Method and apparatus for retrieving remote data based on local indicia

• US 20070162350A1
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Paul Friedman
• Original Assignee: Paul Friedman
• Inventors: Friedman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/604,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20070162350A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method and apparatus for scanning an indicium local to a user on an advertisement or product. The scanning may be carried out by using a user device, such as a cellular phone or personal digital assistant (PDA), as an input device. The indicium may include an alphanumeric code encoded or embedded therein. The alphanumeric code may be sent over a communication network such as the Internet to a lookup server. The lookup server will correlate the alphanumeric code with a location identifier. The location identifier may be a universal resource locator (URL) indicating a specific webpage containing information and/or interactive tools related to the item bearing the indicium.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an input device comprising an indicium input mechanism adapted to receive indicium data of an indicium and to send an indicium lookup request over a communication network; and

a server adapted to be in electronic communication with the input device over the communication network, wherein the server is adapted to process the indicium lookup request and to return a location identifier for information corresponding to the indicium to the input device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a personal data assistant (PDA), a cellular phone or a computer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicium input mechanism comprises at least one of a scanner, a camera, an optical input device, a microphone, a keyboard or a keypad.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the scanner, the camera, the optical input device, a microphone, a keyboard or a keypad is an integral part of the input device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicium comprises at least one of a bar code, a 2-dimensional bar code or an RFID tag.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicium input mechanism comprises a webpage from the server, and wherein the input device includes a display area for displaying the webpage.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the location identifier comprises a universal resource locator (URL).

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the input device is adapted to display a webpage corresponding to the URL.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicium is on an advertisement or a product.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicium input mechanism comprises a client software adapted to receive the indicium data and to generate the indicium lookup request using the indicium data.

11. A method of accessing information corresponding to an indicium, the method comprising:

reading the indicium using an input device to obtain indicium data;

generating a lookup request using the indicium data;

sending the lookup request to a server;

receiving a location identifier for information corresponding to the indicium, from the server;

accessing the information corresponding to the indicium, using the location identifier; and

displaying the accessed information on the input device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the indicium comprises a one or two dimensional bar code, and wherein said reading the indicium comprises scanning or photographing the one or two dimensional bar code.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the indicium comprises an RFID tag, and wherein said reading the indicium comprises scanning the RFID tag.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the location identifier comprises a universal resource locator (URL) of a webpage.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said displaying the accessed information comprises displaying the webpage corresponding to the URL.

16. An indicium reading device comprising:

a scanning device adapted to input indicium data corresponding to an indicium;

a display device adapted to display information retrieved from a location associated with the indicium;

a communications device adapted to request the information using the indicium data; and

a processor adapted to execute a local application to generate a request to a server using the indicium data and to retrieve the information from the location associated with the indicium, for display on the display device.

17. The indicium reading device of claim 16, wherein the indicium comprises a one or two dimensional bar code, and the scanning device comprises a bar code reader or a camera.

18. The indicium reading device of claim 16, wherein the indicium comprises an RFID tag, and the scanning device comprises an RFID scanner.

19. The indicium reading device of claim 16, wherein the scanning device is an integral part of the indicium reading device.

20. The indicium reading device of claim 16, further comprising an audio input device for receiving voice data, and voice data processing software for obtaining the indicium data from the voice data.