Machine readable label reader system with robust context generation

• US 6,616,047 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2001
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Catan, Carolyn Ramsey
• Primary Examiner(s): St. Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/823,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20020139859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 892 Days
• Field of Search: 235/472.02, 235/375, 235/385, 235/462.01, 235/462.45, 235/462.46, 235/472.01, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/472.02
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and system for reading machine-readable label devices and searching resources bases responsive to the context in which the reading took place provides versatility and intelligence that insures users will obtain real value from their use. For example, the system may be used to obtain information about a product fitted with a transponder. The system goes beyond monolithic information-gathering and transaction automation by exploiting context information and flexible search engine technology and by using natural language parsing to make searching to make creation and maintenance of resource bases more economical.

Claims

1. A device for identifying and connecting to at least a data resource in a data store, comprising:

a machine-readable label reader;

a controller connected to control said reader and to connectable to read at least selected ones of said data resources;

said controller being programmed generate a query for use in identifying said at least selected ones of said data resources, said query containing a first identifier of an object associated with said reader and a second identifier of an object associated with a machine-readable label, said query being usable to identify said at least selected ones responsively to both said identifier of said reader and said identifier of said machine-readable label.

2. A device as in claim 1, wherein said machine-readable label includes a radio transponder or transmitter.

3. A device as in claim 1, wherein said controller is programmed to produce at least another query that contains at least one query term that is lexically connected to at least one of said first and second identifiers.

4. A device as in claim 1, wherein:

said reader contains, or is connectable to, a user preference data store;

said controller is connectable to said data store;

said controller is programmed to include at least a portion of data from said preference data store in said query, said at least selected ones being selected responsively to said at least a portion of data from said preference data store.

5. A device as in claim 4, wherein:

said controller is programmed to receive input from a user indicating a desirability of said selected ones and to update said preference data store responsively to said input.

6. A device as in claim 5, wherein said reader is a wireless portable reader.

7. A device as in claim 1, wherein said reader is a wireless portable reader.

8. A system for identifying and selecting at least one data resource in a data store, comprising:

a machine-readable label reader;

a resource base having resources and text descriptions corresponding to said resources, said text descriptions being separate from, or partially or fully subsumed within, said resources;

said text descriptions containing natural language terms in natural language narrative;

a controller connectable to said resource base to generate an index of said resources, in part by parsing said text descriptions with a natural language interface to identify key terms in said descriptions for use in matching to queries;

said reader being programmed to generate a query for use in searching said resource base via said index, said query containing a first identifier of an object associated with said reader and a second identifier of an object associated with said machine-readable label, said query being usable for selecting particular ones of said resources responsively to both said first and second identifiers.

9. A system as in claim 8, wherein said machine-readable label includes a radio transponder or transmitter.

10. A system as in claim 8, wherein said controller is programmed to produce at least another query that contains a query term that is lexically connected to at least one of said first and second identifiers.

11. A system as in claim 8, wherein:

said reader contains, or is connectable to, a user preference data store;

said reader is programmed to include at least a portion of data from said preference data store in said query, said at least particular ones being selected responsively to said at least a portion of data from said preference data store.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein:

said reader is programmed to receive input from a user indicating a desirability of said particular ones and to update said preference data store responsively to said input.

13. A method of identifying a resource in a resource base, comprising the steps of:

scanning, at a first reader, a machine-readable label device and receiving data identifying an object associated with said machine-readable label therefrom;

generating a first search query containing first data responsive to an identifier of an object associated with said first reader and second data responsive to said data identifying said object associated with said machine-readable device;

using said first search query to search a resource base.

14. A method as in claim 13, further comprising:

identifying at least one resource matching said first and said at least a second query and determining a confidence level of said matching;

when said confidence level is lower than a predetermined confidence level, soliciting further data from a user;

when said confidence level is higher than said predetermined confidence level, generating an output responsively to said at least one resource.

15. A method as in claim 13, further comprising:

identifying at least one resource matching said first and said at least a second query and determining a confidence level of said matching;

when said confidence level is lower than a predetermined confidence level, receiving input defining a new resource and storing said new resource in a resource base;

when said confidence level is higher than said predetermined confidence level, generating an output responsively to said at least one resource.

16. A method as in claim 13, further comprising:

identifying at least one resource matching said first and said at least a second query and determining a confidence level of said matching;

when said confidence level is lower than a predetermined confidence level, identifying an object of a type that is different from said object associated with said first reader and outputting an identifier thereof;

when said confidence level is higher than said predetermined confidence level, generating an output responsively to said at least one resource.