JP2002197175A - Management method and management device for product history - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily decide whether a product such as a printer passes through a regular distribution channel or not. SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 is installed with a recycle chip 2 composed of a non-contact type IC card, and maker information attached with falsification- detecting data in a manufacture process is stored in a ROM 18 inside the recycle chip 2. In a reader/writer 21 disposed in a store, store information with falsification-detecting information is generated in a writing information generation part 30, and the store information is written into a nonvolatile memory 17. By reading the history information stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 and the ROM 18 and executing falsification detection in a falsification detection part 32, it is decided that falsification is executed or not, to confirm whether the distribution channel is proper or not. Therefore, recycling is accurately executed, and illegal dumping or the like is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information storage for storing various history information required for distribution products such as manufacturing information, recycling information, and store information for products distributed in markets such as home appliances and automobiles. The present invention relates to a product history management method and a management device for managing product history by arranging a medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a home appliance recycling business for four items of home appliances (television, refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioner) has been started. In this home appliance recycling business, it is necessary to judge whether or not the recycling of waste home appliances is being performed properly, and consumers will bear the cost of recycling waste home appliances. It is feared that illegal dumping will increase due to dislike payment.

[0003] For this reason, a conventional recycling process is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 200-126749 (hereinafter referred to as a first conventional example) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-268803 (hereinafter referred to as a second conventional example). What is known is. In a first conventional example, a recycle processing management system applied to a recycle processing factory which performs a plurality of processes from arrival to shipment of a recycle target object is described. And a recycle processing management system and a recycle processing management system for acquiring processing data relating to a processing target object and inputting the acquired processing data to a database each time a plurality of processes are performed. The management method is described.

In a second conventional example, a waste processing information system that collects information on the processing flow of waste at a network center and manages the processing flow of the waste based on the collected information has been proposed. Is a waste home appliance, and a management slip is attached to each waste home appliance to collect information on the waste home appliances, and based on the information, management of waste disposal between the discharger, collection and transportation company, and recycling factory It describes an illegal dumping prevention system related to the home appliance recycling business, which makes it possible to determine the presence or absence of illegal dumping and the location of illegal dumping spots.

[0005]

However, the first and second prior arts described above are aimed at household appliances that are used and discarded in general households and are disposed of in a new recycling society of resource recycling type. Focusing on the enactment of the “Specific Home Appliance Recycling Law” scheduled to be enforced from 2001 with the aim of construction, manages the actual recycling of used cars and home appliances. This does not control any information on distribution channels such as manufacturing information and usage information before being discarded, and specifies the distribution channels when home electric appliances are illegally dumped. In addition, there is an unsolved problem that even if the recycling process is properly performed, the distribution channel up to that time cannot be grasped.

In the second conventional example, the presence or absence of illegal dumping and the identification of the illegal dumping point can be determined. However, a management slip is attached to each waste home appliance, but this management slip is falsified. In such cases, there is an unsolved problem that it is difficult to easily determine illegal dumping. Therefore, the present invention has been made by focusing on the unsolved problems of the conventional example described above, and it is possible to specify distribution channels for all products including products to be recycled such as home electric appliances, and to specify history information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a product history management method and a management device capable of easily detecting tampering.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a product history management method according to claim 1 is a product history management method for managing the history of products circulating in a market. In accordance with the distribution process, at least the manufacturer information and the store information are sequentially stored as falsification detectable history information in the information storage medium, and based on the history information stored in the information storage medium. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the product distribution process is a legitimate process.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an information storage medium for storing electronic information in an externally readable manner in a manufacturing process is mounted on a product distributed on the market, and the information storage medium is written on the information storage medium by information writing means. History information according to the distribution channel, for example, in a manufacturing factory, an ID such as a product name, a serial number, and a manufacturer name.
Information, repair, failure information, recycling information, etc.
M so that tampering can be detected, and the store also writes the name of the store, the location, the telephone number, the date of sale, the warranty period, etc. in the information storage medium so that tampering can be detected. It is determined whether the product distribution process is a legitimate process.

A product history management method according to claim 2 is a product history management method for managing the history of a device to be recycled, wherein an information storage medium is mounted on the device to be recycled, and According to the distribution process, at least the manufacturer information and the store information are sequentially stored as falsification detectable history information, and based on the history information stored in the information storage medium, whether or not the product distribution process is a legitimate process Is determined.

In the invention according to claim 2, history information such as a product name, a serial number, a manufacturer name, repair, failure information, and recycling information is stored in the information storage medium. Stores store information such as the date of sale and the name of the purchaser, stores loan information such as the date of lending and the name of the lender if the buyer lends it to others, and repairs if the product is repaired When the information is stored and used up and a waste collection company such as a store asks for collection, a specific household appliance waste management slip that describes the specified items is stored, and then the collection company hands over to the manufacturer etc. And the predetermined items are stored in the management slip. In this way, the history information in the distribution process is stored in the information storage medium, and based on this history information, the product history is centrally managed, so that the entire flow of the product from manufacturing to disposal is performed. To promote the effective use of global resources by reusing resources, and to prevent illegal dumping to protect the global environment.

