JP2007133771A - Article management system and storage shelf - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article management system and a storage shelf, in which the time shortening and labor saving for search can be attained by saving the time and labor for information input in takeover of lost articles and enabling a passenger who left an article to access a server. <P>SOLUTION: The system for managing an article using an IC tag installed to the article comprises a means for receiving attribute information read from IC tags installed to articles, to which attribute information related to the articles is written by a writer device, and storage place information related to storage places of articles from a transmitting device provided on a storage shelf storing the articles; a means for storing the received attribute information in conformation with the storage place information; a means for searching, based on a searching condition with the attribute information as a key, the storage place information of articles by referring to a means for storing article information; and a means for outputting the attribute information and the searched storage place information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an article management system and a storage shelf for managing articles using an IC tag, and more particularly to an article management system and a storage shelf for managing found items such as forgotten items that have been forgotten in passenger railways.

  Conventionally, if an article is left behind on a passenger railway, the passenger railway staff who discovered it creates a hand-written paper tag that describes the name, discovery location, discovery date, characteristics, and storage location of the article. They were attached to the goods and stored at the station where the goods were found or at the storage location in the Lost and Found Management Center on the route. In this case, since a tag is created manually by an attendant, if necessary information is missing, there is a problem that it takes time and effort to confirm the corresponding article later.

  In the forgotten item storage area, various forgotten items are stored in a storage shelf. In this storage shelf, large articles such as bags and umbrellas and small articles such as wallets and accessories are stored in one place, so there is a possibility that small articles may be overlooked when checking forgotten items.

  Furthermore, the passenger who notices the lost article makes an inquiry to the nearest station, for example, and informs the passenger railway staff of the name of the article, the location of the lost article, date and characteristics, and the passenger railway staff responds. At that time, the passenger railway staff will be able to store multiple items at the station where the goods are likely to be stored. , He inquired the station and checked to see if there was a corresponding item.

Therefore, it takes a lot of time and effort to confirm whether the corresponding article exists in the storage location.
Patent Document 1 is known as a proposal for solving such a problem. This technology enables communication between a plurality of passenger railroad personnel by means of a portable conductor terminal, and enables sharing of information related to forgotten items converted into electronic data.
JP 2003-6296 A

  However, according to the conventional method, new information cannot be browsed unless the information on the lost item is updated by accessing the server that manages the information from the conductor terminal when the work of the passenger railway staff is completed and the takeover is performed. For this reason, there is a problem that information cannot be found even when information is browsed when handover is not performed.

  In addition, when a lot of forgotten items have to be handed over between passenger railway staff, there is a problem that it takes time and effort to input information on forgotten items and access to the server.

Furthermore, since information can be browsed only by passenger railroad personnel, there is a problem that it is inconvenient because passengers who notice forgotten things cannot search for themselves.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and saves time and labor for information input when taking over forgotten things, and also enables passengers who have made forgotten things to access the server, thereby reducing search time. Another object of the present invention is to provide an article management system and a storage shelf that can save time and effort.

The article management system and storage shelf of the present invention that solves the above problems employ the following configurations.
That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, the article management system of the present invention is an article management system that manages the article using an IC tag attached to the article, and attribute information about the article is obtained by a writer device. The attribute information written and read from the IC tag attached to the article and the storage location information relating to the storage location of the article are received from a storage shelf transmission device provided in a storage shelf in which the article is stored. The article information receiving means, the article information storage means for storing the attribute information and the storage location information received by the article information receiving means in association with each other, and the article based on a search condition using the attribute information as a key. Search means for searching the storage location information of the article by referring to the information storage means, and the attribute information and the search means And an outputting means for outputting the serial storage location information.

  Further, the article management system of the present invention is a found article from which the article has been picked up, and the attribute information includes the name of the found article, a management serial number, a picked place, a picked date and time, a feature, a storage place, etc. It is desirable.

  In the article management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the output means has a certificate issuing means for issuing a certificate proving attribute information relating to an article that matches the search condition as a result of searching by the search means.

  Further, the article management system of the present invention, when the article information storage means receives that the article information receiving means has deleted the storage location information from the storage shelf transmission device, the attribute information and the storage location information are displayed. It is desirable to delete it.

  Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, the storage shelf of the present invention is a storage shelf for storing an article, wherein the attribute information about the article is written by a writer device, and the IC tag is attached to the article. The attribute information reading means for reading the attribute information, the attribute information read by the attribute information reading means, and the storage location information related to the storage location of the article associated with the attribute information. And a storage location information transmitting means for transmitting to the article information receiving means included in the article management system described in the item.

