Label issue method, label issue system, and program

Abstract

To provide a label issue method in which writing to an IC chip of an unissued RFID label is easier than in a conventional method.SOLUTION: In advance, a plurality of unissued RFID labels are arranged in a prescribed pattern on a unit paper piece, and identifiers which can specify respective arrangement positions of the unissued RFID labels and are different by the arrangement positions are written in prescribed storage areas of IC chips of the unissued RFID labels. When an RFID label is to be issued, the plurality of unissued RFID labels on the unit paper piece are set within a communication range of an antenna of RFID writing means, and a command which can be executed by only an unissued RFID label storing therein a designated identifier is transmitted from the RFID writing means, so that required information is individually written to the IC chips of the plurality of unissued RFID labels within the communication range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a label issuing method for issuing an RFID label by writing required information into an IC chip of an unissued RFID label. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, RFID labels have been widely used in the fields of logistics, factory production, etc. Generally, when an RFID label is issued, the information required for managing the item to be labeled is printed on the label and written into its IC chip.

[0003] To issue RFID labels, for example, a strip of RFID label paper with a plurality of unissued RFID labels affixed thereto and an RFID printer equipped with both a printing function and an RFID writing function are used (see Patent Document 1). The RFID printer described in Patent Document 1 is configured such that an RFID writing means capable of writing information by wireless communication is disposed near the print head, and the required information can be written to the IC chip of the RFID label before or after printing the required information on the unissued RFID label. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-46097 A Figure 2 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Since the IC chip of an unissued RFID label affixed to a conventional RFID label paper is in an initial state before information is written, if unissued RFID labels other than the one to be written are included within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means of the RFID printer, the IC chip of the RFID label to be written cannot be identified and information cannot be written. Therefore, when using the RFID printer of Patent Document 1 to write different information to each unissued RFID label, it is necessary to prevent RFID labels other than the one to be written from being included in the communication range of the RFID writing means by using a very small antenna or an electromagnetic wave shielding material to limit the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means or by widening the spacing of the RFID labels on the paper.

[0006] However, because the communication performance of RFID labels differs depending on the type, when limiting the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means must be adjusted according to the communication performance of the RFID label to be written. On the other hand, a method of widely arranging RFID labels results in a large amount of RFID label paper. In addition, because the communication performance of RFID labels has been improving in recent years, with existing general RFID printers, it is difficult to exclude RFID labels other than the target from the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, regardless of the above-mentioned method.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide a label issuing method that can issue RFID labels more easily than ever before. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] After extensive research to solve the above problems, the inventors noticed that with existing standardized RFID labels, even when multiple RFID labels are present within the communication range of a reader / writer, it is possible to specify the target for command execution based on identification information stored in the IC chip, and that the memory area for storing such identification information is not used until the RFID label is issued. After much trial and error, the inventors completed the present invention.

[0009] The present invention is a label issuing method for issuing RFID labels using a unit piece of paper on which a plurality of unissued RFID labels are arranged in a predetermined pattern and on which a different identifier is written for each installation position in a predetermined memory area of ​​the IC chip of each of the unissued RFID labels, allowing the installation position of each of the unissued RFID labels to be identified. The label issuing method includes a printing step for printing required information on the unit piece of paper, and a writing step for writing the required information into the IC chip of each of the unissued RFID labels on the unit piece of paper, wherein in the writing step, the plurality of unissued RFID labels on the unit piece of paper are placed within the communication range of an antenna of an RFID writing means, and a command that can be executed only by the unissued RFID label that stores the specified identifier is transmitted from the RFID writing means, thereby individually writing the required information into the IC chip of the plurality of unissued RFID labels within the communication range.

[0010] In this label issuing method, since the identifiers of the multiple unissued RFID labels arranged on a single piece of paper are different, by specifying the identifier of the unissued RFID label to be written to as the execution target and sending a write command, it is possible to write the required information only to the write target without confusing the unissued RFID labels around the write target, even if they are included in the communication range of the RFID writing means. Therefore, the present invention is free from the constraints of narrowing the antenna output range of the RFID writing means or widening the spacing between unissued RFID labels. Therefore, according to the present invention, RFID labels can be issued more easily than with conventional methods. The identifier according to the present invention can be written relatively easily into unissued RFID labels at the mass production stage of RFID label paper, because a more powerful device than the RFID writing means used when issuing labels can be used. Furthermore, in conventional label issuance methods, all labels other than the unissued RFID label to be written on must be placed outside the communication range of the RFID writing means, so each time an unissued RFID label is written to, the RFID label paper must be transported and the unissued RFID label to be written on must be moved into the communication range. However, in this invention, information is written to each unissued RFID label while including multiple unissued RFID labels within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, so transport of the RFID label paper can be simplified compared to conventional methods.

[0011] In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a label issuing system including a conveying means capable of conveying paper, an RFID writing means having an antenna capable of communicating with unissued RFID labels, and a control means for controlling the conveying means and the RFID writing means, wherein the control means controls the conveying means to carry out a first conveying process for conveying a unit piece of paper on which a predetermined number of two or more unissued RFID labels are arranged in a predetermined pattern to a position where a plurality of the unissued RFID labels fall within a communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, and after the first conveying process, controls the RFID writing means to carry out a writing process for individually writing required information into the IC chips of the plurality of unissued RFID labels within the communication range, and after the writing process, a first conveying process, and a second conveying process, in which the conveying means is controlled to convey the unit piece of paper by the conveying means out of the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means; and the unissued RFID labels arranged on the unit piece of paper have identifiers that can identify their arrangement positions on the unit piece of paper stored in a specified memory area of ​​the IC chip, and in the writing process, the control means controls the RFID writing means to send commands that can be executed only by the unissued RFID label that stores the specified identifier, thereby individually writing required information into the IC chips of the multiple unissued RFID labels within the communication range.

