JPH04354721A - Electronic tag - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an electronic tag capable of computer-processing everything from delivery to shipment, with confusion in delivery prevented by surely obtaining information at the time of baggage delivery. CONSTITUTION:In a home delivery slip 1 in which delivery data such as baggage destinations are coded to be memorized and also data-communicated with the outside using a radio wave, identification codes identifying baggage itself are memorized, also bar codes 17 displaying the identification codes are displayed, and moreover a hand-writing entry column 2 is provided in the IC 11 of the response circuit 4 of the home delivery slip l.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to electronic luggage tags used in home delivery services, and more particularly to electronic luggage tags used for automatic sorting using radio waves.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in home delivery services, packages are collected and delivered based on the contents written on delivery slips. In other words, the person requesting the package writes the destination, sender, etc. on the delivery slip, the distributor converts the contents into a code, and the delivery slip containing this code is attached to the package. The packages collected from the distributors are then sent to a distribution center, where the contents of the delivery slips are entered into a computer using a keyboard or the like and processed.

[0003] In addition, in recent years, electronic tag systems using radio waves have been developed in which data such as delivery address is inputted into electronic tags using a dedicated writing device in advance, and the data stored in the electronic tags is then read at a delivery center. A technology has been proposed to automatically read the information and input it into a computer (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1983-1998).
(Refer to Publication No.-111821).

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, when using the above-mentioned electronic tag, the only delivery data stored in the memory of the electronic tag is the sorting code that indicates the destination, so if there is a large amount of parcels to be handled, This may cause some inconvenience when the delivery area is wide.

[0005] In other words, if the sorting code stored in the memory of the electronic tag is used, the sorting code can be read at the distribution center and sorted automatically, so there is no problem with sorting on the spot. Although this does not occur, when parcels are moved nationwide, such as by parcel delivery, it is not possible to accurately determine which parcels were delivered, when, at which sorting stage, and where they were delivered, making it difficult to process the delivery. Great confusion sometimes occurred. For example, if a package gets lost, there is no information about the package, so there is a problem in that the user has no idea where or how to search for the package.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides an electronic tag that can prevent confusion during delivery by reliably obtaining information at the time of delivery of the package, and can process everything from delivery to shipping by computer. The purpose is to provide.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problem] The invention of claim 1 to achieve this object encodes and stores delivery data such as the destination of a package, and also communicates the delivery data with the outside using radio waves. The object of the present invention is to provide an electronic luggage tag, characterized in that a storage means provided in an electric circuit in the electronic luggage tag stores an identification code that does not overlap with any other identification code for identifying the luggage itself.

[0008] Furthermore, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the electronic tag according to claim 1 is provided with an optically or magnetically readable identification mark corresponding to the identification code stored in the storage means. The gist of this paper is an electronic tag featuring the following features.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 provides that the electronic tag according to claim 1 includes an optically or magnetically readable identification mark corresponding to the identification code stored in the storage means; The gist is an electronic luggage tag characterized by having a field for writing handwritten characters corresponding to the contents stored in the means.

0010

[Operation] The electronic tag of the present invention stores encoded delivery data such as the destination, and also communicates the contents of the delivery data with the outside using radio waves. Furthermore, since the storage means provided in the electric circuit within the electronic tag stores the identification code assigned to each parcel, this identification code can be used to identify each parcel, allowing delivery of the parcel. For example, it becomes possible to obtain individual information such as the date and time of handling and location.

In particular, an identification mark provided on the electronic tag, ie an optically or magnetically readable identification mark provided corresponding to the identification code, and a handwritten character, ie stored in the storage means of the electronic tag. By using either or both of the character information entered in the handwritten character entry field corresponding to the content, it is possible to perform the usual slip processing, and the work of checking packages can be made more efficient.

[0012] Furthermore, even if the information stored in the storage means provided in the electric circuit in the electronic tag is destroyed,
Sorting can be done using handwritten information, minimizing confusion.