  In the storage shelf of the present invention, the storage location information transmitting means is operated based on opening / closing of a door of a storage warehouse where the storage shelf is installed, or at predetermined time intervals, or a predetermined switch is operated. Thus, it is desirable to transmit the attribute information and the storage location information.

  The article management server of the present invention is an article management server that manages the article using an IC tag attached to the article, and is an IC that is attached to the article by writing attribute information about the article by a writer device. Article information receiving means for receiving the attribute information read from the tag and the storage location information relating to the storage location of the article from a storage shelf transmission device provided in a storage shelf in which the article is stored, and the article information By referring to the article information storage means based on a search condition using the attribute information as a key, the article information storage means for storing the attribute information received by the receiving means and the storage location information in association with each other. Search means for searching for storage location information of articles, and output means for outputting the attribute information and the storage location information searched by the search means Characterized in that it comprises and.

  As a result, by attaching an IC tag storing attribute information to a forgotten item, the forgotten item and its attribute information are always transported and stored in an integrated state, so a lot of forgotten items must be taken over. Even in this case, the takeover operation becomes extremely smooth.

  Furthermore, by enabling access to the article management system from a user terminal device in addition to a dedicated terminal device, it is possible to shorten the article search time and save labor.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to save time and labor for information input when handing over forgotten things, and to allow passengers who have left behind access to the article management system, thereby shortening search time and labor. Is possible.

The present invention is a system for searching and managing forgotten items in, for example, a passenger railway, using an IC tag. Detailed description will be given below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram of an article search / management system 10 using an IC tag to which the present invention is applied.

  The network 11 is connected to a lost item management server A12-1 at the storage location A12 and a lost item management server B13-1 at the storage location B13. Here, the network 11 represents a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, and the like, and includes not only wired communication but also wireless communication.

As a first example, a case where only the lost item management server A12-1 is connected to the network 11 will be described.
The storage location A12 shows a case where the storage warehouse exists only at one station along the line (A station in the case of FIG. 1). The system of the storage location A12 includes a lost item management server A12-1, a lost item storage shelf 12-2, an A station terminal device 12-3, a reader device 12-4, a writer device 12-5, and an IC tag 12-. 6. The forgotten item management server A12-1 is connected to the A station terminal device 12-3 and the reader device 12-4.

  The forgotten item management server A12-1 stores article information of forgotten items and stores the information in a database. In order to make the article information of forgotten items into a database, the IC tag 12-6 is used, the IC tag 12-6 in which the information is written by the writer device 12-5 is read by the reader device 12-4, and the forgotten item management server A12- Transferred to 1 and saved.

As a second embodiment, a case where the lost item management server B 13-1 is connected to the network 11 will be described.
In the storage location B13, storage warehouses exist at a plurality of stations (B, C, and D stations in the case of FIG. 1), and one specific station (B station in the case of FIG. 1) is the other station. A case is shown in which the lost item management servers (the lost item management server C15-1 and the lost item management server D16-1) are integrated and managed.

  The system of the storage location B13, the storage location C15, and the storage location D16 is the same as the system of the storage location A12, the lost item management server (13-1, 15-1, 16-1), the lost item storage shelf 12-2, A station terminal device 12-3, a reader device 12-4, a writer device 12-5, and an IC tag 12-6 are included. Also, the forgotten item management server (13-1, 15-1, 16-1) is connected to the station terminal device 12-3 and the reader device 12-4. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same apparatus and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Here, the embodiment is not limited to this form, and only one of the forms or a combination of a plurality of these forms may be used. For example, the forgotten item management server A12-1 has a WEB server function, and the lost item management servers (13-1, 15-1, 16-1) may be accessible via the Internet.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the control device of the forgotten item management server.
The lost item management server A12-1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a communication device control unit 22, a storage device control unit 23, a storage device 24, a certificate issuing device control unit 25, and a terminal device control unit 26. A display device control unit 27, a reading device control unit 28, and a comparison device control unit 29. The lost item management server B13-1, the lost item management server C15-1, and the lost item management server D16-1 have the same configuration.

  The CPU 21 is connected to the communication device control unit 22, the storage device control unit 23, the terminal device control unit 26, the reading device control unit 28, and the comparison device control unit 29. The storage device control unit 23 is connected to the storage device 24. The terminal device control unit 26 is connected to the certificate issuing device control unit 25 and the display device control unit 27, and controls the operation of each control unit using the control program of the forgotten item management server A12-1.

