Obtaining network addresses from identifiers

• US 6,345,304 B1
• Filed: 03/25/1999
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Dymetman, Marc, Copperman, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John A.
• Application Number:
  US09/276,084
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/250, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/19594 using a television camera or a still video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3232 of a page, copy or picture number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

An identifier of an action that can be produced through a network, such as a page identifier or other substrate identifier with a counterpart digital page accessible through a network, is used to obtain a network address. The identifier is provided to a first machine such as a router, and the first machine uses the identifier to obtain a first network address that is for a set of identifier values that includes the identifier'"'"'s value. The first network address is then used to provide the identifier to a second machine such as a server. The second machine uses the identifier to obtain a second network address that is for the value of the identifier. The second network address, when provided on the network, produces the action identified by the value of the identifier. The identifier can be read from a coded substrate by image input circuitry and the image signals can be used by a third machine, such as a processor in a pointer, to provide the identifier to the first machine. The pointer'"'"'s processor can also cache network addresses obtained from the first machine for use with subsequent identifiers in the same set.

Claims

1. A method for mapping an identifier to a corresponding network address, comprising:

(A) providing the identifier to a first machine connected to a network;

the identifier indicating a value;

(B) operating the first machine to use the identifier to obtain a first network address;

the first network address being an address on the network of a second machine, the second machine mapping any of a set of two or more identifier values to network addresses, the set including the value indicated by the identifier;

(C) using the first network address to provide the identifier to the second machine through the network; and

(D) operating the second machine to use the identifier to obtain a second network address;

the second network address being the network address corresponding to the identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the first machine is a router and the second machine is a server.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the identifier'"'"'s value identifies an action that can be produced through the network and in which (A) comprises:

operating image input circuitry to provide image signals defining an image of a region of a marking substrate to a third machine, the region of the marking substrate bearing markings that encode a substrate identifier; and

operating the third machine to use the image signals to obtain the identifier and to use a third network address to provide the identifier and a return network address to the first machine;

and in which (B) comprises;

operating the first machine to use the return network address to provide the first network address to the third machine;

and in which (C) comprises;

operating the third machine to use the first network address to provide the identifier and the return network address to the second machine;

and in which (D) comprises;

operating the second machine to use the return network address to provide the second network address to the third machine;

the method further comprising;

(E) operating the third machine to use the second network address to produce the action identified by the identifier'"'"'s value.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the third machine includes a memory and in which, in (B), the first machine further provides set data defining the set of identifier values that includes the identifier'"'"'s value, and in which (C) further comprises:

operating the third machine to store the set data and the first network address in the memory so that the third machine can subsequently access the first network address using any identifier value in the set of identifier values that includes the identifier'"'"'s value.

5. The method of claim 3 in which the third machine is a pointer.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the first machine includes:

identifier/address data that can be accessed with an identifier value in one of a number of sets of identifier values to obtain a network address for the set that includes the identifier'"'"'s value; and

processing circuitry connected for accessing the identifier/address data;

and in which (B) comprises;

operating the processing circuitry to use the identifier'"'"'s value to access the identifier/address data and obtain the first network address.

7. The method of claim 6 in which each of the sets of identifier values is a range of consecutive values, the identifier/address data including range bound data indicating the lower and upper bounds of each range and in which (B) further comprises:

operating the processing circuitry to use the identifier'"'"'s value and the range bound data to determine whether one of the sets of identifier values includes the identifier'"'"'s value.

8. An apparatus for mapping an identifier to a corresponding network address, comprising:

connection circuitry for providing a connection to the network; and

processing circuitry connected for providing signals to and receiving signals from the network through the connection circuitry;

the processing circuitry operating to;

provide the identifier through the connection circuitry to a first machine connected to the network;

the identifier indicating a value;

in response, the first machine using the identifier to obtain a first network address;

the first network address being an address on the network of a second machine, the second machine mapping any of a set of two or more identifier values to network addresses, the set including the value indicated by the identifier; and

use the first network address to provide the identifier through the connection circuitry to the second machine;

in response, the second machine using the identifier to obtain a second network address;

the second network address being the corresponding network address for the identifier.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

image input circuitry connected to provide image signals defining an image of a region of a marking substrate to the processing circuitry, the region of the marking substrate bearing markings that encode a substrate identifier;

in response to the image signals, the processing circuitry operating to;

use the image signals to obtain the identifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising network address data indicating a third network address and a return network address;

the processing circuitry, in providing the identifier to the first machine;

accessing the network address data to obtain the third network address and the return network address; and

using the third network address to provide the identifier and the return network address to the first machine;

in response, the first machine using the return network address to provide the first network address to the processing circuitry through the network and the connection circuitry;

the processing circuitry, in providing the identifier to the second machine;

accessing the network address data to obtain the return network address; and

using the first network address to provide the identifier and the return network address to the second machine;

in response, the second machine using the return network address to provide the second network address to the processing circuitry through the network and the connection circuitry.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the identifier'"'"'s value identifies an action that can be produced through the network and in which the processing circuitry further operates to use the second network address to produce the action identified by the identifier'"'"'s value.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a memory;

the first machine, in response to the identifier, further providing set data defining the set of identifier values that includes the identifier'"'"'s value;

the processing circuitry;

storing the set data and the first network address in the memory so that the first network address can be accessed using any identifier value in the set of identifier values that includes the identifier'"'"'s value.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which each of the sets of identifier values is a range of consecutive values, the set data indicating lower and upper bounds of the set of identifier values that includes the identifier'"'"'s value;

the processing circuitry;

upon obtaining a subsequent identifier, accessing the set data to obtain the upper and lower bounds; and

using the subsequent identifier'"'"'s value and the upper and lower bounds to determine whether the set data indicate a network address for the subsequent identifier;

the processing circuitry providing the subsequent identifier to the first machine if the set data do not indicate a network address for the subsequent identifier.