[0013]

[Embodiment] A delivery slip will be described below as a first embodiment of the electronic tag of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a home delivery slip. The delivery slip 1 of this embodiment is as follows:
It combines a conventional delivery slip function and an electronic tag function in one slip, and as shown in Fig. 1, it is broadly divided into a handwritten entry field 2, a response circuit 4, and a code display section 6. There is.

[0014] In the handwritten entry column 2, information such as the delivery address and shipping source is entered by hand by the shipping requester, and the sorting code indicating the arrival store, charges, etc. are also entered by hand by the handling store. It is. The response circuit 4 basically includes an antenna 10 for exchanging data;
an IC 11 that controls the circuit and stores delivery data;
It is composed of a battery (power supply) 12 that supplies power to the IC 11. Inputting data to the IC 11 is performed by radio waves using, for example, a writing device 13 (FIG. 6), which will be described later.

[0015] The stored data consists of fixed data and variable data, and the fixed data includes the slip number written on the slip (that is, the symbol indicating the identification code of the package).
is inputted at the time of manufacturing the slip, and as variable data, the sorting code, telephone number, etc. are inputted at the time of handling the package 14 (FIG. 6).

The code display section 6 is for reading the slip number optically or magnetically, and uses the well-known OCR character 15.
, MICR characters 16, and barcodes 17, or a combination of two or three, and numbers, codes, etc. corresponding to the slip number are written in advance when the slip is manufactured.

Next, the electrical configuration of the response circuit 4 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the I
C11 includes a modulator 24, a demodulator 25, and a level comparator 2.
6, a CPU 27, a clock generator 28, and a RAM 29 are built-in. The level comparator 26 includes an operational amplifier 26a, and compares the voltage of the output signal of the demodulator 25 with a reference voltage, and if the voltage of the output signal is higher than the reference voltage, the battery 12 is
27 and a clock generator 28. The RAM 29 is backed up by the battery 12, and the CPU
27 stores the received data in addition to the programs executed.

The response circuit 4 operates as follows. The demodulator 25 extracts an interrogation signal from the electromagnetic waves received by the antenna 10. The interrogation signal is level comparator 26 and CPU 27
is output to both. In the level comparator 26, the demodulator 25
The voltage level of the output signal of is compared with a reference voltage. Then, when the voltage of the output signal of the demodulator 25 is higher than the reference voltage, the battery 12 is connected to the CPU 27 and the clock generator 28. In this way, the CPU 27 and clock generator 28 are activated. When activated, the CPU 27 executes the program stored in the RAM 29 based on the clock.

Further, if the received data outputted from the demodulator 25 is data such as a destination, the received data is stored in the RAM 2.
Store in 9. On the other hand, if the received data is a request command for data such as a delivery address, the CPU 27 executes a program stored in the RAM 29 in advance, reads out the data stored in the RAM 29, and transmits a signal corresponding to the data to the modulator 29.
Output to. The diode 24a of this modulator 24 is C
Depending on the signal output from the PU 27, its conduction or non-conduction changes. Therefore, by changing the impedance in this way, the interrogator 30 (
Figure 3) modulates the electromagnetic waves from the antenna 10 and transmits the data to the antenna 10.
Send from

The electrical configuration of this interrogator 30 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the interrogator 30 includes a carrier oscillation circuit 31 that generates a carrier wave for a transmitted electromagnetic wave, a modulator 32 that superimposes information on the carrier wave, a circulator 33 that separates the transmitted wave and the received wave, and an entrance and exit port for the electromagnetic wave. It consists of a transmitting/receiving antenna 34, a demodulator 35 that extracts information from received waves, and a signal processing section 36 that controls the modulator 32 and the demodulator 35 to process the information.

The signal processing section 36 also includes a CPU 37 that performs information processing and communication with the outside, and a clock generator 38 that supplies an operating clock to the CPU. Next, the operation of the interrogator 30 having the circuit configuration described above will be explained. Interrogator 3
The transmission wave from 0 is generated by modulating a carrier wave generated by a carrier oscillation circuit 31 by a modulator 32. That is, the data sent from the signal processing section 36 to the modulator is superimposed on the transmission wave. The transmission wave created in this way is sent to the circulator 33, from there to the transmitting/receiving antenna 34, and radiated into the air.

