Patent ID: 8305197
Filing Date: 2012-11-06
Classification: G06Q,H04Q

Abstract:
1. An article management system comprising: a portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag that has an apparatus antenna for transmitting and receiving information with a RFID circuit element comprising an IC circuit part configured to store information and a tag antenna configured to transmit and receive information, and searches for a plurality of article RFID circuit elements respectively provided to a plurality of managed articles; and a database connected by a wired or radio communication line to said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag; wherein: said database stores in association article information of said managed article, and tag identification information of said article RFID circuit element corresponding to said managed article; said portable apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag includes: a transmission processing portion configured to generate an unconditional information acquisition instruction for unconditionally acquiring information stored in said IC circuit part and to transmit the unconditional information acquisition instruction via said apparatus antenna; a reception processing portion configured to receive a reply signal returned from said article RFID circuit element via said apparatus antenna in response to said unconditional information acquisition instruction; a primary notifying device configured to make a notification in a first form to an operator when said reply signal is received by said reception processing portion; a collating portion configured to collate whether or not the tag identification information of said article RFID circuit element included in said reply signal received by said reception processing portion matches the tag identification information of said article RFID circuit element provided to said managed article that is the search target of said operator; a secondary notifying device configured to make a notification to said operator in a second form that differs from said first form when the collation results of said tag identification information by said collating portion indicate a match; a timer device configured to measure the elapsed time since a first transmission of said unconditional information acquisition instruction by said transmission processing portion; and a time information display device configured to display time information corresponding to said elapsed time measured by said time device to said operator.