The communication device control unit 22 is a control device for controlling communication between devices connected to the network 11.
The storage device control unit 23 is a control device for controlling the storage device 24.

  The storage device 24 is a recording medium such as a hard disk, MO, FD, CD-ROM / RW, DVD-ROM / RW, or flash memory. The storage device 24 stores the control program, article attribute information, and the like of the forgotten item management server A12-1. Here, the function of retrieving the attribute information of the article is realized by the CPU 21, the storage device control unit 23, and the storage device 24.

  The terminal device control unit 26 is a control device for controlling the terminal device connected to the forgotten item management server A12-1. In particular, for a terminal device at a station, a certificate necessary for the exchange of goods is issued via the certificate issuing device control unit 25, or the status of the database is displayed on the display screen via the display device control unit 27. Let

  The reading device control unit 28 is a control device for controlling the reader device 12-4 and transferring the attribute information of the IC tag 12-6 read by the reader device 12-4 to the forgotten item management server A12-1.

  The comparison device control unit 29 is a control device for comparing the item attribute information input from the user terminal device or the station terminal device with the item attribute information stored in the forgotten item management server A12-1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an IC tag 12-6 used in the present invention.
Although not particularly illustrated, the IC tag 12-6 includes a built-in antenna, a transmission unit, a reception unit, and a memory.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing storage information of the IC tag 12-6.
The IC tag 12-6 can store, for example, information such as an article name, a management serial number, a discovery location, a discovery date, characteristics, a storage location, and remarks in a memory.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a portable writer device 12-5 having an antenna and an information input function.
The writer device 12-5 includes an antenna 51, a transmission unit, a reception unit, a memory, and a CPU (not shown). When writing information to the IC tag 12-6, the contents shown in FIG. 4 are input using the writer device 12-5. The article information input screen 52 of the writer device 12-5 is displayed on the display unit 53 of FIG. In the item information, items to be input on the item information input screen 53 are displayed in correspondence with the information stored in the IC tag 12-6. The item information item is selected and determined by moving the cursor 54 displayed on the item information input screen 52 with the operation unit 55. By inputting the article information input method in an interactive manner in this way, an effect of preventing information leakage such as forgetting to input can be obtained.

  The writer device 12-5 can have a function of reading information in addition to inputting information. As a result, it is possible to confirm the information once entered, or to correct and re-enter the information when it is wrong.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a lost item storage shelf 12-2 in the lost item storage location.
An antenna 61 is disposed on the shelf itself on which the article is placed. As a desirable example, each article mounting table may be disposed on the back side of the table, or may be built inside the table.

  The antenna 61 is connected to the reader device 12-4. The reader device 12-4 includes an antenna 61, a transmission unit, a reception unit, a memory, and a CPU (not shown). The reader device 12-4 may be integrated with the forgotten item storage shelf 12-2 or may be provided independently. The reader device 12-4 can communicate with the IC tag 12-6 attached to the article via the antenna 61. Note that the antenna 61 may be disposed at a position where it can communicate with the IC tag 12-6 attached to the article without arranging the antenna 61 on the shelf itself.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table relating to database information stored in the lost-item management server.
For example, in the case where there is a forgotten item storage location only at station A along the railway line, the “storage location” column shown in FIG. 7 is “A station storage warehouse”.

On the other hand, when there are a plurality of forgotten items storage locations along the line, the storage warehouse of the corresponding station is displayed in the “storage location” column, although not particularly illustrated.
In FIG. 7, names, serial numbers, discovery locations, discovery dates, characteristics, storage locations, and remarks are displayed as display items, but the display items are not limited thereto. For example, it is possible to display the position of a shelf on which a photograph or an article is located. Moreover, although the said display item is displayed on a horizontal column and article information is displayed on the vertical column, it may become a reverse display. Furthermore, it is possible to display one or more display items in a limited manner or display only a specific article.

Specific functions and usage methods of the article search / management system 10 of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described below.
First, specific functions will be described.

  That is, the forgotten item management server A12-1 is an article management system for managing the article using the IC tag 12-6 attached to the article, and has a function of receiving attribute information about the article and a database of the article as a database. It has a function of storing attribute information, a function of searching for a place where an article is stored from a database, and a function of outputting the search result. Here, the article is assumed to be a forgotten article that has been forgotten or dropped in a station or the like.

