Marketing Goods and Services with Bar Codes

• US 20120150691A1
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Woolston, Thomas G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,355,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Disclosed herein are techniques to market products and services by enabling a potential consumer to access information about a product or service by simply scanning a bar code. Consistent with some embodiments, a computer system stores in a database data records that include bar code information. The computer system is operable to receive requests for information that include bar code information. Upon receiving such a request, the computer system identifies a data record in the database with bar code information that matches the bar code information received in the request, and then processes the request by communicating relevant information to the requestor.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a database storing data records, at least some of the data records including bar code information for a bar code that has been affixed to an item being offered for sale;

a processor for executing software instructions stored in a memory;

a memory storing first executable software instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to;

receive over a network from a portable computing device a request including bar code information that has been obtained by scanning a bar code affixed to an item being offered for sale;

retrieve from the database a data record having bar code information that matches the bar code information received with the request from the portable computing device; and

communicate at least a portion of the data record retrieved from the database to the portable computing device for display at the portable computing device.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the memory is storing second executable software instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to receive a data record from a computing device representing a posting terminal, and then generate a bar code that uniquely identifies an item being offered for sale and with which the data record is associated.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the second executable software instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to communicate the generated bar code to the computing device from which the data record was received so as to enable the bar code to be affixed to the item being offered for sale.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the data record retrieved from the database and communicated to the portable computing device includes information specifying an address of a computer storing information about the item being offered for sale.

5. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the address of the computer is in the form of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or a hyperlink.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the data record retrieved from the database and communicated to the portable computing device includes an image of an item and information specifying a price at which the item is being offered for sale.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the data record retrieved from the database and communicated to the portable computing device facilitates establishing a network connection with a virtual market from which the item can be purchased.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the bar code information received at the computer system represents an identifier for a product or service being offered via an electronic marketplace.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

at a computer system that is communicatively coupled to, or hosting, one or more databases containing data records with at least some of the records having a field for storing bar code information associated with a bar code affixed to an item with which the data record is associated, i) receiving over a network from a computing device a request that includes bar code information obtained from scanning a bar code affixed to an item, ii) retrieving from the database a data record having bar code information that matches the bar code information received with the request from the computing device, and iii) communicate at least a portion of the data record retrieved from the database to the computing device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

prior to receiving the request, receiving from a posting terminal a data record and then generating a bar code that uniquely identifies an item being offered for sale and with which the data record is associated.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

communicating the bar code to the posting terminal so as to enable the bar code to be affixed to an item.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the data record retrieved from the database and communicated to the portable computing device includes information specifying an address of a computer storing information about the item being offered for sale.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the address of the computer is in the form of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or a hyperlink.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the data record retrieved from the database and communicated to the portable computing device includes an image of an item and information specifying a price at which the item is being offered.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the data record retrieved from the database and communicated to the portable computing device facilitates establishing a network connection with a virtual market from which the item can be purchased.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the bar code information received at the computer system represents an identifier for a product or service being offered via an electronic marketplace.