SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CARRYING OUT ELECTRONIC-COMMERCE TRANSACTIONS USING WEB DOCUMENTS EMBODYING ELECTRONIC-COMMERCE ENABLING APPLETS AUTOMATICALLY LAUNCHED AND EXECUTED IN RESPONSE TO READING URL-ENCODED SYMBOLS POINTING THERETO

• US 6,568,595 B1
• Filed: 08/19/1998
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, Garrett, Knowles, Carl Harry, Wilz, David M. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/136,646
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/462-1-4, 235/472.01, 235/472.03, 235/494, 235/454, 235/470
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/206 Software aspects at ATMs

Abstract

A novel electronic-commerce enabling method and system are disclosed, wherein an electronic-commerce enabling Java-Applet is embedded within an HTML-encoded document stored in an HTTP server at predetermined URL. When a code symbol (e.g., magstripe or bar code) encoded with the URL is read using a code symbol reader interfaced with a Java-enabled Internet terminal, the corresponding HTTP document is automatically accessed and displayed at the terminal, and the electronic-commerce enabling Java-Applet initiated for execution so that the customer, consumer or client desiring to conduct an electronic-commerce transaction can simply and conveniently conduct electronic-commerce over the Internet. The electronic-commerce enabling Internet terminal can be in the form of an Internet kiosk installed in a public location, in the manner as conventional ATMs. By virtue of the present invention, universal transaction machine (UTMs) can be easily deployed for use by the mass population so that they can easily conduct various types of electronic-commerce over the Internet.

Claims

1. An Internet-based system for enabling electronic-commerce transactions over the Internet, comprising:

an HTTP information server connected to the Internet, for storing an HTML-encoded document having a location on the Internet specified by a predetermined URL, said HTTP-encoded document embodying an electronic-commerce enabling Applet which, when executed, enables a user to conduct an electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet; and

an Internet terminal for requesting said HTML-encoded document and executing said electronic-commerce enabling Applet embedded therein, said Internet terminal including

an Internet browser program for executing Applets, including said electronic-commerce enabling Applet, embedded within said HTML-encoded document,

a display screen for visually displaying said HTML-encoded document,

a data entry means for entering data into said Internet browser program, and

a symbol reader, operably connected to said Internet browser program, for scanning a URL-encoded symbol encoded with said predetermined URL, decoding said scanned URL-encoded symbol, producing symbol character data representative of said predetermined URL, and providing said predetermined URL to said Internet browser program for accessing said HTML-encoded document whose location is specified by said predetermined URL,

wherein, when said URL-encoded symbol is scanned by said code symbol reader, said scanned URL-encoded symbol is automatically decoded, symbol character data representative thereof is automatically produced and provided to said Internet browser program, and

whereupon said Internet browser program automatically accesses said HTML-encoded document from said HTTP information server in order to execute said electronic-commerce enabling Applet embedded therein and thereby enable the user to conduct said electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet at Internet terminal.

2. The Internet-based system of claim 1, wherein said URL-encoded symbol is a URL-encoded magstripe encoded with said predetermined URL, and said symbol reader is a magstripe reader for reading said URL-encoded magstripe.

3. The Internet-based system of claim 2, wherein said URL-encoded magstripe is applied to a transaction card associated with said electronic-commerce transaction.

4. The Internet-based system of claim 1, wherein said URL-encoded symbol is a URL-encoded bar code symbol, and said symbol reader is a bar code symbol reader for reading said URL-encoded bar code symbol.

5. The Internet-based system of claim 4, wherein said bar code symbol reader is selected from the group consisting of:

a laser scanning bar code symbol reader, a CCD-type bar code symbol reader, and a Wand-type bar code symbol reader.

6. The Internet-based system of claim 1, wherein said electronic-commerce enabling Internet terminal comprises a hand-supportable data terminal with an integrated bar code symbol reader.

7. The Internet-based system of claim 1, wherein said electronic-commerce enabling Internet terminal comprises a kiosk-type device having a bar code symbol reader for reading URL-encoded bar code symbols, or a magstripe reader for reading URL-encoded magstripes.

8. The Internet-based system of claim 1, wherein said electronic-commerce enabling Internet terminal comprises a body-wearable computer system.

9. The Internet-based system of claim 1, wherein, when said URL-encoded symbol is scanned by said code symbol reader, said scanned URL-encoded symbol is automatically decoded, symbol character data representative thereof is automatically produced and provided to said Internet browser program, and

whereupon said Internet browser program automatically accesses said HTML-encoded document from said HTTP information server and initiates execution of said electronic-commerce enabling Applet embedded therein, thereby enabling the user to conduct said electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet at said Internet terminal.

