Method and System for Automatically Connecting Real-World Entities Directly to Corresponding Network-Based Data Sources or Services

• US 20080021953A1
• Filed: 08/23/2001
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Galit Hadari
• Original Assignee: Galit Hadari
• Inventors: Gil, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US10/593,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20080021953A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

A system and method for enabling the use of real-world objects (16), data segments or information segments as direct links to network based information, knowledge, services and data sources. The system comprises a communications device (10) with an input mechanism for capturing data from a real world object (16), connecting the device (10) to a network server (12) in order to search for a related online source for the object, transferring the information to the device (10), or providing the service to the device or the user. Alternatively, the present invention enables connecting the real world object (16) data to an online link, or initiate a predefined action, either automatically or manually.

Claims

1. A system for automatically connecting real world entities to corresponding network based information sources, comprising:

i. at least one network enabled device for capturing real world object data and communicating with a network;

ii. client software for said device, for enabling interaction with said object data;

iii. a network server system to process requests from said device and other network-based elements; and

iv. at least one information source for providing data responses to requests from said network server system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said device further comprises:

a. data-acquisition mechanism for capturing real world object data;

b. a communications mechanism for enabling transfer between said device and a network; and

c. a man-machine interface for enabling user interaction with said data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said data-acquisition mechanism includes a sensor mechanism selected from the group consisting of a microphone, scanner, smeller mechanism, taster mechanism, feeler mechanism, antenna, IR sensor, geophone, radiation meter, movement meter, acceleration meter, wind meter, thermometer and humidity sensor.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said communications mechanism is selected from the group consisting of wireless and wireline communications mechanisms.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said client software includes a computational mechanism for processing said data.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a local information source, for providing information for said computational mechanism.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said network server system is a dedicated server for providing responses to client requests.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said information source comprises at least one kind of data selected from the group consisting of audio, textual, olfactory, taste, touch, radiation, movement and time-change data.

9. A method for automatically connecting real world elements to network based information sources relating to the elements, comprising:

i. capturing data from a real world element, by a network-enabled device with a data input mechanism;

ii. connecting said device to a server, for matching said real world element to a corresponding information source on a network; and

iii. delivering data from said information source to said device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein step i. further comprises processing said data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said step iii. includes interacting with said information source from said device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising automatic initiation of at least one pre-configured action.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said information source is selected from the group consisting of a Web site, intranet site, extranet site, database, search engine, dedicated server and service center.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said information source provides data selected from the group consisting of textual, visual, multimedia, olfactory, touchable, audio data, electromagnetic radiation, ultrasound, vibrations, undersound, radiation, and time-change data.

15. A method for automatically connecting real world element data to network-based data source, comprising:

i. capturing a real world object, by a client device;

ii. sending said object data to a server, in the form of a request;

iii. querying a relevant database for corresponding information for said request; and

iv. sending requested data to said device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein step i. further comprises processes said data by said device, before sending to said server, such that said real world object data is pre-filtered before executing said querying of a database.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said processing uses a mechanism selected from the group consisting of pattern matching, minimizing, reducing resolution and data-fusion.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said step iii. further comprises linking to an external information source to search for information relevant to said request.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising automatically initiating an action in said client device.