JPH10297641A - Container having storage medium, and commodity-information transmitting device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely perform the transmission and the transfer of a commodity informa tion even when a change is generated in the sequence of the removal and transfer of a commodity by a method wherein for a container which houses the commodity and is carried integrally with the commodity, a storage medium wherein obtainable various commodity informations regarding the commodity during a carrying can be written or read, is attached. SOLUTION: An indication controller 2 transmits a commodity information (An information) such as a product name, a unit price of a commodity and the date of cooking, to a cooking area Ea. Then, while moving a container together with a cart 15, various kinds of informations are written on a magnetic tape 1 by the input head (R/W) of a writing means 4a which writes various kinds of informations on the magnetic tape 1 of the container at a writing place Ea1. A reading means 6 at a reading place Eb1 in a price attaching area Eb reads the various kinds of informations by the input head (R/W) from the maganetic tape 1 on the moving cart 15, and the commodity on each tray is measured and packaged conforming to a production indication information (P information), and a label is issued by a packaging-price-attaching machine 7 conforming to the A information and an identification information (ID information).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage medium-equipped container provided with a storage medium for storing goods and storing information about the goods, and an apparatus for transmitting information about the goods using the container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For a product such as meat sold at a supermarket or the like, the type of meat is identified in a manufacturing area where the product is manufactured, and a predetermined amount is placed on a tray for each type of meat. Then, each tray is weighed by a weighing machine and then packaged and priced by a packaging pricer. A label printer prints product information such as product name, weight and price, and affixes it to packaging material. Is done.

[0003] In this case, product information such as the identified product name and the weight of the product weighed by the weighing machine is sequentially sent to a packaging pricing machine or a label printer in accordance with the order of transporting the product, and the contents are packaged. It is priced and a label is issued.

[0004] On the other hand, when a product to which the above label is attached is sold using a POS system in a sales area where the product is sold, a bar code printed on the label is read by a register and sent from an instruction controller. Based on the product information, the price, quantity, and the like of the purchased product are totaled.

[0005]

However, in the manufacturing area, for example, one of the trays containing the goods is taken out from the time when the goods are identified and weighed and before the price is issued and the label is issued. If a trouble occurs such as dropping, dropping, or the tray getting stuck in the manufacturing equipment and it is necessary to remove the damaged tray, part of the product may be missing or the product may not be transferred. Therefore, if the price is directly changed by the packaging price setting apparatus and the label is issued by the label printer, the goods stored in the tray and the contents of the attached label do not match.

For this reason, it is necessary to temporarily stop the production and re-enter the merchandise information to the packaging price setting apparatus and the label printer in a correct order, and there is a problem that trouble handling due to a change in the transfer order is complicated. Was.

[0007] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and in a production line for weighing, packaging, and valuing products, a storage medium capable of reliably transmitting product information even if the transfer order of the products changes. It is an object of the present invention to provide an attached container and a product information transmission device using the same.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a container with a storage medium according to one aspect of the present invention is a container for storing a product and being transported integrally with the product. A storage medium in which various product information obtained for the product is written or read is provided.

According to the container with storage medium, since the container with storage medium storing information obtained on the product during transportation is transported integrally with the product, the product can be removed during transportation, Even if the transport order is changed, product information can be transmitted reliably. Further, since the product information generated during transportation is written to or read from the storage medium, the product information can be transmitted only by the storage medium.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a product information transmitting apparatus for transmitting information relating to a product stored in a container using the container with a storage medium according to claim 1.
A writing unit for writing product information including product identification information to the storage medium, and a reading unit for reading the product information from the storage medium to price the product are provided.

According to the commodity information transmitting apparatus, the container with the storage medium in which the information obtained on the commodity during the transportation is written is transported integrally with the commodity, so that the commodity is removed during the transportation. , Even if the transport order is changed,
The product information can be read out reliably and the price of the product can be determined.

[0012] A product information transmitting apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for transmitting information on a product stored in the container using the container with a storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the weight of the product is And a detecting device for detecting the product characteristics including the contents and outputting the detected data, writing means for writing the detected data from the detecting device to the storage medium, and including the detected data from the storage medium. Reading means for reading the product information.