[0012] In addition, as another aspect of the present invention, a program is proposed that causes a computer to execute a writing process that controls an RFID writing means to write required information individually into the IC chips of multiple unissued RFID labels arranged in a predetermined pattern on a unit piece of paper, wherein the unissued RFID labels arranged on the unit piece of paper have identifiers that can identify their arrangement position on the unit piece of paper stored in a predetermined memory area of ​​the IC chip, and the writing process involves having the RFID writing means send a command that can only be executed by the unissued RFID label that stores the specified identifier, while the multiple unissued RFID labels on the unit piece of paper are placed within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, thereby individually writing the required information into the IC chips of the multiple unissued RFID labels within the communication range.

[0013] Such a label issuance system and program are free from the constraints of narrowing the range of the antenna output of the RFID writing means or increasing the spacing between unissued RFID labels, making it easier to issue RFID labels than with conventional configurations. Furthermore, in conventional configurations, all labels other than the unissued RFID label to be written on must be placed outside the communication range of the RFID writing means, so each time an unissued RFID label is written to, the RFID label paper must be transported and the unissued RFID label to be written on must be moved into the communication range. In contrast, in the present invention, information is written to each unissued RFID label while including multiple unissued RFID labels within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, so that the transport control of the RFID label paper can be simplified compared to conventional configurations.

[0014] It is also proposed that the above program have the computer execute a first conveying process before the writing process, in which a conveying means capable of conveying paper is controlled to convey the unit piece of paper to a position where the multiple unissued RFID labels are within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, and a second conveying process after the writing process, in which the conveying means is controlled to convey the unit piece of paper out of the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means.

[0015] It is also proposed that the program have the computer execute, before the writing process, a print information import process for importing the print information printed on the unit piece of paper via an optical reading means, and a write information determination process for determining the required information to be written on the unissued RFID labels arranged at each position on the unit piece of paper based on the print information imported in the print information import process. Note that the print information and the required information may be the same.

[0016] It is also proposed that the above program executes, before the writing process, an identifier reading process for having the RFID writing means read the identifiers of all the unissued RFID labels within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means while the unissued RFID labels on the unit piece of paper are contained within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, and an identifier identifying process for identifying the identifiers of the unissued RFID labels arranged at each position on the unit piece of paper based on the identifiers read in the identifier reading process. With this configuration, required information can be written individually to each unissued RFID label on the unit piece of paper, even if a common identifier is not stored on all unit pieces of paper.

[0017] In the present invention, in a configuration in which the specified memory area is included in an identification information memory unit for writing identification information when an RFID label is issued, it is proposed that in the writing step, the identifier stored in the IC chip is overwritten and erased by writing the identification information, and in the writing process, the control means controls the RFID writing means to overwrite and erase the identifier stored in the IC chip by writing the identification information, and that the program overwrites and erases the identifier stored in the IC chip by writing the identification information.

[0018] In existing RFID labels, the memory area for writing information when the label is issued is not used until the label is issued, and information can be freely written in. Therefore, as described above, if the identifier is written in that memory area until the label is issued, and then the identifier is overwritten and erased when the label is issued, the memory area of ​​the IC chip of the existing RFID label can be used as is, and the present invention can be realized at low cost. Effect of the Invention

[0019] As described above, according to the present invention, RFID labels can be issued more easily than ever before. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of stacked RFID label papers 1. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the RFID label paper 1, showing the RFID label 5 in an exploded state. [Diagram 3] (A) A front view of an RFID label paper 1, (B) a front view of a delivery instruction slip 34 issued using the RFID label paper 1, and (C) a front view of a delivery instruction label 35 peeled off from the delivery instruction slip 34. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing (A) information stored in an IC chip 11 of an RFID label 5, and (B) information stored in an IC chip 11 of an issued delivery instruction label 35. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a writing mode in the UII area of ​​the IC chip 11 of the RFID labels 5a to 5e. [Figure 6] 1 is a system configuration diagram of a label issuing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of an RFID printer 20. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the control content of the label issuing process. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the RFID label paper 1 when a writing process is performed. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing the control content of a writing process. [Figure 11] 1 is a perspective view of a continuous paper S formed by continuously folding an RFID label paper 1. FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment in which a writing process is performed using continuous paper S. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a front view of an RFID label paper 1a according to another embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram of a label issuing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an aspect of a writing process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing the control content of a writing process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] 11 is a table showing a storage mode of a location ID in the RFID label paper 1 according to the first embodiment and the modified example. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart showing the control content of a writing process according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the following examples. The unit paper piece and paper according to the present invention correspond to the RFID label paper 1. The identifier according to the present invention corresponds to the placement ID. The identification information storage unit according to the present invention corresponds to the UII area of ​​the IC chip 11. The RFID writing means according to the present invention corresponds to the RFID writing module 22 (Example 1) and the RFID reader / writer 43 (Example 2). The transport means according to the present invention corresponds to the transport roller 26. The control means and computer according to the present invention correspond to the control device 27 (Example 1) and the issuance management computer 40 (Example 2). The optical reading means according to the present invention corresponds to the optical code reader 42. EXAMPLES

