Patent Publication Number: US-2005122221-A1

Title: Visible electronic tag and system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an electronic tag and system adopted for use in stock picking systems, and particularly to a visible electronic tag and a system thereof that is recognizable without using readers.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Electronic tag was originally developed for warehouse management systems. In the past, at least two workers were required to perform warehouse stock-picking due to the complication of the procedures thereof. First, the worker had to search the locations of the merchandises according to a picking list by referring to the package boxes and the stock arrangement map of the warehouse. If stock-picking was performed at night, the dim lights at the warehouse would make the merchandises hard to recognize. Moreover, since one type of goods could be placed at several locations, the possibility of redundant operations increases. Sometimes it was needed to pick up goods repeatedly at a same location. Spreading storing arrangements of the stocks in the warehouse also increases the routines to complete a picking list. Furthermore, since the locations storing the goods could be changed any time, it was difficult for the warehouse workers to remember the exact locations for all kinds of merchandises. As a result, the accuracy to complete a picking list decreases while and the time required to complete a picking list increases.  
      To remedy the indicated problems, electronic tag has been developed. The electronic tag, which is reusable, is stuck to warehouse racks and linked to a stock picking system so that the instructions and quantities of the merchandises to be picked up at the same rack are displayed simultaneously. However, the electronic tag does not have displaying device thereon. A special reader has to be prepared to read the information contained in the electronic tag.  
      Due to the fact that a reader is needed to read and confirm the accuracy of the information contained in the electronic tag as well as to make corrections when necessary, extra burdens are actually generated for workers. The reader generally can be divided into two types: stationary and portable. Either one is a necessary equipment to read the information in the electronic tag, which becomes an additional trouble and limits the utilization of the electronic tag. For instance, in a regular supermarket or large super store, product labels are still made by conventional paper or plastics. Once used, they would be replaced and discarded. They do not conform to the environmental conservation concept. It is also not convenient that the labels have to be redone every time changes are needed to be made.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,776 discloses a RFID reader with integrated display for use in a product tag system that includes a reader and tags. It employs bar code and has a bar code scanner to directly scan and display the contents of the tag. However, it is still limited to readers and the tag does not have any information for direct identification.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In view of the aforesaid disadvantages, the invention aims to provide a visible electronic tag and system that can directly read the content of the electronic tag without a reader.  
      The visible electronic tag and system according to the invention includes an electronic tag body and a display module. The electronic tag body is directly connected to the display module, as well as to a reader in a wireless fashion. The reader receives the signals and stores the received information in the electronic tag body. The display module then displays the information without a reader. Hence, the applicability of the electronic tag is enhanced significantly.  
      The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are schematic views of the system according to the invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view of the structure of the invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view of another embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the visible electronic tag and system according to the invention mainly includes an electronic tag body  10  and a display module  20 . The electronic tag body  10  is connected to a reader  40  in a wireless transmission fashion  30  (referring to  FIG. 2 ). The reader  40  may be stationary or portable. The stationary reader includes a stationary electronic device  41  (generally a computer) and a stationary reader  42  (referring to  FIG. 1A ). The portable reader may be a portable wireless electronic device  43 . Either type of the readers transmits signals to the electronic tag body  10  in the wireless transmission fashion  30  for receiving and storing. The display module  20  is directly connected to the electronic tag body  10 , and can directly read and display the information in the electronic tag body  10 . Hence the information in the electronic tag body  10  can be read and display on the display module  20  without the reader  40 . Therefore its applications may be expanded to regular stores for directly displaying merchandise name, price, valid period, special price duration, and the like, which will allow the consumers to directly read the information. Furthermore, field staffs can make the changes through the reader  40  without replacing the tags when needed. The electronic tag not only can replace the conventional labels, its applicability is also expandable.  
      Refer to  FIG. 2  for a structure according to the invention. The electronic tag body  10  includes an antenna  11 , a radio frequency module  12 , a baseband controller  13 , a memory controller  14  and a memory  15 . The antenna  11  communicates with the reader  40  in the wireless transmission fashion  30 . The radio frequency module  12  controls and modulates the received signals, and transmits them to the baseband controller  13  which transforms the signals and transmits them to the memory  15  for storing through the memory controller  14 . For reading data in the memory  15  through the reader  40 , the baseband controller  13  reads the data from the memory  15  through the memory controller  14 , and transforms and transmits the data to the reader  40  through the radio frequency module  12  and antenna  11  in the wireless transmission approach  30 . Electric power required on the memory controller  14  may be provided by the radio frequency module  12 .  
      The display module  20  includes a display controller  21 , a display interface  22  and a display panel  23 . The display controller  21  is connected to and communicates with the baseband controller  13  of the electronic tag body  10  for retrieving the signals and displaying on the display panel  23  through the display interface  22 . The display panel  23  may be a LCD or an electronic paper. There are a lot of choices for the communication between the display controller  21  and the baseband controller  13 . For instance, the display controller  21  may directly read the information data in the memory  15  through the baseband controller  13  in a regular time interval; or the baseband controller  13  may initiate signal transmission to the memory controller  14  and the display controller  21  when contents of the memory  15  are to be changed. Meanwhile, the display controller  21  may also directly read the data in the memory  15  through the memory controller  14  by commanding signals.  
      The electric power required for the display module  20  may also be provided by the radio frequency module  12 . Considering the display panel  23  that consumes a greater amount of electric power, an external electric power supply  24  may be added to provide the power needed.  
      While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments without departing the spirit and scope of the invention.