Further, in the product history management method according to a third aspect, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, the manufacturer information includes I, such as a product name, a serial number, a manufacturing date, and a manufacturer name.
It is characterized by comprising D information and management information such as repair information, failure information, and recycling information. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the manufacturer information constituting the history information is composed of ID information indicating the manufacturer and management information relating to product support such as repair information, failure information, recycling information, etc., this manufacturer information Is read from the information storage medium, the manufacturer information and the support information can be immediately obtained.

Further, in a product history management method according to a fourth aspect, in the invention of the first to third aspects, the store information includes ID information such as a store name, a location, a telephone number, a sale date, and a warranty period. And other service information. In the invention according to claim 4, the store information constituting the history information includes ID information indicating the store,
Since it is composed of the service information such as the sales date and the warranty period, the store information and the service information can be immediately obtained by reading the store information from the information storage medium.

Still further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the product history management method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the manufacturer information and the dealer information are tampered with an encryption using a secret key. It is characterized in that application data is added. In the invention according to claim 5, when the manufacturer information and the store information constituting the history information are stored in the information storage medium, tampering detection data formed by encrypting them by using a secret key is added. By
By decrypting the falsification detection data with the public key, falsification of the manufacturer information and the store information can be detected.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a product history management apparatus for managing a history of products circulating in a market, comprising: an information storage medium mounted on the product; Information writing means for storing at least the manufacturer information and the store information corresponding to the route as history information capable of being tampered with, and whether the product distribution process is a regular process based on the history information stored in the information storage medium And a product distribution process judging means for judging whether the product is distributed or not.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the same operation as the first aspect of the invention can be obtained. Furthermore, a product history management device according to claim 7, which is a product history management device that manages the history of the device to be recycled, wherein the information storage medium attached to the device to be recycled and the information storage medium according to the distribution route Information writing means for storing at least the manufacturer information and the store information as falsification-detectable history information; and determining whether or not the product distribution process is a proper process based on the history information stored in the information storage medium. And a means for determining a product distribution process.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the same operation as the second aspect of the invention can be obtained. Further, in the product history management device according to claim 8, in the invention according to claim 6 or 7, the information writing unit writes the history information according to the distribution route to the network when writing the history information according to the distribution route. The product history management means is configured to be registered via the product history management means.

According to the present invention, when the information writing means writes the history information according to the distribution route to the storage medium, the history information is registered in the product history management means via the network. The current product history can be accurately grasped by the history management means. Still further, claim 9
In the product history management device according to the above, when the product distribution process determining means discards and recycles the device to be recycled, in the disposal process, legal processing is performed based on information stored in the information storage medium. It is characterized in that it is configured to check whether or not it is being performed.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when disposing and recycling the equipment to be recycled, the disposal company reads the information stored in the storage medium by the information confirming means, and the collection company such as a retail store can read the information. By checking the created management form information, it is possible to confirm whether or not the processing is legal, and if the processing has been illegally dumped, the illegal dumping is performed based on the final information stored in the storage medium. Can be identified.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the product history management apparatus according to any one of the sixth to ninth aspects, the information storage medium has information processing means, and when predetermined permission information is input. It is characterized in that it is configured to enable rewriting of history information. This claim 1
In the invention according to No. 0, since the storage medium includes the information processing means, the stored information can be accessed when permission information such as a preset password or encryption is input, so that the storage medium is intentionally stored. It is possible to reliably prevent information stored in the medium from being tampered with or deleted.

Further, a product history management apparatus according to claim 11 is characterized in that, in any one of claims 6 to 10, the information storage medium is constituted by an IC card. According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the information storage medium is constituted by the IC card, the storage capacity of the storage information can be increased.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a product history management apparatus according to any one of the sixth to eleventh aspects.
The storage medium is constituted by a non-contact type IC card. According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the information storage medium is constituted by a non-contact type IC card, the information writing means and the information confirmation means can access the stored contents in a non-contact state, Writing and confirmation can be easily performed.

Still further, in the invention according to claim 13,
In the invention according to claim 12, the information storage medium comprises:
It is characterized in that it is configured to receive and transmit information and supply power using electromagnetic waves as a medium. According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the information storage medium is configured to receive and transmit information and supply power using electromagnetic waves as a medium. Access to the medium can be reliably performed.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the information storage medium, the information writing means, and the product distribution process judging means include a small wireless network. It is characterized by being configurable. In the invention according to claim 14, the storage medium, the information writing means, and the information confirmation means are configured so as to be able to configure a small-scale wireless network.
Access to a storage medium can be easily performed via a small-sized wireless network.

