Web-based mobile information access terminal

• US 6,942,150 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2001
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Knowles, Carl Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/994,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20020066788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 23546201-46247, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/472.03, 235/454, 235/455, 235/494, 235/470, 235/375, 235/383
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes

Abstract

An improved system and method of surfing Web-sites on the Internet. In the first illustrative embodiment, the Internet Scanning System includes a bar code symbol reader programmed to read URL-encoded bar code symbols printed on various types of print media which, when read thereby, automatically connects the Internet Client System to the Internet Server supporting the Web-site specified by the scanned URL-encoded bar code symbol. In a second illustrative embodiment, the Internet Scanning system includes optical character reader programmed to read URLs printed on various types of print media which, when read thereby, automatically connects the Internet Client System to the Internet Server supporting the Web-site specified by the read URL.

Claims

1. A Web-based mobile information access terminal for allowing an operator to access and display HTML-encoded documents located on the World Wide Web (WWW) by reading bar code symbols encoded with information specifying the location of said HTML-encoded documents on said WWW, said Web-based mobile information access terminal comprising:

a hand-supportable housing;

a bar code symbol reader, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, and programmed for (i) reading a bar code symbol encoded with information specifying the location of an HTML-encoded document located on the WWW, and (ii) producing symbol character data representative of said information;

visual information display means, integrated with said band-supportable housing, for visually displaying information including graphical information contained in said HTML-encoded document specified by said information;

Web accessing means, disposed in said hand-supportable housing and responsive to said bar code symbol reader, said Web accessing means further including

(i) computing means disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and

(ii) a GUI-based WWW browser program executed by said computing means, and integrated with said bar code symbol reader in said hand-supportable housing, so that, in response to said bar code symbol reader reading the bar code symbol encoded with said information, said GUI-based WWW browser program automatically accesses the HTML-encoded document specified by said information using the TCP/IP standard and the symbol character data representative of said information, and automatically displays said accessed HTML-encoded document on said visual information display means for review by the operator; and

a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver, integrated with said hand-supportable housing and being operably connected to said Web accessing means, for enabling a wireless two-way telecommunication link between said Web accessing means and a base station operably connected to an Internet service provider (ISP) connected to the Internet so as to enable said Web accessing means to access said HTML-encoded document.

2.The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, wherein said bar code symbol reader is a device selected from the group consisting of a laser scanning bar code symbol reader, a CCD bar code symbol reader, and a wand-type bar code symbol reader.

2. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, which further comprises information entry means for entering information into said Web accessing means.

4. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, wherein said visual information display means comprises an LCD panel.

5. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, wherein said visual information display means comprises an LCD panel, and said information entry means comprises a touch-sensitive keypad integrated with said LCD panel.

6. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, wherein said radio-frequency (RF) transceiver comprises a modem card for enabling said wireless two-way telecommunication link between said Web accessing means and said base station.

7. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, wherein said base station is a device selected from the group consisting of a cellular base station operably connected to the Internet, and a satellite-base station operably connected to the Internet.

8. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, wherein said bar code symbol, encoded with said information, is a one-dimensional bar code symbol, and said bar code symbol reader is programmed to read said one-dimensional bar code symbol.

9. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, wherein said bar code symbol, encoded with said information, is a two-dimensional bar code symbol, and said bar code symbol reader is programmed to read said two-dimensional bar code symbol.

10. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 1, wherein said information is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

3. The Web-based mobile information access terminal of claim 3, wherein said information entry means comprises a keypad integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for manually entering information into said Web accessing means.