Mechanism for retrieving information using data encoded on an object

• US 5,804,803 A
• Filed: 04/02/1996
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cragun, Brian John, Rothschild, Wayne Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Thien Minh
• Application Number:
  US08/627,744
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462, 235/472, 235/379, 235/454, 235/494, 395/500, 395/600, 395/601
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A client computer with a scanner capable of scanning objects for a code. The client computer scans the object of interest and translates the code into a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that specifies both a server computer and the location within the server of information that is relevant to the object. The client computer transmits the URL to the server computer, receives the information related to the object from the server computer, and communicates the information to the customer.

Claims

1. A method in a client computer system for retrieving a document, comprising the machine executed steps of:

scanning data encoded on an object;

creating a uniform resource locator (URL) from said scanned encoded data, wherein said URL identifies a first server connected to said client computer system via a network and a location of said document on said first server, and wherein said URL is created from information retrieved from a second server using said scanned encoded data as a key into said information and wherein said creating step further comprises creating said URL by substituting values into said scanned encoded data from a customer data record wherein said customer data record is retrieved to said client computer system from said second server;

transmitting said URL to said first server; and

receiving said document from said first server wherein said document is different from said object.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said client computer system and said second server are the same computer system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said client computer system and said second server are different computer systems and said client computer system is connected to said second server via said network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said encoded data is encoded on said object as a bar code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating step further comprises using said scanned encoded data as a key into a database located in said second server, wherein said database contains said URL.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said substituted values further comprise at least one of the following:

a language preference, a user age, and a user name.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said substituted values are calculated from a formula contained in said customer data record.

8. An apparatus in a client computer system for retrieving a document, comprising:

means for scanning data encoded on an object;

means for creating a uniform resource locator (URL) from said scanned encoded data, wherein said URL identifies a first server connected to said client computer system via a network and a location of said document on said first server, and wherein said URL is created from information retrieved from a second server using said scanned encoded data as a key into said information and wherein said creating means further comprises creating said URL by substituting values into said scanned encoded data from a customer data record wherein said customer data record is retrieved to said client computer system from said second server;

means for transmitting said URL to said first server; and

means for receiving said document from said first server wherein said document is different from said object.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said client computer system and said second server are the same computer system.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said client computer system and said second server are different computer systems and said client computer system is connected to said second server via said network.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said encoded data is encoded on said object as a bar code.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said creating means further comprises using said scanned encoded data as a key into a database located in said second server, wherein said database contains said URL.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said substituted values further comprise at least one of the following:

a language preference, a customer age, and a customer name.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said substituted values are calculated from a formula contained in said customer data record.

15. A program product, comprising:

means for creating a uniform resource locator (URL) from encoded data scanned from an object, wherein said URL identifies a first server connected to a client computer system via a network and a location of a document on said first server, and wherein said URL is created from information retrieved from a second server using said scanned encoded data as a key into said information and wherein said creating means further comprises creating said URL by substituting values into said scanned encoded data from a customer data record wherein said customer data record is retrieved to said client computer system from said second server;

means for transmitting said URL to said first server;

means for receiving said document from said first server wherein said document is different from said object; and

signal bearing media bearing said scanning means, said transmitting means, and said receiving means.

16. The program product of claim 15 wherein said client computer system and said second server are the same computer system.

17. The program product of claim 15 wherein said client computer system and said second server are different computer systems and said client computer system is connected to said second server via said network.

18. The program product of claim 15 wherein said encoded data is encoded on said object as a bar code.

19. The program product of claim 15, wherein said creating means further comprises using said scanned encoded data as a key into a database located in said second server, wherein said database contains said URL.

20. The program product of claim 15 wherein said substituted values further comprise at least one of the following:

a language preference, a customer age, and a customer name.

21. The program product of claim 15 wherein said substituted values are calculated from a formula contained in said customer data record.