[0022] When a response signal is returned from the response circuit 4 of the delivery slip 1, the response signal is transmitted to the transmitting/receiving antenna 34.
Receive at. The received wave is sent to the demodulator 35 via the circulator 33, where the information contained in the received wave is extracted and sent to the signal processing section 36 for processing.

Further, the signal processing section 36 receives control signals and various information inputted from the external interface 39 and sends transmission data to the modulator 32. The signal processing unit 36 receives data such as identification information of the response circuit 4 from the demodulator 35 and outputs it to the external interface 39.

Next, a method of manufacturing and using the home delivery slip 1 of this embodiment will be explained. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a data entry method, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of manufacturing and using the delivery slip 1. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, at the time of manufacturing, first, the delivery slip 1 on which the barcode 17 is not printed.
A response circuit 4 is incorporated into the. Next, an identification code for identifying the baggage 14 is received from the computer 41 into the writer 13 and the barcode writer 43. The writer 13 stores the identification code, which is fixed data, in the RAM 29 of the response circuit 4, and the barcode writer 43 displays the barcode 1 corresponding to the identification code in the code display section 6.
7. Print. At this time, in addition to the barcode 17, OCR characters 15 and MICR characters 16 may be written.

[0025] In other words, when manufacturing the slip, each package 1
In addition to inputting an identification code for identifying 4, a bar code 17 is printed and shipped, and a sorting code for classifying the delivery destination is input when the product is used at a distributor. Note that the writing device 13 used for inputting data during the above-mentioned manufacturing and intermediary operations has the same configuration as the above-mentioned interrogator 30, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0026] The delivery slip 1 manufactured in this manner is as follows:
It is used in the procedure shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 6 below. As shown in FIG. 6, when using the home delivery slip 1, the client first writes necessary information such as the delivery address in the handwritten entry column 2 of the home delivery slip 1. Next, on this delivery slip 1, the sorting code, charges, etc. are entered in the handwritten entry field 2 at the agent, and the sorting code, etc. is entered as variable data into the response circuit 4 using a special writing device 13. be remembered.

[0027] After entering the data, transfer the delivery slip 1 to package 1.
4, give a copy of the slip to the client, and remove the necessary slips and store them at the agency. The delivery company receives the package 14 and transports it to a distribution center. At the delivery center, the interrogator 30 transmits an interrogation signal to check the delivery slip 1 attached to the package 14.
The computer 45 reads delivery data such as the sorting code from the response circuit 4 of the computer 45 . And belt conveyor 40
The parcels 14 transported are transferred to an automatic sorter 47 controlled by a computer 45 based on the read delivery data.
distinguished by The classified packages 14 are sent to a delivery base in each district, and are delivered to their destinations from there.

Further, in the process of delivering the package 14, necessary slips are cut out, and each slip has a barcode 17 etc. written on it, so the barcode 17 etc. can be used to It becomes possible to process slips as normally done. In this way, in this embodiment, the response circuit 4 of the delivery slip 1
In addition to storing an identification code corresponding to the slip number, a bar code 17 or the like that can be easily read from the outside is written on the code display section 6, so that the transport status of the luggage 14 can be accurately grasped. . Also, with this,
Automatic sorting of baggage 14 is possible, and the system that has been in operation up until now can be used as before. Furthermore, even if the information stored in the storage means provided in the electric circuit in the electronic tag is destroyed, it is possible to sort the information using handwritten information.

[0029] Therefore, unlike a simple electronic tag, it has the remarkable effect of increasing the efficiency of delivery operations and promoting the integration of goods and information without causing any trouble to the current system. Next, a second example will be described based on FIGS. 7 and 8.

The delivery slip 50 of this embodiment differs in manufacturing method from the above embodiments in that a barcode 51 is printed before the identification code is input. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, during manufacturing, first, the barcode writer 53 is driven based on instructions from the computer 52, and the barcode 51 corresponding to the identification code is written on the delivery slip 50 in advance.
to print. Next, the response circuit 54 is attached to the delivery slip 50.
Incorporate.

