RFID management system, RFID management program, and RFID management method

Abstract

To provide an RFID management system for detecting a failure to read an RFID of a product using an authenticity determination apparatus.SOLUTION: An RFID management system includes: an authenticity determination data acquisition unit which acquires authenticity determination data of a product, from a terminal in an authenticity determination spot where authenticity of the product is determined; a read data acquisition unit which acquires read data of an RFID tag of the product from the terminal in the authenticity determination spot; a determination result information generation unit which generates determination result information of the product by associating the authenticity determination data of the product with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition unit which acquires read necessity information indicating whether the RFID tag of the product is to be read; a read failure information generation unit which generates read failure information indicating a failure to read the RFID tag of the product, based on the determination result information and the read necessity information; and a read failure information output unit which outputs the read failure information to the terminal in the authenticity determination spot.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an RFID management system, an RFID management program, and an RFID management method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes the information processing method as follows: "An information processing device executes a product information acquisition step in which an information processing device acquires product identification information capable of identifying the product to be matched from a serial code attached to the product to be matched or image information of the product to be matched; an optical image acquisition step in which an optical image information relating to an optical image obtained from a fine line pattern attached to the product to be matched; and a matching step in which an information processing device generates a matching result by matching the acquired optical image information with correct answer information relating to a correct answer label of the optical image corresponding to the product identification information." [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 054869 Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first embodiment of the present invention, an RFID management system is provided that includes an authenticity determination data acquisition unit that acquires product authenticity determination data from a terminal at an authenticity determination site that performs product authenticity determination; a read data acquisition unit that acquires read data of the product's RFID tag from the terminal at the authenticity determination site; an assessment result information generation unit that generates product assessment result information that associates the product authenticity determination data with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition unit that acquires read necessity information that indicates whether the product's RFID tag needs to be read; a read failure information generation unit that generates read failure information that indicates whether the product's RFID tag has not been read based on the assessment result information and the read necessity information; and a read failure information output unit that outputs the read failure information to the terminal at the authenticity determination site.

[0004] The read failure information generation unit may generate read failure information for products that require RFID tag reading but for which no read data associated with authenticity determination data exists or for which read data was not acquired successfully.

[0005] The RFID management system of the first embodiment may further include a read necessity information output unit that outputs read necessity information to a terminal at an authenticity determination location. The read data acquisition unit may acquire read data of products whose read necessity information indicates that the RFID tag needs to be read.

[0006] The terminal at the authenticity determination site may include an authenticity determination device that performs authenticity determination by reading an anti-counterfeit label attached to the product.

[0007] The read necessity information may be recorded on the anti-counterfeit label. The read data acquisition unit may acquire read data of a product for which the read necessity information read from the anti-counterfeit label indicates that the RFID tag needs to be read.

[0008] The authenticity determination site may include multiple sites along the product distribution route.

[0009] In a second embodiment of the present invention, an RFID management system is provided that includes a first authenticity determination data acquisition unit that acquires first authenticity determination data for a product from a terminal at a first authenticity determination location that performs authenticity determination of the product; a first read data acquisition unit that acquires first read data of the product's RFID tag from the terminal at the first authenticity determination location; a first determination result information generation unit that generates first determination result information for the product that associates the first authenticity determination data with the first read data; a determination necessity information generation unit that generates determination necessity information indicating whether authenticity determination needs to be performed at a second authenticity determination location that receives the product from the first authenticity determination location; and a determination necessity information output unit that outputs the determination necessity information to the terminal at the second authenticity determination location.

[0010] The judgment necessity information generation unit may generate judgment necessity information indicating that authenticity judgment at the second authenticity determination location is not necessary when the period and / or geographical relationship required for product distribution between the first authenticity determination location and the second authenticity determination location meets predetermined criteria.

[0011] The RFID management system of the second embodiment may further include a second read data acquisition unit that acquires second read data of the product's RFID tag from a terminal at the second authenticity determination location, and a second judgment result information generation unit that, when the judgment necessity information indicates that authenticity determination at the second authenticity determination location is not required, associates the first authenticity determination data associated with the first read data corresponding to the second read data, among the first judgment result information, with the second read data, and generates second judgment result information for the product.

[0012] The RFID management system of the second embodiment may further include a second determination result information output unit that outputs the second determination result information to a terminal at the second authenticity determination location.

[0013] In a third embodiment of the present invention, an RFID management system is provided that includes a read necessity information acquisition unit that acquires read necessity information indicating whether or not a product's RFID tag needs to be read from a terminal used by the product manufacturer or seller, a change information acquisition unit that acquires change information indicating a change to the read necessity information, a change information generation unit that generates changed read necessity information based on the change information, and a read necessity information output unit that outputs the changed read necessity information to a terminal at an authenticity determination site that performs authenticity determination of the product.

[0014] In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an RFID management program that is executed by a computer and causes the computer to function as any of the above systems.

[0015] In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, an RFID management method is provided in which the RFID management system of the first embodiment described above executes the following steps: an authenticity determination data acquisition step in which product authenticity determination data is acquired from a terminal at an authenticity determination site that performs product authenticity determination; a read data acquisition step in which read data of the product's RFID tag is acquired from a terminal at the authenticity determination site; an assessment result information generation step in which product assessment result information is generated that associates the product authenticity determination data with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition step in which read necessity information indicating whether the product's RFID tag needs to be read; and a read failure information generation step in which read failure information indicating whether the product's RFID tag has not been read, based on the assessment result information and the read necessity information.

[0016] In a sixth embodiment of the present invention, an RFID management system of the first embodiment described above executes the following steps: an authenticity determination data acquisition step of acquiring product authenticity determination data from a terminal at an authenticity determination site that performs product authenticity determination; a read data acquisition step of acquiring read data of the product's RFID tag from the terminal at the authenticity determination site; an assessment result information generation step of generating product assessment result information that associates the product authenticity determination data with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition step of acquiring read necessity information indicating whether the product's RFID tag needs to be read; a read failure information generation step of generating read failure information indicating whether the product's RFID tag needs to be read based on the assessment result information and the read necessity information; and a read necessity information output step of outputting the read necessity information to the terminal at the authenticity determination site, and the read data acquisition step acquires product read data whose read necessity information indicates that the RFID tag needs to be read.

[0017] In a seventh embodiment of the present invention, an RFID management method is provided in which the RFID management system of the first embodiment described above executes an authenticity determination data acquisition stage in which product authenticity determination data is acquired from a terminal at an authenticity determination site that performs product authenticity determination; a read data acquisition stage in which read data of the product's RFID tag is acquired from the terminal at the authenticity determination site; an assessment result information generation stage in which product assessment result information is generated by associating the product authenticity determination data with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition stage in which read necessity information indicating whether the product's RFID tag needs to be read; and a read failure information generation stage in which read failure information indicating whether the product's RFID tag has not been read based on the assessment result information and the read necessity information, wherein the read necessity information is recorded on an anti-counterfeit label attached to the product, and the read data acquisition stage acquires read data of products for which the read necessity information read from the anti-counterfeit label indicates that the RFID tag needs to be read.

