducting noncontact communications with a noncontact IC tag put on the article and portable power supply means for supplying electric power to the noncontact communication means, wherein the communication direction of the noncontact communication means is directed to the area above the base.

Claims

1. An article transport material used for transporting an article, said article transport material comprising:

a base adapted to load an article thereon;

noncontact communication means for conducting noncontact communications with a noncontact IC tag put on the article; and

portable power supply means for supplying electric power to the noncontact communication means,

wherein a transmission direction of said noncontact communication means is directed inward above the base, so that a communication area of said noncontact communication means is set to allow reliable communication only with the noncontact IC tag of an article loaded on said base.

2. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1 wherein the communication distance of said noncontact communication means is limited to such an extent that said noncontact communication means would be able to communicate with a noncontact IC tag within the loading range in which articles can be loaded above the base.

3. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said noncontact communication means are disposed in the periphery of the base and the communication direction of each noncontact communication means is directed to an upper inside of the article transport material.

4. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1, comprising a fork insertion section for allowing a fork of a forklift to insert from a side, wherein said means are disposed circumventing the fork insertion section.

5. The article transport material as claimed in claim 4 wherein said means are disposed circumventing the top and bottom positions of the fork insertion section.

6. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1, comprising an electromagnetic shield for blocking a radio wave so as not to communicate with a noncontact IC tag outside the area above the base.

7. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1, comprising external unit communication means for communicating with an external unit through a communication line aside from said noncontact communication means and control means for controlling execution of communications with the noncontact IC tag in accordance with an execution command signal received from the external unit and transmission of acquired information to the external unit.

8. The article transport material as claimed in claim 7 wherein the external unit communication means is disposed in a side part of a whole shape of the article transport material.

9. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the whole shape of the article transport material is formed like a pallet shape for placing the article.

10. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the whole shape of the article transport material is formed like a box container shape for storing the article.

11. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1, further comprising information acquisition means for acquiring information concerning situation of a place at which the article transport material is placed.

12. The article transport material as claimed in claim 1, comprising a pallet for placing an article thereon and a top plate placed on the top of the article loaded into the pallet, wherein the means are disposed on the top plate.