System and method for identifying an object

• US 20040164148A1
• Filed: 01/09/2004
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GL Agilitytech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GL Agilitytech Incorporated
• Inventors: Qiu, Guanghua
• Application Number:
  US10/754,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20040164148A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An object identification system and method that eliminates accessing a lookup data base, such as a reference service provider or an object naming service provider, to learn the address of the appropriate information service provider that has the information pertinent to the object that is of interest to the user. By including in the code with which an object is marked the address of that information service provider where the information pertinent to the object is stored, that information service provider can be accessed directly by the user to extract the information pertinent to the object without the need to learn the address of the appropriate information service provider via, for example, a reference service provider or an object naming service provider.

Claims

1. An object identification method comprising the steps of:

storing at a first location having an address (a) information identifying an object, and (b) other information pertinent to the object;

marking the object with a code that includes (a) the address of the first location, and (b) the information identifying the object;

placing the object at a second location;

extracting the code from the object while the object is at the second location;

transmitting the code from the second location to the first location;

accessing at the first location and retrieving from the first location, in response to the code transmitted from the second location, the other information pertinent to the object;

transmitting from the first location the other information pertinent to the object accessed at the first location and retrieved from the first location; and

receiving at the second location the other information pertinent to the object accessed at the first location and retrieved from the first location.

2. An object identification method according to claim 1 wherein the code marked on the object is a finite alphabetic number.

3. An object identification method according to claim 2 wherein the code of the address of the first location is in a first code group and the code of the information identifying the object is in a second code group that is separate and distinct from the first group.

4. An object identification method according to claim 2 wherein the code of the address of the first location is shuffled with the code of the information identifying the object.

5. An object identification method according to claim 2 wherein the portion of the code corresponding to the information identifying the object is UPC.

6. An object identification method according to claim 2 wherein the portion of the code corresponding to the information identifying the object is EPC.

7. A method for accessing and retrieving information stored at a first location pertinent to an object that is at a second location and has been marked with a code that includes (a) an address of the first location, and (b) information identifying the object, the method comprising the steps of:

extracting the code from the object while the object is at the second location;

transmitting the code from the second location to the first location (a) to access at the first location and retrieve from the first location, in response to the code transmitted from the second location, the information pertinent to the object, and (b) transmit from the first location the information pertinent to the object accessed at the first location and retrieved from the first location; and

receiving at the second location the information pertinent to the object accessed at the first location and retrieved from the first location.

8. A method for accessing and retrieving information according to claim 7 wherein the code marked on the object is a finite alphabetic number.

9. An object identification method according to claim 8 wherein the code of the address of the first location is in a first code group and the code of the information identifying the object is in a second code group that is separate and distinct from the first group.

10. An object identification method according to claim 8 wherein the code of the address of the first location is shuffled with the code of the information identifying the object.

11. An object identification method according to claim 8 wherein the portion of the code corresponding to the information identifying the object is UPC.

12. An object identification method according to claim 8 wherein the portion of the code corresponding to the information identifying the object is EPC.

13. A method for enabling accessing and retrieving information stored at a first location pertinent to an object from a second location, the method comprising the steps of:

storing at the first location information (a) identifying an object, and (b) other information pertinent to the object;

marking the object with a code that includes (a) an address of the first location, and (b) the information identifying the object; and

placing the object at the second location.

14. A method for enabling accessing and retrieving information according to claim 13 wherein the code marked on the object is a finite alphabetic number.

15. A method for enabling accessing and retrieving information according to claim 14 wherein the code of the address of the first location is in a first code group and the code of the information identifying the object is in a second code group that is separate and distinct from the first group.

17. A method for enabling accessing and retrieving information according to claim 14 wherein the portion of the code corresponding to the information identifying the object is UPC.

18. A method for enabling accessing and retrieving information according to claim 14 wherein the portion of the code corresponding to the information identifying the object is EPC.

19. An object identification system comprising:

means for storing at a first location having an address (a) information identifying an object, and (b) other information pertinent to the object;

a tag attached to an object at a second location and marked with a code that includes (a) the address of the first location, and (b) the information identifying the object;

means for extracting the code from said tag;

means for transmitting the code extracted from said tag from the second location to the first location;

means for accessing at the first location and retrieving from the first location, in response to the code transmitted from the second location, the other information pertinent to the object;

means for transmitting from the first location the other information pertinent to the object accessed at the first location and retrieved from the first location; and

means for receiving at the second location the other information pertinent to the object accessed at the first location and retrieved from the first location.

20. An object identification system according to claim 19 wherein said tag is a bar code tag.

21. An object identification system according to claim 19 wherein said tag is an RFID transponder.

22. A system for enabling access and retrieval of information stored at a first location pertinent to an object from a second location, the system comprising:

means for storing at the first location information (a) identifying an object, and (b) other information pertinent to the object; and

a tag attached to the object at the second location and marked with a code that includes (a) the address of the first location, and (b) the information identifying the object.

23. A system for enabling access and retrieval of information according to claim 22 wherein said tag is a bar code tag.

24. A system for enabling access and retrieval of information according to claim 22 wherein said tag is an RFID transponder.

25. A code with which an object is marked and by which:

(a) the object, and

(b) the address of an information service provider, remote from the object and containing pertinent information about the object is stored, are identified, said code comprising;

a first code group containing an identification of the address of the information service provider; and

a second code group containing an identification of the object.

26. A code according to claim 25 wherein the first code group is separate and distinct from the second code group.

27. A code according to claim 25 wherein the first code group is shuffled with the second code group.

28. A code according to claim 25 wherein the second code group is UPC.

29. A code according to claim 25 wherein the second code group is EPC.

30. A code according to claim 25 further including a third code group containing information relating to the formats and organizations of the first code group and the second code group.

31. A code according to claim 30 further including a fourth code group containing selected information about the object.

32. A code according to claim 25 wherein the first code group is a network card identification number.

33. A code according to claim 25 wherein the first code group is a computer host name.

34. A code according to claim 25 wherein the first code group is a digital Internet Protocol address.

35. A code according to claim 25 wherein the first code group is a symbolic Internet Protocol address.