Method of and system for enabling a viewer to access and display HTML-encoded documents located on the world-wide web(WWW) by reading network address-encoded bar code symbols

• US 20030034399A1
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilz, David M. Sr., Knowles, Carl Harry
• Granted Patent: US 6,827,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03

Abstract

An novel system and method of accessing information resources located on the Internet, and for composing and printing lists and menus of URL-encoded bar code symbols representing Web-sites. The Internet Access System of the illustrative embodiments include a bar code symbol reader programmed to read URL-encoded bar code symbols printed on various types of objects, including print media which, when read thereby, automatically connects the associated Client Computer System to the Internet Server hosting the information resource specified by the scanned URL-encoded bar code symbol. The bar-code driven Internet Access System of the present invention can be used to facilitate diverse types of operations including Internet surfing, package delivery, document tracking, information access, and the like.

Claims

1. An Internet Access System, which comprises:

a programmed bar code symbol reader for reading one or more URL-encoded bar code symbols printed on various types of media; and

an Internet terminal operably connectable to said bar code symbol reader, and the Internet by way of an Internet Service Provider (ISP);

whereby, when said bar code symbol reader reads each said URL-encoded bar code symbol, said Internet Access System is automatically connected to an Internet Server which is connected to the Internet and supports an information resource having an Internet address specified by said read URL-encoded bar code symbol.

2. The Internet Access System of claim 1, wherein the bar code symbol reader may be a laser scanning bar code symbol reader, a CCD bar code symbol, or a Wand-type bar code symbol reader.

3. The Internet Access System of claim 1, wherein said URL-encoded bar code symbol is a truncated-type encoded symbol, having a very low height to length ratio.

4. The Internet Access System of claim 3, wherein said one or more URL-encoded PostNet symbols are printed on a single sheet or page of an Internet information resource guide, along with their corresponding human-readable URLs and content descriptions of said information resources.

5. The Internet Access System of claim 1, wherein said Internet terminal comprises:

a computer system having a GUI-based web browser program; and

said programmed bar code symbol scanner is interfaced with said computer system for automatically accessing Internet-based information resources listed in a information resource guide by simply scanning corresponding URL-encoded bar code symbols printed on the pages thereof.

6. The Internet Access System of claim 1, wherein said Internet terminal comprises an interactive Web-based television system having an audio-visual display monitor for displaying graphical and audio information content of Internet-based information resources, and a portable Internet surfing device having said bar code symbol reader integrated therewith.

7. The Internet Access System of claim 1, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a Scanner Integrated Terminal having an integrated GUI-based web browser program, display panel, keypad, and said programmed bar code symbol reader.

15. The Internet Access System of claim 1, wherein said bar code symbol reader has a scan field, and said system further comprises an optically transparent scanning plate extending from said bar code symbol reader and disposed within said scanfield, for aligning said URL-encoded bar code symbol with said scan field.

16. The Internet Access System of claim 15, wherein said bar code symbol reader is an automatic laser scanning bar code symbol reader having an object detection field spatially coincident with at least a portion of said scan field.

17. The Internet Access System of claim 15, wherein each said URL-encoded bar code symbol is a truncated bar code symbol.

8. An Internet Access System, which comprises:

a programmed optical character reader for reading one or more URLs printed on various types of media; and

an Internet terminal operably connectable to said programmed optical character reader, and the Internet by way of an Internet Service Provider (ISP);

whereby, when said programmed optical character reader reads each said URL, said Internet Access System is automatically connected to an Internet Server which is connected to the Internet and supports a Web-site having a World Wide Web (WWW) address specified by said read URL.

9. The Internet Access System of claim 8, wherein the programmed optical character reader may be a laser scanning optical character.

10. The Internet Access System of claim 8, wherein said one or more URLs are printed on a single sheet or page of a Website guide, along with their corresponding human-readable URLs and Web-site content descriptions.

11. The Internet Access System of claim 8, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a computer system having a GUI-based web browser program;

and said programmed optical character reader is interfaced with said computer system for automatically surfing to Web-sites listed in a Web-site guide by simply reading corresponding URLs printed on the pages thereof.

12. The Internet Access System of claim 8, wherein said Internet terminal comprises an interactive Web-based television system having an audio-visual display monitor for displaying graphical and audio information content of Web-sites, and a portable Internet surfing device having said Internet reader integrated therewith.

13. The Internet Access System of claim 8, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a Scanner Integrated Terminal having an integrated GUI-based web browser program, display panel, keypad, and said programmed optical character reader.

14. A Web-site guide comprising:

one or more sheets with a plurality of URL-encoded bar code symbols printed thereon.

18. A system for composing lists of URL-encoded bar code symbols for printing on various types of print media, comprising:

an Internet terminal operably connectable to Internet by way of an Internet Service Provider (ISP); and

menu composition means for composing a menu of bar code symbols, each being encoded with the URL of an Internet-based information resource having an Internet address specified by said URL-encoded bar code symbol.