Further, a product history management device according to claim 15 is the invention according to any one of claims 6 to 14,
The product is characterized in that the product is provided with use start control means for enabling use under a condition that regular history information is stored in the information storage medium. In the invention according to claim 15, since the product is provided with use start control means, when the regular history information is stored in the information storage medium, the use of the product is started and the regular history information is stored. If not, the product cannot be used, and illegal acquisition of the product can be prevented, and manufacturing responsibility and sales responsibility can be thoroughly ensured.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein a product (a device to be recycled) is shown.
Non-contact type I as a storage medium in the refrigerator 1
A recycle chip 2 composed of a C card is mounted on an internal control board 3. This recycled chip 2
As shown in FIG. 2, a power coil 11 and a transmission / reception coil 1 that are electromagnetically inductively coupled to each other using a mutual induction action corresponding to a pair of transmission / reception coils of a reader / writer described below.
2, a power supply unit 13 for full-wave rectification of the induced electromotive force of the power coil 11 to generate operating power, and a data transmission circuit 14 connected to the transmitting and receiving coil 12 operated by the operating power from the power supply unit 13. A data receiving circuit 15; a control circuit 16 including a microprocessor connected to the data transmitting circuit 14 and the data receiving circuit 15;
The control circuit 16 includes a nonvolatile memory 17 for storing store information and user information, and a ROM 18 for storing manufacturer information.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the reader / writer 21 accessing the nonvolatile memory 17 and the ROM 18 of the recycle chip 2 amplifies the clock signal oscillated by the crystal A power transmission circuit 25 for supplying a supply coil 24;
Microprocessor 26 supplied with a clock signal of
A data transmitting circuit 27 and a data receiving circuit 28 connected to the microprocessor 26; a data transmitting coil antenna 29 to which the data transmitting circuit 27 and the data receiving circuit 28 are connected; A write information generation unit 30 for generating store information and user information to be written into the chip 2, a liquid crystal display 31 connected to the microprocessor 31 for displaying write information and history information, and a history read from the recycle chip 2 A tampering detection unit 32 that determines whether the information has been tampered with.

Here, the data transmission circuit 27 transmits the transmission data from the microprocessor 26 to, for example, NRZ in order to transmit the data using the mutual induction action of the coils.
The encoded data is subjected to digital modulation of, for example, the PSK method using a carrier of a predetermined frequency, and the digitally modulated signal is supplied to the data transmission coil antenna 29 via an amplifier and a bridge drive circuit. Is sent to the recycle chip 2 side. On the other hand, in the data receiving circuit 28, when the transmission data from the recycle chip 2 is received by the coil antenna 29, an effective band component centered on a predetermined frequency is centered by a band-pass filter from the signal which is received by the differential input buffer and electromagnetically converted. The demodulated data is extracted and amplified by an amplifier, and then demodulated in the PSK system to obtain demodulated data.
The read data is generated by performing a decoding process based on the Z code or the like, and is input to the microprocessor 26.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the writing information generating section 30 stores the shop information including the shop ID information such as the shop name, the location and the telephone number and the service information such as the sale date and the warranty period. And an information input unit 33 including a keyboard for inputting user information such as a user name, address, and contact information, a card reader for reading stored information such as a magnetic card and an IC card, and a secret key unique to the store. By applying a predetermined function such as a hash function to the stored secret key memory 34 and the store information or user information input by the information input unit 33, a message digest (Message D
message digest creating unit 35 for creating a code referred to as “igest”, and a message obtained by encrypting the message digest created by the message digest creating unit 34 using the secret key stored in the secret key memory 34. A falsification detection data creation unit 36 that creates tampering detection data composed of an authentication code (Message Authentication Code), and a sale that the tampering detection data created by the tampering detection data creation unit 36 is created by an information input unit 33 A write information creating unit 37 that creates write information to be written to the recycle chip 2 in addition to the store information or user information, and sends the write information created by the write information creating unit 37 to the microprocessor 26. And an information transmitting unit 38.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the tampering detection unit 32 sends the recycle chip 2
The manufacturer information, the store information, and the user information to which the falsification detection data MAC is added, respectively, constituting the history information read out from the data are individually input, and the data separation unit 41 separates the history information from the falsification detection data MAC. A decryption unit 43 that decrypts the message digest code MD by decrypting the falsification detection data MAC separated by the data separation unit 41 using the public key stored in the public key memory 42. And a message digest creation unit 44 for creating a message digest code MD 'using a hash function for the manufacturer information, the store information, and the user information separated by the data separation unit 41.
And the message digest code MD decrypted by the decryption unit 43 and the message digest MD ′ created by the message digest creation unit 44 to determine whether the two match. When,
When the message digests MD and MD 'coincide with each other, it is determined that the message has not been tampered with, and the manufacturer information, the store information, and the user information are used as display information by the microprocessor 26. When the message digests MD and MD 'do not match, message information indicating that falsification has been performed is output to the microprocessor 26.

The microprocessor 26 executes data processing for writing and reading information to and from the recycle chip 2, and writes information in the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2 and reads stored information. Read out the data processing to be issued. Here, the data processing is performed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), first, in step S1, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the power supply unit 13 started supplying power. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process waits until the predetermined time has elapsed. Has elapsed, the flow proceeds to step S2 to determine whether or not there is write data for the recycle chip 2, and if the write information has not been generated by the write information generation unit 30, the flow proceeds to step S3. It is determined whether there is a history information read request. If there is no history information read request, the process returns to step S2. If there is a history information read request, the process proceeds to step S8 described later.

When the result of the determination in step S2 is that the write information has been generated by the write information generating unit 30, the operation proceeds to step S4, where a write request is sent to the data transmission circuit 27, and then the operation returns to step S5. Transition. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the write information transmission request from the recycle chip 2 has been received by the data receiving circuit 28. If the write information transmission request has not been received, the process waits until the write information transmission request is received. When the write information transmission request is received, the process shifts to step S6 to output the write information generated by the write information generation unit 30 to the data transmission circuit 27, and then to step S6.
7 to determine whether the write completion notification of the write information has been received by the data receiving circuit 28. If the write completion notification has not been received, the process waits until it is received. Then, a read request for the history information stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2 is output to the data transmission circuit 27, and then the flow shifts to step S9.

