IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,482,700
Granted Patent B2
US 10,482,700 · App. 16/011,681 · Granted Nov 19, 2019

Supply chain system and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing program

Inventor: Junichiro Soeda (Nara, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
G07C9/00571B60P7/13E05B19/0005G06Q10/083G06Q10/0832G06Q10/0833G06Q10/0838G06Q50/28G07C9/00174G07C9/00912H04L9/0637H04L67/1042G06Q2220/00G07C2009/0092G07C2009/00825
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,482,700
App. No.
16/011,681
Granted
Nov 19, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A supply chain system is provided. The supply chain system includes a server that manages at least a right of ownership of an article. The article is an actual object. A container is provided with a lock. The lock is configured to at least open through an electronic process. The container is capable of physically storing the article. At least one of a processor or a circuit, when an opening request to open the lock is received, determines whether a user who has issued the opening request and a user who has the right of ownership of the article match. When the user who has issued the opening request and the user who has the right of ownership of the article match, the lock is opened for allowing the article to be removed from the container. The server is notified that the lock has been opened.

Claims (48)

1. A supply chain system, comprising:

a server that manages at least a right of ownership of an article, the article being an actual object;

a container that is provided with a lock, the lock being configured to at least open through an electronic process, the container being capable of physically storing the article; and

at least one of a processor or a circuit that, when an opening request to open the lock is received, determines whether a user who has issued the opening request and a user who has the right of ownership of the article match,

wherein, when the user who has issued the opening request and the user who has the right of ownership of the article match, the lock is opened for allowing the article to be removed from the container, and the server is notified that the lock has been opened, and

wherein the server manages the right of ownership of the article by accumulating, as a first history, change of the right of ownership of the article in distributed ledgers including a plurality of ledgers of same content and manages opening or fastening of the lock as a second history.

2. The supply chain system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the container notifies, through wireless communication, the server that the lock has been opened, and

wherein, upon receiving a notification, the server manages the second history of the lock by adding an opening of the lock to the second history.

3. The supply chain system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the server, when a change request to change the right of ownership of the article is received, performs an authentication process to determine whether a user who has issued the change request is the user who has the right of ownership,

and

wherein, after the server performs the authentication process, the server accumulates the change of the right of ownership of the article as the first history by recording a user to which the right of ownership of the article has been granted.

4. The supply chain system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the container is a transparent case, an opaque latticed case, or a barred case.

5. The supply chain system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the container includes a sensor for detecting a storage state of the article,

wherein the container wirelessly transmits, to the server, information indicating the storage state of the article detected by the sensor, and

wherein the server manages a storage state history of the article by accumulating the information indicating the storage state of the article transmitted from the container.

6. The supply chain system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the distributed ledgers are constructed on a blockchain platform.

7. The supply chain system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the lock is configured to open and fasten.

8. The supply chain system according to claim 6 ,

wherein the container notifies, through wireless communication, the server that the lock has been opened or fastened, and

wherein, upon receiving a notification, the server manages the opening or the fastening of the lock by adding the opening or the fastening of the lock to the second history.

9. The supply chain system according to claim 6 , further comprising:

a lock manager configured to open and fasten the lock.

10. The supply chain system according to claim 9 ,

wherein the lock manager is configured to perform near-field communication as wireless communication.

11. The supply chain system according to claim 10 ,

wherein the container includes the lock manager.

12. The supply chain system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the container includes the at least one of the processor or the circuit.

13. The supply chain system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the server includes the at least one of the processor or the circuit.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

managing at least a right of ownership of an article, the article being an actual object;

opening a lock of a container through an electronic process, the container being capable of physically storing the article; and

determining, when an opening request to open the lock is received, whether a user who has issued the opening request and a user who has the right of ownership match,

wherein, in the determining, when the user who has issued the opening request and the user who has the right of ownership managed match, the lock is opened for allowing the article to be removed from the container, and a notification regarding an opening of the lock is issued, and

wherein the computer manages the right of ownership of the article by accumulating, as a first history, change of the right of ownership of the article in distributed ledgers including a plurality of ledgers of same content and manages opening or fastening of the lock as a second history.

15. A method, comprising:

managing, by a server, at least a right of ownership of an article, the article being an actual object;

opening a lock of a container through an electronic process, the container being capable of physically storing the article; and

determining, by at least one of a processor or a circuit when an opening request to open the lock is received, whether a user who has issued the opening request and a user who has the right of ownership match,

wherein, in the determining, when the user who has issued the opening request and the user who has the right of ownership managed match, the lock is opened for allowing the article to be removed from the container, and a notification regarding an opening of the lock is issued, and

wherein the server manages the right of ownership of the article by accumulating, as a first history, change of the right of ownership of the article in distributed ledgers including a plurality of ledgers of same content and manages opening or fastening of the lock as a second history.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 21, 2018
From: SOEDA, JUNICHIRO
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
Reel/Frame 046933/0225 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-046308 · Mar 14, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62530541 · Jul 10, 2017
Related Publication 20190012861A1 · Jan 10, 2019
Cited By (2)
US 12,254,435 US 12,694,366