  The IC tag 12-6 stores the above-mentioned article after the attribute information about the article, for example, the name of the found item, the serial number for management, the place of picking up, the date and time of picking up, the characteristics, the storage place, etc. are written by the writer device 12-5. The function of receiving the article information is attached to the IC tag 12-6, and the attribute information read from the IC tag 12-6 and the storage location information on the storage location of the article are stored in the forgotten item storage shelf in which the article is stored. It is received from the storage shelf transmission device provided in 12-2.

The function of storing article attribute information as a database stores the attribute information received by the function of receiving the article information and the storage location information in association with each other.
The function in which the article is stored searches the storage location information of the article by referring to the database based on a search condition using the attribute information as a key. Then, the attribute information and the retrieved storage location information are output. In addition, as a result of the search, a certificate that certifies the attribute information related to the article that matches the search condition is also issued.

  The forgotten item storage shelf 12-2 is a storage shelf for storing articles. The attribute information is written and the attribute information is read from the IC tag 12-6 attached to the article. A function of transmitting the attribute information read by the reading function and the storage location information related to the storage location of the article associated with the attribute information to a function of receiving the article information included in the forgotten item management server A12-1. Yes.

  The function of transmitting the storage location information can transmit the attribute information and the storage location information based on the opening / closing of the door of the storage warehouse where the forgotten item storage shelf 12-2 is installed, or at predetermined time intervals. It is transmitted or transmitted by operating a predetermined switch.

  Further, the function of storing the attribute information of the article as a database provided in the forgotten item management server A12-1 is updated at a timing when the attribute information received by the function of receiving the article information and the storage location information are stored in association with each other However, when it is received that the storage location information has been deleted from the storage shelf transmission device, the attribute information and the storage location information may be deleted.

Next, a specific method of using the article search / management system 10 of the present invention will be described.
Assume that a passenger railroad worker finds a key ring for lost items at a terminal A station of a passenger railroad. At this time, the passenger railway staff writes information in the IC tag 12-6 by using the dedicated writer device 12-5. The writer device 12-5 and the IC tag 12-6 are always carried around and carried.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data format of the IC tag 12-6.
As an example of each item, “Keychain” in the name column, “No. 0123567” in the serial number column, “A station premises” in the discovery location column, “November 29, 2003 PM 15:00” in the discovery date column, "Number of keys: 2, material: leather" in the column, "A station storage warehouse" in the storage location column (in this example, it is assumed that there is a storage location at the end station A station), "blank (not entered) in the remarks column Is input to the IC tag 12-6. Forgotten items are attached to the storage warehouse at station A with the IC tag 12-6 attached.

  In the storage warehouse at station A, a forgotten item storage shelf 12-2 is installed, and the forgotten item is placed on the forgotten item storage shelf 12-2. Since the antenna 61 and the reader device 12-4 are arranged on the lost item storage shelf 12-2, the information stored in the IC tag 12-6 is read and transferred to the database of the lost item management server A12-1. . The database updates the accumulated data. The timing for updating, that is, the timing for performing communication between the reader device 12-4 and the IC tag 12-6 is, for example, a method triggered by opening / closing of a storage warehouse door. It is done. According to this method, storage of a new article can be detected without waste, and it is effective in preventing theft of the article.

  Moreover, the time to update regularly may be defined and it may update for every time. Alternatively, when placing a forgotten item on a storage shelf, a passenger railway staff may operate and update a predetermined switch.

  After that, when a passenger who notices a lost item in the key ring makes an inquiry at the nearest B station, for example, the passenger railway staff at B station provides information such as the name of the item, the name of the route where the item was left, the date and time, and characteristics. It hears from a passenger, accesses to the thing management server A12-1 from the B station terminal device 12-3, and searches for articles. Here, the article search information is not something that cannot be searched unless the name of the article, the name of the route where the item is forgotten, the date and time, the characteristics, etc. are covered. 3 may be selected from among them.

  Then, since the key holder is stored in the storage warehouse of the A station, the corresponding article can be specified. In this case, when the passenger presents his / her identification card, a certificate necessary for receiving the article from the station B terminal device 12-3 is issued. Passengers can go to station A, present their certificate and ID, and receive goods.

  In addition, a passenger who notices a lost item in the key ring can access the lost item management server B13-1 by a user terminal device from a place where Internet connection is possible later, such as at home or at work. The process from searching to receiving an article is the same as that performed from the B station terminal device 12-3 described above.

When the article is delivered, the forgotten item management server A12-1 adds the information of the delivery person to the data of the article for which delivery has been completed, and stores it in a database in another area.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a system for searching and managing information on articles using the IC tag 12-6. As a result, the management server for managing article information, which has been conventionally performed, can be updated not only at the time of taking over the passenger railway staff.

