JP2010020798A - Circulation object browsing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a circulation object browsing system capable of accurately and quickly grasping a circulation state of the circulation object by providing the circulation object with an RFID tag with management information of the circulation object recorded and managing the management information by a computer. <P>SOLUTION: The circulation object browsing system 400 includes the RFID tag 200 attached to a holder 30 being the circulation object to record the management information about the holder 30, a PC-A (information processor) 61 and a PC-B (information processor) 63 connected to a network (LAN) 60 to be mutually communicable, reader/writers 62, 64 and 66 for reading and writing management information from/to the RFID tag 200, and a management PC (manager information processor) 65 for managing the PC-A 61 and PC-B 63. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a circulation object browsing system, and more particularly, a circulation object that automatically sets a circulation order and confirms the presence or absence of circulation based on information recorded in an RFID tag attached to the circulation object such as a document. It relates to browsing systems.

Traditionally, in institutions and facilities that manage and store large amounts of documents, such as government offices, companies, etc., in order to automatically manage and store files for organizing and storing documents accurately and without human error, Attempts have been made to automate file management by attaching an RFID tag to each file and recording the management information of the file on the RFID tag.
By the way, there are cases where files are circulated within individual departments at offices, companies, etc., but the above-mentioned conventional file management system is mainly intended for browsing or lending to an unspecified number of users. I do not plan to do that.
When circulating a file, a method is generally adopted in which a list showing the circulation order is attached to the file, and a person who has already circulated enters a check mark at the corresponding location in the list.

  Further, as a prior art, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-104921 discloses that a document circulation combining circulation and broadcast, grasping the circulation state, and smooth document circulation by deadline management are disclosed. Yes. According to this, it is a system that consists of a server that manages documents and their distribution forms, and a terminal that is connected to the server via a network. Has a tabular distribution form input screen. When the document distributor inputs a document to be transmitted and a distribution form such as a circulation destination and a circulation order in the distribution destination table of the server, the server transmits the document to a designated circulation destination terminal. Each circulation destination transmits a response such as a response to the received document. In response to this response, the server transmits the document to the next circulation destination, thereby realizing the document circulation and managing the circulation state. Furthermore, a deadline is set for each circulation destination, and a reminder is sent to a circulation destination that does not respond within the deadline.

