APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING CONTENTS BY USING MACHINE-READABLE CODE

• US 20090065566A1
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Iconlab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Iconlab, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Jae-Jun, Lee, Sang Hak, Park, Junghwan, Chung, Minjong
• Application Number:
  US11/946,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20090065566A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

According to the present invention, an apparatus and method for proving a user with a content by using a machine-readable code is provided. In one aspect of the present invention, provided is a method for implementation on a terminal for providing a user with at least one content by using a machine-readable code, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a machine-readable code; extracting a code value of the received machine-readable code; transferring the extracted code value to a first external computational device; receiving from the first external computational device at least one category associated with the extracted code value; transmitting the at least one category to a second external computational device; and receiving from the second external computational device at least one content belonging to the at least one category.

Claims

1. A terminal for providing a user with at least one content by using a machine-readable code, the terminal comprising:

means for receiving a machine-readable code;

means for extracting a code value from the received machine-readable code;

means for transferring the extracted code value to a first external computational device;

means for receiving from the first external computational device at least one category associated with the extracted code value;

means for transmitting to a second external computational device the at least one category; and

means for receiving from the second external computational device at least one content belonging to the at least one category.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the transmitting means further transmits at least one selected from personal information on a user and information on the terminal.

3. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the personal information on a user includes at least one selected from the user'"'"'s personal identification information, the user'"'"'s age, the user'"'"'s favorite web site and the user'"'"'s favorite content type.

4. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the information on the terminal includes at least one selected from the terminal'"'"'s kind, the terminal'"'"'s identification number and the price of the terminal.

5. A computational device for providing a terminal with at least one content by using a machine-readable code, the computational device comprising:

means for receiving a code value of a machine-readable code from a terminal;

means for extracting at least one category stored in conjunction with the received code value; and

means for transmitting the at least one category to the terminal.

6. A computational device for providing a terminal with at least one content by using a machine-readable code, the computational device comprising:

means for receiving from a terminal at least one category stored in conjunction with a code value of a machine-readable code;

means for extracting at least one content belonging to the at least one category; and

means for transmitting the at least one content to the terminal.

7. The computational device of claim 6 further comprising means for managing additional information on a content.

8. The computational device of claim 7, wherein the additional information on a content includes at least one selected from a registration date of a content, information on limiting a user'"'"'s right to use a content, a count of retrieving a content and a count of downloading a content.

9. The computational device of claim 6 further comprising means for selecting a part of the at least one content.

10. The computational device of claim 9, wherein the selecting means chooses a part of the at least one content at random.

11. The computational device of claim 9, wherein the selecting means chooses a part of the at least one content based on auxiliary information.

12. The computational device of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary information includes at least one selected from a popularity of a content, a count of retrieving a content, a count of downloading a content and a content type.

13. A method for implementation on a terminal for providing a user with at least one content by using a machine-readable code, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a machine-readable code;

extracting a code value of the received machine-readable code;

transferring the extracted code value to a first external computational device;

receiving from the first external computational device at least one category associated with the extracted code value;

transmitting the at least one category to a second external computational device; and

receiving from the second external computational device at least one content belonging to the at least one category.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of transmitting at least one selected from personal information on a user and information on the terminal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the personal information on a user includes at least one selected from the user'"'"'s personal identification information, the user'"'"'s age, the user'"'"'s favorite web site and the user'"'"'s favorite content type.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the information on the terminal includes at least one selected from the terminal'"'"'s kind, the terminal'"'"'s identification number and the price of the terminal.

17. A method for implementation in a computational device for providing a terminal with at least one content by using a machine-readable code, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a code value of a machine-readable code from a terminal;

extracting at least one category stored in conjunction with the received code value; and

transmitting the at least one category to the terminal.

18. A method for implementation in a computational device for providing a terminal with at least one content by using a machine-readable code, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving from a terminal at least one category stored in conjunction with a code value of a machine-readable code;

extracting at least one content belonging to the at least one category; and

transmitting the at least one content to the terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the computational device includes means for managing additional information on a content.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the additional information on a content includes at least one selected from a registration date of a content, information on limiting a user'"'"'s right to use a content, a count of retrieving a content and a count of downloading a content.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of selecting a part of the at least one content.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting step includes the step of choosing a part of the at least one content at random.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting step includes the step of choosing a part of the at least one content based on auxiliary information.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the auxiliary information includes at least one selected from a popularity of a content, a count of retrieving a content, a count of downloading a content and a content type.