FR2777660A1 - Identification of sporting equipment, such as skis and surfboards - Google Patents

Abstract

A label which is readable without contact is incorporated into the body of a ski or surfboard by the manufacturer at an agreed point. The label has a first memory zone which contains a unique identification of the article and a second memory zone which is rewriteable and may contain temporary local use and user information written in from an external equipment

Description

METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING AN ARTICLE

  SPORTS, ESPECIALLY A SKI BOARD OR

  SURFING OR WATER SPORTS MACHINE, ARTICLE

  AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH

PROCESS.

  The present invention relates to a method of identifying a sporting article, in particular a ski or surfboard, shoes or a water sport apparatus, article and equipment for the

implementation of such a method.

  It is known in the prior art to mark sporting goods, in particular articles intended for rental with alphanumeric markings or with bar codes. These markings are suitable for inventory management and visual identification of items. However, they are not very suitable for automating identification. Skis incorporating magnetic labels have also been proposed in the prior art. European patent EP441318 describes a ski with a permanent label for identification. The ski board according to this patent has a permanent identification label. In the upper and lower faces of a ski core are placed in turn layers of glue and reinforcing layers, the last layer of reinforcement on the top and bottom of the ski being covered with a layer of glue and d '' a top coating and a sliding coating. An identification label with an identification code by magnetic reading is placed in one of the layers

glue.

  Such a label is passive: it simply identifies a very short distance

marked item.

  The aim of the present invention is to propose a method of dynamic marking of a sports article, making it possible not only to uniquely identify an article, but also to manage temporary information, such as the identity of the owner or of the tenant, the condition of the equipment at the time of rental, the date of passage into a control zone, and more generally all information corresponding to a specific use of a

equipment.

  To this end, the invention relates firstly to a method of identifying a sporting article, in particular a ski or surfboard or a water sport apparatus, consisting in incorporating into a part of the sports article a contactless reading label, characterized in that said label comprises a first memory zone comprising a unique identification of the label, and a second rewritable memory zone, allowing the memorization of data transmitted by an equipment outside. According to a first variant of the method, data from external equipment comprising means for automatically generating information intended to be recorded in the label is recorded in the label.

  the rewritable memory of the label.

  According to a second variant of the method, data from external equipment comprising means for manual entry of information intended to be entered in the label is recorded in the label.

  the rewritable memory of the label.

  The invention secondly relates to a sporting article, in particular a ski or surfboard or a nautical sporting apparatus, of the type comprising a non-contact reading label incorporated in a part of the article, characterized in that the label has a first memory area in which a unique identification of the label is recorded, and a second memory area for recording

  additional temporary data.

  Advantageously, the label includes an antenna allowing transmission by radio frequency of the identification data specific to the label on the one hand, and for reading and recording the

  additional data on the other hand.

  Preferably, the range of the transmission

is greater than 10 centimeters.

  Thirdly, the invention relates to equipment for communication with a label incorporated in a sports article in accordance with one of the

  claims 4 to 6 characterized in that it comprises a

  means for activating the label incorporated in the sports article, and means for reading the unique identification recorded in the first

label memory.

  According to a variant, the equipment comprises a means for activating the label incorporated in the sports article, and means for transmitting data for recording in the second

label memory.

  Advantageously, the equipment comprises means for reading the information recorded in the second memory of the label, and means for comparing the data transmitted to a label comprising a specific identification number, and the data transmitted by said label after the

  sequence of transmission of said data.

  According to an alternative embodiment, the equipment comprises means for automatically generating dating information for communication with the label of a sporting article comprising a

identification tag.

  The invention will be better understood on reading

  of the following description, referring to examples

non-limiting of realization.

  The basic principle consists in providing the skis with a radio frequency label allowing the following main functions: Formal identification of the ski by reading the unique identification number from the radio label. - On-board memory layout in the pages of the radio label, in order to be able to register

  information directly on the ski (see detail below)

  below). - Standardization of the organization of information in the memory of the radio label in order to propose a universal multi-manufacturer system and

  usable by the whole profession.

  The principle of the invention can be extended later to other snow sports articles of the monoski type, snowboarding, shoes, sledging, water sports equipment, of the windsurfing type, surfing, dinghies, catamaran, etc. The integration of the radio tag is made directly in the body of the ski, or in its tip, and supports a covering of plastic or composite material. The integration is carried out in a predetermined and standardized location, identified in relation to external references, for example the spatula for skis. The two main advantages of this system are as follows: - Being able to read the radio label remotely without seeing it as is necessary with automatic identification technologies of the barcode type. Integration of the radio label in the ski, which makes them inseparable: to remove the radio label from the ski you must touch the integrity

  of it by breaking or dismantling it.

  The marking method according to the invention therefore allows a particularly reliable and tamper-proof identification system. The use of this radio label will make it possible to develop a global use of the radio label by the whole chain: from the manufacturer to the end customer, via the

  retailers and ski resorts.

  The uses and benefits are as follows. For the manufacturer: It is he who must carry out the integration of the radio label in the ski

during the manufacturing process.

  The marking according to the invention allows it to develop a new marketing concept by offering an intelligent ski by offering new services to its customers. It also constitutes a certificate of origin

  and proof of the origin of the article.

  The method according to the invention also has an anti-theft function: the ski identified in a unitary and unalterable manner with a unique number,

not modifiable and unalterable.

  The marking labels according to the invention also offer the possibility of writing on a page

  memory of the radio label the name of the customer.

  At the time of production, this possibility allows the integration of manufacturing data (batch number, manufacturing date, operator, ...). It thus authorizes ski traceability

throughout its lifetime.