JP-A-6-104921

The conventional method of attaching a list to a circulation object, such as attaching a list, has to be replaced with a new list each time the circulation object changes, and the work is complicated. There is a problem that it is impossible to confirm where it is and it has to be searched.
The prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an invention for circulation of electronic documents, and is different from the present invention in which circulation objects as tangible objects that are not electronic documents are circulated. . Many prior arts relating to management of circulation documents by electronic documents have been filed, but an invention for managing circulation objects as tangible objects that are not electronic documents is not disclosed.
In view of such problems, the present invention includes an RFID tag that records management information of a circulation object on the circulation object, so that the management information is managed by a computer and the circulation status of the circulation object is accurately determined. An object of the present invention is to provide a circulation object browsing system capable of quickly grasping.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides an RFID tag that is attached to a circulation object and records management information related to the circulation object, and an information processing apparatus that is connected to a network and can communicate with each other And a reader / writer that reads and writes the management information to and from the RFID tag, and the information processing device performs the following based on the management information read from the RFID tag attached to the circulation object by the reader / writer. The name of the circulator to be circulated is instructed.
The circulation object browsing system of the present invention is a form in which a circulation object is circulated to a circulator as in the prior art. That is, an RFID tag in which management information of the circulation object is recorded is attached to the circulation object, and information processing apparatuses connected to each other by a network are each provided with a reader / writer. Then, the circulator confirms the contents of the circulation object and brings the circulation object close to the reader / writer, thereby displaying and instructing the name of the next circulator on the monitor of his information processing apparatus.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus instructs the name of the circulator to be circulated next based on the management information read from the RFID tag attached to the circulation object by the reader / writer, and is previously registered as absent. In the case where there is a circulated reader, the name of the circulator registered in the absence is also indicated.
When the circulation object is circulated, the party may be absent due to going out. In the case of the conventional circulation system, since it is impossible to grasp in advance that the absence is present, the circulation target object has stayed in the place for a long time. This problem was the biggest problem in the conventional circulation system. Therefore, in the present invention, in order to prevent this, in the case of absence in advance, the absence registration is performed, and the circulator confirms the contents of the circulation object and moves the circulation object close to the reader / writer so that his / her information can be obtained. When the name of the next reader is displayed on the monitor of the processing apparatus, the name of the reader who has been registered at the same time is also displayed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus further includes an administrator information processing apparatus that manages each information processing apparatus, and the administrator information processing apparatus can check a circulation status of the circulation object via the network. It is characterized by.
For example, when managing circulation objects in one department, the manager of that department needs to grasp the circulation status of the entire department. Therefore, in the present invention, an information processing device for managers is further provided, and the information processing device can check the circulation status of each information processing device.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus instructs a reader to be circulated next based on management information read from the RFID tag attached to the circulation object by the reader / writer, and If the management information cannot be read from the RFID tag attached to the circulation object by the reader / writer held by the reader even after a predetermined time has passed, The information processing apparatus transmits a message indicating that the circulation object is circulated to the next reader, and transmits information indicating that the reader has accumulated the circulation object to the administrator information processing apparatus.
If the next circulator is not absent, the circulator who has viewed the circulation object circulates to the next circulator. However, even though the next reader is present, there is a case where the circulation object is left unattended. If this happens, the effect of the present invention is halved.In such a case, in this case, when a predetermined time is monitored and the time is not exceeded, the next reader is not circulated. The fact is transmitted to the information processing device of the circulator who is staying, and at the same time, the fact is notified to the administrator.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the management information recorded on the RFID tag attached to the circulation object is read by the furniture reader / writer provided in the information processing apparatus of its own, so that the next reader Therefore, the circulation order can be surely instructed, and quick circulation can be performed.
Further, in claim 2, when the seat is absent, absence registration can be made in advance, and the name of the next reader is obtained by reading the management information with a reader / writer provided in the information processing apparatus of the self. When instructing, the absentee is also found at the same time, so that the circulation object can be prevented from staying for a long time.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the administrator can grasp the circulation status of the subordinate information processing apparatus collectively, the delay of the circulation and the location of the circulation object can be quickly managed.
Further, in claim 4, since a notice that the circulation object is to be circulated is notified by e-mail and the administrator is also informed, the resident who is present stays in the circulation object. Can be prevented.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an RFID tag reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the RFID tag of embodiment of this invention. (A) and (b) are the figures showing the relationship between the circulation holder and RFID tag used for embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the circulation target object browsing system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart explaining operation | movement of the circulation target object browsing system 300 which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the mail screen which notifies that the circulation target object was accommodated in the storage shelf with respect to each PC. The figure which shows an example of the mail screen which notifies that the circulation target object is not returned to the storage shelf with respect to PC. It is a block diagram of the circulation target object browsing system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the content recorded on an RFID tag, (b) is a figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on administrator PC. The flowchart explaining operation | movement of the circulation target object browsing system 400 which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the components, types, combinations, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like described in this embodiment are merely illustrative examples and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only unless otherwise specified. .

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an RFID tag reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The RFID tag reader / writer 100 is controlled by a computer (higher-order device) 50 that exchanges data with the reader / writer 100 to control the entire system. The reader / writer 100 reads the transmission / reception device 1 that controls the communication protocol of data with the external computer 50, the control device 2 that controls the operation of the entire reader / writer 100, and the firmware that records the procedure for operating the control device 2. Memory device 3 for storing data, modulator 4 for modulating data from control device 2 on a carrier wave, input device 5 for inputting an operation command, and display device for displaying information controlled by control device 2 6, a power amplifier 7 that amplifies a power supply signal that is an AC signal from the control device 2 and a write command from the modulator 4, and a detection demodulation that converts the carrier wave received from the loop antenna 9 into binary data And a loop antenna 9 for exchanging power and data with an RFID tag (not shown).
Next, before describing the operation of the reader / writer 100 according to this configuration, the configuration of the RFID tag will be described first. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RFID tag according to the embodiment of the present invention. The RFID tag 200 of the present embodiment receives a loop antenna 20 that transmits and receives data using a power carrier wave from the reader / writer 100, a transmission / reception circuit 21 that generates a write command read command, and a power carrier wave from the loop antenna 20. A power generation circuit 22 that rectifies and converts it into DC power, a memory device 23 that manages storage of control firmware and data, a modulator 24 that modulates a transmission command from the control circuit 26 with a carrier wave, It comprises a detector 25 for converting carrier wave data from the transmission / reception circuit 21 into binary data, and a control circuit 26 for controlling the entire operation of the RFID tag 200.