[0022] FIG. 1 shows an RFID label paper 1 used in the label issuing method of this embodiment. The RFID label paper 1 is a rectangular cut paper on which five RFID labels 5 are releasably arranged, and is usually provided as a paper bundle R of several tens to several hundreds of sheets as shown in FIG. 1. The RFID labels 5 are all the same shape and are attached to the surface of the release paper 4 in a predetermined pattern. Specifically, three RFID labels 5 are arranged on the left side of the RFID label paper 1, and two RFID labels 5 are arranged on the right side. The RFID label 5 is a passive tag in the UHF band, and includes a horizontally elongated rectangular seal base material (label base material) 9 releasably attached to the release paper 4, and an RFID inlet 10 attached on the seal base material 9 in a manner that makes it difficult to peel it off. As shown in FIG. 2, the RFID inlet 10 is formed by integrating an IC chip 11 and an antenna 12 arranged on a film 13. The RFID inlet 10 complies with the ISO standard (ISO / IEC18000-63) used for existing RFID labels, and RFID inlets 10 with the same functions and model number, which have common communication performance and communication protocols, are provided in all RFID labels 5. The RFID label 5 is in an unissued state, and as will be described later, when the label is issued, required information is printed on the surface of the seal base material 9 of the RFID label 5, and required information is written into its IC chip 11.

[0023] To explain the RFID inlet 10 in more detail, the memory area of ​​the IC chip 11 of the RFID inlet 10 is divided into a TID area, a UII area, a USER area, and a RESERVED area in accordance with the ISO standard. The TID area is an area where the vendor writes product information and the like when manufacturing the IC chip 11, and is an area that cannot be written by the user. The UII area, USER area, and RESERVED area are areas that can be written by the user. The UII area is an area for storing identification information for the labels to be issued. The USER area is an area where the user can store any information. The RESERVED area is an area for storing an access password for reading and writing information in the memory area, and a kill password for disabling the IC chip 11.

[0024] The RFID inlet 10 is configured to read and write information stored in the IC chip 11 by wirelessly transmitting commands conforming to the ISO standard from the RFID reading means and the RFID writing means. For example, when writing required information to the above-mentioned UII area, USER area, or RESERVED area, the RFID writing means is configured to transmit a Select command (specifying the session method), an Inventory command (obtaining information on labels within the communication range), and a Write command (writing to memory) in that order to the RFID inlet 10. The Select command, Inventory command, and Write command are commands conforming to the ISO standard, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0025] Furthermore, even if there are multiple RFID inlets 10 within the communication range of the RFID reading means or RFID writing means, the RFID inlets 10 are configured to be able to selectively specify a specific RFID inlet 10 for reading and writing. Specifically, when a specific memory address and bit string are specified as the target for executing the command in a read / write command transmitted from the RFID reading means or RFID writing means (for example, the first 4 bits of the UII area are specified as "0011"), only the RFID inlet 10 that stores the bit string in the memory address of the IC chip 11 is configured to execute the command. In other words, if the RFID writing means specifies a memory address and bit string specific to the IC chip of the RFID label to be written in the above-mentioned Write command, it can selectively write information to the RFID label even if other RFID labels are included within the communication range.

[0026] The RFID label paper 1 described above is basically used to issue five RFID labels at once. The use of the issued RFID labels is not particularly limited, but a suitable use is a delivery instruction label for a product shipped from a factory. FIG. 3(B) shows an example in which five delivery instruction labels 35 are issued using the RFID label paper 1. In this case, each RFID label 5 arranged on the RFID label paper 1 is issued as a delivery instruction label 35 to be affixed to a delivery item with the same destination, and the RFID label paper 1 is issued as a delivery instruction slip 34 including a plurality of delivery instruction labels 35 with a common destination. As shown in FIG. 3(A)→FIG. 3(B), in this example, when the label is issued, a QR code 16 (registered trademark) and the name of the part to be shipped are printed on the surface of the seal base material 9 of each RFID label 5. In the QR code 16, identification information (delivery ID) assigned by the delivery management server to the delivery item to which each delivery instruction label 35 is affixed is recorded. Additionally, in the margins of the RFID label paper 1 (areas where the RFID label 5 is not placed), information such as the customer number of the delivery destination and the scheduled shipping date is printed.

[0027] When the delivery instruction label 35 is issued, the required information is written to the IC chip 11 of each RFID label 5 in addition to printing on the seal base material 9. For example, in the case of the delivery instruction label 35 of FIG. 3(B), as shown in FIG. 4(B), the identification information (delivery ID) of the delivery instruction label 35 is written in the UII area. In addition, various attribute information used for the shipping management of the target shipped product is written in the USER area. Then, an access password and a kill password are written in the RESERVED area. Here, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the USER area and the RESERVED area of ​​the RFID label 5 before writing are in an initial state in which no significant information is stored, but the UII area of ​​the RFID label 5 before writing stores a placement ID that can identify the placement position of the RFID label 5. The placement ID is overwritten and erased when the delivery ID is written in the UII area. The placement ID will be described in detail later.

[0028] In this way, the RFID label paper 1 according to this embodiment is used to issue five RFID labels at a time. As shown in Fig. 3(B), five RFID labels (delivery instruction labels) 35 are issued in a state where they are affixed to a delivery instruction slip 34, and then, as shown in Fig. 3(C), they are peeled off the release paper 4 one by one and separated, and are usually affixed to packaging boxes of different shipped products for use.

