XML-based barcode scanner

• US 20030197062A1
• Filed: 05/02/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Shaw, Elizabeth C.
• Granted Patent: US 6,772,947 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method and system for scanning bar code data that can be published in near real time on Internet or intranet sites. The format is preferably XML-based, so the data is ready for e-commerce applications without further manipulation or conversion. The data can also be translated to more traditional bar code formats for backward compatibility with established barcode scanning practices.

Claims

1. A method for tracking a vehicle inventory, the method comprising:

providing each vehicle with a two-dimensional markup language-tagged bar code, the bar code including vehicle information;

scanning the bar code to generate bar code data;

preparing a markup language document using the bar code data; and

creating an XML schema to guide collecting of element data and attribute data for use in the markup language document.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising converting the bar code into an XML document.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising including element data and attribute data in the document.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a document type definition program to restrict collecting of element data and attribute data to collecting valid element data and valid attribute data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising importing a document type definition program to guide collecting element data and attribute data.

6. A system for tracking a vehicle inventory, the system comprising:

means for providing each vehicle with a two-dimensional markup language-tagged bar code, the bar code including vehicle information;

means for scanning the bar code to generate bar code data;

means for preparing a markup language document using the bar code data; and

means for creating an XML schema to guide collecting of element data and attribute data for use in the markup language document.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising means for converting the bar code into an XML document.

8. The system of claim 6 further comprising means for including element data and attribute data in the document.

9. The system of claim 6 further comprising means for creating a document type definition program to restrict collecting of element data and attribute data to collecting valid element data and valid attribute data.

10. The system of claim 6 further comprising means for importing a document type definition program to guide collecting element data and attribute data.