Method and apparatus for accessing product information using bar code data

• US 20020165931A1
• Filed: 02/14/2001
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Wiklof, Christopher A., Greer, Patrick Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,921,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and apparatus for convenient and easy access to product-and shipment-related information and/or transactions is disclosed. An end device, for instance a bar code reader, is used to read a portable data carrier, for instance a bar code symbol. having a structured data format. The end device parses one or more particular data entities from the data read. The end device accesses a URL having at least a portion in common with one or more of the parsed data entities and displays associated web page content or processes an associated transaction. The end device may sequentially substitute a series of most probable non-common URI, portions to locate associated content if the first tried URL does not result in a valid response. Alternatively, a server may provide such search functionality.

Claims

1. A method for accessing data, comprising the steps of;

reading data from a portable data carrier,

parsing a company identifier from said data, and

accessing a web site having a URL associated with said company identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of;

parsing an item identifier from said data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said web site is also associated with said item identifier.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of;

accessing a link on said web site associated with said item identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of;

displaying data associated with said web site.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of;

processing a transaction associated with said web site.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said portable data carrier comprises a bar code symbol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said bar code symbol is a UPC symbol.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said bar code symbol is a UCC/EAN 128 symbol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said portable data carrier comprises an RF tag.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said URL comprises said company identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said company identifier comprises a company prefix.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said symbol comprises a UPC/EAN bar code symbol.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said symbol comprises a 2D symbol.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said data comprises a UCC company identifier and a UCC item identifier.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said URL comprises a UCC company identifier and a UCC item identifier.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said URL comprises www.“

company identifier”

.com/“

item identifier”

, and

wherein said “

company identifier”

comprises a number assigned by the uniform code council and said “

item identifier”

comprises a number assigned by a manufacturer.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising thc steps of;

calling a web browser, and

entering at least a portion of said data in the URL line of said browser.

13. A method of accessing data comprising the steps of;

scanning a symbol containing data,

calling a URL, and

displaying information associated with said URL,

wherein at least a portion of said URL comprises at least a portion of said data.

20. A method for finding information related to a portable data carrier, comprising the steps of;

reading data from a portable data carrier,

prepending a first character sequence to said data, and

attempting to access a web site having a URL comprising said prepended character sequence and said data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of;

prepending a second character sequence to said data, and

attempting to access a web site having a URL comprising said prepended second character sequence and said data.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of;

appending a first domain to said data, and

attempting to access a web site having a URL comprising said prepended character sequence, said data, and said first domain.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the steps of;

appending a second domain to said data, and

attempting to access a web site having a URL comprising said prepended character sequence, said data, and said second domain.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said first character sequence and said first domain are automatically selected from among a plurality of character sequences and domains held in computer memory.

27. The device for accessing product information of claim 26, wherein said portable data carrier reader comprises a bar code reader.

25. A method for processing a query, comprising the steps of;

receiving a query,

parsing a manufacturer'"'"'s code from said query,

looking up a manufacturer'"'"'s URL associated with said manufacturer'"'"'s code in a database of URLs, and

redirecting said query to said manufacturer'"'"'s URL.

26. A device for accessing product information, comprising;

a portable data carrier reader,

a microprocessor electrically connected to said portable data carrier reader,

a memory electrically connected to said microprocessor, and

an interface electrically connected to said microprocessor;

wherein said memory contains a plurality of computer readable character sequences for prepending, and

computer readable instructions for sequentially prepending said plurality of character sequences to data received through said portable data carrier reader and attempting to connect to URLs corresponding to said character sequences through said interface.

28. A business method, comprising the step of;

registering a URL comprising a UPC company prefix and a domain.

29. The business method of claim 28;

wherein said URL further comprises a UPC product identifier.

30. The business method of claim 28;

further comprising putting up a web site corresponding to said URL, and

receiving product information inquiries from devices equipped to read the UPC symbols containing said company prefix.