According to the above-mentioned commodity information transmitting apparatus, the container with the storage medium in which the commodity information including the detection data from the detecting device is written is transported together with the commodity during the transportation, so that the commodity is transported. Even if they are removed on the way or the order of conveyance is changed, product information can be transmitted reliably. Further, the detection data obtained by the detection device can be automatically written into the storage medium by the writing means.

Preferably, the detecting device includes a weighing machine for weighing the conveyed product. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the detection data of the product weight.

[0015] Preferably, there is provided a packaging and pricing machine that performs packaging and pricing based on the product information obtained by the reading means. Therefore, it is possible to match the product with the content priced for the product.

Preferably, there is provided a label printer for printing the product information obtained by the reading means on a label attached to the product or its packaging material. Therefore, it is possible to match the product with the contents of the label attached to the product.

Preferably, there is provided a register in a POS system for selling a product based on the product information including the product name and the price obtained by the reading means. Therefore, by reading the product name, price, etc. from the product information,
Products can be sold by the POS system.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a container with a storage medium according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a product information transmission device using the same. As shown in the figure, in a department that prepares and processes products such as fresh foods such as supermarkets, for example, in a meat section, a pricing process in which a product is measured and priced is performed in a manufacturing area B thereof. It has an area Eb and a cooking area Ea in which a pre-process (cooking process) of preparing and preparing a product before the pricing process is performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, a product M cooked and processed on the cooking table 5 in the cooking area Ea by a cooking person 21 familiar with the classification of meat is placed in a cart 15 with wheels 14. The bats (containers) 12 stacked in a plurality of stages for each type of the product M are stored in a state of being stored in the tray T, respectively. Then, the cart 15 moves X on the floor F.
The product M is transported from the cooking area Ea to a worker (unskilled person) in the pricing area Eb.

In this apparatus, in order to identify the conveyed product M in the pricing area Eb, a magnetic tape capable of writing and reading product information including identification information (ID information) such as a product name or a product identification code is used. Using such a storage medium 1, the container 12 with the magnetic tape 1 is transferred together with the product M from the cooking area Ea to the pricing area Eb. The magnetic tape 1 is used for writing and reading with or without contact with the magnetic head, and is, for example, pasted on the side surface of the container 12 in advance. As a storage medium, a magnetic card, an optical card, a wireless IC card, or the like may be used in addition to the magnetic tape.

In FIG. 1, the cooking area Ea includes product information (A, such as a product name, a product unit price, and a cooking date and time).
Instruction controller 2 for sending information) to the cooking area Ea;
They are connected by a LAN (local area network). In a writing place Ea1 in the cooking area Ea, writing means 4a for writing various information on the magnetic tape 1 of the container 12 is provided.
Is installed. The writing means 4a is pressed against the contact surface with the magnetic tape 1 by a spring force (contact type).
Or a (non-contact type) input / output head (R / W) arranged with a slight gap between the magnetic tape 1 and a kind key in which, for example, "thigh meat" or "loin meat" is written. While the container 12 is moving, various information is written on the magnetic tape 1 by the input / output head (R / W).
The information includes the ID information, the A information sent from the instruction controller 2 based on the ID information,
Similarly, it includes production instruction information (P information) relating to packaging conditions of a packaging and pricing machine 7 (described later), switching control of the size of a label to be issued, label printing control, and the like sent from the instruction controller 2 based on the ID information. It is.

In the reading area Eb1 in the pricing area Eb, A information,
A reading means 6 for reading ID information and P information is provided. The reading means 6 is provided with the magnetic tape 1 of the moving container 12.
Then, various information is read by the same input / output head (R / W) as described above. Also, in the pricing area Eb, based on the P information read by the reading means 6, the goods M on each tray are weighed and wrapped, and based on the A information and the ID information, the product name, price, etc. A packaging and pricing machine 7 that issues a label on which individual product information is printed is installed. The writing place Ea1 and the reading place Eb1 are respectively provided on container receiving stands 18 and 19 which are integrated with the cooking table 5 or the packaging / pricing machine 7 or are separately disposed in the vicinity thereof. In this example, the packaging and pricing machine 7 includes a weighing machine for weighing the product M and a label printer for issuing labels, but a weighing machine is provided upstream of the packaging and pricing machine 7 and a label printer is provided downstream thereof. May be provided separately.