Next, each operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 together. When a power supply (not shown) is turned on, the reader / writer 100 starts an operation according to a program stored in the memory device 3 after the initial operation of the control device 2. First, initialization is performed. Next, the control device 2 alternately transmits a power supply signal supplied to the RFID tag 200 and a polling signal from the power amplifier 7. The signal is radiated to the outside from the loop antenna 9 as an electromagnetic wave. Next, when the RFID tag 200 comes close to the reader / writer 100, the loop antenna 20 receives the power supply signal, rectifies the carrier wave by the power generation circuit 22 and converts it into DC power, and all the circuits in the tag To supply. When power is supplied and the control circuit 26 is driven, control is started in accordance with a program stored in the memory device 23.
Next, the control circuit 26 first demodulates the command from the transmission / reception circuit 21 by the detector 25, converts it to a binary signal, and analyzes the command. As a result, when it is recognized that it is called, the response is modulated by the modulator 24 and transmitted from the loop antenna 20 via the transmission / reception circuit 21. The reader / writer 100 receives this response with the loop antenna 9, converts it into a binary code with the detector demodulator 8, analyzes it with the control circuit 2, and recognizes that the RFID tag 200 is a tag conforming to the standard. Thereby, polling is performed between the reader / writer 100 and the RFID tag 200 thereafter.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a circulation holder (hereinafter simply referred to as a holder) and an RFID tag used in the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3A, for example, a name tag 32 for writing the name of the holder 30 is attached to the front surface of the holder 30 for storing the document 31 so that the name of the holder 30 can be visually confirmed. An RFID tag 200 for recording management information is attached. FIG. 3B is an example in which the RFID tag 200 a is also attached to the document 31. Of course, management information for each document is recorded in the RFID tag 200a. As a result, the holder 30 and the documents in the holder 30 can be collectively managed by the fixture reader / writer that reads and writes information of the RFID tag in a batch.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the circulation object browsing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The circulation object browsing system 300 includes a storage shelf (furniture) 40 having an antenna 9 for transmitting and receiving radio waves for reading and writing management information with respect to the RFID tag 200 attached to the inner surface of the holder 30, and an RFID. A fixture reader / writer 100 that reads and writes management information to and from the tag 200, a control PC (control device) 50 that controls the fixture reader / writer 100, and a PC-A (information processing device) that is connected to the network 52 and can communicate with each other. Device) 61, PC-B (information processing device) 63, and a control PC 50 and a network 52 connecting PC-A 61 and PC-B 63, and antennas 9 and 9 a provided in the storage shelf 40. The reader / writer 100 is connected by a cable 44. In this example, the plurality of holders 30 are stored in the upper part of a shelf 41 that divides the storage shelf 40 from the upper and lower sides, and information recorded on the RFID tag 200 attached to the back of the holder 30 is provided on the back of the storage shelf 40. It is configured to be read by a furniture reader / writer through the antenna. A plurality of files 43 are stored in the lower part. An RFID tag (not shown) is attached to the side surface of the file 43 so that information can be read and written by the antenna 9a. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which can be locked / unlocked by the key (locking / unlocking means) 46 with which the door 45 was equipped.
As described above, the circulation object browsing system 300 according to the present embodiment does not move the occupancy of the circulation object to each reader, and the circulation object is stored in the fixture 40. The premise is that the circulation object is viewed up to the fixture 40. That is, in order to read the management information of the RFID tag 200 attached to the holder 30, the fixture 40 for storing the circulation object includes the antennas 9 and 9a. The antennas 9 and 9a are connected to the fixture reader / writer 100, and the control PC 50 can grasp the storage status of the holder 30 in the fixture 40 in real time from the management information read by the fixture reader / writer 100. In addition, the control PC 50 can be connected to the network 52 to exchange information with other PC-A 61 and PC-B 63. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the circulation target object (holder 30) to be circulated is stored in the fixture 40, the fact is transmitted to the PC-A 61 and PC-B 63 via the network 52, and the circulation target object. You can encourage browsing.

