Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-26
2001-11-27
Frech, Karl D. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Credit or identification card systems
C235S375000, C235S376000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321983
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for managing life cycles and system for the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for managing life cycles of products by affixing electronic tags to products and a system for the same.
In the past, methods and systems for managing the disassembly of various types of products have been proposed as technologies relating to product life cycle management. For example, in Japanese laid-open patent publication number 6-168253, there is disclosed a method and system for the disassembly of products. In this technology, the product itself displays a code based on the product name, the name of the manufacturer of the product, the model number, the year the product was produced, the production number, and the like. Also, the components and the names of the materials are displayed on each of the parts that make up the product. This data is used to perform disassembly of the product. Japanese laid-open patent publication number 9-155327 discloses a disposal system in which the desirable disposable method for a discarded product is determined from information affixed to the discarded product and information from a database.
Japanese laid-open patent publication number 7-160325 discloses a method for performing maintenance of products. In this technology, a product is formed from a plurality of elements (parts). On the product is disposed storing means storing the history of each element. Maintenance is performed using this stored history information.
In Japanese laid-open patent publication number 8-277020, there is disclosed a disposal method and system that uses an IC card. The information in the IC card is used as a manifest for special industrial waste management documentation systems. Alterations to the waste disposal manifest are prevented and certified companies can be identified.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Each of the conventional technologies described above relates to disposal methods and systems used in maintaining, disassembling, and destroying products, but does not consider the overall life cycle of products or their parts. In recent years, there has been a need to deal with environmental issues and the rationalization of life cycle processes. This brings up the need to consider the overall life cycle of products from their production to their destruction or recycling. However, there has been no disposal method or system that looked at issues from this perspective.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the problems described above and to provide a method for managing life cycles and a system for the same in which the overall life cycle is managed, from the production of the product to the destruction or recycling of the product so that the evaluations and disposal procedures used when a product or parts thereof are to be recycled or discarded can be rationalized.
In order to achieve the objects described above, a desirable implementation of a life cycle management method according to the present invention, in which the life cycle of a product is managed from manufacture to destruction of the product, is as follows. First, a storage medium is affixed to the product. The storage medium contains a product identifier uniquely identifying the product and information about the parts that make up the product. At each site that the product passes through during its life cycle, product life cycle information is stored in the storage medium. When the product is to be destroyed, destruction is carried out based on information stored in the storage medium.
In order to achieve the objects described above, the present invention also provides a life cycle management system for managing the life cycle of a product from manufacture to destruction. This life cycle management system includes: a storage medium affixed to a product containing a product identifier uniquely identifying the product and information about the parts that make up the product; and a plurality of management systems installed at sites involved in the product life cycle from manufacture to destruction and, when the product passes through a site, recording information about the passage of the product through the site.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4667291 (1987-05-01), Weitzman et al.
patent: 4961507 (1990-10-01), Higgins
patent: 5374813 (1994-12-01), Shipp
patent: 5532928 (1996-07-01), Stanczyk et al.
patent: 5699525 (1997-12-01), Embutsu et al.
patent: 5965858 (1999-10-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 6-168253 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 7-160325 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 8-277020 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 9-155327 (1997-06-01), None
patent: 10057936 A (1998-03-01), None
Ishibashi Akira
Katayanagi Takahiro
Kusuzaki Tetsuo
Mihara Katsufumi
Soga Shuji
Frech Karl D.
Hitachi , Ltd.
Le Uchau
Mattingly Stanger & Malur, P.C.
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