Further, the present apparatus has a writing means for writing pricing processing data (R information) relating to processing in the pricing step to the card 1 in a predetermined writing location Eb2 of the pricing area Eb where the pricing step is performed. 4b is installed. The R information includes data when the sales person discounts the price of the product M for sales promotion, a failure of a sensor included in the packaging price maker 7, status data such as overheating of the motor, and the like. The data in the case of the discount is taken into the writing means 4b when the sales person corrects the price with the packaging price maker 7. The magnetic tape 1 on which the R information is written is collected together with the container 12 after the completion of the pricing, and the contents are read out by the instruction controller 2.
As shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, the R information may be written manually by the writing means 4a of the cooking area Ea without providing the writing means 4b.

Next, the operation of the present apparatus will be described. First,
In FIG. 2, the cook 21 familiar with the product
The product M is cooked and processed on the cooking table 5 in the cooking area Ea, and is placed on a tray 15 in a bat (container) 12 provided in a plurality of stages for each type of the product M in a cart 15 with wheels 14. To be stored.

On the other hand, the cook 21 cooks and processes the meat, places the container 12 in the writing place Ea1, and prepares
In accordance with the type of the processed product M, the type is input by operating the type key in which "thigh", "loin" or the like is written in the writing means 4a provided in the cooking area Ea. Based on the input ID information, A (product) information such as the unit price of the product M and the cooking date is automatically input from the instruction controller 2 of FIG. When the type key is operated, P (production instruction) information is also input in response to a signal from the instruction controller 2 in FIG. These A information, I
The D information and the P information are written on the magnetic tape 1 by the writing means 4a.

In this embodiment, the person in charge of cooking 21
Has written the ID information on the magnetic tape 1 at the writing place Ea1, but the cooking staff himself or another worker
The instruction controller 2 of FIG. 1 prepares a container 12 to which a magnetic tape on which the above information is written is prepared, and brings the container 12 into the cooking area Ea to select the corresponding container 12 at the time of cooking. Good.

Next, the cart 15 in FIG. 2 is moved in the X direction, and the merchandise M is conveyed from the cooking area Ea to the worker 22 who is not familiar with the merchandise M in the pricing area Eb. The operator 22 places the container 12 at the reading location Eb1 of the pricing area Eb, and the reading means 6
A information, ID information, and P information are read from the magnetic tape 1 stuck on 2.

The information on the magnetic tape 1 is input from the reading means 6 to the packaging price maker 7. Each product is weighed and packaged by the packaging and pricing machine 7. In this case, based on the P information read from the magnetic tape 1, the packaging price setting machine 7 individually sets the packaging conditions, the switching control of the size of the label to be issued, the label printing control, and the like. Then, a label on which individual product information such as a product name and a price is printed is issued from the packaging price maker 7, and the worker attaches the label to the packaging material of the product M and ships it to the store.

On the other hand, at a predetermined writing place Eb2 in the pricing area Eb, data when the sales person discounts the price of the product M for sales promotion, malfunction of a sensor included in the packaging pricing machine 7, motor The R information including the status data such as overheating is written by the writing means 4b, collected after the pricing is completed, and the contents are read by the instruction controller 2. Therefore, since the contents of the pricing processing data (R information) processed in the pricing process can be recorded on the magnetic tape 1, the management of the cooking processing section at the shop becomes accurate and easy.

Thus, according to the present invention, since the magnetic tape 1 storing the product information and the container 12 are integrated, some of the containers 12 are missing or the transfer order of the containers 12 is changed as in the prior art. As a result, the product stored in the container 12 and the contents of the label are not inconsistent, and the product information can be transmitted reliably. Therefore, even if there is a missing product or a change in the transfer order, it is possible to continue the production without hindering the production.

Further, by using the magnetic tape 1 on which the A information, ID information and P information are written, the product M can be automatically identified in the price setting step, The control condition is automatically input. That is, since batch processing in the pricing process can be performed using only the magnetic tape 1, connection between the cooking process and the pricing process via a LAN or the like is not required, so that equipment costs can be reduced. The magnetic tape 1
Can be repeatedly written, so that the used one can be reused and the cost can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the packaging and pricing machine 7
However, depending on the type of the product M, the packaging machine may be omitted and only the pricing machine may be used. In this case, the label issued from the pricing machine is directly or automatically attached to the product M manually or manually.