[0029] The RFID label paper 1 according to this embodiment can be suitably manufactured, for example, by the following process. (1) Cutting out the seal base material 9 A strip-shaped sticker base material 9 attached to a release paper 4 is cut out into the shape of an RFID label 5. (2) Attachment of RFID inlet 10 The RFID inlet 10 is attached to the seal base material 9 of each RFID label 5 . (3) Write the placement ID A placement ID according to the placement position is written to the IC chip 11 of each RFID label 5. That is, a placement ID "0001" is written to the RFID label 5 at the tip side of each unit area P, a placement ID "0002" is written to the RFID label 5 at the center of each unit area P, and a placement ID "0003" is written to the RFID label 5 at the base end side of each unit area P. Note that, when the RFID label paper 1 is at the stage of mass production in a factory, a placement ID can be easily written to the IC chip 11 of each RFID label 5 without confusing it with other RFID inlets 10 by using an RFID writing device that is larger and has higher performance than the above-mentioned RFID printer 20. (4) Cutting and lamination The band-shaped seal base material 9 on which the RFID label paper 1 is continuous is cut, and the RFID label paper 1 is separated into individual pieces, which are then stacked as shown in FIG.

[0030] As described above, at the mass production stage of the RFID label paper 1, the location ID can be easily written into the IC chip 11 of each RFID label 5 using a large, high-performance RFID writing device. Therefore, the above-described manufacturing method makes it possible to manufacture the RFID label paper 1 of this embodiment at relatively low cost.

[0031] The configuration relating to the main part of this embodiment will be described below. The five RFID labels 5 arranged on the RFID label paper 1 described above have different arrangement IDs in the UII area that can identify their arrangement positions. Specifically, in Fig. 3(A), if the three RFID labels 5 arranged on the left side are, from top to bottom, the first RFID label 5a, the second RFID label 5b, and the third RFID label 5c, and the two RFID labels 5 arranged on the right side are, from top to bottom, the fourth RFID label 5d and the fifth RFID label 5e, then the first RFID label 5a stores "0001" as an arrangement ID, the second RFID label 5b stores "0002," and the third RFID label 5c stores "0003." The fourth RFID label 5d stores "0004," and the fifth RFID label 5e stores "0005." The location ID is used to specify the location of each of the RFID labels 5a to 5e on the RFID label paper 1, and the RFID labels 5 that are placed at the same location on each RFID label paper 1 have a common location ID stored therein.

[0032] Even if the entire RFID label paper 1 is within the communication range of the RFID writing means, it is possible to selectively write required information to the RFID labels 5a to 5e arranged at specific positions on the RFID label paper 1 by transmitting a command that specifies the location ID stored in the RFID label 5 as the target for execution. Specifically, when writing required information to the first RFID label 5a at the time of issuing the above-mentioned delivery instruction label 35 (see FIG. 3(B)), as shown in FIG. 5, a write command (the above-mentioned Select, Inventory, Write command) is transmitted that targets the RFID label that stores the location ID "0001" in its UII area. The other RFID labels 5b to 5e that do not store the location ID "0001" in their UII areas do not execute the command even if they receive it, and the write command is executed only in the first RFID label 5a that is the target for writing, and the information in the IC chip 11 is rewritten. Similarly, when writing required information to other RFID labels 5b to 5e, as shown in FIG. 5, the required information can be written only to the IC chip 11 of the target RFID label 5b to 5e by specifying the placement ID ("0002" to "0005") stored in the target RFID label 5b to 5e as the target for executing the write command.

[0033] In this way, different arrangement IDs that can identify the respective installation positions are stored in the RFID labels 5 on the RFID label paper 1. Therefore, if a write command is sent at the time of label printing that targets the arrangement ID stored in the RFID label 5 to be written, required information can be written to the RFID label 5 to be written without confusing the RFID labels 5 within the communication range, even if all the RFID labels 5 on the RFID label paper 1 are included in the communication range of the RFID writing means.

[0034] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the label issuing system of this embodiment. This label issuing system is capable of issuing RFID labels using the above-mentioned RFID label paper 1, and is composed of an issuing management computer 28 and an RFID printer 20. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the RFID printer 20 includes a control device 27, an RFID writing module 22, an optical sensor 23, a print head 24, a storage section 25, and a transport roller 26 inside a housing 21.

[0035] The RFID writing module 22 is capable of writing required information to the IC chip 11 of the RFID label 5 by wireless communication, and is equipped with one or more antennas for communicating with the RFID label 5. The communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing module 22 is configured to include the entire RFID label paper 1. The optical sensor 23 optically detects the position of the RFID label paper 1 being conveyed. The print head 24 is for printing on the RFID label paper 1. The printing method is not particularly limited, and thermal printing, inkjet printing, laser printing, etc. can be adopted. The storage section 25 stores the paper stack R of the RFID label paper 1. The transport rollers 26 transport the RFID label paper 1 one by one. The RFID label paper 1 in the storage section 25 is transported by the transport rollers 26 to the RFID writing module 22 and the print head 24, and is finally discharged outside the housing 21. The basic hardware configuration of the RFID printer 20 can be realized in the same way as existing devices.

[0036] The issuance management computer 28 instructs the RFID printer 20 to issue an RFID label. The issuance management computer 28 may be configured with a general-purpose PC. For example, in the case of a label issuing system that issues the above-mentioned delivery instruction label 35, the issuance management computer 28 generates print data for the RFID label paper 1 and write data for each RFID label 5 based on information acquired from the shipping management computer, instructs the RFID printer 20 to issue an RFID label, and transmits the generated print data and write data. Then, when the control device 27 of the RFID printer 20 receives a label issuance instruction from the issuance management computer 28, it issues a delivery instruction slip 34 based on the received data. Specifically, it cooperatively operates the RFID writing module 22, the print head 24, the transport roller 26, etc. to write the contents of the received write data into each RFID label 5, print the contents of the received print data into the RFID label paper 1, and ejects the delivery instruction slip 34 from the housing 21.