[0018] In the eighth embodiment of the present invention, an RFID management method is provided in which the RFID management system of the second embodiment described above executes the following steps: a first authenticity determination data acquisition step of acquiring first authenticity determination data for the product from a terminal of a first authenticity determination location that performs authenticity determination of the product; a first read data acquisition step of acquiring first read data of the product's RFID tag from a terminal of the first authenticity determination location; a first determination result information generation step of generating first determination result information for the product that associates the first authenticity determination data with the first read data; a determination necessity information generation step of generating determination necessity information indicating whether authenticity determination needs to be performed at a second authenticity determination location that receives the product from the first authenticity determination location; and a determination necessity information output step of outputting the determination necessity information to a terminal of the second authenticity determination location.

[0019] In the ninth embodiment of the present invention, an RFID management method is provided in which the RFID management system of the third embodiment described above executes a read necessity information acquisition stage in which read necessity information indicating whether or not the RFID tag of a product needs to be read is acquired from a terminal used by the product manufacturer or seller, a change information acquisition stage in which change information indicating a change to the read necessity information is acquired, a change information generation stage in which changed read necessity information is generated based on the change information, and an output stage in which the changed read necessity information is output to a terminal at an authenticity determination site that performs authenticity determination of the product.

[0020] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 shows an example of an authenticity determination system 10 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 shows an example of an authenticity determination system 10 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 shows an example of an authenticity determination system 10 according to a third embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 shows an example of a processing flow of the method according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 5] An example of the missing-read information 800 is shown. [Figure 6] 13 shows an example of a processing flow of the method according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 shows an example of a processing flow of the method according to the seventh embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 shows an example of a processing flow of the method according to the eighth embodiment. [Figure 9] 9 shows an example of determination necessity information 900. [Figure 10] 13 shows an example of a processing flow of the method according to the ninth embodiment. [Figure 11] An example of the read necessity information 1000 after the change is shown. [Figure 12] 22 illustrates an example computer 2200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0023] 1 shows an example of an authentication determination system 10 according to the first embodiment. The authentication determination system 10 includes an RFID management system 100 according to the first embodiment and a terminal 500 at an authentication determination base 400.

[0024] The RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment generates read failure information (sometimes simply referred to as "read failure information") indicating whether the RFID tag attached to the product has not been read, and notifies the authenticity determination site 400 that performs authenticity determination of the product.

[0025] In the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment, a product refers to an item manufactured for sale. The product may be, for example, a bag, a wallet, clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, ceramics, watches, food, etc. The product may be a high-priced product such as a brand-name product. In particular, in this embodiment, the target may be a product for which counterfeits may be distributed (for example, a high-priced product and / or a product that is well-known by consumers). In this specification, the term "product" refers to a single and / or multiple items.

[0026] As the sale of products via e-commerce expands, authenticity determination is sometimes performed to distinguish and remove counterfeit products from genuine products during the product distribution process. For example, highly reliable authenticity determination can be achieved by using authenticity determination labels that are difficult to counterfeit. RFID tags are also sometimes introduced to quickly and efficiently manage inventory and incoming / outgoing management of large quantities of products during the distribution process.

[0027] On the other hand, when an RFID tag cannot be read properly due to the presence of an obstruction between the reader and the product, a tag malfunction, etc., it is difficult to identify the product that has not been read. Therefore, the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment uses an authenticity determination device to detect missed readings of the RFID tag of a product.

[0028] The RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment includes an input unit 110, a storage unit 120, a display unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a calculation unit 200.

[0029] The input unit 110 inputs necessary information and / or instructions to the calculation unit 200. The input unit 110 may be an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse connected to the calculation unit 200. The input unit 110 may input information and / or instructions via communication with an external terminal or the like, but is not limited to this.

[0030] The storage unit 120 stores information input by the input unit 110, information processed by the calculation unit 200, etc. The storage unit 120 may store authenticity determination data, RFID tag read data, information on whether or not the RFID tag needs to be read, etc. The storage unit 120 may be a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 120 may be called by the calculation unit 200 and provide the stored data to the calculation unit 200 as needed.

[0031] The display unit 130 displays the processing results of the calculation unit 200. As an example, the display unit 130 may be an output device such as a monitor connected to the calculation unit 200, but is not limited to this.

[0032] The communication unit 140 is connected to a terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400 and a terminal 700 at the manufacturer or the like 600 via a network 300 such as the Internet.

[0033] The authenticity determination site 400 is a site where authenticity determination of a product is performed. In the authenticity determination system 10 of the first embodiment, authenticity determination means determining whether a product is genuine or counterfeit. The authenticity determination site 400 may be a site (e.g., a factory, warehouse, distribution center, etc.) of a distributor, manufacturer, and / or seller of the product where authenticity determination is performed on the product.

[0034] At the authenticity determination base 400, for example, authenticity determination may be performed using an authenticity determination device that reads the anti-counterfeit label attached to the product.

[0035] The anti-counterfeit label may be, for example, a high-definition pattern formed on a transparent film that has low visibility and is difficult to counterfeit. Information indicating that the product is genuine may be recorded in a predetermined manner on the high-definition pattern, and by reading the pattern and decoding the recorded information, it is possible to determine whether the product is genuine or a counterfeit. As an example, the anti-counterfeit label may be Akliteia (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Kasei.

[0036] The authenticity determination site 400 also reads the RFID tags attached to the products. The RFID tags are used to manage inventory and incoming / outgoing goods at the authenticity determination site 400.

[0037] The terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400 connects to the RFID management system 100 via the network 300 and generates and outputs the authenticity determination data and RFID tag read data acquired at the authenticity determination site 400. The RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment may include the terminals 500 at the multiple authenticity determination sites 400 when multiple authenticity determination sites 400 exist in the distribution channel of a product.

[0038] The terminal 500 may be formed from a plurality of terminals. The terminal 500 may include an authenticity determination device. The authenticity determination device may have a communication function, be directly connected to the network 300, and output authenticity determination data to the RFID management system 100.

[0039] The manufacturers etc. 600 include product manufacturers and / or sellers. A manufacturer is a manufacturer that legitimately manufactures a product. A product seller is a seller that legitimately sells and delivers a product. A seller is a person who legitimately receives a product from a manufacturer and sells the product to consumers. A seller may be an e-commerce business that receives product orders from consumers via the Internet and requests a delivery company to deliver the product to the consumer.

[0040] In the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment, the calculation unit 200 is connected to the input unit 110, the storage unit 120, the display unit 130, and the communication unit 140, and executes processes such as generating determination result information and read failure information (described later) based on information acquired via the input unit 110 and the communication unit 140. The calculation unit 200 is a computer. The calculation unit 200 may be provided in a single computer, or each function may be distributed and provided in multiple computers.

[0041] The calculation unit 200 may include an authenticity judgment data acquisition unit 205, a read data acquisition unit 210, a judgment result information generation unit 215, a read necessity information acquisition unit 220, a read failure information generation unit 225, a read failure information output unit 230, and a read necessity information output unit 235.

[0042] The authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205 acquires product authenticity determination data from the terminal 500 of the authenticity determination base 400. The authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205 may acquire authenticity determination data for each individual product (individual item), or may acquire authenticity determination data for multiple products collectively by the authenticity determination base 400 for each shipping unit in which the products are shipped or each packaging unit in which the products are packaged.

[0043] The read data acquisition unit 210 acquires read data (sometimes simply referred to as "read data") of the RFID tag of a product from the terminal 500. The read data is information recorded on the RFID tag attached to the product and acquired by reading the RFID tag. The read data may include information that identifies an individual product. For example, the read data may include product IDs such as the product's serial number and control number, as well as the product's manufacturing date, etc.