Further, by attaching the IC tag 12-6 storing the attribute information to the forgotten item, the forgotten item and the attribute information are always transported and stored in an integrated state, and the information of the IC tag 12-6 is stored at the time of storage. Will be automatically read by the reader device 12-4, so even if a lot of forgotten things must be handed over between passenger railway personnel, special work such as information input and access to the server at the time of handing over As a result, the takeover operation becomes extremely smooth, and it is difficult for information mistakes to occur. In addition, the management server can be viewed not only by passenger railroad personnel, but also from the passenger's own user terminal device. Since it is possible, the search time can be shortened and labor can be saved.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the case of a passenger railway, and can be used in, for example, a bus, an airliner, a passenger ship, a department store, an amusement park, or a normal town. Furthermore, it is possible to handle not only “forgotten items” but also “lost items”. In this case, servers, storage shelves, etc. may be installed in police boxes or police stations. Although the embodiments to which the present invention is applied have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various configurations or configurations can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can take shape.

It is a network block diagram of the article search / management system using an IC tag. It is a block diagram which shows the control apparatus of a thing-left-behind management server. It is a figure which shows an example of an IC tag. It is a figure which shows the preservation | save information of an IC tag. It is a figure which shows the portable writer apparatus which has an antenna and an information input function. It is a figure which shows an example of the left-behind thing storage shelf in a left-handed thing storage place. It is a figure which shows an example of the table regarding the database information preserve | saved at the thing-left-behind management server. It is a figure which shows an example of the data format of an IC tag.

Explanation of symbols

10 Article Search / Management System 11 Network 12 Storage Location A
12-1 Lost and Found Management Server A
12-2 Lost article storage shelf 12-3 Terminal device 12-4 Reader device 12-5 Writer device 12-6 IC tag 13 Storage location B
13-1 Lost and Found Management Server B
15 Storage location C
15-1 Lost and Found Management Server C
16 Storage location D
16-1 Lost and Found Management Server D
21 CPU
22 communication device control unit 23 storage device control unit 24 storage device 25 certificate issuing device control unit 26 terminal device control unit 27 display device control unit 28 reading device control unit 29 comparison device control unit 51 antenna 52 article information input screen 53 display unit 54 Cursor 55 Operation unit 61 Antenna

Claims (7)

In an article management system for managing the article using an IC tag attached to the article,
The attribute information related to the article is written by the writer device and read from the IC tag attached to the article, and the storage location information related to the storage location of the article is provided in a storage shelf in which the article is stored. Article information receiving means for receiving from the received storage shelf transmission device;
Article information storage means for storing the attribute information received by the article information receiving means and the storage location information in association with each other;
Search means for searching storage location information of the article by referring to the article information storage means based on a search condition using the attribute information as a key;
Output means for outputting the attribute information and the storage location information searched by the search means;
An article management system comprising: The article is a found found item;
2. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information includes a name of the found item, a management serial number, a picked place, a picked date and time, a feature, a storage place, and the like.   3. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the output means includes a certificate issuing means for issuing a certificate that certifies attribute information relating to an article that matches the search condition as a result of searching by the search means. .   The article information storage means deletes the attribute information and the storage location information when the article information receiving means receives the deletion of the storage location information from the storage shelf transmission device. The article management system according to any one of 1 to 3. A storage shelf for storing articles,
Attribute information reading means for reading the attribute information from an IC tag in which attribute information about the article is written by a writer device and attached to the article;
The article provided in the article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the attribute information read by the attribute information reading unit and storage location information related to the storage location of the article associated with the attribute information are included. A storage location information transmitting means for transmitting to the information receiving means;
A storage shelf comprising:   The storage location information transmitting means is configured to open the attribute information and the storage location based on opening / closing of a door of a storage warehouse where the storage shelf is installed, or at predetermined time intervals, or by operating a predetermined switch. Information is transmitted, The storage shelf of Claim 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. In an article management server for managing the article using an IC tag attached to the article,
The attribute information related to the article is written by the writer device and read from the IC tag attached to the article, and the storage location information related to the storage location of the article is provided in a storage shelf in which the article is stored. Article information receiving means for receiving from the received storage shelf transmission device;
Article information storage means for storing the attribute information received by the article information receiving means and the storage location information in association with each other;
Search means for searching storage location information of the article by referring to the article information storage means based on a search condition using the attribute information as a key;
Output means for outputting the attribute information and the storage location information searched by the search means;
An article management server comprising: