Multi-dimensional code translation

• US 10,152,708 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Sellers, Christopher, Osborne, John, Russell, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US14/092,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1438, 705 1414, 705 261, 705 23, 705 16, 705 39, 705 71, 705 1425, 235375, 23546212, 235383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

Value documents such as coupons and event tickets that are represented or indexed in the form of QR codes or other types of two-dimensional encoding techniques may be acquired by imaging with a suitably-enabled mobile device, and then translated in the mobile device into a form suitable for presentation as a one-dimensional barcode at a point-of-sale/service using light-simulated barcode technology.

Claims

1. A method for converting a multi-dimensional image code for a point-of-sale/service (“

POS”

) terminal having a one-dimensional (“

1-D”

) barcode scanner, comprising;

acquiring the multi-dimensional image code with a mobile device;

extracting, at the mobile device, POS information from the multi-dimensional image code, the POS information referencing a product or service;

encoding, at the mobile device, the extracted POS information into 1-D barcode-formatted POS information corresponding to a static 1-D barcode image;

generating, at the mobile device, a signal from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate a reflection of a 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across the static 1-D barcode image; and

transmitting, from the mobile device to the 1-D barcode scanner, light pulses in accordance with the signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the POS information is received at the POS terminal; and

the POS terminal completes a POS transaction based on the received POS information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the POS transaction comprises purchasing an item of merchandise.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the POS information identifies a coupon for adjusting a purchase price of the item of merchandise.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the POS information identifies a price for the item of merchandise.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the POS information identifies a value document or functions as a value document.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the value document comprises a coupon, an event ticket, a boarding pass, a letter of credit, a voucher, loyalty points, an incentive reward, or a gift card.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the POS information resides in a particular position within the data of the multi-dimensional image code.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the particular position is identified by tagging.

10. A method for converting a multi-dimensional image code for a point-of-sale/service (“

POS”

) terminal having a one-dimensional (“

1-D”

) barcode scanner, comprising;

acquiring the multi-dimensional image code with a mobile device;

translating, at the mobile device, the multi-dimensional image code to POS information, the POS information referencing a product or service;

encoding, at the mobile device, the POS information into 1-D barcode-formatted POS information corresponding to a static 1-D barcode image;

generating, at the mobile device, light pulses from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate a reflection of a 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across the static 1-D barcode image; and

presenting, from the mobile device to the 1-D barcode scanner, the light pulses.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said translating comprises:

identifying lead information from the multi-dimensional image code;

providing the lead information from the mobile device to a server over a network; and

receiving POS information at the mobile device from the server over the network, in accordance with the lead information.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the lead information is a uniform resource locator (URL) of an originating organization, URL'"'"'s related to the originating organization, product descriptions, telephone numbers, business names and addresses, intermediate references, any other information that would be useful as a lead for obtaining the URL of the originating organization or for obtaining POS information, and any combination of one or more of the foregoing.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said translating comprises extracting POS information from the multi-dimensional image code.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said generating light pulses comprises:

generating a signal from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate the reflection of the 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across the static 1-D barcode image of the 1-D barcode-formatted POS information.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the POS information is received at the POS terminal in response to presenting the light pulses; and

the POS terminal completes a POS transaction based on the POS information.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the POS transaction comprises purchasing an item of merchandise.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the POS information identifies a coupon for adjusting a purchase price of the item of merchandise.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the POS information identifies a price for the item of merchandise.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the POS information identifies a value document or functions as a value document.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the value document comprises a coupon, an event ticket, a boarding pass, a letter of credit, a voucher, loyalty points, an incentive reward, or a gift card.

21. Non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a software program, which when executed, causes one or more computing devices to perform a method comprising:

acquiring an image of a multi-dimensional image code, the POS information referencing a product or service;

translating the multi-dimensional image code to POS information;

encoding the POS information into 1-D barcode-formatted POS information corresponding to a static 1-D barcode image;

generating light pulses from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate a reflection of a 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across the static 1-D barcode image; and

presenting the light pulses to a 1-D barcode scanner.

22. Non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a software program, which when executed, causes one or more computing devices to perform a method comprising:

acquiring the multi-dimensional image code with a mobile device;

extracting, at the mobile device, POS information from the multi-dimensional image code, the POS information referencing a product or service;

encoding, at the mobile device, the extracted POS information into 1-D barcode-formatted POS information corresponding to a static 1-D barcode image;

generating, at the mobile device, a signal from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate a reflection of a 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across the static 1-D barcode image; and

transmitting, from the mobile device to a 1-D barcode scanner, light pulses in accordance with the signal.