[0044] The judgment result information generating unit 215 generates judgment result information for the product. The judgment result information is information that associates product authenticity judgment data with read data. The judgment result information makes it possible to identify individual products for which no read data exists or for which read data was not properly acquired, among individual products for which authenticity judgment data exists. Specific examples of judgment result information will be described later.

[0045] The read necessity information acquisition unit 220 acquires read necessity information (sometimes simply referred to as "read necessity information") indicating whether or not it is necessary to read the RFID tag of a product from the terminal 700 of the product manufacturer, etc. 600. The read necessity information may be set for each product. When multiple types of products are mixed in a shipping unit or packaging unit during the product distribution process, the read necessity information may indicate whether or not it is necessary to read the RFID tag for each type of product.

[0046] The read failure information generating unit 225 generates read failure information based on the judgment result information and the read necessity information. The read failure information indicates failure to read the RFID tag of a product. The read failure information generating unit 225 may generate read failure information for products that require RFID tag reading but for which no read data associated with the authenticity judgment data exists or for which read data was not successfully acquired. Specific examples of read failure information will be described later.

[0047] The failed-to-read information output unit 230 outputs the failed-to-read information to the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination location 400. By outputting the failed-to-read information to the terminal 500, the authenticity determination location 400 can identify individual products with failed-to-read RFID tags.

[0048] The reading necessity information output unit 235 outputs the reading necessity information to the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400. By outputting the reading necessity information to the terminal 500, reading can be performed only on products that require RFID tag reading at the authenticity determination site 400. This saves the authenticity determination site 400 the effort of performing reading work on products that do not require RFID reading.

[0049] The RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment can identify individual products whose RFID tags have not been read at the authenticity determination site 400, thereby preventing failure to read the RFID tags of products. In addition, the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment can reduce the computational resources and human resources consumed in identifying individual products whose RFID tags have not been read.

[0050] 2 shows an example of an authentication determination system 10 according to the second embodiment. The authentication determination system 10 includes the RFID management system 100 according to the second embodiment, a terminal 510 at a first authentication determination location 410, and a terminal 520 at a second authentication determination location 420.

[0051] The RFID management system 100 of the second embodiment allows, when multiple authenticity determination centers along a product's distribution route satisfy specified conditions, to omit authenticity determination at the downstream authenticity determination center by regarding the authenticity determination data obtained at the upstream authenticity determination center along the distribution route as being identical to the authenticity determination data at the downstream authenticity determination center.

[0052] 2 includes an input unit 110, a storage unit 120, a display unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a calculation unit 200. The contents of the input unit 110, the storage unit 120, the display unit 130, and the communication unit 140 may be the same as those described for the RFID management system 100 shown in FIG.

[0053] The calculation unit 200 executes processes such as generating judgment necessity information, etc., which will be described later. The calculation unit 200 may include a first authenticity judgment data acquisition unit 205-1, a second authenticity judgment data acquisition unit 205-2, a first read data acquisition unit 210-1, a second read data acquisition unit 210-2, a first judgment result information generation unit 215-1, a second judgment result information generation unit 215-2, a judgment necessity information generation unit 240, a judgment necessity information output unit 245, and a second judgment result information output unit 250.

[0054] The first authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205-1 acquires first product authenticity determination data from a terminal 510 at a first authenticity determination location 410 that performs product authenticity determination. The first authenticity determination location 410 is an authenticity determination location upstream of a second authenticity determination location 420 (described later) in the product distribution route. The content of the first authenticity determination data may be the same as the description of the authenticity determination data in the RFID management system 100 of the example shown in FIG. 1.

[0055] The second authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205-2 acquires the second authenticity determination data from the terminal 520 of the second authenticity determination site 420 that performs product authenticity determination. The description of the authenticity determination data in the RFID management system 100 of the example shown in FIG. 1 may be applied as is to the content of the second authenticity determination data.

[0056] The second authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205-2 may omit acquiring the second authenticity determination data at the second authenticity determination location 420 if the determination necessity information described below indicates that authenticity determination at the second authenticity determination location 420 is not required.

[0057] The first read data acquisition unit 210-1 acquires the first read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal 510 at the first authenticity determination location 410. The description of the read data in the RFID management system 100 of the example shown in FIG. 1 may be applied to the contents of the first read data.

[0058] The second read data acquisition unit 210-2 acquires second read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal 520 at the second authenticity determination location 420. The description of the read data in the RFID management system 100 of the example shown in FIG. 1 may be applied to the content of the second read data.

[0059] The first judgment result information generating unit 215-1 generates first judgment result information for the product. The first judgment result information is information that associates the first authenticity judgment data and the first read data acquired for each individual product. Specific examples of the first judgment result information will be described later.

[0060] The second determination result information generating unit 215-2 generates second determination result information for the product. The second determination result information is information that associates the second authenticity determination data and the second read data acquired for each individual product.

[0061] When the judgment necessity information described below indicates that an authenticity judgment at the second authenticity judgment location 420 is not required, the second judgment result information generation unit 215-2 may generate second judgment result information by associating the first authenticity judgment data obtained for the individual product with the second read data obtained for the individual product in place of the second authenticity judgment data in the second judgment result information. Specific examples of the second judgment result information will be described later.

[0062] The judgment necessity information generating unit 240 generates judgment necessity information (sometimes simply referred to as "judgment necessity information") indicating whether or not authenticity judgment is required at the second authenticity judgment location 420 that receives the product from the first authenticity judgment location 410.

[0063] When a predetermined criterion is satisfied, the judgment necessity information generating unit 240 may generate judgment necessity information indicating that authentication judgment is not required at the second authenticity judgment location 420. For example, when the period and / or geographical relationship required for product distribution between the first authenticity judgment location 410 and the second authenticity judgment location 420 satisfies a predetermined criterion, the judgment necessity information generating unit 240 may generate judgment necessity information indicating that authenticity judgment is not required at the second authenticity judgment location 420.

[0064] The judgment necessity information output unit 245 outputs the judgment necessity information to the terminal 520 of the second authenticity judgment location 420.

[0065] The second determination result information output unit 250 outputs the second determination result information to the terminal 520 of the second authenticity determination location 420.

[0066] With the RFID management system 100 of the second embodiment, even if the second authenticity determination location 420, which is one of multiple authenticity determination locations and is located downstream in the distribution route, does not perform authenticity determination using anti-counterfeit labels, the first authenticity determination data obtained at the first authenticity determination location 410 located upstream in the distribution route can be regarded as authenticity determination data at the second authenticity determination location 420, thereby reducing the effort required to perform authenticity determination at the second authenticity determination location 420.

[0067] 3 shows an example of the authentication system 10 of this embodiment. The authentication system 10 includes the RFID management system 100 of the third embodiment, a terminal 500 at an authentication determination base 400, and a terminal 700 at a manufacturer or the like 600.

[0068] The RFID management system 100 of the third embodiment obtains changes to the reading necessity information of the RFID tag to be executed at the authenticity determination site 400 online from the product manufacturer or seller, and outputs the reading necessity information to the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400.

[0069] 3 includes an input unit 110, a storage unit 120, a display unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a calculation unit 200. The contents of the input unit 110, the storage unit 120, the display unit 130, and the communication unit 140 may be the same as those described for the RFID management system 100 shown in FIG.

[0070] The calculation unit 200 executes processes such as generating read necessity information changed based on the change information described below. The calculation unit 200 may include a read necessity information acquisition unit 220, a change information acquisition unit 255, a change information generation unit 260, and a read necessity information output unit 235.

