Remote information access system which utilizes handheld scanner

• US 6,707,581 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2000
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Denton R. Browning
• Original Assignee: Denton R. Browning
• Inventors: Browning, Denton R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): WORKU, NEGUSSIE
• Application Number:
  US09/604,674
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 358/474, 358/505, 358/513, 358/403, 358/473, 382/313, 382/321, 455/556.2, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 358/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/987 with the intervention of an operator
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments

Abstract

A handheld device scans a line of information in the form of Internet URL'"'"'s, Internet protocol addresses, Internet e-mail addresses, FTP sites, USENET news group addresses, DNS addresses and bar codes as they occur in print advertising and printed media. The scanned information is decoded and displayed for user verification. The device utilizes onboard information retrieval software that establishes a connection to the Internet to retrieve HTML, XML, WML, and VRML documents, e-mail messages, USENET news, Java applets, ActiveX documents, Active Server Pages, or file transfers from the Internet locations interpreted by the handheld scanner.

Claims

1. A system for automatically providing a user with remotely stored data that pertains to printed information, comprising the combination of:

a handheld scanner including a housing adapted to be held in the hand of a user and scanned over an image of printed information, and containing an image scanning device for converting optical images of information scanned by said scanner into electrical signals representative of the optical images, a memory for storing said electrical signals, a decoder for converting said stored electrical signals into alphanumeric information, a display unit providing a visual display of the alphanumeric information, a wireless transmission device for transmitting said alphanumeric information, and a set of user controls for manipulating the display and transmission of said alphanumeric information; and

an information retrieval agent including a database that is stored in said scanner, that receives the alphanumeric information from said handheld scanner and initiates a connection via said wireless transmission device to a remote site that is associated with the alphanumeric information.

2. The system of claim 1, said wireless transmission device communicates with the communication network via the TCP/IP protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless transmission device communicates with the communication network via the WAP protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said information retrieval agent includes a browser that is incorporated in said scanner.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said information retrieval agent includes a java applet that is executed within said scanner.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein database provides a mapping between scanned information and remote sites that provide additional data relating to the scanned information.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said scanner stores and transmits a unique identifier when transmitting and/or requesting information.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the scanned printed information comprises text, and said decoder comprises an optical character recognition engine.

9. A system for automatically providing a user with remotely stored data that pertains to printed information, comprising the combination of:

a handheld scanner including a housing adapted to be held in the hand of a user and scanned over an image of printed information, and containing an image scanning device for converting optical images of information scanned by said scanner into electrical signals representative of the optical images, a memory for storing said electrical signals, a decoder for converting said stored electrical signals into alphanumeric information, a display unit providing a visual display of the alphanumeric information, a wireless transmission device for transmitting said alphanumeric information, and a set of user controls for manipulating the display and transmission of said alphanumeric information; and

an information retrieval agent including a database that provides a mapping between scanned information and remote sites that provide additional data relating to the scanned information, for initiating a connection to a remote site that is associated with the alphanumeric information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said information retrieval agent is located on said scanner and initiates said connection via said wireless transmission device.

11. The system of claim 10, said wireless transmission device communicates with the communication network via the TCP/IP protocol.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said wireless transmission device communicates with the communication network via the WAP protocol.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said information retrieval agent includes a browser that is incorporated in said scanner.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said information retrieval agent includes a java applet that is executed within said scanner.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the scanned printed information comprises text, and said decoder comprises an optical character recognition engine.