Methods and apparatus for using the internet domain name system to disseminate product information

• US 20020161745A1
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Product Association Technologies, LLC (Leigh M. Rothschild)
• Original Assignee: Charles Gainor Call
• Inventors: Call, Charles Gainor
• Granted Patent: US 7,117,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for disseminating over the Internet product information produced and maintained by product manufacturers using existing universal product codes (bar codes) as access keys. A cross-referencing resource preferably implemented by the existing Internet Domain Name System (DNS) receives Internet request messages containing all or part of a universal product code value and returns the Internet address at which data or services relating to the identified product, or to the manufacturer of that product, may be obtained. By using preferred Web data storage formats and protocol which conform to XML, XLS, XLink, Xpointer, RDF and Web service standards specifications, product and company information may be seamlessly identified, retrieved and integrated with information from other sources. A “web register” module can be employed to provide an Internet interface between a shared sales Internet server and an otherwise conventional inventory control system, and operates in conjunction with the cross-referencing server to provide detailed product information to Internet shoppers who may purchase goods from existing stores via the Internet.

Claims

1. A new use for the Internet Domain Name System which comprises, in combination, the steps of:

establishing a plurality of separate hosts connected to the Internet, each of said hosts providing data relating to one or more products, each of said products being designated by a unique universal product code value, and each of said hosts being designated by a unique Internet address,

storing cross-references in the Internet Domain Name System, each of said cross-references establishing a relationship between a domain name that incorporates at least a predetermined portion of one of said product code values and a corresponding Internet address of the host computer that provides data relating to the product designated by said given one of said product code values, and

retrieving data via the Internet that relates to a particular product designated by a particular universal product code value by performing the steps of;

transforming said particular universal product code value into a destination domain name that incorporates at least said predetermined portion of said particular one of said universal product code values,

using the Internet Domain Name System to convert said destination domain name into the destination Internet address that corresponds to said destination domain name, and

retrieving data relating to said particular product from the host designated by said destination domain name.

2. The new use for the Internet Domain Name System set forth in claim 1 wherein said data relating to said particular product is expressed in Extensible Markup Language.

3. The new use for the Internet Domain Name System set forth in claim 2 wherein said specific resource is a Web service provided by said host designated by said domain name.

4. The new use for the Internet Domain Name System set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of retrieving data relating to said particular product from the host designated by said destination domain name comprises, in combination,

forming a Universal Resource Identifier which includes said destination domain name and further specifies a specific resource provided by said host designated by said domain name,

transmitting a data request message containing said Universal Resource Identifier to said destination Internet address, and

receiving response data transmitted by said host designated by said domain name in response to said data request message.

5. The new use for the Internet Domain Name System set forth in claim 4 wherein said step of forming a Universal Resource Identifier which includes said destination domain name and further specifies a specific resource provided by said host designated by said domain name includes the substep of retrieving resource identification data from said host designated by said domain name.

6. The new use for the Internet Domain Name System set forth in claim 5 wherein said resource identification data is expressed in the Web Services Description Language.

7. The new use for the Internet Domain Name System set forth in claim 5 wherein said resource identification data is expressed in the Web Services Inspection Language.

8. The new use for the Internet DomainName System set forth in claim 1 wherein said particular universal product code value is a Global Trade Item Number.

9. A system for disseminating information relating to a plurality of different manufactured products, each of said products being designated by a unique universal product code value, said system comprising, in combination:

a plurality of different host computers each comprising storage means for accepting and storing information about at least a given one of said products and each having an entry point connection to the Internet that is uniquely identified by an Internet protocol address for receiving and responding to Internet messages requesting information relating to said given one of said products,

registration means for storing cross-references in the Internet Domain Name System, each of said cross-references specifying an association between a product code domain name and a corresponding Internet protocol address wherein said product code domain name is an alphanumeric character string whose content may be completely derived from a specific universal product code value using a predetermined transformation process, and wherein said corresponding Internet protocol address identifies the particular entry point connection that receives and responds to Internet messages requesting information relating to a product designated by said specific universal product code value, and

means for retrieving information about a selected one of said products that is designated by a selected one of said universal product code values comprising;

means for deriving a target product code domain name from said selected one of said universal product code values using said predetermined transformation process,

means for transmitting said target product code domain name to the Internet Domain Name System to obtain the corresponding target Internet protocol address specified by one of said cross-references, and

means for transmitting an Internet message requesting information relating to said selected one of said products to said corresponding target Internet protocol address.

10. The system set forth in claim 9 wherein said means for retrieving information about a selected one of said products that is designated by a selected one of said universal product code values further comprises means for forming a Universal Resource Identifier which includes said target product code domain name and for including said Universal Resource Identifier in said Internet message requesting information.

11. The system set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for forming a Universal Resource Identifier which includes said destination domain name further comprises means for retrieving resource identification data from said host designated by said product code domain name.

12. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said Universal Resource Identifier specifies a Web service.

13. The system set forth in claim 12 wherein said means for forming a Universal Resource Identifier which includes said destination domain name further comprises means for retrieving resource identification data from said host designated by said product code domain name.

14. The system set forth in claim 13 wherein said resource identification data is expressed in the Web Services Description Language.

15. The system set forth in claim 13 wherein said resource identification data is expressed in the Web Services Inspection Language.

16. The system set forth in claim 9 wherein said particular universal product code value is a Global Trade Item Number.

18. The system set forth in claim 17 wherein said means for retrieving information about a selected one of said products that is designated by a selected one of said universal product code values further comprises means for forming a Universal Resource Identifier which includes said target domain name character string and for including said Universal Resource Identifier in said Internet message requesting information.

19. The system set forth in claim 18 wherein said means for forming a Universal Resource Identifier which includes said target domain name character string further comprises means for retrieving resource identification data from said host designated by said target domain name character string.

20. The system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said Universal Resource Identifier specifies a Web service.

21. The system set forth in claim 20 wherein said means for forming a Universal Resource Identifier which includes said target domain name character string further comprises means for retrieving resource description data from said host designated by said target domain name character string.

22. The system set forth in claim 21 wherein said resource description data describes said Web service and is expressed in the Web Services Description Language.

23. The system set forth in claim 21 wherein said resource description data identifies said Web service and is expressed in the Web Services Inspection Language.

24. The system set forth in claim 20 wherein said particular universal product code value is a numeric Global Trade Item Number.

17. A system for distributing information via the Internet relating to a manufactured product designated by a specific univeral product code value, said system comprising, in combination:

means for storing said information at a computing host accessible via the Internet at a specific Internet protocol address,

a first source of a specific universal product code value,

means coupled to said first source for deriving a domain name character string from said specific universal product code value in accordance with a predetermined translation process,

means for storing a cross-reference in the Internet Domain Name System, said cross-reference specifying an association between said domain name character string and said specific Internet protocol address, and

utilization means coupled to the Internet comprising;

a second source of said specific universal product code value,

means coupled to said second source for deriving a target domain name character string from said specific universal product code value in accordance with said predetermined translation process,

means for transmitting said target domain name character string to the Internet Domain Name System to obtain said specific Internet protocol address, and

means for transmitting a request message via the Internet to said specific Internet protocol address to obtain said information relating to said manufactured product designated by said specific universal product code value.