[0071] The read necessity information acquisition unit 220 acquires the read necessity information of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal 700 used by the product manufacturer 600. The contents of the read necessity information acquisition unit 220 may be the same as those described in the RFID management system 100 shown in FIG.

[0072] The change information acquisition unit 255 acquires change information indicating a change in the reading necessity information. The change information may include, for example, information for changing a product that does not require RFID tag reading to a product that does require reading, or information for changing a product that requires RFID tag reading to a product that does not require reading. The change information may include information regarding a deadline for changing the necessity of reading. The change information may include information regarding a change in the type of RFID tag attached to the product. The change information acquisition unit 255 may acquire the change information from the terminal 700 of the manufacturer 600.

[0073] The modification information generating unit 260 generates read necessity information that has been modified based on the modification information.

[0074] The read necessity information output unit 235 may output the changed read necessity information to the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400. The authenticity determination site 400 may read the RFID tag of the product based on the changed read necessity information.

[0075] With the RFID management system 100 of the third embodiment, when there is a change in the need to read RFID tags, the change information can be obtained online from the terminal 700 of the manufacturer, etc. 600, and the change can be quickly reflected in the reading of RFID tags at the authenticity determination site 400.

[0076] Fig. 4 shows an example of a processing flow of the method of the fifth embodiment. By performing the processing flow shown in Fig. 4, the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment executes the following steps: an authenticity determination data acquisition stage of acquiring product authenticity determination data from a terminal 500 of an authenticity determination site 400 that performs product authenticity determination; a read data acquisition stage of acquiring read data of the product's RFID tag from the terminal 500 of the authenticity determination site 400; a determination result information generation stage of generating product determination result information (sometimes simply referred to as "determination result information") that associates the product authenticity determination data with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition stage of acquiring read necessity information of the product's RFID tag; and a read failure information generation stage of generating read failure information based on the determination result information and the read necessity information.

[0077] For ease of explanation, the processes from S1010 to S1140 will be explained in order, but at least some of these processes may be executed in parallel, or the steps may be interchanged and executed as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, or some steps may be omitted and executed as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0078] In the processing flow shown in Figure 4, the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment executes a step S1020 for acquiring information on whether reading is necessary, a step S1060 for acquiring authenticity determination data, a step S1090 for acquiring read data, a step S1100 for generating determination result information, a step S1110 for generating unread information, and a step S1120 for outputting unread information.

[0079] In the flow shown in FIG. 4, first, in S1010, the terminal 700 of the manufacturer 600 outputs to the RFID management system 100 information on whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read.

[0080] In the flow of this embodiment, inventory management and incoming / outgoing management of the product are performed using an RFID tag attached to at least a part of the product. The reading necessity information indicates whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read at the authenticity determination site 400. Whether or not reading is necessary may be determined in advance by the product manufacturer 600 (for example, the manufacturer or seller of the product).

[0081] Next, in S1020, the reading necessity information acquisition unit 220 acquires the reading necessity information.

[0082] In S1030, the authenticity determination site 400 receives a product. The product may be a product received from a manufacturer, or may be a product received from another authenticity determination site 400 (for example, a distributor or seller).

[0083] After S1030, in S1040, the authenticity determination site 400 performs an authenticity determination of the product. The authenticity determination may be performed using an authenticity determination device that reads the anti-counterfeit label attached to the product. The authenticity determination may be performed on all individual products received by the authenticity determination site 400.

[0084] The terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400 may generate product authenticity determination data for each individual product by associating the data with information that identifies the individual product (for example, an ID such as a product serial number). The terminal 500 may be an authenticity determination device.

[0085] Next, in S1050, the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400 outputs the authenticity determination data to the RFID management system 100. The terminal 500 may output the authenticity determination data for each individual product, or may collectively output the authenticity determination data for multiple products for each shipping unit in which the products are shipped or each packaging unit in which the products are packaged to the RFID management system 100.

[0086] After S1050, in S1060, the authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205 acquires the authenticity determination data of the product output by the terminal 500. A specific example of the authenticity determination data will be described later.

[0087] After S1050, in S1070, the authenticity determination site 400 reads the RFID tags of the products. The authenticity determination site 400 may use an RFID reader to read the RFID tags, and may read the RFID tags of multiple products for each shipping unit in which the products are shipped or each packaging unit in which the products are packaged. The terminal 500 may generate product read data for each individual product by associating it with information that identifies the individual product (for example, an ID such as the product's serial number).

[0088] After S1070, in S1080, the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400 outputs the read data to the RFID management system 100. The terminal 500 may output the read data for each individual product, or may collectively output the read data for multiple products for each shipping unit for shipping the products or each packaging unit for packaging the products to the RFID management system 100.

[0089] Next, in S1090, the read data acquisition unit 210 acquires the read data of the RFID tag of the product output by the terminal 500. A specific example of the read data will be described later.

[0090] After S1060 and S1090 are executed, the judgment result information generating unit 215 generates judgment result information for the product in S1100. The judgment result information may be information in which the authenticity judgment data and the read data are respectively associated with information that identifies the product (for example, the product ID). Specific examples of the judgment result information will be described later.

[0091] After S1100, in S1110, the read failure information generation unit 225 generates read failure information for the product based on the determination result information and the read necessity information. This makes it possible to detect products whose RFID tags have not been read at the authenticity determination site 400, among products that require RFID reading. Specific examples of read failure information will be described later.

[0092] Fig. 5 shows an example of the failure to read information 800. The example in Fig. 5 shows the failure to read information generated by the failure to read information generating unit 225 in S1110. The failure to read information 800 may include, for each individual product, a product ID 810, reading necessity information 820, authenticity determination data 830, RFID read data 840, and whether or not there was a failure to read 850.

[0093] In the missing-read information 800, the product ID 810 may be an ID that identifies an individual product. The ID may include, for example, the product's serial number or management number.

[0094] The reading necessity information 820 indicates whether or not the RFID tag of a product needs to be read at the authenticity determination site 400. In the example of Fig. 5, products that need to be read are indicated by "necessary" and products that do not need to be read are indicated by "not required."

[0095] The read data 840 includes information recorded on the RFID tag, and may include information that identifies an individual product (for example, a product ID).

[0096] The read failure status 850 may be generated based on the read necessity information 820, the authenticity determination data 830, and the read data 840 for each individual product. For example, if the read necessity information 820 for an individual product is "necessary," and there is authenticity determination data 830 based on an authenticity determination label, and there is normal RFID read data (for example, Nos. 1, 2, and 4 in FIG. 5), there may be no read failure. Furthermore, for products for which the read necessity information is "not required," there may be no read failure 850, regardless of whether there is RFID read data 840.

[0097] On the other hand, for products where authenticity determination data 830 based on the authenticity determination label exists but read data 840 does not exist (e.g., No. 3 in Figure 5), or where the read data 840 contains an error (e.g., No. 5), it may be determined that there is a reading error.

[0098] Next, in S1120, the omission of reading information output unit 230 outputs the omission of reading information to the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination location 400.

[0099] Next, in S1130, the terminal 500 acquires the failure to read information output by the failure to read information output unit 230. From the failure to read information, the authenticity determination site 400 can grasp the failure to read the RFID tag of the product for which authenticity determination has been performed.