In this embodiment, a plurality of trays T
Although the magnetic tape 1 as a storage medium is stuck to the container 12 storing therein, it may be stuck directly to each tray T.

Next, a second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 shows a configuration diagram of a container with a storage medium according to the second embodiment and a product information transmission device using the same. The present apparatus is used in a manufacturing area for manufacturing products such as meat sold at supermarkets and the like, and a sales area for selling manufactured products. In the manufacturing area, the products are stored in containers (trays) with a storage medium 1. 2) It is manufactured while being transported by the transport conveyor C while being stored in the T. As in the first embodiment, the storage medium 1 such as a magnetic tape is attached to the container (tray) T in advance. As a storage medium, a magnetic card, an optical card, a wireless IC card, or the like may be used in addition to the magnetic tape.

The present apparatus is provided with a plurality of detecting devices for detecting merchandise characteristics including the weight and contents of the merchandise M in the manufacturing area and outputting the detected data. The detection device includes, for example, a first weighing machine 32 for weighing the weight (tare) of the tray T, a second weighing machine 36 for weighing the tray T containing the product M, and inspecting the contents of the product M. And an inspection device 40 that performs the inspection. The inspection device 40 includes a metal detector for detecting the presence or absence of metal contamination of the packaged product, and an X for checking for the presence of foreign material in the contents thereof.
Line inspection equipment and the like are included. Between the first weighing machine 32 and the second weighing machine 36, there is provided a meat placing area 34 where the worker places meat on the tray T. Writing means 52a, 52b, and 52c are respectively stored in the first weighing machine 32, the meat laying place 34, the second weighing machine 36, and the inspection device 40.
And 52d are provided. Each unit has an input / output head (R / W) pressed by a spring force against a contact surface with the magnetic tape 1 as described above. In addition to the input / output head (R / W), for example, “for sukiyaki”,
There are provided a variety key in which "for grilled meat" or the like is entered and a numeric keypad for inputting a unit price of a product or the like.

The present apparatus is also used as a packaging machine 3
8 and a label printer 42. Packaging machine 38
Packs the tray T with a packaging material based on the packaging conditions obtained by the reading means 54a having the same input / output head (R / W) as described above. The label printer 42 includes a reading unit 5
Based on the product information obtained in 4b, the product name,
In addition to printing product information including weight, price, inspection line mark indicating inspection, and date of manufacture, tray T
Affix the label to The date of manufacture is input from the clock 44 to the label printer 42.

Further, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 3, a register 46 in the POS system is provided at a predetermined location in the sales area, and the readout means 54c reads the product name and price of the purchased product. Information is read from the magnetic tape 1 attached to the tray T, the price and quantity of the purchased merchandise are totaled, and a receipt is issued.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present apparatus will be described. In FIG. 3, first, the tray T to which the magnetic tape 1 has been attached in advance.
The weight (tare) of the tray T is measured by the first weighing machine 32. The writing means 52a has its input / output head (R / W)
The tray T is moved while the magnetic tape 1 is in contact with the magnetic tape 1, and the weight value of the tray T is written.

Next, the tray T is transported by the transport conveyor C to the meat deposition site 34. At this location, the operator arranges the meat on the tray T, and inputs the product name, unit price, packaging condition, and the like according to the type of meat to the writing means 52b based on the input operation of the type key and the numeric keypad. The writing means 52b similarly writes the data on the magnetic tape 1. Then, in a state where the commodity M is placed on the tray T, the weight is measured by the second weighing machine 36. This weight value is similarly written on the magnetic tape 1 by the writing means 52c. By subtracting the weight value of the tray T from this weight value, the accurate weight of the product can be detected.

When the tray T is conveyed to the packaging machine 38, it is packaged in a packaging material such as a film based on the packaging conditions obtained from the magnetic tape 1 by the reading means 54a. Thereafter, the wrapped tray T is conveyed to the inspection device 40, and the inspection result, such as the presence or absence of metal contamination or the presence of foreign material, detected by the inspection device 40 is similarly written onto the magnetic tape 1 by the writing means 52d. Written. Label printer 42
Prints, on a label, product information including a product name, weight, price, an inspection line mark indicating inspection, and a manufacturing date and time based on the product information obtained from the magnetic tape 1 by the reading means 54b. This label is manually attached to the tray T by an operator. Note that a product name for sale, which will be described later, is written on the magnetic tape 1, so that a bar code for identifying the product name is not printed on the label.

