System and method for automatic access of a remote computer over a network
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for using identification codes found on ordinary articles of commerce to access remote computers on a network. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a computer is provided having a database that relates Uniform Product Code (“UPC”) numbers to Internet network addresses (or “URLs”). To access an Internet resource relating to a particular product, a user enters the product'"'"'s UPC symbol manually, by swiping a bar code reader over the UPC symbol, or via other suitable input means. The database retrieves the URL corresponding to the UPC code. This location information is then used to access the desired resource.
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Citations
76 Claims
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1-32. -32. (canceled)
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33. A method of connecting a plurality of computers over a computer network for data transfer amongst the computers, comprising the steps of:
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a) using a computer input device associated with a requesting computer of the plurality of computers to automatically machine-read a data carrier modulated with an index;
b) the requesting computer communicating with routing computers in the plurality of computers, said routing computers each having a table stored in memory, each table comprising a plurality of records, each of said records comprising at least part of an association of an index to a pointer which identifies an information computer on the network, by transmitting said machine-read index to at least one of said routing computers and receiving pointer information from said routing computers that correlates the machine-read index to a pointer which identifies an information computer on the network;
c) the requesting computer using the pointer information received from said routing computers to establish communication with the information computer identified thereby and request information from said information computer; and
d) the information computer transmitting information to the requesting computer based on the information request. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A networked computer system comprising a plurality of computers selectively interconnected to a computer network, said plurality of computers comprising:
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a. a requesting computer comprising a computer input device adapted to automatically machine-read a data carrier modulated with an index;
b. a plurality of routing computers, each of said routing computers comprising means for storing a table comprising a plurality of records, each of said records comprising at least part of an association of an index to a pointer which identifies an information computer on the network; and
c. an information computer comprising means for transmitting information to the requesting computer based on an information request by the requesting computer;
wherein the requesting computer transmits the machine-read index to at least one of the routing computers and receives pointer information from the routing computers that correlates the machine-read index to a pointer which identifies the information computer on the network, and uses the pointer to request information from an information computer identified thereby. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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Specification