[0100] If there is an RFID tag in the product that has not been read, the terminal 500 proceeds to step S1070 to read the RFID tag again, and then executes steps S1080 and onward to read the RFID tag until no more RFID tags are detected that have not been read.

[0101] If no RFID tags are missed in reading, the authenticity determination site 400 ships the product after authenticity determination. The shipping destination may be another authenticity determination site 400 in the product's distribution channel. The product may also be shipped to the product's purchaser. When the product is shipped to another authenticity determination site 400, the other authenticity determination site 400 may execute the above-described processes from S1030 to S1140.

[0102] The processing flow of the method of this embodiment makes it possible to identify individual products whose RFID tags have not been read, thereby preventing RFID tags from being read unread at the authenticity determination site 400. In addition, the processing flow of the method of this embodiment makes it possible to reduce the computational and human resources consumed in identifying individual products whose RFID tags have not been read.

[0103] Fig. 6 shows an example of a processing flow of the method of the sixth embodiment. By performing the processing flow shown in Fig. 6, the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment executes the following steps: an authentication data acquisition step of acquiring product authentication data from a terminal 500 of an authentication determination site 400 that performs product authentication; a read data acquisition step of acquiring read data of the product's RFID tag from the terminal 500; an authentication result information generation step of generating product authentication result information that associates the product authentication data with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition step of acquiring read necessity information indicating whether the product's RFID tag needs to be read; a read failure information generation step of generating read failure information indicating a failure to read the product's RFID tag based on the authentication result information and the read necessity information; and a read necessity information output step of outputting the read necessity information to the terminal of the authenticity determination site. In the read data acquisition step, product read data whose read necessity information indicates that the RFID tag needs to be read is acquired.

[0104] For ease of explanation, the processes from S2010 to S2140 will be explained in order, but at least some of these processes may be executed in parallel, or the steps may be interchanged and executed as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, or some steps may be omitted and executed as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0105] In the processing flow shown in Figure 6, the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment executes a step S2020 for acquiring information on whether reading is necessary, a step S2022 for outputting information on whether reading is necessary, a step S2060 for acquiring authenticity determination data, a step S2090 for acquiring read data, a step S2100 for generating determination result information, a step S2110 for generating information on unread data, and a step S2120 for outputting information on unread data.

[0106] In the processing flow shown in FIG. 6, first, the processing of S2010 is executed, and then S2020 is executed. The explanations for S1010 and S1020 in the processing flow shown in FIG. 4 may be applied to S2010 and S2020, respectively.

[0107] After S2020, in S2022, the reading necessity information output unit 235 outputs the reading necessity information to the terminal 500 of the authenticity determination location 400. The content of the reading necessity information may be the same as the description of the reading necessity information in the processing flow shown in FIG.

[0108] Next, in S2024, the terminal 500 acquires the reading necessity information.

[0109] Next, in S2030, the authenticity determination site 400 receives the product. The product may be a product received from a manufacturer, or may be a product received from another authenticity determination site 400 (for example, a distributor or seller).

[0110] For S2030 to S2060, the explanation for S1030 to S1060 in the processing flow shown in FIG. 4 may be applied as is.

[0111] After S2050, in S2070, the authenticity determination site 400 reads the RFID tags of products for which reading is required in the reading necessity information acquired by the terminal 500 in S2024. For products for which reading is not required in the reading necessity information, reading of the RFID tags may be omitted.

[0112] Next, the processes of S2080 to S2140 are executed. The explanation of S1080 to S1140 in the processing flow shown in FIG.

[0113] The processing flow shown in FIG. 6 allows the authenticity determination site 400 to read only the RFID tags of products that require reading, thereby reducing the labor required for reading products that do not require reading of RFID tags.

[0114] Fig. 7 shows an example of a processing flow of the method of the seventh embodiment. By performing the processing flow shown in Fig. 7, the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment executes the following steps: an authenticity determination data acquisition step of acquiring product authenticity determination data from a terminal 500 of an authenticity determination site 400 that performs product authenticity determination; a read data acquisition step of acquiring read data of the product's RFID tag from the terminal 500; an assessment result information generation step of generating product assessment result information; a read necessity information acquisition step of acquiring read necessity information of the product's RFID tag; and a read failure information generation step of generating product read failure information based on the assessment result information and the read necessity information. The read necessity information is recorded on an anti-counterfeit label attached to the product. In the read data acquisition step, the read data of a product whose read necessity information read from the anti-counterfeit label indicates that the RFID tag needs to be read is acquired.

[0115] For ease of explanation, the processes from S3030 to S3140 will be explained in order, but at least some of these processes may be executed in parallel, or the steps may be interchanged and executed as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, or some steps may be omitted and executed as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0116] In the processing flow shown in FIG. 7, the RFID management system 100 of the first embodiment executes an authenticity determination data / read necessity information acquisition step S3060, a read data acquisition step S3090, a determination result information generation step S3100, a read failure information generation step S3110, and a read failure information output step S3120.

[0117] 7, first, in S3030, a product is received at the authenticity determination site 400. The product may be a product received from a manufacturer, or may be a product received from another authenticity determination site 400 (for example, a distributor or seller).

[0118] Next, in S3040, the authenticity of the product is determined at the authenticity determination site 400. In the processing flow shown in Fig. 7, the counterfeit prevention label records read necessity information, and at the authenticity determination site 400, the terminal 500 reads the counterfeit prevention label to obtain the read necessity information along with the authenticity determination data.

[0119] Next, in S3050, the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination site 400 outputs the authenticity determination data and the reading necessity information to the RFID management system 100.

[0120] After S3050, in S3060, the authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205 acquires the authenticity determination data of the product, and the reading necessity information acquisition unit 220 acquires the reading necessity information.

[0121] Next, the processes from S3070 to S3140 are executed. For S3070 to S3140, the explanation for S1070 to S1140 in the processing flow shown in FIG.

[0122] The processing flow shown in Figure 7 allows the RFID tag's reading necessity information to be obtained simultaneously when authenticity determination is performed, thereby reducing the effort and computational resources required to separately obtain reading necessity information from the terminal 700 of the manufacturer, etc. 600.

[0123] FIG. 8 shows an example of a processing flow of the method according to the eighth embodiment. The RFID management system 100 of the second embodiment performs the processing flow shown in Figure 8, thereby executing a first authenticity determination data acquisition stage of acquiring first authenticity determination data for the product from the terminal 510 of the first authenticity determination location 410 that performs authenticity determination of the product; a first read data acquisition stage of acquiring first read data of the product's RFID tag from the terminal 510 of the first authenticity determination location 410; a first determination result information generation stage of generating first determination result information for the product (sometimes simply referred to as "first determination result information") that associates the first authenticity determination data with the first read data; a determination necessity information generation stage of generating determination necessity information indicating whether authenticity determination needs to be performed at the second authenticity determination location 420 that receives the product from the first authenticity determination location 410; and a determination necessity information output stage of outputting the determination necessity information to the terminal 520 of the second authenticity determination location 420.

[0124] For ease of explanation, the processes from S4010 to S4230 will be explained in order, but at least some of these processes may be executed in parallel, or the steps may be interchanged as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, or some steps may be omitted as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0125] In the processing flow shown in Figure 8, the RFID management system 100 of the second embodiment executes a first authenticity determination data acquisition step S4040, a first read data acquisition step S4070, a first determination result information generation step S4080, a determination necessity information generation step S4090, a determination necessity information output step S4100, a second authenticity determination data acquisition step S4160, a second read data acquisition step S4190, a second determination result information generation step S4200, and a second determination result information output step S4210.

