METHOD OF ENABLING ONLINE PURCHASING USING ENCODED FORM

• US 20090057392A1
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/266,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20090057392A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42

Abstract

A method of enabling online purchasing via a printed form is provided in which the printed form is provided containing information relating to a purchasing transaction and a plurality of coded tags, where each tag encodes data on an identity of the form and the position of the tag on the form, and indicating data is received at a computer system which is generated by a pen sensing the data encoded by a tag on the form, where the indicating data is indicative of the identity of the form and a position of the pen relative to the form. This enables the computer system to identify at least one parameter relating to the purchasing transaction using the indicating data, and initiate the online purchasing using the at least one parameter identified.

Claims

1. A method of enabling online purchasing via a printed form, said method comprising the steps of:

providing the printed form containing information relating to a purchasing transaction and a plurality of coded tags, each tag encoding data on an identity of the form and the position of the tag on the form; and

receiving, at a computer system, indicating data generated by a pen sensing the data encoded by a tag on the form, said indicating data being indicative of the identity of the form and a position of the pen relative to the form, thereby enabling the computer system to;

identify at least one parameter relating to the purchasing transaction using the indicating data; and

initiate the online purchasing using the at least one parameter identified.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein any 10 millimeter diameter area of each tag encoding data on the identity of the form includes sufficient information to identify the form.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein any 10 millimeter diameter area of each tag encoding data on the position of that tag on the form includes sufficient information to identify that position.

4. A method according to claim 1 in which said at least one parameter relating to the purchasing transaction is associated with at least one zone of the form and in which the method includes identifying, in the computer system and from the zone relative to which the nib is located, said at least one parameter.

5. A method according to claim 4 which includes:

receiving, in the computer system, data regarding movement of the pen relative to the form, the pen sensing its movement relative to the form using at least some of the coded data; and

identifying, in the computer system and from said movement being at least partially within said at least one zone, said at least one parameter of the purchasing transaction.

6. A method according to claim 4 in which the parameter is an action parameter of the purchasing transaction, the method including effecting, in the computer system, an operation in respect of the action parameter.

7. A method according to claim 6 in which the action parameter of the purchasing transaction is selected from the group comprising:

requesting information relating to an item to be purchased, selecting an item to purchase, selecting the quantity of an item to be purchased, viewing a shopping cart and submitting a purchasing order.

8. A method according to claim 4 in which the parameter is an option parameter of the purchasing transaction, the method including identifying, in the computer system, that the potential purchaser has entered a hand-drawn mark by means of the pen and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the option parameter.

9. A method according to claim 8 in which the option parameter is associated with at least one of:

a shipping address, a shipping method, a payment method and a card type.

10. A method according to claim 4 in which the parameter is a text parameter of the purchasing transaction, the method including identifying, in the computer system, that the potential purchaser has entered handwritten text data by means of the pen and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the text parameter.

11. A method according to claim 10 which includes converting, in the computer system, the handwritten text data to computer text.

12. A method according to claim 10 which includes converting, in the computer system, the handwritten text data to computer text using an online handwriting recognition program.

13. A method according to claim 11 in which the text parameter is associated with at least one of:

a shipping address, a billing address, a payment method and a quantity of an item to be purchased.

14. A method according to claim 4 in which the parameter is an authorization parameter of the purchasing transaction, the method including identifying, in the computer system, that the potential purchaser has entered a handwritten signature by means of the pen and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the authorization parameter.

15. A method according to claim 14 which includes verifying, in the computer system, that the signature is that of the potential purchaser.

16. A method according to claim 15 in which the authorization parameter is associated with payment authorization.

17. A method according to claim 4 in which the parameter is a picture parameter of the purchasing transaction, the method including identifying, in the computer system, that the potential purchaser has entered a hand-drawn picture by means of the pen and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the picture parameter.