19. The system of claim 18, which comprises a programmed Internet-linked computer system having a graphical user interface (GUI) and an Internet browser program,

wherein said menu composition means comprises a plug-in module to said Internet browser program.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said Internet browser program and said plug-in module allows a user of said system to compile during operation of the Internet browser program, an information structure including a list of human-readable URLs corresponding to a set or course of information serving Web-sites, a set of URL-encoded bar code symbol data structures corresponding thereto, a set of titles assigned to the URLS, a set of brief descriptions of content served at the Web-sites, and date or dates the set of Web-sites were last visited by the compiler, for subsequent printing in the form of a menu.

21. An Internet Access System, which comprises:

a programmed bar code symbol reader for reading one or more URL-encoded bar code symbols printed on various types of media; and

an Internet terminal operably connectable to said bar code symbol reader, and the Internet by way of an Internet Service Provider (ISP);

whereby, when said bar code symbol reader reads each said URL-encoded bar code symbol, said Internet Access System is automatically connected to an Internet Server which is connected to the Internet and supports Web-site having a World Wide Web (WWW) address specified by said read URL-encoded bar code symbol.

22. The Internet Access System of claim 21, wherein the bar code symbol reader may be a laser scanning bar code symbol reader, a CCD bar code symbol, or a Wand-type bar code symbol reader.

23. The Internet Access System of claim 21, wherein said URL-encoded bar code symbol is a truncated-type encoded symbol, having a very low height to length ratio.

24. The Internet Access System of claim 23, wherein said one or more URL-encoded PostNet symbols are printed on a single sheet or page of a Web-site guide, along with their corresponding human-readable URLs and Web-site content descriptions.

25. The Internet Access System of claim 21, wherein said Internet terminal comprises:

a computer system having a GUI-based web browser program; and

said programmed bar code symbol scanner is interfaced with said computer system for automatically surfing to Web-sites listed in a Web-site guide by simply scanning corresponding URL-encoded bar code symbols printed on the pages thereof.

26. The Internet Access System of claim 21, wherein said Internet terminal comprises an interactive Web-based television system having an audio-visual display monitor for displaying graphical and audio information content of Web-sites, and a portable Internet surfing device having said bar code symbol reader integrated therewith.

27. An Internet Access System of claim 21, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a Scanner Integrated Terminal having an integrated GUI-based web browser program, display panel, keypad, and said programmed bar code symbol reader.

28. An Internet Access System, which comprises:

a programmed optical character reader for reading one or more URLs printed on various types of media; and

an Internet terminal operably connectable to said programmed optical character reader, and the Internet by way of an Internet Service Provider (ISP);

whereby, when said programmed optical character reader reads each said URL, said Internet Access System is automatically connected to an Internet Server which is connected to the Internet and supports a Web-site having a World Wide Web (WWW) address specified by said read URL.

29. The Internet Access System of claim 28, wherein the programmed optical character reader may be a laser scanning optical character reader.

30. The Internet Access System of claim 28, wherein said one or more URLs are printed on a single sheet or page of a Website guide, along with their corresponding human-readable URLs and Web-site content descriptions.

31. The Internet Access System of claim 28, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a computer system having a GUI-based web browser program;

and said programmed optical character reader is interfaced with said computer system for automatically surfing to Web-sites listed in a Web-site guide by simply reading corresponding URLs printed on the pages thereof.

32. The Internet Access System of claim 28, wherein said Internet terminal comprises an interactive Web-based television system having an audio-visual display monitor for displaying graphical and audio information content of Web-sites, and a portable Internet surfing device having said Internet reader integrated therewith.

34. A programmed bar code symbol reader for use in accessing information resources on the Internet, wherein each said information resource has a Internet address specified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), said programmed bar code symbol reader comprises:

an optical scanning means for optically scanning a URL-encoded bar code symbol printed on an object, and producing scan data representative of the URL encoded in said scanned URL-encoded bar code symbol;

scan data processing means for processing produced scan data and producing URL character data representation of said encoded URL; and

data transmission means for transmitting said URL character data to an Internet terminal operably connectable to the infrastructure of the Internet, and accessing said information resource specified by said URL-encoded bar code symbol optically scanned by said optical scanning means.

33. An Internet Access System of claim 38, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a Integrated Scanner Terminal having an integrated GUI-based web browser program, display panel, keypad, and said programmed optical character reader.

35. The programmed bar code symbol reader of claim 34, wherein said optical scanning means comprises a laser scanner or a CCD Scanner.

36. The programmed bar code symbol reader of claim 34, wherein scan data processing means further comprises:

means for automatically generating command codes for controlling the operation of said Internet terminal; and

means for automatically synthesizing said command codes and said URL character data to form a data string for transmission to said Internet terminal byway of said data transmission means.

37. The programmed bar code symbol reader of claim 34, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a computer system having an Internet browser program.

38. The programmed bar code symbol reader of claim 34, wherein said data transmission means comprises a cordless RF-based communication link to a base unit operably connectable to said Internet terminal.

39. The programmed bar code symbol reader of claim 34, wherein said scan data processing means further comprises:

means for automatically generating an Internet protocol identifier code for synthesis with said command codes and said URL character data.