[0126] In the processing flow shown in FIG. 8, first, in S4010, the first authenticity determination site 410 receives the product.

[0127] Next, in S4020, the first authenticity determination location 410 performs an authenticity determination of the product.

[0128] Next, in S4030, the terminal 510 at the first authentication determination site 410 outputs the first authentication determination data to the RFID management system 100.

[0129] After S4030, in S4040, the first authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205-1 acquires the first authenticity determination data of the product output by the terminal 510 of the first authenticity determination location 410.

[0130] After S4030, in S4050, the first authenticity determination location 410 reads the RFID tag of the product.

[0131] After S4050, in S4060, the terminal 510 at the first authenticity determination site 410 outputs the first read data to the RFID management system 100.

[0132] Next, in S4060, the first read data acquisition unit 210-1 acquires the first read data of the RFID tag of the product output by the terminal 510.

[0133] After executing S4040 and S4070, the first judgment result information generating unit 215-1 generates first judgment result information of the product in S4080.

[0134] The specific contents of S4010 to S4080 may be applied by replacing the authenticity determination location, authenticity determination data, authenticity determination data acquisition unit, read data, and read data acquisition unit in the description of S1030 to S1100 of the processing flow shown in Figure 4 with first authenticity determination location, first authenticity determination data, first authenticity determination data acquisition unit, first read data, and first read data acquisition unit, respectively.

[0135] In the processing flow of FIG. 8, after S4080, in S4090, the judgment necessity information generating unit 240 generates judgment necessity information for the second authenticity judgment location 420.

[0136] In S4090, the judgment necessity information generation unit 240 may generate judgment necessity information indicating that authenticity judgment at the second authenticity judgment location 420 is not necessary if the period and / or geographical relationship required for product distribution between the first authenticity judgment location 410 and the second authenticity judgment location 420 meets predetermined criteria.

[0137] The above criteria may be set for the period required for distribution of a product between the first authenticity determination location 410 and the second authenticity determination location 420. For example, if the period of distribution between the first authenticity determination location 410 and the second authenticity determination location 420 is equal to or shorter than a predetermined period (for example, a short period in which there is no opportunity for individual product substitution and replacement of anti-counterfeit labels or RFID tags), this may be used as the criterion for generating determination necessity information indicating that authenticity determination at the second authenticity determination location 420 is not required.

[0138] The above criteria may be set with respect to the geographical relationship between the first authenticity determination location 410 and the second authenticity determination location 420. For example, if the distance between the first authenticity determination location 410 and the second authenticity determination location 420 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance (for example, a short distance where there is no opportunity for individual products to be swapped or for anti-counterfeit labels or RFID tags to be replaced), this may be used as the criterion for generating determination necessity information indicating that authenticity determination at the second authenticity determination location 420 is not necessary.

[0139] The above criteria may also be set for the packaging material of the product (e.g., a cardboard box, etc.). For example, when a predetermined type of packaging material (e.g., packaging material that can be detected as having been opened) is used, the criteria may be used to generate determination necessity information indicating that authentication determination is not required at the second authenticity determination location 420. The above criteria may also be combined to generate the determination necessity information.

[0140] Fig. 9 shows an example of the judgment necessity information 900. In the example of Fig. 9, the judgment necessity information 900 includes, for each individual product, a location 910 of a first authenticity judgment location, a location 920 of a second authenticity judgment location, a standard 930, a distribution period 940, a geographical relationship 950, and judgment necessity 960.

[0141] The location 910 of the first authentication determination site and the location 920 of the second authentication determination site may be expressed in terms of a region such as a country, state, prefecture, city, town, or village, or may be expressed by an address and longitude and latitude that identify a location.

[0142] Criteria 930 represent examples of criteria for determining whether or not an authentication is necessary. For example, the criteria may be the period required for distribution of the product between the first authenticity determination location 410 and the second authenticity determination location 420 (distribution period) and / or the geographical relationship between the first authenticity determination location 410 and the second authenticity determination location.

[0143] In the example shown in Figure 9, the judgment necessity information generation unit 240 may generate judgment necessity information that indicates that authenticity judgment at the second authenticity judgment location 420 is not required for products No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5, whose distribution period 940 and / or geographical relationship 950 satisfy the criterion 930.

[0144] Next, in S4100, the judgment necessity information output unit 245 outputs the judgment necessity information generated in S4090 to the terminal 520 of the second authenticity judgment location 420.

[0145] After S4060, the first authenticity determination site 410 ships the product, whose authenticity has been determined and whose RFID tag has been read, to the second authenticity determination site 420 in S4110.

[0146] After S4110, in S4120, the second authenticity determination site 420 receives the products shipped in S4110.

[0147] After S4100 and S4120, in S4130, the terminal 520 acquires the judgment necessity information output by the judgment necessity information output unit 245. The second authenticity judgment location 420 advances the process to S4140 for products that are judged to require authenticity judgment in the judgment necessity information. On the other hand, the second authenticity judgment location 420 advances the process to S4170 for products that are judged not to require authenticity judgment in the judgment necessity information.

[0148] After S4130, in S4140, the second authenticity determination location 420 performs authenticity determination on the products for which authenticity determination is required in the determination necessity information.

[0149] After S4140, in S4150, the terminal 520 outputs the second authentication data acquired in the authentication executed in S4140 to the RFID management system 100.

[0150] After S4150, in S4160, the second authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205-2 acquires the second authenticity determination data of the product output by the terminal 520 of the second authenticity determination location 420.

[0151] After S4160, in S4170, the second authenticity determination location 420 reads the RFID tag of the product.

[0152] After S4170, in S4180, the terminal 520 outputs the second read data acquired by reading the RFID tag in S4170 to the RFID management system 100.

[0153] Next, in S4190, the second read data acquisition unit 210-2 acquires the second read data of the product output by the terminal 520.

[0154] After executing S4160 and S4190, the second determination result information generating unit 215-2 generates second determination result information in S4200, which associates the second authenticity determination data of the product with the second read data.

[0155] The contents of S4120 to S4200 may be applied by replacing the authenticity determination location, authenticity determination data, authenticity determination data acquisition unit, read data, and read data acquisition unit in the description of S1030 to S1100 of the processing flow shown in Figure 4 with second authenticity determination location, second authenticity determination data, second authenticity determination data acquisition unit, second read data, and second read data acquisition unit, respectively.

[0156] After S4200, the second authenticity determination site 420 advances the process to S4230 and ships the product.

[0157] For products for which authenticity determination is not required in the above-described determination necessity information, after S4130, the second authenticity determination location 420 advances the process to S4170 and reads the RFID tag of the product.

[0158] After S4170, in S4180, the terminal 520 outputs the second read data to the RFID management system 100.

[0159] Next, in S4190, the second read data acquisition unit 210-2 acquires the second read data of the RFID tag of the product output by the terminal 520.

[0160] Next, in S4200, the second judgment result information generating unit 215-2 generates second judgment result information of the product.

[0161] When the above-mentioned judgment necessity information indicates that authenticity judgment is not required at the second authenticity judgment location 420, the second judgment result information generation unit 215-2 may regard the first authenticity judgment data acquired at the first authenticity judgment location 410 as second authenticity judgment data at the second authenticity judgment location 420 and generate second judgment result information at the second authenticity judgment location 420.

