Automatic access of Internet content with a camera-enabled cell phone

• US 20060155874A1
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NM, LLC
• Original Assignee: NeoMedia Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Hunter, Kevin D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,430,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A camera-enabled cell phone that is adapted to image a machine readable code such as a bar code, decode the bar code, send the bar code data over the Internet to a resolution server that will return an associated URL that will ink the camera phone to content on an information server. Thus, by taking a picture of a bar code symbol, the camera phone will automatically retrieve content from the Internet that has been linked to that bar code via the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for accessing content from an information server computer on a computer network comprising the steps of:

a. capturing an image of a machine-readable code with a portable wireless device;

b. processing, on the portable wireless device, the captured image to decode the machine-readable code into a file identifier;

c. forming, on the portable wireless device, a resource location request comprising the file identifier;

d. transmitting, from the portable wireless device via an associated wireless communications network, the resource location request to a resolution server computer on the computer network that is interoperable with the wireless communications network;

e. determining, at the resolution server computer, resource location identifier associated with the resource location request;

f. returning the resource location identifier to the portable wireless device;

g. the portable wireless device transmitting a resource request to an information server computer designated by the resource location identifier;

h. the information server computer receiving the resource request and returning content to the portable wireless device associated with the resource request.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the machine-readable code is a bar code symbol.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the bar code symbol is associated with an object.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the content returned to the portable wireless device is associated with the object.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the bar code symbol is a UPC code.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the computer network is a global computer network, and in which the portable wireless device communicates over a cellular network with the global computer network.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the resource location request additionally comprises a device identifier.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the resource location identifier is determined as a function of the device identifier.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the step of determining, at the resolution server computer, resource location identifier as a function of the resource location request comprises the steps of

i. extracting the file identifier from the resource location request;

and

ii. querying a database with the file identifier;

the database comprising a plurality of mappings of file identifiers to associated resource location identifiers.

10-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A system for accessing content from an information server computer on a computer network comprising:

A. a portable wireless device comprising;

a. a wireless transceiver;

b. an image capture module;

c. a display screen; and

d. processing circuitry adapted to;

i. cause the wireless transceiver to selectively communicate with a wireless network to transmit and receive wireless messages, and to communicate with server computers on a global computer network;

ii. capture, via the image capture module, an image of a machine-readable code;

iii. process the captured image to decode the machine-readable code into a file identifier;

iv. form a resource location request comprising the file identifier;

v. transmit, via the wireless transceiver, the resource location request to a resolution server computer on the global computer network;

B. a resolution server computer interconnected to the global computer network, the resolution server computer comprising processing circuitry adapted to

a. determine resource location identifier as a function of the resource location request received from the portable wireless device; and

b. return the resource location identifier to the portable wireless device;

wherein the processing circuitry of the portable wireless device is further adapted to transmit a resource request to an information server computer designated by the resource location identifier;

to receive content from the information server computer as a function of the resource request; and

to display the received content on the display screen.

15. The system of claim 14 in which the machine-readable code is a bar code symbol.

16. The system of claim 15 in which the bar code symbol is associated with an object.

17. The system of claim 15 in which the content returned to the portable wireless device is associated with the object.

18. The system of claim 17 in which the bar code symbol is a UPC code.

19. The system of claim 14 in which the resource location request additionally comprises a device identifier.

20. The system of claim 19 in which the resource location identifier is determined as a function of the device identifier.

21. The system of claim 14 in which the resolution server processing circuitry is adapted to determine a resource location identifier as a function of the resource location request received from the portable wireless device by

i. extracting the file identifier from the resource location request;

and

ii. querying a database with the file identifier;

the database comprising a plurality of mappings of file identifiers to associated resource location identifiers.

22. A portable wireless device for accessing content from an information server computer on a computer network comprising:

a. a wireless transceiver;

b. an image capture module;

c. a display screen; and

d. processing circuitry adapted to;

i. cause the wireless transceiver to selectively communicate with a wireless network to transmit and receive wireless messages, and to communicate with server computers on a global computer network;

ii. capture, via the image capture module, an image of a machine-readable code;

iii. process the captured image to decode the machine-readable code into a file identifier;

iv. form a resource location request comprising the file identifier;

v. transmit, via the wireless transceiver, the resource location request to a resolution server computer on the global computer network;

vi. receive from the resolution server a resource location identifier determined by the resolution server as a function of the resource request;

vii. transmit a resource request to an information server computer designated by the resource location identifier;

viii. receive content from the information server computer as a function of the resource request; and

ix. display the received content on the display screen.

23-30. -30. (canceled)