[0037] 8 shows the control process of the label issuing process executed when a label is issued by the control device 27 of the RFID printer 20. Note that the program that causes the control device 27 to execute the label issuing process corresponds to the program according to the present invention. 8, in the label issuance process, the control device 27 waits (S1) until an issuance instruction is received from the issuance management computer 40. Then, upon receiving the issuance instruction, the control device 27 sequentially executes a conveying process (S2), a writing process (S3), a printing process (S4), and a paper ejection process (S5) to issue five RFID labels from one piece of RFID label paper 1.

[0038] In the transport process (S2) in Fig. 8, the control device 27 operates the transport rollers 26 to transport one piece of RFID label paper 1 from the storage unit 25 and move it into the communication range of the RFID writing module 22. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, the RFID label paper 1 is transported to a position where all of the RFID labels 5 are within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing module 22, and stopped at that position. The movement of the RFID label paper 1 to that position is detected by the optical sensor 23. That is, this transport process corresponds to the first transport process according to the present invention.

[0039] In the writing process (S3) of Fig. 8, the control device 27 controls the RFID writing module 22 in the state shown in Fig. 9 to write required information individually to the IC chips 11 of all the RFID labels 5a to 5e on the RFID label paper 1. By this writing process, the writing step according to the present invention is executed. The details of the writing process will be described later.

[0040] In the printing process (S4) in FIG. 8, the control device 27 operates the transport roller 26 to transport the RFID label paper 1 from the position shown in FIG. 8 toward the print head 24, passes it under the print head 24, and operates the print head 24 to print the required information on the seal base material 9 of the RFID label paper 1. This printing process executes the printing step according to the present invention. If the previous writing process fails to write to the IC chip 11 of the RFID label paper 1, the printing process prints the word "Void" indicating invalidity instead of printing the required information. In this printing process, the RFID label paper 1 is transported outside the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing module 22. That is, this printing process corresponds to the second transport process according to the present invention.

[0041] In the paper discharge process, the RFID label paper 1 after printing is sent out from the outlet of the housing 21 by the transport rollers 26. This completes the issuance of the five RFID labels affixed to the RFID label paper 1.

[0042] FIG. 10 shows the control process contents of the above-mentioned write process (S3 in FIG. 8). In the write process, first, the RFID write module 22 transmits a write command to be executed on the label that stores the placement ID "0001" in the UII area, that is, the first RFID label 5a (S11). Then, the write command writes required information to the IC chip 11 of the first RFID label 5a. When issuing the above-mentioned delivery instruction slip 34, the placement ID stored in the UII area is overwritten with a delivery ID. In addition, various attribute information used for the shipping management of the target shipped product is written in the USER area, and an access password and a kill password are written in the RESERVED area (see FIG. 4). The transmission of the write command may be retried multiple times until the writing is successful. Also, verification may be performed after the writing is successful.

[0043] After step S11 is executed, it is determined whether writing to the first RFID label 5a has been successful (S12). If it is determined that writing has failed (S12: No), a write failure flag indicating a write failure is set to "1" and the writing process is terminated. If the write failure flag is "1", the word "Void" is printed on the RFID label paper 1 in the subsequent printing process (FIG. 8: S4).

[0044] If it is determined in step S12 that writing to the first RFID label 5a was successful, a write command is sent (S13) to the label that stores the placement ID "0002" in the UII area, i.e., the second RFID label 5b, in the same manner as in step S11. Then, it is determined whether writing to the second RFID label 5b was successful (S14), and if it is determined that writing failed (S14: No), a write failure flag indicating failure is set to "1" and the write process is terminated.

[0045] Similarly, the process of sending write commands to the third RFID label 5c, the fourth RFID label 5d, and the fifth RFID label 5e is executed in order (S15, S17, S19). If it is determined that writing to each of the RFID labels 5c to 5e has failed (S16, S18, S20: No), a write failure flag indicating a write failure is set to "1" and the write process is terminated. On the other hand, if writing to the last RFID label, the fifth RFID label 5e, is successful (S20: Yes), the write failure flag is not set to "1" and the write process is terminated.

[0046] In this way, with the label issuance method and label issuance system of this embodiment, the required information can be written to the IC chip 11 of the RFID label 5 on the RFID label paper 1 without narrowing the range of the antenna output of the RFID writing module 22 or increasing the spacing between the RFID labels 5, making it easier to issue RFID labels than in the past. Furthermore, in this embodiment, information is written continuously to each RFID label 5 with all of the RFID labels 5 on the RFID label paper 1 being included in the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing module 22, which has the advantage that the transportation of the RFID label paper 1 can be simplified compared to conventional methods.

[0047] In this embodiment, the control means for the label issuing system of the present invention is realized by the control device 27 of the RFID printer 20, but a part or all of the control means for the present invention may be realized by the issuance management computer 28. In addition, the RFID printer 20 in this embodiment writes to the IC chip 11 and then prints on the seal base material 9, but the order of printing on the seal base material 9 and writing to the IC chip 11 may be reversed. In addition, in the above-described label issuing process, the transport rollers 26 are not operated during the writing process and the RFID label paper 1 is held in a fixed position, but the RFID label paper 1 may be transported by the transport rollers 26 even during the writing process as long as the RFID label paper 1 is within the communication range of the RFID writing module 22. In addition, in this embodiment, the RFID printer 20 is used to write to the IC chip 11 and print on the seal base material 9, but the label issuing system of the present invention includes a system in which the writing to the IC chip 11 and the printing on the seal base material 9 are performed by separate devices.