Thus, according to the present invention, the magnetic tape 1 storing the product information such as the product name, the product weight and the price and the tray T
Is integrated, so that the product stored in the tray T and the contents of the label do not match even if the product is removed in the middle of the transport or the transport order is changed, unlike the related art. Information can be transmitted reliably.
Therefore, even if the order in which the products are transported is changed, it is possible to continue the production without hindering the production.

Further, the present invention does not read a bar code printed on a label attached to a product with a bar code reader of a register as in a conventional POS system, but as shown in the lower column of FIG. Readout means 5 for register 46 of the POS system provided at a predetermined location in the sales area
4c, the data on the magnetic tape 1 is read. That is,
By reading the product information including the product name and price of the purchased product from the magnetic tape 1 attached to the tray T by the reading means 54c, the price and quantity of the product are totaled, and a receipt is issued from the register 46. Is done. In this case, the label attached to the product merely displays the product information of the product to the purchaser.

Here, if the register is provided with a memory to store the sales data and the sales data is passed to the instruction controller in the form of a floppy disk or a memory card after the sales are completed, the connection between the register and the instruction controller is established. Even if it is not, by using the storage medium 1, the PO
Data processing can be performed by batch processing using only the registers of the S system. It is particularly effective when used in a sales area such as outdoors where electrical wiring between the register and the instruction controller is complicated. In addition, since it is not necessary to print a barcode for identifying the product name on the label attached to the product, the size of the label can be reduced accordingly.

[0044]

As described above, according to the container with a storage medium according to one aspect of the present invention, the container with the storage medium storing information obtained on the product during transportation is transported integrally with the product. Therefore, even if the product is removed during the transportation or the transportation order is changed, the product information can be reliably transmitted. In addition, since the product information generated during transportation is written to or read from the storage medium, the transmission of the product information can be performed using only the storage medium.

According to the product information transmitting apparatus according to another configuration of the present invention, the container with the storage medium in which the information obtained on the product is written during the transport is transported integrally with the product. Even if is removed during the transportation or the transportation order is changed, it is possible to read out the product information without fail and price the product.

According to the commodity information transmitting apparatus according to still another configuration of the present invention, the container with the storage medium in which the commodity information including the detection data from the detecting device is written during the transportation is integrated with the commodity. Since the product is transported, the product information can be reliably read even if the product is removed during the transport or the transport order is changed. Further, the detection data obtained by the detection device can be automatically written into the storage medium by the writing means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a product information transmission device with a storage medium according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the product information transmission device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a product information transmission device with a storage medium according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Storage medium, 4a, 4b, 52a-52d ... Writing means, 6, 54a-54dc ... Reading means, 12, T ... Container, 32, 36, 40 ... Detection equipment, 38 ... Packaging machine, 42
... label printer, M ... product.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A storage medium provided with a storage medium for storing or reading various types of product information obtained for a product during the transportation, wherein the container stores the product and is transported integrally with the product. With container. 2. An apparatus for transmitting information related to a product stored in a container using the container with a storage medium according to claim 1, wherein product information including product identification information is written to the storage medium. A product information transmission device comprising: a writing unit; and a reading unit configured to read the product information from the storage medium and price the product. 3. An apparatus for transmitting information related to a product stored in a container using the container with a storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the product including the weight and contents of the product are detected, and the detection is performed. Product information comprising: a detection device that outputs data; a writing unit that writes the detection data from the detection device to the storage medium; and a reading unit that reads product information including the detection data from the storage medium. Transmission equipment. 4. The commodity information transmission device according to claim 3, wherein the detection device includes a weighing machine that measures the conveyed commodity. 5. The product information transmission device according to claim 3, further comprising a packaging and price-setting machine that performs packaging and pricing based on the product information obtained by the reading unit. 6. The product information transmission device according to claim 3, further comprising a label printer that prints the product information obtained by the reading means on a label attached to the product or its packaging material. 7. The merchandise information transmitting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a register in a POS system for selling merchandise based on merchandise information including a merchandise name and a price obtained by said reading means.