Audible designation for a node on a communication network

• US 6,981,059 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2000
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jack A. Turpin, RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: LV Partners LP (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Philyaw, Jeffry Jovan, Mathews, David Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US09/494,956
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/207, 709/208, 709/219, 709/236, 705/14, 725/60, 725/119
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 : using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 : Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 : Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 : Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 : Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An audible designation for a node on a communication network A method is provided for allowing any of a plurality of first locations on a global communication network to access a specific and determinable second location on the global communication network. A unique audio signature is defined for the specific and determinable second location on the global communication network, which unique audio signature is permanently associated with the specific and determinable second location. A unique audio designation corresponding to the unique audio signature is stored in a database, and routing information associated therein with the unique audio designation over the global communication network to the specific and determinable second location from any of the plurality of the first locations on the global communication network.

Claims

1. A method for conducting commerce between any of a plurality of first locations on a global communication network and a specific and determinable second location on the global communication network for allowing information to be transferred therebetween, comprising the steps of:

defining a unique audio signature for the specific and determinable second location on the global communication network, which unique audio signature is permanently associated with the specific and determinable second location, and which audio signature contains no routing information;

storing a unique audio designation corresponding to the unique audio signature in a database at a remote location on the global communication network;

associating with the unique audio designation in the database routing information over the global communication network to the specific and determinable second location from any of the plurality of first locations on the global communication network;

causing from a control location remote from the plurality of first locations the unique audio signature to be reproduced at at least one of the plurality of first locations;

in response to the step of causing transmitting the reproduced audio signature to the remote location and then, at the remote location, transmitting the associated routing information to the at least one of the first locations that transmitted the reproduced audio signature; and

transferring information between the plurality of first locations and the specific and determinable second location in response to the step of causing and in accordance with the transmitted routing information stored in the database and associated with the reproduced unique audio signature and conducting commerce there between.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique audio signature has embedded therein encoded information and wherein the step of storing the unique audio designation in a database comprises storing a decoded version of the encoded information therein and the step of associating is operable to associate the decoded version of the encoded information with routing information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of defining a unique audio signature comprises defining a unique audio signature that comprises an audio signal within the hearing range of a human.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the unique audio designation is compatible with an audio portion of a television broadcast.