[0048] The writing step (writing process) according to this embodiment is performed when all the RFID labels 5 on the RFID label paper 1 are within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means. However, the writing step (writing process) according to the present invention does not have to be performed when all the RFID labels 5 are within the communication range. Specifically, required information may be written to some of the RFID labels 5 on the RFID label paper 1 (e.g., two out of five) when these labels are within the communication range, and then required information may be written to the remaining RFID labels 5 (e.g., the remaining three) when these labels are within the communication range.

[0049] Furthermore, the form of the RFID label paper (unit paper piece) used in the label issuing method and label issuing system of the present invention is not limited to that in this embodiment, and the uses of the issued RFID labels are not particularly limited. For example, in this embodiment, RFID labels are issued using RFID label paper 1 in a cut-out form, but the present invention can also use fanfold paper or roll-type continuous paper in which multiple pieces of RFID label paper 1 are connected in the longitudinal direction. For example, FIG. 11 shows a fanfold paper type continuous paper S in which the above-mentioned RFID label paper 1 is connected and folded in an accordion-like shape. When using such continuous paper S, it is proposed to separate the leading RFID label paper 1 from the succeeding ones, and then write required information to the IC chip 11 of the RFID label 5 of the separated RFID label paper 1, as in this embodiment. This is because even if the communication range Q of the RFID writing module 22 is widened, it is difficult to confuse the RFID label 5 of the succeeding RFID label paper 1 with the leading RFID label paper 1. Also, as shown in FIG. 12, required information may be written to the leading RFID label paper 1 without separating it from the succeeding ones.

[0050] Also, the RFID label paper 1 according to this embodiment is for issuing seal-type RFID labels, but the present invention may also be for issuing card-type RFID labels without an adhesive layer on the back surface. The RFID label paper 1a shown in FIG. 13 is obtained by changing the RFID label paper 1 of Example 1 to a card type. Specifically, such RFID label paper 1a is composed of a paper card substrate 38 without an adhesive layer on the back surface, instead of the release paper 4 and the seal substrate 9. The card substrate 38 is formed with perforations 39 along the outer edge shape of the five RFID labels 5, and is configured such that the card substrate 38 can be cut along the perforations 39 after label issuance to separate the five issued RFID labels. When the issued RFID label is a delivery instruction label, the individual separated issued RFID labels can be used by being housed in a transparent pocket provided in the container or package of the shipped product. Thus, the present invention can also use RFID label paper for issuing card-type RFID labels. Since the other configurations of such RFID label paper 1a are the same as those of Example 1, detailed descriptions are omitted by using the same reference numerals in the text and the drawings.

[0051] Also, in this embodiment, the storage area of the IC chip 11 of the RFID inlay 10 is divided into a TID area, a UII area, a USER area, and a RESERVED area. However, at least as long as the IC chip according to the present invention has a storage area corresponding to the UII area, it is sufficient and can also be applied to those without a USER area or the like in the storage area.

[0052] In addition, in the RFID label 5 according to this embodiment, a four-digit placement ID is written in the entire UII area, but the placement ID may be written in only a part of the UII area rather than in the entire UII area. This is because a three-bit placement ID is sufficient to identify five RFID labels 5 arranged on the RFID label paper 1, and because existing RFID labels are configured so that identification information stored in a part of the UII area can be specified as the target for executing a command. EXAMPLES

[0053] This embodiment is a label issuing system and a label issuing method which are modified from the above-described embodiment 1. Configurations common to embodiment 1 are denoted by common reference numerals in the text and drawings, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The label issuing method according to this embodiment issues RFID labels using the same RFID label paper 1 as in embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 14, the label issuing system according to this embodiment is composed of an issuance management computer 40, a printer 41, an optical code reader 42, and an RFID reader / writer 43. The printer 41, the optical code reader 42, and the RFID reader / writer 43 are connected to the issuance management computer 40, and the issuance management computer 40 issues RFID labels by individually controlling each device.

[0054] The label issuing method of this embodiment first executes a printing step of printing required information on the RFID label paper 1, and then executes a writing step of writing the required information into the IC chip 11 of each RFID label 5 on the RFID label paper 1. In the printing step, the issuance management computer 40 controls the printer 41 in response to an instruction from a higher-level device or an operation by an operator to print the required information on the seal base material 9 of one or more RFID label papers 1. When the above-mentioned delivery instruction slip 34 is issued, a QR code 16 recording a delivery ID and the like are printed on each RFID label 5 as shown in FIG. 3(B).

[0055] 15, the writing process begins when an operator manually places printed RFID label paper 1 one by one on an RFID reader / writer 43 and manually reads any of the QR codes 16 printed on the RFID label paper 1 with an optical code reader 42. The RFID reader / writer 43 is preset so that the entirety of the placed RFID label paper 1 falls within its communication range.

[0056] 16 shows the contents of the control process (writing process process) executed during the writing process by the issuance management computer 40. The program that causes the issuance management computer 40 to execute the writing process corresponds to the program according to the present invention. The print information import process according to the present invention is realized in step S30 of the writing process process, and the writing information determination process according to the present invention is realized in step S32 of the writing process process. As shown in Fig. 16, in the writing process, the issuance management computer 40 waits until the recorded information of the QR code 16 is input from the optical code reader 42 (S30, S31). Then, when the recorded information of the QR code 16 is input (S31: Yes), the issuance management computer 40 executes a write information determination process (S32) to determine information to be written to each RFID label 5 of the set RFID label paper 1 based on the input recorded information of the QR code 16. Specifically, the issuance management computer 40 stores in advance a list that links the information to be written to each IC chip 11 of the RFID label paper 1 with the recorded information of the QR code 16, and determines the information to be written to each IC chip 11 of the RFID label paper 1 based on the captured recorded information of the QR code 16 and the list. Note that in the write information determination process, a part or all of the input recorded information of the QR code may be determined as information to be written to the unissued RFID label 5. Specifically, a QR code containing information to be written to all unissued RFID labels 5 is printed in the margin of the RFID label paper 1, and the QR code is read by the optical code reader 42 at the start of the writing process.

