AUTOMATICAL ACCESS OF INTERNET CONTENT WITH A CAMERA-ENABLED CELL PHONE

• US 20100077323A1
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NeoMedia Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: NeoMedia Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Hunter, Kevin D.
• Application Number:
  US12/510,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20100077323A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/760
• 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 link 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.

Claims

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

a. a wireless transceiver;

b. input means for reading a machine readable code and for providing code data from the machine readable code; and

c. processing circuitry programmed 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 computer network;

ii. receive code data from the input means;

iii. process the code data to generate a file identifier;

iv. form a data request message comprising the file identifier;

v. transmit, via the wireless transceiver, the data request message to a server computer on the computer network;

vi. receive content via the computer network as a function of the data request message; and

vii. perform a function with respect to the received content.

2. The portable wireless device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry processes the code data to generate a file identifier by decoding a bar code symbol which is the machine readable code.

3. The portable wireless device of claim 1 wherein the data request message additionally comprises a device identifier.

4. The portable wireless device of claim 3 wherein the device identifier comprises information that identifies operating characteristics of the portable wireless device.

5. The portable wireless device of claim 1 wherein the input means for reading a machine readable code and for providing code data from the machine readable code is a camera.

6. The portable wireless device of claim 1 wherein the wireless transceiver is a cellular telephone transceiver.

7. The portable wireless device of claim 1 further comprising a display screen, and wherein the received content is displayed on the display screen with a web browser.

8. The portable wireless device of claim 1 wherein the data request message comprises a URL.

9. The portable wireless device of claim 1 wherein the content received via the computer network as a function of the data request message comprises an information URL, and further wherein the function performed with respect to the received content comprises loading the information URL into a browser program and accessing an information server computer identified by the information URL.

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

a. reading a machine-readable code with a portable wireless device to provide code data;

b. processing, on the portable wireless device, the code data to generate a file identifier;

c. forming, on the portable wireless device, a data request message comprising the file identifier;

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

e. receiving content on the portable wireless device as a function of the data request message;

f. performing a function with respect to the received content.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the machine-readable code is a bar code symbol and wherein the step of processing, on the portable wireless device, the code data to generate a file identifier, comprises decoding the bar code symbol.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the computer network is a global computer network, and wherein the portable wireless device communicates over a cellular network with the global computer network.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the data request message additionally comprises a device identifier.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the content is determined as a function of the device identifier.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the device identifier comprises information that identifies operating characteristics of the portable wireless device.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the machine-readable code is read with a camera on the portable wireless device.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the data request message is transmitted with a cellular telephone transceiver on the portable wireless device.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the function performed with respect to the received content comprises the step of displaying at least part of the returned content with a web browser the portable wireless device.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the data request message comprises a URL.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the content received as a function of the data request message comprises an information URL, and further wherein the function performed with respect to the received content comprises loading the information URL into a browser program and accessing an information server computer identified by the information URL.