Method and apparatus for accessing electronic data via a familiar printed medium

• US 20050173537A1
• Filed: 11/01/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marshall Feature Recognition LLC
• Original Assignee: Marshall Feature Recognition LLC
• Inventors: Rathus, Spencer A., Fichner-Rathus, Lois, Nevid, Jeffrey S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,690,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.150
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 3/123 incorporating sound producing or light emitting means or carrying sound records
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon

Abstract

The disclosed methods and apparatus relate generally to the electronics media industry, such as cable television (CATV), home shopping services, on-line computer services and computer memory applications. These methods and apparatus allow a user to access and make use of electronic media input and output devices by reference to and/or utilization of standard printed matter, such as magazines, textbooks, or any other printed matter that can be correlated to electronic media.

Claims

1-167. -167. (canceled)

168. A system for displaying programming material to a user, the system comprising:

a printed matter issued by a financial institution having at least one machine recognizable feature;

a feature recognition unit having associated therewith a means for recognizing said feature and a means for transmitting a coded signal in response to the recognition of said feature;

an intelligent controller having associated therewith a means for accessing said programming material in response to receiving said coded signal; and

a display unit for presenting said programming material.

169. A system according to claim 168 wherein said at least one machine recognizable feature has associated therewith a data link which is recognized by said feature recognition unit.

170. A system according to claim 169 wherein said data link is selected from the group consisting of an image data link, a video data link, an audio data link, a programming data link, an online data link, a pictorial data link, an electronic data link, and an electronic media link.

171. A system according to claim 169 wherein said data link comprises an “

information superhighway”

data link.

172. A system according to claim 171 wherein said “

information superhighway”

data link is selected from the group consisting of the Internet, a computer network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wireless network, an Ethernet network, a Radio Frequency cellular network, an Integrated Services Digital Network, a telephone line, and a cable television line.

173. A system according to claim 168 wherein said at least one machine recognizable feature is selected from the group consisting of a printed matter, a code, a bar code, a magnetic stripe, an audible audio emitting device, a biometric sample, a watermark, a transmitter, a radio frequency identification device tag, an infrared tag, and a quantum dot.

174. A system according to claim 168 wherein said recognition unit comprises part of an automatic teller machine.

175. A system according to claim 168 wherein said recognition unit is selected from the group consisting of a scanner, a camera, a bar code scanner, a code reader, a magnetic stripe reader, an audio recognition device, a biometric reading device, a watermark reader, a receiver, a radio frequency identification device reader, an infrared reader, and a quantum dot reader.

176. A system according to claim 175 wherein said recognition unit is linked to a personal computer.

177. A system according to claim 175 wherein said recognition unit is linked to a wireless interface.

178. A system according to claim 177 wherein said wireless interface is at least one selected from the group consisting of a cellular telephone, a pager, a wireless personal computer, a personal digital assistant, an Internet accessing device, and a television receiver.

179. A system according to claim 168 wherein said display unit comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital planner, an Internet accessing device, a wireless communication device, an intelligent terminal, a cellular telephone, an Internet enabled telephone, a television, a pager, and a simulated book.

180. A system according to claim 168 wherein said display unit comprises a device containing a microprocessor.

181. A system according to claim 180 wherein said device containing a microprocessor is hand-held.

182. A system according to claim 180 wherein said device containing a microprocessor is portable.

183. A system according to claim 168 wherein said printed matter is issued by at least one selected from the group consisting of a bank, a savings institution, a loan instituting, and a brokerage firm.

184. A system as defined in claim 168 wherein said printed matter comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a bank card, an automatic teller machine card, a credit card, a debit card, and an identification card.

185. A system as defined in claim 168 wherein said programming material comprises information.

186. A system as defined in claim 185 wherein said information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of an individual information, an account information, a “

background check”

information, a criminal record, an immigration record, and a medical record of an individual identified by said printed matter.

187. A method of providing a user access to programming material, the method comprising the steps of:

printing a machine recognizable feature on a printed matter issued by a financial institution;

scanning said machine recognizable feature of said printed matter issued by a financial institution; and

transmitting data associated with said machine recognizable feature via a communication link to access said programming material, wherein said programming material is related to said printed matter issued by a financial institution.

188. The method of claim 187 wherein said communication link includes the Internet.

190. A method of providing a user access to programming material associated with a printed matter issued by a financial institution, the method comprising the steps of:

printing a machine recognizable feature on said printed matter issued by a financial institution wherein said machine recognizable feature has associated therewith a command sequence for accessing programming material;

scanning said machine recognizable feature within said printed matter issued by a financial institution and downloading data indicative of said machine recognizable feature via the Internet to a remote server;

accessing programming material from said remote server; and

transmitting said programming material to said user allowing said user to perceive said programming material in a humanly perceivable form, wherein said programming material is related to said printed matter issued by a financial institution.

189. The method of claim 191 wherein said at least one machine recognizable feature is selected from the group consisting of a printed matter, a code, a bar code, a magnetic stripe, an audible audio emitting device, a biometric sample, a watermark, a transmitter, a radio frequency identification device tag, an infrared tag, and a quantum dot.

191. The method of claim 190 wherein said programming material comprises multimedia.

192. The method of claim 190 wherein said at least one machine recognizable feature is selected from the group consisting of a printed matter, a code, a bar code, a magnetic stripe, an audible audio emitting device, a biometric sample, a watermark, a transmitter, a radio frequency identification device tag, an infrared tag, and a quantum dot.