Patent ID: 7860761

Claim:
A code management system that assigns a product identification code to a product to identify the product uniquely, and manages the product identification code that is assigned to the product, in order to provide history information of the product in traceability systems, the code management system comprising: one or more label attaching apparatus configured to attach a product label on a product package of a product, a different apparatus number being assigned to each of the one or more label attaching apparatus; and an individual product code management server configured to manage individual product codes for identifying each of products uniquely, wherein each of the one or more label attaching apparatus includes: an individual product code requester configured to submit an obtaining request to obtain an individual product code to the individual product code management server by submitting an apparatus number of the label attaching apparatus by which the label attaching apparatus can be identified; an individual code obtainer configured to obtain the individual product code from the individual product code management server through a communication network; a product identification code determiner configured to determine that the individual product code obtained by the individual product code obtainer is assigned to the product as a product identification code for identifying the product uniquely; a product label attacher configured to attach a product label, on which the product identification code determined by the product identification code determiner is written, onto the product package of the product; and a product label related information storer configured to store product label related information that is at least a part of information written on the product label and that includes the product identification code, wherein the individual product code management server includes: an individual product code transmitter configured to transmit an unused individual product code in compliance with the obtaining request by the individual product code requester of the label attaching apparatus; and an individual product code distribution information storer configured to store individual product code distribution information therein, the individual product code distribution information matching the apparatus number, submitted by the individual product code requester and indicating the label attaching apparatus, with the individual product code transmitted by the individual product code transmitter.