Bar code reader for accessing plural servers and bar code based method for accessing plural servers

• US 20020185537A1
• Filed: 05/02/2002
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Media Portal Japan Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Media Portal Japan Company Limited
• Inventors: Konda, Kazuhiko
• Application Number:
  US10/136,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20020185537A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation

Abstract

A single bar code is allocated to a plurality of servers according to given conditions by matching a single bar code with a plurality of URLs. The bar code reader of the present invention comprises a bar code reading portion for reading a bar code; a storage portion for pre-storing the relation between an identifier and a server URL; an analyzing portion for extracting an identifier from a bar code that is read and for obtaining the corresponding URL by searching the above-mentioned storage portion on the basis of the above-mentioned identifier; and a communications portion for transmitting the above-mentioned URL and the above-mentioned bar code data.

Claims

1. A bar code reader, comprising:

a bar code reading portion for reading a bar code;

a storage portion for pre-storing the relation between an identifier and a server URL;

an analyzing portion for extracting an identifier from a read bar code and for obtaining a corresponding URL by searching said storage portion on the basis of said identifier; and

a communications portion for transmitting at least said URL.

2. The bar code reader according to claim 1, wherein said analyzing portion outputs information signifying non-employment of a server to said communications portion when a corresponding URL is not present.

3. The bar code reader according to claim 1, wherein said storage portion comprises a memory that is capable of being rewritten, and said communications portion receives a data input that relates to said relation, and writes this data to said memory.

4. The bar code reader according to claim 3, wherein said communications portion sends out a request for said relation to be updated at at least one time selected from among:

a time when initial settings are made, every time a predetermined interval has elapsed, every time a predetermined number of read processings have been performed, and after a specific server has been accessed.

5. A bar code reader, comprising;

a bar code reading portion for reading a bar code;

a storage portion for pre-storing the relation between a connecting party and a server URL, and for storing information on the connecting party;

an analyzing portion for obtaining a corresponding URL by searching said storage portion on the basis of said information on the connecting party; and

a communications portion for transmitting at least said URL and, during connection with said connecting party, for obtaining said connecting party information and storing same in said storage portion.

6. The bar code reader according to claim 5, wherein said analyzing portion outputs information signifying non-employment of a server to said communications portion when a corresponding URL is not present.

7. The bar code reader according to claim 5, wherein said storage portion comprises a memory that is capable of being rewritten, and said communications portion receives a data input that relates to said relation, and writes this data to said memory.

8. The bar code reader according to claim 7, wherein said communications portion sends out a request for said relation to be updated at at least one time selected from among:

a time when initial settings are made, every time a predetermined interval has elapsed, every time a predetermined number of read processings have been performed, and after a specific server has been accessed.

9. The bar code reader according to claim 5, wherein said relation between said connecting party and server URL includes the relation between a mobile telephone and server URL and the relation between a mobile telephone and a URL for a telecommunications carrier server;

and, when said connecting party is a mobile telephone, when a bar code is initially read, said server URL is obtained, and thereafter a URL for said telecommunications carrier server is obtained.

10. A bar code reader, comprising:

a bar code reading portion for reading a bar code;

a storage portion for pre-storing the relation between an identifier and a server URL and for storing said identifier;

an analyzing portion for obtaining a corresponding URL by searching said storage portion on the basis of said identifier; and

a communications portion for transmitting at least said URL.

11. The bar code reader according to claim 10, wherein said analyzing portion outputs information signifying non-employment of a server to said communications portion when a corresponding URL is not present.

12. The bar code reader according to claim 10, wherein said storage portion comprises a memory that is capable of being rewritten, and said communications portion receives said identifier as an input and writes this identifier to said memory, and sends out a request for said identifier to be updated at at least one time selected from among:

a time when initial settings are made, every time a predetermined interval has elapsed, every time a predetermined number of read processings have been performed, and after a specific server has been accessed.

14. The bar code reader according to claim 13, wherein said analyzing portion outputs information signifying non-employment of a server to said communications portion when a corresponding URL is not present.

15. The bar code reader according to claim 13, wherein said storage portion comprises a memory that is capable of being rewritten, and said communications portion receives a data input that relates to said relation, and writes this data to said memory.

16. The bar code reader according to claim 15, wherein said communications portion sends out a request for said relation to be updated at at least one time selected from among:

a time when initial settings are made, every time a predetermined interval has elapsed, every time a predetermined number of read processings have been performed, and after a specific server has been accessed.

18. The bar code reader according to claim 17, wherein, when new data cannot be stored, said favorites memory ensures that there is a storage location for new data by removing at least a portion of data from the favorites memory and sending same to said communications portion;

when an instruction to read out favorites data is received, the favorites memory reads out corresponding data and outputs same; and

, when no favorites data is specified, requests data from said communications portion; and

wherein

said communications portion sends an output, in order that data received from said favorites memory is stored on a server, and receives favorites data from said server by outputting a request received from said memory to said server.

20. The method of accessing a plurality of servers on the basis of a bar code according to claim 19, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a request to update said table;

searching for an updated table;

transmitting a new table, which has been searched for; and

updating said table through reception of the new table.

21. The method of accessing a plurality of servers on the basis of a bar code according to claim 19, wherein said step of accessing a server on the basis of said URL comprises the steps of:

receiving data of a read bar code;

generating a URL conversion request by combining said URL and said bar code data;

sending said URL conversion request;

receiving a converted URL; and

accessing a server on the basis of said converted URL.

13. A bar code reader, comprising:

a bar code reading portion for reading a bar code;

a switch for specifying an identifier;

a storage portion for pre-storing the relation between said identifier and server URL;

an analyzing portion for obtaining a corresponding URL by searching said storage portion on the basis of the identifier specified by said switch; and

a communications portion for transmitting at least said URL.

17. A bar code reader, comprising:

a bar code reading portion for reading a bar code;

a favorites memory for storing specified bar code data as a new favorite, and a communications portion for transmitting said bar code data.

19. A method of accessing a plurality of servers on the basis of a bar code, comprising the steps of:

storing a table that indicates the relation between identifiers and server URLs;

reading a bar code;

extracting an identifier from the read bar code;

obtaining a corresponding URL by searching said table on the basis of said identifier; and

accessing a server on the basis of said URL.