[0162] According to the processing flow of Figure 8, even if the second authenticity determination location 420, which is one of multiple authenticity determination locations and is located downstream in the distribution route, does not perform authenticity determination using anti-counterfeit labels, the first authenticity determination data obtained at the first authenticity determination location 410 can be regarded as authenticity determination data at the second authenticity determination location 420, thereby reducing the effort required to perform authenticity determination at the second authenticity determination location 420.

[0163] Fig. 10 shows an example of a processing flow of the method of the ninth embodiment. By performing the processing flow shown in Fig. 10, the RFID management system 100 of the third embodiment executes the following steps: a read necessity information acquisition step of acquiring read necessity information of the RFID tag of a product from a terminal 700 used by a product manufacturer 600, a change information acquisition step of acquiring change information indicating a change to the read necessity information, a change information generation step of generating changed read necessity information based on the change information, and an output step of outputting the changed read necessity information to a terminal at an authenticity determination site that performs product authenticity determination.

[0164] For ease of explanation, the processes from S5010 to S5070 will be explained in order, but at least some of these processes may be executed in parallel, or the steps may be interchanged as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, or some steps may be omitted as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0165] In the process flow shown in FIG. 10, the RFID management system 100 of the third embodiment executes a read necessity information acquisition step S5020, a change information acquisition step S5040, a read necessity information generation step S5050, and a read necessity information output step S5060.

[0166] 10, first, in S5010, the terminal 700 of the manufacturer 600 outputs information on whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read to the RFID management system 100. The content of the information on whether or not the RFID tag needs to be read may be the same as that described in the processing flow shown in FIG.

[0167] After S5010, in S5020, the reading necessity information acquisition unit 220 acquires the reading necessity information output by the terminal 700 in S5010.

[0168] After S5010, in S5030, the terminal 700 outputs change information to the RFID management system 100. The change information is information indicating a change in the read necessity information.

[0169] Examples of cases in which the reading necessity information is changed include when the usage method of RFID tags is changed from using them on some individual items of a product to using them on all individual items of the product, when the usage method of RFID tags is changed from using them on all individual items of a product to using them on only some individual items of the product, and when the use of RFID tags on a product is stopped.

[0170] As in the example described above, when there is a change in the RFID tag reading requirement information for a product at the manufacturer 600, the terminal 700 of the manufacturer 600 may accept the change information from the manufacturer 600 and output it to the RFID management system 100.

[0171] The change information may be, for example, information that identifies the individual product item whose reading necessity information is to be changed and the reading necessity of the individual product after the change. Specific examples of the change information will be described later.

[0172] After S5030, in S5040, the change information acquisition unit 255 acquires the change information output by the terminal 700 in S5030.

[0173] After S5020 and S5040, in S5050 the change information generating unit 260 generates read necessity information changed based on the change information. A specific example of changing the read necessity information will be described later.

[0174] The changed reading necessity information generated in S5050 may be used as the reading necessity information acquired in S1020 of the processing flow shown in FIG.

[0175] Next, in S5060, the read necessity information output unit 235 outputs the changed read necessity information to the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination location 400. At the authenticity determination location 400, reading of the RFID tag can be executed based on the changed read necessity information.

[0176] Fig. 11 shows an example of the changed reading necessity information 1000. The example in Fig. 11 shows the reading necessity information changed based on the change information in S5050. In the example in Fig. 11, the reading necessity information of the individual item of product No. 6 among the product ID 810 and reading necessity information 820 included in the missing reading information 800 shown in Fig. 5 has been changed to produce the changed reading necessity information.

[0177] 11, the change information may be information that specifies the ID "AAAGGG" of No. 6 whose reading necessity information is to be changed and the changed reading necessity information of the individual item to "Yes." The changed reading necessity information may be obtained by incorporating the changed parts specified in the change information (in the example of FIG. 11, the ID "AAAGGG" of No. 6 whose reading necessity information 1020 has been changed and the reading necessity information of the individual item to "Yes") into the reading necessity information before the change.

[0178] After S5060, in S5070, the terminal 500 at the authenticity determination location 400 acquires the changed reading necessity information. The authenticity determination location 400 may use the acquired reading necessity information as the reading necessity information acquired in S2024 of the processing flow shown in FIG.

[0179] According to the processing flow of Figure 10, if there is a change in the need to read RFID tags, the change information can be obtained online from the terminal 700 of the manufacturer 600, etc., and quickly reflected in the reading of RFID tags at the authenticity determination site 400.

[0180] 12 illustrates an example of a computer 2200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part. Programs installed on the computer 2200 may cause the computer 2200 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus or one or more sections of the apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention, and / or to perform a process or steps of a process according to embodiments of the present invention. Such programs may be executed by the CPU 2212 to cause the computer 2200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0181] A computer 2200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 2212, a RAM 2214, a graphics controller 2216, and a display device 2218, which are interconnected by a host controller 2210. The computer 2200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 2222, a hard disk drive 2224, a DVD-ROM drive 2226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 2210 via an input / output controller 2220. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 2230 and a keyboard 2242, which are connected to the input / output controller 2220 via an input / output chip 2240.

[0182] The CPU 2212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 2230 and RAM 2214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 2216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 2212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 2214 or into the graphics controller 2216 itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 2218.

[0183] The communications interface 2222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive 2224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 2212 in the computer 2200. The DVD-ROM drive 2226 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 2201 and provides the programs or data to the hard disk drive 2224 via the RAM 2214. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0184] The ROM 2230 stores therein a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 2200 upon activation, and / or programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 2200. The input / output chip 2240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 2220 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0185] The programs are provided by a computer-readable medium such as a DVD-ROM 2201 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable medium, installed in the hard disk drive 2224, RAM 2214, or ROM 2230, which are also examples of computer-readable media, and executed by the CPU 2212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 2200, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by realizing information manipulation or processing in accordance with the use of the computer 2200.

[0186] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 2200 and an external device, the CPU 2212 may execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 2214 and instruct the communication interface 2222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 2212, the communication interface 2222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in the RAM 2214, the hard disk drive 2224, the DVD-ROM 2201, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0187] The CPU 2212 may also cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the hard disk drive 2224, the DVD-ROM drive 2226 (DVD-ROM 2201), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 2214, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 2214. The CPU 2212 then writes back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0188] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and may undergo information processing. The CPU 2212 may perform various types of processing on data read from the RAM 2214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to the RAM 2214. The CPU 2212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. on the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored on the recording medium, the CPU 2212 may search for an entry that matches a condition specified by the attribute value of the first attribute from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0189] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable medium on or near the computer 2200. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can also be used as a computer-readable medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 2200 via the network.

[0190] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0191] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order.