[0057] After the write information determination process (S32) is executed, a write process (S34) is executed to write required information to the IC chip 11 of each RFID label 5 on the set RFID label paper 1. The control process content of the write process (S34) is similar to the write process (FIG. 10) executed by the control device 27 of the RFID printer 20 in the first embodiment. That is, the issuance management computer 40 controls the RFID reader / writer 43 to sequentially transmit write commands targeted for execution to each of the RFID labels 5a to 5e, thereby writing required information to all of the RFID labels 5 on the set RFID label paper 1.

[0058] After the writing process (S34) is completed, a result display process (S35) is executed to display the result of the writing process on the display screen of the issuance management computer 40, and the writing process is terminated. This completes the issuance of the RFID label.

[0059] In this way, also by the label issuing method of this embodiment, information can be easily written to a plurality of RFID labels 5 arranged on the RFID label paper 1.

[0060] In this embodiment, the printing process and the writing process are controlled by the issuance management computer 40, but the printing process and the writing process may be controlled by different computers. In addition, in this embodiment, the recorded information of the QR code 16 printed on the RFID label paper 1 corresponds to the printed information according to the present invention, but the printed information according to the present invention may also be character information printed on the RFID label paper 1.

[0061] Although examples of the present invention have been described above, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above examples, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0062] For example, all of the RFID label papers 1 according to the above-mentioned first embodiment store placement IDs (identifiers) ranging from "0001" to "0005" according to the placement positions of the RFID labels 5a to 5e. However, the present invention can be used with RFID label papers other than those having a common identifier stored therein, as long as the identifiers are stored in a manner that allows the placement positions of each unissued RFID paper to be identified.

[0063] 17 shows a modified example of the configuration of the RFID label paper 1 according to the first embodiment. In this modified example, a placement ID consisting of a consecutive number is stored in the unissued RFID labels 5 of each RFID label paper 1. Although the placement IDs are generally consecutive numbers, there are missing numbers in places due to writing errors and the like. In this configuration, a different placement ID is stored for each RFID label paper 1, so that the placement position on the RFID label paper 1 cannot be specified by a single placement ID. However, the placement IDs corresponding to the respective placement positions are regularly stored in the unissued RFID labels 5a-5e of each RFID label paper 1, so that by reading the placement IDs of all the unissued RFID labels 5a-5e on the RFID label paper 1, the placement ID of each RFID label 5a-5e can be specified.

[0064] 17, in this modification, the arrangement IDs are stored in ascending order (the first is the smallest and the fifth is the largest) from the first RFID label 5a to the fifth RFID label 5e on all RFID label papers 1. Therefore, if all the RFID labels 5a-5e on the RFID label paper 1 are contained within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing module 22 and the arrangement IDs of all the RFID labels 5a-5e within the communication range are read, it is possible to identify which arrangement ID is stored in which RFID label 5a-5e arranged in which position on the RFID label paper 1, based on the magnitude relationship of the five read arrangement IDs.

[0065] Each RFID label paper 1 according to the above modification can write required information to each RFID label 5a-5e by executing a read / write process according to the modification shown in Fig. 18 instead of the write process (Fig. 10) according to the above embodiment 1. The identifier read process according to the present invention is realized in step S38 of the read / write process described below, and the identifier identification process according to the present invention is realized in step S39 of the read / write process. And the write process according to the present invention is realized in steps S41-S51 of the read / write process.

[0066] The read / write process is characterized in that, before executing the above-mentioned write process (FIG. 10), the control device 27 executes a process of reading the location IDs of the RFID labels 5a-5e placed within the antenna communication range of the RFID write module 22 and identifying the location IDs stored in the RFID labels 5a-5e. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, first, with all unissued RFID labels on the RFID label paper 1 placed within the antenna communication range, the control device 27 transmits an Inventory command from the RFID write module 22 to read the stored information in the UII areas of all RFID labels 5a-5e placed within the antenna communication range of the RFID write module 22 (S38). Since a placement ID is stored in the UII area of ​​each RFID label 5a to 5e, for example, when the first RFID label paper 1 in Figure 17 is used, the placement IDs of all RFID labels 5a to 5e on that paper ("0001", "0002", "0003", "0005", "0006") are read.

[0067] Next, the control device 27 identifies the location IDs of the RFID labels 5a to 5e that are located at each position based on the magnitude relationship of the five location IDs read in step S38 (S39). Specifically, among the five location IDs that have been read, the smallest location ID is identified as the location ID of the first RFID label 5a, the second smallest location ID is identified as the location ID of the second RFID label 5b, the third smallest location ID is identified as the location ID of the third RFID label 5c, the fourth smallest location ID is identified as the location ID of the fourth RFID label 5d, and the largest location ID is identified as the location ID of the fifth RFID label 5e.

