MULTI-DIMENSIONAL CODE TRANSLATION

• US 20140156376A1
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mobeam, Inc
• Inventors: Osborne, John, Russell, David, Sellers, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,152,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

Value documents such as coupons and event tickets that are represented or indexed in the form of QR codes or other types of two-dimensional encoding techniques may be acquired by imaging with a suitably-enabled mobile device, and then translated in the mobile device into a form suitable for presentation as a one-dimensional barcode at a point-of-sale/service using light-simulated barcode technology.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing a multi-dimensional image code at a point-of-sale/service (“

POS”

) terminal having a one-dimensional (“

1-D”

) barcode scanner, comprising;

imaging the multi-dimensional image code with a mobile device;

extracting POS information from the multi-dimensional image code, in the mobile device;

encoding the POS information into 1-D barcode-formatted POS information, in the mobile device;

generating a signal from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate a reflection of a 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across a static 1-D barcode image of the barcode-formatted POS information, in the mobile device; and

transmitting light pulses from the mobile device in accordance with the signal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the POS information at a POS terminal and completing a POS transaction using the POS information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the POS transaction comprises purchasing an item of merchandise.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the POS information identifies a coupon for adjusting a purchase price of the item of merchandise.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the POS information identifies a price for the item of merchandise.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the POS information identifies a value document or functions as a value document.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the value document comprises a coupon, an event ticket, a boarding pass, a letter of credit, a voucher, loyalty points, an incentive reward, or a gift card.

8. A method for utilizing a multi-dimensional image code at a point-of-sale/service (“

POS”

) terminal having a one-dimensional (“

1-D”

) barcode scanner, comprising;

imaging the multi-dimensional image code with a mobile device;

translating the multi-dimensional image code to POS information;

encoding the POS information into 1-D barcode-formatted POS information, in the mobile device;

generating light pulses from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate a reflection of a 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across a static 1-D barcode image of the barcode-formatted POS information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said translating comprises:

identifying lead information from the multi-dimensional image code, in the mobile device;

providing the lead information from the mobile device to a server over a network;

receiving POS information on the mobile device from a server over a network, in accordance with the lead information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the lead information is a URL of an originating organization, URL'"'"'s related to the originating organization, product descriptions, telephone numbers, business names and addresses, intermediate references, any other information that would be useful as a lead for obtaining the URL of the originating organization or for obtaining POS information, and any combination of one or more of the foregoing.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said translating comprises extracting POS information from the multi-dimensional image code, in the mobile device;

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said generating light pulses comprises:

generating a signal from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate the reflection of a 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across a static 1-D barcode image of the barcode-formatted POS information, in the mobile device; and

transmitting the light pulses from the mobile device in accordance with the signal.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving the POS information at a POS terminal and completing a POS transaction using the POS information.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the POS transaction comprises purchasing an item of merchandise.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the POS information identifies a coupon for adjusting a purchase price of the item of merchandise.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the POS information identifies a price for the item of merchandise.

17. The method of claim 8 wherein the POS information identifies a value document or functions as a value document.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the value document comprises a coupon, an event ticket, a boarding pass, a letter of credit, a voucher, loyalty points, an incentive reward, or a gift card.

19. Non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a software program, which when executed, causes one or more computing devices to perform a method comprising:

receiving an image of a multi-dimensional image code;

translating the multi-dimensional image code to POS information;

encoding the POS information into 1-D barcode-formatted POS information; and

generating light pulses from the barcode-formatted POS information to simulate a reflection of a 1-D barcode scanner scanning beam being moved across a static 1-D barcode image of the barcode-formatted POS information.