In step S9, the nonvolatile memory 1
It is determined whether or not the history information stored in 7 is received by the data receiving circuit 28. If the history information is not received, the process waits until it is received. If the history information is received, the process proceeds to step S10. Then, the received history information is divided into the manufacturer information, the store information, and the user information, and sent to the tampering detection unit 32. Then, the process proceeds to step S11 to determine whether the information is input from the tampering detection unit 32. If no information has been input, the process waits until the information is input. If information has been input, the process proceeds to step S12.
Then, it is determined whether or not tampering detection by the tampering detection unit 32 has been completed for all pieces of history information. If there is information for which tampering has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S10.
When the falsification detection is completed for all the history information, the process proceeds to step S13, where the display information input from the falsification detection unit 32 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31, and then the data processing is terminated.

The control circuit 16 of the recycled chip 2
When the power is supplied from the power supply unit 13, the microprocessor incorporated in the CPU executes the access processing shown in FIG. In this access processing, first, in step S21, it is determined whether or not a data write request from the reader / writer 21 has been received by the data receiving circuit 15, and if a data write request has not been received, the process jumps to step S26 to be described later. When the data write request is received, the process proceeds to step S2
2 and the write information transmission request is sent to the data transmission circuit 14.
And then proceeds to step S23 to determine whether or not the write information has been received by the data receiving circuit 15. If the write information has not been received, the process waits until the write information is received. Is received, the process proceeds to step S24, the write information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 17, and then the process proceeds to step S25 to output a write completion notification to the data transmission circuit 14.

Then, the flow shifts to step S26, where it is determined whether or not a history information read request has been received by the data receiving circuit 15. If the history information read request has not been received, the flow returns to step S21. When the request has been received, the process proceeds to step S27 and the non-volatile memory 1
7, the store information and the user information are read from the ROM 18, and the manufacturer information is read from the ROM 18, and these are output to the data transmission circuit 14 as history information.
It is determined whether or not the transmission of the history information is completed. If the transmission of the history information is not completed, the process waits until the transmission is completed. When the transmission of the history information is completed, the process returns to step S21. In the processing of FIGS. 5 and 6, step S1
The processing of steps S8 to S13, the processing of steps S21 to S25, and the write information generation unit 30 correspond to an information writing unit, and the processing of steps S8 to S13,
The processing from 26 to S28 and the tampering detection unit 32 correspond to a product distribution process determination unit.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
Now, as shown in FIG. 1, when a refrigerator as a recycling device is manufactured in a factory of a manufacturer, at this time, the refrigerator ID and the manufacturer ID information such as the manufacturer name, date of manufacture, manufacturing location, and serial number are configured. Manufacturer information is formed from the recycling information such as the material used for each component to be recycled and the recycling method, and this is written to the write information generation unit 30 shown in FIG.
Is input to a write information generation unit having the same configuration as that described above, and creates falsification detection data MAC based on the manufacturer information.
The recycle chip 2 stored in 18 is mounted on the control board 3 of the refrigerator 1. At this time, the manufacturer information is in-house or third-party.
The product registration center as a management means managed by the third party organization. When the writing of the manufacturer information to which the falsification detection data MAC stored in the ROM 18 is completed is completed, the reader / writer 21 accesses the recycle chip 2 and writes the shipping date to the nonvolatile memory 17. , The manufacturer information stored in the ROM 18 is read out, and the tampering detection unit 32 shown in FIG. 4 separates the manufacturer information from the tampering detection data MAC added thereto, Digest MD by using the public key
On the other hand, the message digest MD 'is created by inputting the manufacturer information to the message digest creation unit, and if the message digests MD and MD' match, it is determined that the message digest MD is normal. If the two do not match, it is determined that the message digest MD is abnormal, and R
After replacing the OM 18, the data M for falsification detection
The manufacturer information with the AC added is stored.

Thereafter, when there is a shipping request from the store and the refrigerator 1 is shipped, the shipping date is stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 by the information input section 33 of the write information generating section 30 in the reader / writer 21. Ship from. Thereafter, when the shipped refrigerator arrives at the store, the reader / writer 21 disposed at the store uses the reader / writer 21 to sell the product including the date of arrival, the store name, the store location, the name of the handler, the telephone number, the e-mail address, and the like. A message digest MD is created by inputting store information including store ID information and service information such as a sales date and a warranty period, and inputting the store information into the message / just last west section 35, This is input to the tampering detection data creation unit 36, and encrypted by using the secret key stored in the secret key memory 34 to create the tampering detection data MAC, which is written in the write information creation unit 36. 37, the falsification detection data MAC is added to the store information, and then the information transmission section 38 adds the falsification detection data MAC to the microprocessor 26. And sends the shop information.

In the microprocessor 26, when the store information to which the falsification detection data MAC is added is input from the write information creating unit 30, the microprocessor 26 sends a write request to the recycle chip 2 and writes from the recycle chip 2. Upon receiving the embedded information transmission request, the store information to which the falsification detection data MAC is added is transmitted to the recycle chip 2 and stored in the nonvolatile memory 17.