10. An Internet-based system for enabling electronic-commerce transactions over the Internet, comprising:

an HTTP information server connected to the Internet, for storing an HTML-encoded document having a location on the Internet specified by a predetermined URL, said HTTP-encoded document embodying an electronic-commerce enabling Java-Applet which, when executed, enables a user to conduct an electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet; and

an Internet terminal for requesting said HTML-encoded document and executing said electronic-commerce enabling Java-Applet embedded therein, said Internet terminal including

a Java-enabled browser program for executing Java-Applets, including said electronic-commerce enabling Java-Applet, embedded within said HTML-encoded document,

a display screen for visually displaying said HTML-encoded document,

a data entry means for entering data into said Java-enabled browser program, and

a symbol reader, operably connected to said Java-enabled browser program, for scanning a URL-encoded symbol encoded with said predetermined URL, decoding said scanned URL-encoded symbol, producing symbol character data representative of said predetermined URL, and providing said predetermined URL to said Java-enabled browser program for accessing said HTML-encoded document whose location is specified by said predetermined URL,

wherein, when said URL-encoded symbol is scanned by said code symbol reader, said scanned URL-encoded symbol is automatically decoded, symbol character data representative thereof is automatically produced and provided to said Java-enabled browser program, and

whereupon said Internet browser program accesses said HTML-encoded document from said HTTP information server in order to execute said electronic-commerce enabling Java-Applet embedded therein and thereby enable the user to conduct said electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet at said Internet terminal.

11. The Internet-based system of claim 10, wherein said URL-encoded symbol is a URL-encoded magstripe encoded with said predetermined URL, and said symbol reader is a magstripe reader for reading said URL-encoded magstripe.

12. The Internet-based system of claim 11, wherein said URL-encoded magstripe is applied to a transaction card associated with said electronic-commerce transaction.

13. The Internet-based system of claim 10, wherein said URL-encoded symbol is a URL-encoded bar code symbol, and said symbol reader is a bar code symbol reader for reading said URL-encoded bar code symbol.

14. The Internet-based system of claim 13, wherein said bar code symbol reader is selected from the group consisting of:

a laser scanning bar code symbol reader, a CCD-type bar code symbol reader, and a Wand-type bar code symbol reader.

15. The Internet-based system of claim 10, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a hand-supportable data terminal with an integrated bar code symbol reader.

16. The Internet-based system of claim 10, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a kiosk-type device having a bar code symbol reader for reading URL-encoded bar code symbols, or a magstripe reader for reading URL-encoded magstripes.

17. The Internet-based system of claim 10, wherein said Internet terminal comprises a body-wearable computer system.

18. The Internet-based system of claim 10, wherein, when said URL-encoded symbol is scanned by said code symbol reader, said scanned URL-encoded symbol is automatically decoded, symbol character data representative thereof is automatically produced and provided to said Internet browser program, and

whereupon said Internet browser program automatically accesses said HTML-encoded document from said HTTP information server and initiates execution of said electronic-commerce enabling Java-Applet embedded therein, thereby enabling the user to conduct said electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet at said Internet terminal.

19. A method of enabling electronic-commerce transactions over the Internet, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing in an HTTP information server connected to the Internet, an HTML-encoded document having a location on the Internet specified by a predetermined URL, said HTTP-encoded document embodying an electronic-commerce enabling Applet which, when executed, enables a user to conduct an electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet;

(b) providing an Internet terminal for accessing said HTML-encoded document from said HTTP information server and executing said electronic-commerce enabling Applet embedded therein, said Internet terminal including

an Internet browser program for executing Applets, including said electronic-commerce enabling Applet, embedded within said HTML-encoded document,

a display screen for visually displaying said HTML-encoded document,

a data entry means for entering data into said Internet browser program, and

a symbol reader, operably connected to said Internet browser program, for scanning a URL-encoded symbol encoded with said predetermined URL, decoding said scanned URL-encoded symbol, producing symbol character data representative of said predetermined URL, and providing said predetermined URL to said Internet browser program for accessing said HTML-encoded document whose location is specified by said predetermined URL; and

(c) reading said URL-encoded symbol using said code symbol reader, whereupon symbol character data representative of said URL-encoded symbol is automatically produced and provided to said Internet browser program, and said Internet browser program accesses said HTML-encoded document from said HTTP information server in order to execute said electronic-commerce enabling Applet embedded therein and thereby enable the user to conduct said electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet at said Internet terminal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said URL-encoded symbol is a URL-encoded magstripe encoded with said predetermined URL and said code symbol reader is a magstripe reader, and step (c) comprises reading said URL-encoded magstripe using said magstripe reader.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said URL-encoded symbol is a URL-encoded bar code symbol and said code symbol reader is a bar code symbol reader, and step (c) comprises reading said URL-encoded bar code symbol using said bar code symbol reader.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein step (c) further comprises reading said URL-encoded symbol, whereupon said Internet browser program said HTML-encoded document from said HTTP information server and initiates execution of said electronic-commerce enabling Applet embedded therein, thereby enabling the user to conduct said electronic-commerce transaction over the Internet at said Internet terminal.