[0068] Then, the control device 27 transmits a write command to each of the RFID labels 5a to 5e based on the placement ID of each of the RFID labels 5a to 5e identified in step S39, and executes a process of writing required information to each of the RFID labels 5a to 5e individually (S41 to S51). Each process of steps S41 to S51 is similar to the write process (FIG. 10: S11 to S21) according to the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0069] In this way, even if the placement IDs stored in the RFID labels 5a to 5e differ for each RFID label paper 1, if the placement IDs are stored regularly in a manner that allows each placement position to be identified, the placement ID of each RFID label 5a to 5e can be read and identified before sending a write command, making it possible to write the required information individually to each RFID label 5a to 5e. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1,1a RFID label paper 4 Release paper 5,5a,5b,5c,5d,5e Unissued RFID Labels 9. Seal Base Material 10 RFID Inlet 11 IC chip 12 Antenna 13 Film 16 QR Code 20 RFID Printer 21 Case 22 RFID writing module (RFID writing means) 23 Optical Sensor 24 Print Head 25 Storage area 26 Transport roller (transport means) 27 Control device (control means) 28 Issuance management computer 34 Delivery instruction sheet 35 Delivery Instruction Label (Issued RFID Label) 38 Card Base Material 39 Perforation 40 Issuance management computer (control means) 41 Printer 42 Optical code reader (optical reading means) 43 RFID reader / writer (RFID writing means) Q Communication range R Paper stack S Continuous paper

Claims

1. A label issuing method for issuing RFID labels using unit pieces of paper in which a plurality of unissued RFID labels are arranged in a predetermined pattern, and in which a different identifier is written for each of the unissued RFID labels, enabling the placement position of each of the unissued RFID labels to be specified, in a predetermined memory area of ​​an IC chip of each of the unissued RFID labels, the method comprising the steps of: a printing step of printing required information on the unit paper piece; a writing step of writing required information into the IC chip of each of the unissued RFID labels of the unit paper piece; Including, This label issuing method is characterized in that, in the writing step, while the multiple unissued RFID labels on the unit piece of paper are placed within the communication range of an antenna of an RFID writing means, the RFID writing means transmits a command that can be executed only by the unissued RFID label that stores the specified identifier, thereby individually writing required information into the IC chips of the multiple unissued RFID labels within the communication range.

2. the predetermined storage area is included in an identification information storage unit for writing identification information when an RFID label is issued, 2. The label issuing method according to claim 1, wherein in the writing step, the identifier stored in the IC chip is overwritten and erased by writing the identification information.

3. A conveying means capable of conveying paper; RFID writing means having an antenna capable of communicating with unissued RFID labels; A control means for controlling the transport means and the RFID writing means; A label issuing system comprising: The control means a first conveying process for controlling the conveying means to convey a unit piece of paper on which a predetermined number (two or more) of the unissued RFID labels are arranged in a predetermined pattern to a position where the plurality of unissued RFID labels are within a communication range of an antenna of the RFID writing means; a writing process for controlling the RFID writing means after the first transport process to write required information individually into the IC chips of the plurality of unissued RFID labels within the communication range; a second conveying process in which the conveying means is controlled after the writing process to convey the unit paper piece by the conveying means to a position outside a communication range of an antenna of the RFID writing means; can be executed sequentially, The unissued RFID label arranged on the unit paper piece has an identifier capable of identifying the arrangement position on the unit paper piece stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the IC chip, A label issuing system characterized in that, in the writing process, the control means controls the RFID writing means to send a command that can be executed only by the unissued RFID label that stores the specified identifier, thereby individually writing required information to the IC chips of the multiple unissued RFID labels within the communication range.

4. the predetermined storage area is included in an identification information storage unit for writing identification information when an RFID label is issued, 4. The label issuing system according to claim 3, wherein in the writing process, the control means controls the RFID writing means to overwrite and erase the identifier stored in the IC chip by writing the identification information.

5. A program for causing a computer to execute a writing process for controlling an RFID writing means to write required information individually to IC chips of a plurality of unissued RFID labels arranged in a predetermined pattern on a unit piece of paper, the program comprising: The unissued RFID label arranged on the unit paper piece has an identifier capable of identifying the arrangement position on the unit paper piece stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the IC chip, The program is characterized in that, in the writing process, while the multiple unissued RFID labels on the unit piece of paper are placed within the communication range of the antenna of the RFID writing means, the program causes the RFID writing means to send a command that can be executed only by the unissued RFID label that stores the specified identifier, thereby individually writing the required information into the IC chips of the multiple unissued RFID labels within the communication range.

6. The computer a first conveying process for conveying the unit paper piece to a position where the plurality of unissued RFID labels are within a communication range of an antenna of an RFID writing means by controlling a conveying means capable of conveying paper before the writing process; a second conveying process for conveying the unit paper piece out of a communication range of an antenna of the RFID writing means by controlling the conveying means after the writing process; 6. The program according to claim 5, further comprising:

7. The computer includes: a print information capture process for capturing the print information printed on the unit paper piece via an optical reading means; a write information determination process for determining the required information to be written on the unissued RFID labels disposed at each position on the unit paper piece based on the print information acquired in the print information acquisition process; 6. The program according to claim 5, further comprising: a program for causing the program to execute the above before the writing process.

8. The computer includes: an identifier reading process for reading the identifiers of all the unissued RFID labels within a communication range of an antenna of the RFID writing means while the unissued RFID labels of the unit paper piece are contained within the communication range of the RFID writing means; an identifier identification process for identifying the identifiers of the unissued RFID labels disposed at each position of the unit paper piece based on the identifiers read in the identifier reading process; 8. The program according to claim 5, further comprising: executing the above before the writing process.

9. the predetermined storage area is included in an identification information storage unit for writing identification information when an RFID label is issued, 8. The program according to claim 5, wherein the writing process overwrites and erases the identifier stored in the IC chip by writing the identification information.

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