When the store information to which the falsification detection data MAC is added is stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycled chip 2, the information stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 and the ROM 18 of the recycled chip 2 in the previous distribution channel is stored. The information is read as history information, and transmitted to the reader / writer 21. When the reader / writer 21 receives the history information from the recycle chip 2, the reader / writer 21 separates the manufacturer information and the store information, and individually separates them into the tampering detection unit 32
To enter. The falsification detection unit 32 separates the falsification detection data MAC from the input manufacturer information or the store information, and decrypts the message digest MD using the falsification detection data MAC using a public key. Or message digest M from dealer information
D ′ is created, and these are compared by the comparison / determination unit 45. If they match, it is determined that falsification has not been performed, and the manufacturer information or the store information is input to the microprocessor 26. As a result, since the information is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31, it is possible to confirm from this history information that the refrigerator has passed through a regular distribution channel.

However, if the manufacturer information or the store information has been tampered with, the message digest MD obtained by decrypting the tampering detection data MAC using the public key.
And the message digest M created by the message digest creation unit 44 with the manufacturer information or the store information.
When D ′ does not match, message information indicating that tampering has been performed is input to the microprocessor 26, and this message information is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31, and the history information has been tampered. Thus, it can be determined that the information does not pass through the regular distribution channel.

Next, when the refrigerator is sold to the user at the store, when the delivery is requested to the delivery company, the delivery company information such as the delivery company name, the delivery company address, the handler name, and the delivery date is similarly read. Using the writer 21, the data is written into the non-volatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2 and then when the delivery company delivers to the customer, the delivery date, user name, user address, The user information such as a telephone number and an e-mail address is written, and the past history information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 and the RO.
By reading from the M18 and displaying it on the liquid crystal display 31, it is possible to confirm that the customer is a refrigerator delivered through an authorized distribution channel.

If the delivery company does not intervene, when the refrigerator is delivered to the customer at the store, the user information is written and the history information is confirmed. After that, when the user uses the refrigerator and the required number of years elapses, the refrigerator breaks down and is replaced with a new product, or when the user is not out of order but wants to replace it with a new product, a new refrigerator is installed at the store. At this time, if the old refrigerator is to be discarded, an offer to that effect is made to the dealer, so that the new refrigerator is delivered from the dealer and the old refrigerator is carried out. At this time, reader / writer 2
1, the date of pick up at the store that picks up the refrigerator for disposal,
By writing the waste collection information including the store name, the store address, and the name of the operator, reading out the history information so far, and displaying it on the liquid crystal display 31, it is possible to confirm the owner up to the present, and to confirm the regular It is possible to confirm whether or not the information has passed through a distribution channel.

Thereafter, when the refrigerator is delivered from the store to the recycler, the information input unit 33 of the reader / writer 21 sends a specific household equipment waste management slip in a predetermined format in which the store information and the recycler information are described. The recycle chip 2 is created and added with the data MAC for falsification detection, written into the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2, and the history information so far is confirmed.

When the recycler picks up the refrigerating refrigerator, the recycler writes necessary recycler information such as the pick-up date into the non-volatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2 by the reader / writer 21, and also writes the specific household equipment waste management slip. In addition to performing the forwarding process and the like, the history information is read, and the recycling process is performed at the recycling factory based on the name of the parts used material and the recycling method. When the recycling process is completed, the result of the recycling process is transmitted to the above-mentioned manufacturer or third party. Report to the Product Registration Center, managed by the governing body. At this time, the recycled chips 2 may be collected and sent to the product registration center.

When renting or transferring the refrigerator to another person while the refrigerator is usable, notify the dealer of the fact,
Using the reader / writer 21, the lender name, lender address,
The lender information such as a telephone number and an e-mail address or the transferor information such as a transferor name, a transferor address, a telephone number, and an e-mail address are stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2.
At the same time, and confirm the history information up to that time.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the recycling chip 2 is attached to the product to be recycled in the manufacturing process, and the ROM 18 of the recycling chip 2 stores the manufacturer information to which the falsification detection data MAC is added, and Since various information on the distribution route is added to the non-volatile memory 17 with the falsification detection data MAC added thereto, and the reader / writer 21 can write the distribution processing information and read the history information, Throughout the route, it is possible to confirm whether the history information has been tampered with, and to accurately confirm that the history information has passed through the regular distribution route.

In addition, when illegally discarded, the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2 is read by the reader / writer 21.
By accessing the ROM 18 and the ROM 18, the history information can be read, and the illegal dumper can be easily specified. In the first embodiment, the case where the store information, the user information, and the like can be freely written in the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycled chip 2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, a password is set at the store at the time of writing the store information, user information, and the like to the recycle chip 2, and the store information and user information can be rewritten by inputting the password. Writing may be performed only once, and after writing, it may be read-only.

Further, in the first embodiment, the case where the store information, the user information, and the like are input by the writing information generation unit 30 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the member card of the store is carried, the stored information of the member card may be read by a card reader, and the necessary user information may be read from the database of the store and written into the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2. In this case, input of user information can be simplified.