  Next, the operation of the circulation object browsing system 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this description, a case where the document 31 stored in the holder 30 with the RFID tag 200 attached and not attached with the RFID tag is viewed will be described. First, the holder 30 to be browsed as a circulation object is stored in the storage shelf 40 in advance (S11). When the control PC 50 confirms that the holder 30 is correctly stored in the storage shelf 40 via the furniture reader / writer 100, the control PC 50 sends an e-mail to the PC-A 61 and PC-B 63 that there is a circulation object via the network 52. (S12). For example, as indicated by reference numeral 80 in FIG. 6 as the display screen of each PC, “The following documents have been circulated. Please come to the storage shelf. <Document name> (1) ABC, (2) XYZ”. Email to

  The user of the PC-A 61 who has seen it approaches the furniture reader / writer 100, for example, an ID card such as an employee card, in order to take out the holder 30 designated as the circulation object from the storage shelf 40 (S13). . When the fixture reader / writer 100 authenticates the ID code recorded on the ID card (YES route at S13), the fixture reader / writer 100 unlocks the key 46 provided on the door 45 of the storage shelf 40 (S14). Thereby, the user opens the door 45 and takes out the designated holder 30 from the inside (S15). The reader / writer 100 reads information recorded on the RFID tag 200 attached to the back surface of the holder 30 by the antenna 9 provided on the back surface of the storage shelf 40, and the control PC 50 receives the information, whereby the holder 30 Is confirmed to be removed from the storage shelf 40. From that point, the control PC 50 starts a timer. Then, the user browses the contents of the holder 30 and stores the holder 30 in the storage shelf 40 again when the browsing is completed. As a result, the reader / writer 100 reads the information recorded on the RFID tag 200 attached to the back surface of the holder 30 with the antenna 9 provided on the back surface of the storage shelf 40, and the control PC 50 receives the information. Then, it is confirmed that the holder 30 has been returned to the storage shelf 40 (YES route of S16). As a result, the control PC 50 determines that the user has finished browsing, and deletes the user's name from the viewer list, for example (S17). Then, it is determined that all users have completed this operation and it is determined that circulation has ended (S18). Note that the holder 30 stored in the fixture 40 is not necessarily viewable by anyone. That is, there are things that cannot be viewed by persons in other departments depending on the contents of the holder 30, or contents that require confidentiality and cannot be viewed by anyone other than a specific person. Therefore, in this embodiment, an ID card possessed by a person who is permitted to view the holder 30 is provided, and the key 46 of the fixture 40 is unlocked only when the ID card is authenticated in the vicinity of the fixture reader / writer 100. To do. Then, the holder of the ID card takes out the holder 30 from the fixture 40 and stores it again, so that the holder is deemed to have finished browsing and is deleted from the viewer list.

  If the holder 30 is not returned even after a predetermined time has elapsed in step S16, the time is over (YES in S19), and a mail is sent to the PC-A 61 to return the holder 30 to the storage shelf 40 (S20). For example, as shown by reference numeral 81 in FIG. 7 on the PC display screen, an e-mail such as “The following documents have not been returned to the storage shelf. Please return them as soon as possible. <Document name> (1) ABC”. To do.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a circulation object browsing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The circulation object browsing system 400 is connected to a network tag (LAN) 60 that is attached to a holder 30 that is a circulation object and records management information related to the holder 30, and is a PC- that can communicate with each other. A (information processing device) 61, PC-B (information processing device) 63, reader / writers 62, 64, 66 for reading / writing management information to / from the RFID tag 200, and a management PC for managing the PC-A 61, PC-B 63 (Administrator information processing device) 65.
The circulation object browsing system 400 of this embodiment is a form which circulates a circulation object to a reader like the past. That is, the RFID tag 200 in which management information of the circulation object is recorded is attached to the holder 30, and the PC-A 61, PC-B 63, and management PC 65 connected to each other by the network 60 are respectively reader / writers 62, 64, 66 is provided. Then, the reader confirms the contents of the holder 30 and brings the holder 30 close to the reader / writers 62, 64, 66, thereby displaying and instructing the name of the next reader on the monitor of his / her PC.