Next, the barcode reader 55 is used to read the barcode 51, the computer 56 converts it into an identification code, and the writer 57 is driven to store the identification code in the RAM 59 of the response circuit 54. After that, it is shipped and the sorting code etc. is entered at the distributor.

In this way, in this embodiment, only the bar code 51 is written before inputting the identification code to the response circuit 54, so there is great freedom in the manufacturing process, and moreover, only the bar code 51 is written. There is an advantage that the delivery slip 50 can be stored for a long period of time, for example, in a factory or warehouse.

Next, regarding the third embodiment, FIGS. 9 and 1
The explanation will be based on 0. The delivery slip 60 of this embodiment is as follows:
The second embodiment is different from the second embodiment in the timing at which the barcode 61 is read. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, during manufacturing, first, the barcode writer 63 is driven based on instructions from the computer 62 to print a barcode 61 corresponding to an identification code on the delivery slip 60 in advance. Next, a response circuit 64 is incorporated into the delivery slip 60, and then shipped.

Then, at the stage of use at the distributor, the barcode 61 is read using the barcode reader 65, converted into an identification code by the computer 66, and the writing device 67 is driven to store it in the RAM 69 of the response circuit 64. Remember the identification code. At the same time, the sorting code and the like are input to the response circuit 64.

In this way, in this embodiment, only the bar code 61 is written before the identification code is input to the response circuit 64, so no power is required when only the bar code 61 is written. . Therefore, for example, at a distributor, etc.
There is a significant advantage that the delivery slip 60 can be stored for a long period of time.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments in any way, and it goes without saying that it can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the home delivery slip of the above embodiment may be a single slip or a divisible continuous slip that can be filled out continuously using a line printer or the like. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which power is supplied from outside using radio waves, thereby eliminating the need for a power source. Further, as the writing method using the writer, in addition to the method using radio waves, a method using electromagnetic induction, a method using electromagnetic coupling, a method using binary coding of data, etc. can be adopted.

[0037]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, since the identification code for identifying the baggage itself is stored in the electronic tag,
When goods are moved nationwide, it is difficult to know which goods are being sent and when.
It is possible to accurately determine at what sorting stage and where the package has been delivered, so that the delivery process can be carried out reliably, and even if the package gets lost, it can be easily found. In other words, by reliably obtaining information at the time of delivery of a package, confusion during delivery can be prevented, and as a result, the system has the remarkable feature of being able to process everything from delivery to dispatch by computer.

In particular, the electronic tag includes an optically or magnetically readable identification mark corresponding to the identification code, and characters written in the handwritten character entry field corresponding to the content stored in the storage means of the electronic tag. If both or one of the pieces of information are provided, it becomes possible to perform the usual slip processing, and has the advantage of further increasing the efficiency of baggage identification work. Also, in the unlikely event that the information stored in the storage means provided in the electric circuit inside the electronic tag is destroyed,
Sorting can be done using handwritten information, minimizing confusion.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a home delivery slip according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the electrical configuration of a response circuit for a delivery slip.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of the interrogator.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of manufacturing a delivery slip according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the procedure for manufacturing a delivery slip in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing how to use the delivery slip of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for manufacturing a delivery slip according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the procedure for manufacturing a delivery slip according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for manufacturing a delivery slip according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the procedure for manufacturing a delivery slip according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,50,60...Delivery slip 4,54,64...
Response circuit 6...Code display section
17, 51, 61...Barcode

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claim 1: In an electronic luggage tag that encodes and stores delivery data such as the delivery address of a package and that communicates the delivery data with the outside using radio waves, a storage means provided in an electric circuit within the electronic luggage tag. An electronic luggage tag characterized by storing a unique identification code for identifying the luggage itself. 2. An electronic luggage tag according to claim 1, further comprising an optically or magnetically readable identification mark corresponding to the identification code stored in the storage means. 3. The electronic tag according to claim 1, further comprising an optically or magnetically readable identification mark corresponding to the identification code stored in the storage means, and contents stored in the storage means. An electronic luggage tag characterized by comprising a corresponding handwritten character entry field.