Further, in the first embodiment,
I explained the case where a refrigerator was applied as a product,
The present invention is not limited to this, and the distribution route can be confirmed by incorporating the recycle chip 2 into an electric appliance such as a television and a microwave oven, an automobile, a bicycle, and any other products. Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the second embodiment, when a consumer purchases an electric appliance through a regular distribution process, the consumer can use the electric appliance, but otherwise, the consumer cannot use the electric appliance. It is configured as follows. That is, in the second embodiment, an electric appliance such as a portable information terminal PD
As shown in FIG. 7, the cycle chip 2 built in the control circuit board in the manufacturing process of A is input from the power supply unit 13 which forms a DC power supply by electromagnetic waves from the reader / writer 21 and the control circuit of the appliance. A switching circuit for switching between the external power supply input terminal and the external power supply voltage input to the external power supply input terminal;
When the voltage monitor circuit 20 detects the external power supply voltage, the switching circuit 19 is switched to the external power supply input terminal tc side,
When the external power supply voltage is not detected, the switching circuit 19 is configured to switch to the power supply unit 13 side, and a microprocessor 50 for controlling the operation of the portable information terminal PDA is connected to the control circuit 16. When the microprocessor 16 receives a history information read request from the microprocessor 50, it reads the store information and user information stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 and the manufacturer information stored in the ROM 18 and sends them to the microprocessor 50. It is configured.

Then, the microprocessor 50 executes an initial setting process shown in FIG. 8 when the power is turned on for the first time after the consumer purchases at the store. In this initial setting process, first, in step S31, a predetermined power supply voltage is supplied to the external power supply input terminal tc of the recycle chip 2,
Next, the process proceeds to step S32, where the recycled chip 2
After transmitting a history information read request to the control circuit 16, the process proceeds to step S33.

In this step S33, it is determined whether or not history information has been received from the recycle chip 2. If history information has not been received, the process waits until the history information is received.
When the history information has been received, the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, it is determined whether or not the received history information includes at least necessary information including manufacturer information, store information, and user information. Then, the process proceeds to step S35, in which the start-up impossible message information indicating that the portable information terminal PDA cannot be started is displayed on the liquid crystal display 52 provided in the portable information terminal PDA. When the necessary information is included, the process proceeds to step S36.

In this step S36, the same manufacturer information as in the tampering detection unit 32 in the first embodiment described above,
A falsification detection process is performed for each of the store information and the user information, and then the process proceeds to step S37 to determine whether any of the manufacturer information, the store information, and the user information has been falsified, and if any of them has been falsified. If so, the process proceeds to step S35, and if none of the manufacturer information, the store information, and the user information has been tampered with, the process proceeds to step S38 to start the portable information terminal PDA operably. After that, the initialization process ends.

According to the second embodiment, when the consumer obtains the portable information terminal PDA via a regular distribution channel, the ROM 18 stores the manufacturer information to which the falsification detection data MAC has been added. At the same time, the non-volatile memory 17 stores store information and user information to which the tampering detection data MAC is added. For this reason, when the consumer turns on the power of the portable information terminal PDA, FIG.
Is started. Recycle chip 2
By supplying a predetermined power to the external power terminal tc of
When the supply of the external power is detected by the voltage monitoring circuit 20, the switching circuit 19 is switched to the external power terminal tc side, and the power supply to each circuit of the recycle chip 2 is started. afterwards,
By sending the history information read request to the control circuit 16, the control circuit 16 can delete the manufacturer information to which the falsification detection data stored in the ROM 18 has been added and the falsification detection data stored in the nonvolatile memory 17, respectively. The added store information and user information are read and sent to the microprocessor 51.

Therefore, since necessary information is included, the process shifts from step S34 to step S36 to perform a falsification detection process. If tampering has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S38, and the portable information terminal PDA is Consumers can use the portable information terminal PDA by ending the initial setting process after performing the start-up process for bringing it into the operating state.

However, when the consumer illegally obtains the portable information terminal PDA or purchases a stolen product, the store information is input to the non-volatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2, but the user information Has not been entered, the process moves from step S34 to step S35 in the process of FIG. 8, and the message information indicating that the portable information terminal PDA cannot be put into an operable state is displayed on the liquid crystal display 5.
By ending the process after displaying the information on the portable information terminal 2, the unusable state of the portable information terminal PDA is continued.

Similarly, the consumer who has illegally acquired the portable information terminal PDA can use the nonvolatile memory 1 of the recycle chip 2.
If the user information has been illegally written in No. 7, the falsification detection data MAC cannot be formed using the secret key, so that the falsification can be detected by performing the falsification detection processing, and the steps S37 to S35 can be performed. Then, the process is terminated after displaying the activation start impossible message information on the liquid crystal display 52, whereby the unusable state of the portable information terminal PDA is continued.

In the second embodiment, the case where three pieces of information, that is, manufacturer information, store information, and user information are set as the necessary information included in the history information has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, if the store information is stored in the non-volatile memory 17 of the recycled chip 2 at the time of sale to the customer, the manufacturer information and the store information may be required information. Adds falsification detection data MAC to sales information indicating that a product has been sold at a store, and
By detecting the presence or absence of sales information with AC added,
It may be determined whether or not the vehicle has passed through a regular distribution channel.

Further, in the second embodiment, the case where the portable information terminal PDA is applied as the electric appliance has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a television, a microwave oven, a printer, and other electric appliances. The second embodiment can be applied to a product. Further, in the first and second embodiments, the tampering detection data MAC
Is described to the history information, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a special code capable of detecting tampering may be added.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the case where a user card is used to input user information has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. By inputting accurate user information for presentation of an identification card such as an employee ID card, it is possible to raise consumers' awareness of recycling and prevent illegal dumping.

Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, a case has been described in which the manufacturer information to which the falsification detection data MAC is added is stored in the ROM 18. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be stored in the nonvolatile memory 17 in the same manner as the store information and the user information. Further, in the first and second embodiments, the case where a non-contact type IC card which performs data transmission / reception and power supply using electromagnetic waves is applied as the recycle chip 2 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, a non-contact type IC card that operates using electric power supplied to a recycling device, a contact type IC card engaged with a recycling device, or a chip or film type capable of storing electronic information. A tag or any other storage medium can be applied, and further, a single storage element such as a non-volatile memory or a magneto-optical storage medium is provided in the product, and these storage elements are configured to be accessible from outside. It may be.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the case where the nonvolatile memory 17 and the ROM 18 are accessed by the reader / writer 21 by using an IC card has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, power is supplied using the mutual induction action of electromagnetic waves, and as a data transmission circuit and a data reception circuit, for example, 2.4.
Using the ISM (Industrial Scientific Medical) band of GHz as a carrier frequency, a small-scale wireless network is formed with another short-range wireless communication interface within a radius of about 10 m to 15 m to transmit and receive information. For example, by applying the short-range wireless communication interface 21 including an RF unit having a transmission circuit and a reception circuit, a portable information terminal such as a mobile phone provided with a similar short-range wireless communication interface can be used for recycling chips. The second nonvolatile memory 17 and the ROM 18 can be accessed, and the nonvolatile memory can be accessed by inputting a password without providing a special reader / writer.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, a case has been described in which only the manufacturer and the recycling company perform registration with the product registration center.
The present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 9, a reader / writer 21 used by a retail store, a delivery company, or the like can be connected to the Internet 61 via a public telephone line network 60 as necessary.
To the product registration center 62 connected to the Internet 61, so that each time information is written through the distribution channel, the written information is transmitted to the product registration center 62, and the history information itself is The product history may be managed on a global scale by the product registration center 62, and the write information may be transmitted to the management center of the manufacturer instead of the product registration center 62. Here, the product management center 62 does not need to be located at one place, and may be distributed for each country, local government, or the like, and an arbitrary number can be provided.

In the first and second embodiments, the case where the reader / writer 21 is used to write and read the history information in the nonvolatile memory 17 of the recycle chip 2 has been described. The invention is not limited to this, and only a writer that writes history information to the nonvolatile memory 17 may be used. Still further,
In the first and second embodiments, the case where the recycle chip 2 is applied as a storage medium has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a microprocessor and a memory incorporated in a product may be used. It can also be configured as software.

[0064]

As described above, according to the first or sixth aspect of the present invention, an information storage medium for storing electronic information in an externally readable manner in a manufacturing process is mounted on a product distributed on the market. History information according to a distribution route in the information storage medium by information writing means, for example, in a manufacturing factory, ID information such as a product name, a serial number, a manufacturer name, repair, failure information,
Recycling information is written in a ROM, for example, in such a way that it can be tampered with, and the store name, location, telephone number, sales date, warranty period, etc. can be written in an information storage medium in such a manner that tampering can be detected. And it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the product distribution process is a legitimate process.

According to the second or seventh aspect of the present invention, history information such as a product name, a serial number, a manufacturer name, repair, failure information, and recycling information is stored in an information storage medium and sold at a store. Stores store information such as store name, arrival date, sales date, purchaser's name, etc., and stores loan information such as loan date and lender's name when the purchaser lends to another person, and repairs the product In the event that the information is stored, the repair information is stored, and when it is used up and a request is made to a waste collection company such as a dealer for collection, the specified household appliance waste management slip stating the specified items is stored. When handed over to a manufacturer or the like, predetermined items are stored in the management slip. In this way,
The history information in the distribution process is stored in the information storage medium, and based on this history information, the product history is centrally managed, thereby managing the entire flow of the product from manufacturing to disposal of the product, It is possible to promote the effective use of the earth resources by reusing the resources, and to prevent illegal dumping to protect the global environment.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, the manufacturer information constituting the history information is composed of ID information indicating the manufacturer, and management information relating to product support such as repair information, failure information, and recycling information. Therefore, by reading out the manufacturer information from the information storage medium, it is possible to obtain the effect that the manufacturer information and the support information can be immediately obtained.

Further, according to the invention according to claim 4, the store information constituting the history information is an ID representing the store.
Since the information is composed of information and service information such as the date of sale and the warranty period, the effect of reading out the store information from the information storage medium is that the store information and the service information can be immediately obtained. Is obtained. Still further, according to the invention according to claim 5, when storing the manufacturer information and the store information constituting the history information in the information storage medium, the data for falsification detection is formed by encrypting them using a secret key. Is added, an effect is obtained that the falsification of the manufacturer information and the store information can be reliably detected by decrypting the falsification detection data with the public key.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, when the information writing means writes the history information according to the distribution route to the storage medium, the history information is registered in the product history management means via the network. Therefore, an effect is obtained that the current product history can be accurately grasped by the product history management means. Furthermore, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when disposing and recycling the device to be recycled, the disposal company reads out the information stored in the storage medium by the information confirmation means, and the collection company such as a retail store can read the information. By checking the created management form information, it is possible to confirm whether or not the processing is legal, and if the processing has been illegally dumped, the illegal dumping is performed based on the final information stored in the storage medium. The effect that the person can be specified is obtained.

Further, according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the storage medium includes the information processing means, when the predetermined permission information such as a password or encryption is input, the stored information is stored in the storage medium. Since access is enabled, an effect is obtained that information stored in the storage medium can be reliably prevented from being falsified or erased.

