A method for reducing a load required for management of articles can be an article managing method for use with a radio ID reception apparatus which receives ID from a radio tag attached to an article. This article managing method is described in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-49756. In this technology, a dedicated radio tag is generated for each article, an entering operation is performed using the radio tag without picking up an article in a package, and an entry list is switched for each destination of the article, thereby managing the article.
The Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-39533 discloses a sorting apparatus using a radio tag, and the technology of checking whether or not a plurality of collected articles have been correctly sorted in the same destinations.
Furthermore, the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-113077 discloses the technology of managing articles by providing a radio tag for article identification and for a section storing the article.
However, in the above-mentioned technologies, a table in which ID corresponding to an article is associated with its destination and sorting section has to be input using a computer, etc., thereby requiring a laborious operation and easily causing an input mistake. Additionally, the technologies have a position condition of using each of the apparatuses in a specified place where the apparatus is mounted.
Furthermore, the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-163301 discloses the method for using the list after dynamically changing the list by a prediction of action using a schedule, etc.
However, the technology disclosed by the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-163301 has reduced the laborious inputting operation by dynamically generating an article to be managed based on the prediction of action of a person, but it has the disadvantage of lack of correctness because it is based on a prediction.
An article is managed by generating a management target list and appropriately referring to or checking it. Normally, a list for management of an article is generated and edited by manual input on a personal computer.
However, in generating a management target list, since a user has to input the information about each article only using a ten-key, a switch, etc., the inputting operation is complicated and inapparent. Therefore, for example, when an inventory is taken, information about a merchandise name, a display position, a priced article, ID, etc. is additionally entered and changed in a laborious operation, and a mistake is often made by an operation mistake and misunderstanding.
There is also a well-known system of identifying an article using a bar code. In this system, a bar code is applied to an article, or a bar code is printed on the package of an article. Then, an optical character reader of a cash register reads the bar code to identify the price of an article or a merchandise name, and the sales volume, the inventory, the distribution, etc. are managed based on the data.
However, in this system, it is necessary for a user to manually move each article just on the optical character reader, or to align the optical character reader with the bar code so that the bar code scanning operation can be performed. Therefore, the reading direction and the operability are restricted, and the operation efficiency is very poor. As a result, a radio tag has been used as a system for automatically identifying an article. For example, a radio tag is applied to an article or merchandise to identify the presence/absence of transmission from the radio tag to protect against a shoplifter, etc. Furthermore, for example, the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-134729 discloses a function of preventing a conflict to identify each signal without interference among a plurality of radio tags.
However, although each signal can be identified without interference, there is no determining with ease using radio whether or not the combination of articles is appropriate. Therefore, whether or not an article and other articles are correctly prepared, whether or not there is a missing item, etc. cannot be determined using radio tags.