  Next, the operation of the circulation object browsing system 400 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this description, a case will be described in which a document that is stored in the holder 30 with the RFID tag 200 attached and is not attached with an RFID tag is circulated. First, it is assumed that the holder 30 with the RFID tag 200 attached is circulated to the PC-A 61 (S1). Then, after reading the contents of the circulated holder 30 (YES in S2) and bringing the holder 30 close to the reader / writer 62 (S3), the management information recorded in the RFID tag 200 is updated. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, it is assumed that the reader ID 70 and the completed mark 71 are recorded on the RFID tag 200. If the reader ID of the PC-A 61 is “123A”, the holder 30 is brought close to the reader / writer 62 and “1” 72 is recorded in the completed mark. Then, the name of the next circulator is displayed on the display unit (not shown) of the PC-A 61 (S4). For example, if the next reader is PC-B63 instead of the last reader (NO in S5), the holder 30 is moved to PC-B63. Here, since the absence registration is performed in advance in the present invention when the absence is made in advance, for example, when the PC-B 63 is absent (YES route in S6), when the next reader name is displayed in step S4. Also displayed. In that case, the absent circulator is skipped and circulated to the next designated circulator (S7). At this time, if the reader ID of the PC-B 63 is “456B” in the RFID tag 200 as shown in FIG. 9A, “0” 73 is recorded in the completed mark when this reader is absent. . If it is the last reader in step S5 (YES route in S5), the holder 30 is returned to the storage shelf (S8).

In step S2, if the contents of the circulated holder 30 are left without being read (NO route in S2), a time limit is set (S21) and the time is over (YES route in S21) and left. A mail is sent to the reader that the holder 30 will be circulated immediately (S22). At the same time, the name of the circulator who stayed in the administrator is mailed (S23).
Also, when managing circulation objects within a single department, the manager of that department needs to grasp the circulation status of the entire department. Therefore, in this embodiment, the administrator PC 65 is further provided for the administrator, and the administrator PC 65 can check the circulation status by the PC-A 61 and the PC-B 63 via the LAN 60. That is, as shown in FIG. 9B, the circulator name 74 and the circulated / uncirculated 75 are displayed in association with each other on a display unit (not shown) of the administrator PC 65. For example, the circulator name “Mr. A” is circulated “Done”, and the circulator name “Mr. B” is displayed as “Not circulated” because it is absent. The circulation to “Mr. C” and “Mr. D” is completed, and “Mr. X” indicates that the circulation object has not yet been circulated.
When the circulation object is circulated in this manner, the party may be absent due to going out or the like. In the case of the conventional circulation system, since it is impossible to grasp in advance that the absence is present, the circulation target object has stayed in the place for a long time. This problem was the biggest problem in the conventional circulation system. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to prevent this, the absence registration is performed in advance when the absence exists, and the reader confirms the contents of the holder 30 and moves the holder 30 close to the reader / writers 62, 64, 66. When the name of the next circulator is displayed on the monitor of his / her PC, the name of the circulator who has been registered at the same time is also indicated.

  9 antenna, 30 holder, 40 storage shelf (furniture), 50 control PC (control device), 52 network, 61, 63 PC-A, PC-B (information processing device), 100 furnisher reader / writer, 200 RFID tag, 300 Circulation object browsing system

Claims (4)

An RFID tag that is attached to a circulation object and records management information related to the circulation object, an information processing apparatus that is connected to a network and can communicate with each other, and a reader / writer that reads and writes the management information to and from the RFID tag; With
The information processing apparatus is configured to instruct a circulation object name to be circulated based on management information read from an RFID tag attached to the circulation object by the reader / writer. .   The information processing apparatus instructs the name of the reader to be circulated next based on the management information read from the RFID tag attached to the circulation object by the reader / writer. The circulation object browsing system according to claim 1, wherein if present, the circulator name registered in the absence is also indicated.   The information processing apparatus further includes an administrator information processing apparatus that manages each information processing apparatus, and the administrator information processing apparatus can check a circulation status of the circulation object via the network. The circulation object browsing system according to claim 1 or 2.   The information processing device instructs a reader to be circulated next based on management information read by the reader / writer from an RFID tag attached to the circulation object, and circulates the circulation object to the reader. However, if management information cannot be read from the RFID tag attached to the circulation target by the reader / writer held by the reader even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the information processing apparatus held by the reader The circulation according to claim 1, wherein a message indicating that the circulation object is to be circulated is transmitted to the next reader, and a message indicating that the circulation object has accumulated the circulation object is transmitted to the administrator information processing apparatus. Object browsing system.

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