Further, according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the information storage medium is constituted by an IC card, the effect that the storage capacity of the storage information can be increased can be obtained. According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the information storage medium is constituted by a non-contact type IC card, the information writing means and the information confirmation means can access the stored contents in a non-contact state. The effect that information can be easily written and confirmed can be obtained.

Further, according to the thirteenth aspect,
Since the information storage medium is configured to receive information transmission / reception and power supply using electromagnetic waves as a medium, it is possible to reliably access the storage medium even in an environment where power cannot be supplied to the recycling target device. The effect that it can be obtained is obtained. Furthermore, according to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the storage medium, the information writing unit, and the information confirmation unit are configured to be able to configure a small-scale wireless network. Can be easily accessed.

Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 15, since the product is provided with use start control means, when the regular history information is stored in the information storage medium, the use of the product is started. When the regular history information is not stored, the product cannot be used, so that illegal acquisition of the product can be prevented, and the production responsibility and the sales responsibility can be thoroughly ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a recycled chip and a reader / writer applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of a write information generation unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of a tampering detection unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a data processing procedure executed by the reader / writer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an access processing procedure executed by a microprocessor of a recycle chip.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a recycled chip that can be applied to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an initial setting processing procedure executed by a microprocessor of the portable information terminal according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a network configuration diagram in another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Recycle chip 3 Control board 11 Power coil 12 Data transmission / reception coil 13 Power supply unit 14 Data transmission unit 15 Data reception unit 16 Control circuit 17 Non-volatile memory 21 Reader / writer 25 Power transmission circuit 26 Microprocessor 27 Data transmission circuit 28 Data receiving circuit 29 Data transmitting / receiving coil antenna 30 Write information generation unit 31 Liquid crystal display 32 Falsification detection unit 33 Information input unit 34 Private key memory 35 Message digest creation unit 36 Falsification detection data creation unit 37 Write information creation unit 38 Information transmission unit 41 Data separation unit 42 Public key memory 43 Decryption unit 44 Message digest creation unit 45 Comparison determination unit PDA Portable information terminal 51 Microprocessor 52 Liquid crystal display 60 Public telephone network 61 A Internet 62 Product Management Center

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) G06K 19/00 G06K 19/00 Q

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A product history management method for managing the history of products distributed in a market, wherein an information storage medium is mounted on the product, and the information storage medium has at least manufacturer information and sales information according to a distribution process. The store information is sequentially stored as falsification-detectable history information, and it is determined whether the product distribution process is a legitimate process based on the history information stored in the information storage medium. Product history management method. 2. A product history management method for managing a history of a device to be recycled, wherein an information storage medium is mounted on the device to be recycled, and at least manufacturer information and sales information are provided in the information storage medium according to a distribution process. The store information is sequentially stored as falsification-detectable history information, and it is determined whether the product distribution process is a legitimate process based on the history information stored in the information storage medium. Product history management method. 3. The manufacturer information includes a product name, a serial number,
3. The product history management method according to claim 1, comprising ID information such as a manufacturing date and a manufacturer name, and management information such as repair information, failure information, and recycling information. 4. The store information according to claim 1, wherein the store information includes ID information such as a store name, a place, and a telephone number, and service information such as a sales date and a warranty period. Product history management method according to any of the above. 5. The product according to claim 1, wherein the manufacturer information and the store information are added with falsification detection data formed by encryption using a secret key. History management method. 6. A product history management device for managing the history of products distributed in the market, comprising: an information storage medium mounted on the product; and at least manufacturer information and dealer information corresponding to the distribution channel in the information storage medium. An information writing unit that stores the information as tampering detectable history information; and a product distribution process determining unit that determines whether the product distribution process is a legitimate process based on the history information stored in the information storage medium. A product history management device comprising: 7. A product history management device for managing a history of a device to be recycled, comprising: an information storage medium mounted on the device to be recycled; and at least manufacturer information and dealer information corresponding to a distribution channel in the information storage medium. An information writing unit that stores the information as tampering detectable history information; and a product distribution process determining unit that determines whether the product distribution process is a legitimate process based on the history information stored in the information storage medium. A product history management device comprising: 8. The information writing unit is configured to register the history information in the product history management unit via a network when writing the history information according to the distribution channel. The product history management device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein 9. The product distribution process judging means performs a proper process based on information stored in an information storage medium in a discarding process when discarding and recycling a device to be recycled. 9. The product history management device according to claim 6, wherein the product history management device is configured to check whether or not the product history exists. 10. The information storage medium according to claim 1, wherein said information storage medium has information processing means, and is configured to enable rewriting of history information when predetermined permission information is input. 10. The product history management device according to any one of 6 to 9. 11. The product history management device according to claim 6, wherein the information storage medium is configured by an IC card. 12. The product history management device according to claim 6, wherein the storage medium is constituted by a non-contact type IC card. 13. The product history management device according to claim 12, wherein the information storage medium is configured to receive information transmission / reception and power supply using an electromagnetic wave as a medium. 14. The information storage medium according to claim 6, wherein the information storage medium, the information writing unit, and the product distribution process determining unit are configured to be able to configure a small-scale wireless network. Product history management device. 15. The product according to claim 1, wherein the product is provided with use start control means for enabling use on condition that regular history information is stored in an information storage medium. The product history management device according to any one of the above.