  For retailers (sports shops ensuring the sale and rental of skis), the method according to the invention also offers numerous applications. The retailer is provided with software which controls the dialogue system with the electronic label. These two elements are both part

integral of the invention.

  The software runs on a micro-

  computer, it allows the entry of a customer file (name, contact details) and the management of the dialogue unit. Fully automatic, the operator can read the ski number and also write information

  in the memory pages of the label.

  To prevent the theft of sold skis, they are identified in a unitary and unalterable manner with a unique number. The invention allows the following information to be written in the radio label: * Customer name and customer contact details * Date and place of purchase * Technical characteristics (models, dimensions,

settings).

  For rental management, the skis are identified in a unitary and unalterable manner with a unique number. The method according to the invention allows the writing of the following information in the radio label: * Store contact details * Rental period and name of the tenant * Technical characteristics (models, dimensions, settings) For inventory management, the invention allows fast entry of ski and tenant numbers, thereby reducing

consistent waiting in store.

  The method according to the invention also makes it possible to manage the automatic units for picking up rental skis, with access by reading the label at the automatic opening of a locker for depositing the skis. For resorts and piste operators: Using antennas suitably placed on the pistes (bottom and exit of the ski lifts or crossing point), operators can count the number of skis passed at this location . The antennas will be connected to a dialogue and storage unit. This information can be retrieved by a computer system to study the use of certain tracks or passages of tracks. The invention can also be extended to the field of competition in order to ensure the identification of skiers and the triggering

automatic timings.

  According to a particular example of the invention, the method according to the invention consists in incorporating into a part of the sports article a radiofrequency label, a permanent memory of which contains identification information specific to each label. The label is supplied by a loop enabling the radio frequency module to be activated without the need to provide a supply of the type

cell or battery.

  The label also contains a rewritable memory area allowing the recording of temporary information, corresponding to specific applications and to protocols which are not

not necessarily standardized.

  The associated equipment includes a loop to supply the radio frequency label placed at a short distance. The presence of a label increases the current flowing in the loop supply circuit. This increase in current is detected to trigger the sequence

  exchange of signals between the equipment and the label.

  The first step in the exchange sequence consists of the equipment's reading of the permanent identification information from the label. Reading this information triggers the continuation of the sequence, for example the transmission of information entered by the operator using a keyboard, such as the name of the rental company, as well as automatically generated information, for example the date and time of recording. This information can be stored in a writable memory only once. At the end of this transmission, the equipment triggers the reading of the information stored by the radio frequency tag, and compares the data received with the data stored in

  relationship to the tag identification number.

  If this verification is positive, the personalization of the article is considered valid and an audible or light signal is activated. Otherwise, a new sequence of recording information from

personalization is activated.

  When renting the equipment, additional information is entered in an area of

  memory rewritable several times.

  During the return, the identification information of the label is read, as well as the

  data stored in rewritable memory.

  The reading equipment checks whether the data recorded in the label is identical to the data recorded in the equipment, in relation to

the same identification number.

  In the event of a positive verification, the equipment records the end of the rental, and publishes

for example the invoice.

  The ski resort may include control stations formed by loops placed for example on the passage of the access queues to the ski lifts or chairlifts, or even at any obligatory passage point. These loops are associated with equipment comprising means for reading the data stored in the labels incorporated in the sports articles, and possibly for registering

  information in said labels.

  These unidirectional or bidirectional information exchanges make it possible to manage services such as access to paid infrastructures in real time. They also make it possible to anticipate the speeds and frequentation of these infrastructures, and

  optimize human and technical resources.

Claims (6)

  1 - Method for identifying a sporting article, in particular a ski or surfboard or a nautical sporting device, consisting in incorporating in a part of the sporting article a reading label without contact, characterized in that said label comprises a first memory zone comprising a unique identification of the label, and a second rewritable memory zone, allowing the memorization of data transmitted by external equipment. 2 - A method of identifying a sports article according to claim 1 characterized in that there is recorded in the label data from an external equipment comprising means for automatically generating information intended to be   written in the rewritable memory of the label.   3 - A method of identifying a sports article according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that there is recorded in the label data from an external equipment comprising manual information input means intended to be written in the rewritable memory of the label. 3 - A method of identifying a sports article according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that there is recorded in the label data from an external equipment comprising manual information input means intended to be written in the rewritable memory of the label. Sports article, in particular a ski or surfboard or a nautical sport device, of the type comprising a non-contact reading label incorporated in a part of the article, characterized in that the label comprises a first zone for memory in which a unique identification of the label is recorded, and a second memory area allowing the recording of additional temporary data. 6 Sports article according to claim characterized in that the label comprises an antenna for transmission by radio frequency of identification data specific to the label on the one hand, and for reading and recording of data on the other hand.   7 - Sports article according to claim or 6 characterized in that the scope of the   transmission is greater than 10 centimeters.   8 - Equipment for communication with a label incorporated in a sports article   according to one of claims 5 to 7 characterized in   which it comprises a means of activating the label incorporated in the sports article, and means of reading the unique identification recorded in the first memory of the label.   9 - Equipment for communication with a label incorporated in a sports article   according to one of claims 5 to 7 characterized in   what it includes means for activating the label incorporated in the sporting article, and means for transmitting data for recording in   the second label memory.   - Equipment for communication with a label incorporated in a sports article   according to at least one of claims 8 or 9   characterized in that it comprises means for reading the information recorded in the second memory of the label, and means for comparing the data transmitted to a label comprising a specific identification number, and the data transmitted by said label after the transmission sequence of said data.   11 - Equipment for communication with a label incorporated in a sports article   according to at least one of claims 8 to 10   characterized in that it comprises a means for automatically generating dating information of the communication with the label of a sports article   with an identification label.