[0192] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0193] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0194] 10 Authentication System 100 RFID Management Systems 110 input unit, 120 memory unit, 130 display unit, 140 communication unit, 200 calculation unit 205 Authenticity determination data acquisition unit 205-1 First authenticity determination data acquisition unit, 205-2 Second authenticity determination data acquisition unit 210 Read data acquisition unit 210-1 First read data acquisition unit, 210-2 Second read data acquisition unit 215 Judgment result information generation unit 215-1 First determination result information generation unit, 215-2 Second determination result information generation unit 220 reading necessity information acquisition unit, 225 reading omission information generation unit 230 read-missing information output unit, 235 read necessity information output unit 240 Judgment necessity information generation unit, 245 Judgment necessity information output unit 250 second determination result information output unit, 255 change information acquisition unit 260 Change Information Generation Unit 300 Network 400 Authentication Center 410 First Authentication Center, 420 Second Authentication Center 500, 510, 520, 700 terminals 600 Manufacturers, etc. 800 Missing information 810 Product ID, 820 Reading necessity information 830 Authentication data, 840 Read data 850 Missing readings 900 Judgment necessity information 910 Location of first authenticity determination center, 920 Location of second authenticity determination center 930 standard, 940 distribution period 950 Geographical relationship, 960 Judgment necessity information 1000 Changed read necessity information 1010 Product ID, 1020 Reading necessity information 2200 Computer 2201 DVD-ROM 2210 host controller 2212 CPU 2214 RAM 2216 Graphics Controller 2218 Display Device 2220 Input / Output Controller 2222 communication interface 2224 hard disk drive 2226 DVD-ROM drive 2230 ROM 2240 I / O chip 2242 keyboard

Claims

1. an authenticity determination data acquisition unit that acquires product authenticity determination data from a terminal at an authenticity determination site that performs product authenticity determination; a read data acquisition unit that acquires read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal at the authenticity determination location; an authentication result information generating unit that generates authentication result information for the product by associating the authenticity authentication data with the read data; a read necessity information acquiring unit that acquires read necessity information indicating whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read; a read failure information generating unit that generates read failure information indicating a read failure of the RFID tag of the product based on the determination result information and the read necessity information; an unread information output unit that outputs the unread information to the terminal of the authenticity determination location; An RFID management system comprising:

2. the unread information generating unit generates the unread information for the product for which the RFID tag needs to be read and for which there is no read data associated with the authenticity determination data or for which the read data was not normally acquired. The RFID management system according to claim 1 .

3. a reading necessity information output unit that outputs the reading necessity information to the terminal of the authenticity determination location, the read data acquisition unit acquires the read data of a product whose read necessity information indicates that an RFID tag needs to be read, among the products; The RFID management system according to claim 1 .

4. the terminal at the authentication determination location includes an authentication determination device that executes the authentication by reading an anti-counterfeit label attached to the product; The RFID management system according to claim 1 .

5. The read necessity information is recorded on the anti-counterfeit label, the read data acquisition unit acquires the read data of a product whose read necessity information read from the anti-counterfeit label indicates that an RFID tag needs to be read, among the products. The RFID management system according to claim 4 .

6. The authenticity determination base includes a plurality of bases in the distribution channel of the product, The RFID management system according to claim 1 .

7. a first authenticity determination data acquisition unit that acquires first authenticity determination data of the product from a terminal of a first authenticity determination site that executes authenticity determination of the product; a first read data acquisition unit that acquires first read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal at the first authenticity determination location; a first determination result information generating unit that generates first determination result information for the product by associating the first authenticity determination data with the first read data; an authentication necessity information generating unit that generates authentication necessity information indicating whether or not the authenticity determination needs to be performed at a second authenticity determination site that receives the product from the first authenticity determination site; an assessment necessity information output unit that outputs the assessment necessity information to the terminal of the second authenticity assessment location; An RFID management system comprising:

8. the determination necessity information generation unit generates the determination necessity information indicating that the authenticity determination at the second authenticity determination location is unnecessary when a period of time and / or a geographical relationship required for distribution of the product between the first authenticity determination location and the second authenticity determination location satisfies a predetermined standard; The RFID management system according to claim 7.

9. a second read data acquisition unit that acquires second read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal of the second authenticity determination location; a second determination result information generation unit that, when the determination necessity information indicates that authenticity determination at the second authenticity determination location is not required, associates the first authenticity determination data associated with the first read data corresponding to the second read data, among the first determination result information, with the second read data, and generates second determination result information for the product; The RFID management system of claim 7 further comprising:

10. a second determination result information output unit that outputs the second determination result information to the terminal of the second authenticity determination location; The RFID management system according to claim 9.

11. a read necessity information acquisition unit that acquires read necessity information indicating whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read from a terminal used by a product manufacturer or seller; a change information acquisition unit that acquires change information indicating a change in the read necessity information; a modification information generating unit that generates modified reading necessity information based on the modification information; a read necessity information output unit that outputs the changed read necessity information to a terminal of an authenticity determination site that performs authenticity determination of the product; An RFID management system comprising:

12. The method is executed by a computer, causing the computer to:

12. The RFID management system according to claim 1, RFID management program.

13. The RFID management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, an authenticity determination data acquisition step of acquiring authenticity determination data of the product from a terminal of an authenticity determination site that performs authenticity determination of the product; a read data acquisition step of acquiring read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal of the authenticity determination site; a generation step of generating product authentication result information that associates the authenticity determination data of the product with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition step of acquiring read necessity information indicating whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read; generating read failure information indicating a read failure of the RFID tag of the product based on the determination result information and the read necessity information; An RFID management method that executes the above.

14. The RFID management system according to claim 3, an authenticity determination data acquisition step of acquiring authenticity determination data of the product from a terminal of an authenticity determination site that performs authenticity determination of the product; a read data acquisition step of acquiring read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal of the authenticity determination site; a generation step of generating product authentication result information that associates the authenticity determination data of the product with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition step of acquiring read necessity information indicating whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read; generating read failure information indicating a read failure of the RFID tag of the product based on the determination result information and the read necessity information; a reading necessity information output step of outputting the reading necessity information to the terminal of the authenticity determination location, The RFID management method, wherein the read data obtaining step obtains the read data of a product whose read necessity information indicates that an RFID tag needs to be read.

15. The RFID management system according to claim 5, an authenticity determination data acquisition step of acquiring authenticity determination data of the product from a terminal of an authenticity determination site that performs authenticity determination of the product; a read data acquisition step of acquiring read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal of the authenticity determination site; a generation step of generating product authentication result information that associates the authenticity determination data of the product with the read data; a read necessity information acquisition step of acquiring read necessity information indicating whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read; a read failure information generating step of generating read failure information indicating a read failure of the RFID tag of the product based on the determination result information and the read necessity information, The read necessity information is recorded on an anti-counterfeit label attached to the product, The RFID management method includes acquiring the read data of a product whose read necessity information read from the anti-counterfeit label indicates that an RFID tag needs to be read, from among the products, in the read data acquisition step.

16. The RFID management system according to any one of claims 7 to 10, a first authentication data acquisition step of acquiring first authentication data of the product from a terminal of a first authentication location that performs authentication of the product; a first read data acquisition step of acquiring first read data of the RFID tag of the product from the terminal of the first authenticity determination site; a first determination result information generating step of generating first determination result information for the product that associates the first authenticity determination data with the first read data; a determination necessity information generating step of generating determination necessity information indicating whether or not the authenticity determination needs to be performed at a second authenticity determination site that receives the product from the first authenticity determination site; a determination necessity information output step of outputting the determination necessity information to the terminal of the second authenticity determination location; An RFID management method that executes the above.

17. The RFID management system according to claim 11, a read necessity information acquisition step of acquiring read necessity information indicating whether or not the RFID tag of the product needs to be read from a terminal used by a product manufacturer or seller; a change information acquisition step of acquiring change information indicating a change in the read necessity information; generating modified read necessity information based on the modified information; an output step of outputting the changed read necessity information to a terminal of an authenticity determination site that performs authenticity determination of the product; An RFID management method that executes the above.

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