Method and apparatus for utilizing an existing product code to issue a match to a predetermined location on a global network

• US 7,596,786 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2007
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: RPX-LV Acquisition LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Inventors: Mathews, David Kent, Philyaw, Jeffry Jovan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Keefer, Michael E
• Application Number:
  US11/619,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20070106816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 717/174, 715/503
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45

Abstract

A method for providing an interconnection relationship between a product and a desired location on a global communications network. A machine readable product code is disposed on the product machine readable product code, the machine readable product code having encoded product information contained therein. The product code has no routing information embedded therein which would allow the product code, in and of itself, to cause routing to the desired location over any path on the network. The machine readable product code is read and decoded. The extracted product code is then converted for routing information over the network to the desired location, which routing information defines the manner by which a user or a computer at a user location wherein the machine readable product code was read can communicate with the desired location via an interconnection therewith.

Claims

1. A method for providing an interconnection relationship between a product that has disposed thereon a machine readable product code on the product, and a desired location on a global communications network, the machine readable product code having encoded therein product code information and the purpose thereof being other than routing to the desired location on the network, the product code information having no routing information embedded therein which would allow the product code information, in and of itself, to cause routing to the desired location over any path on the network, comprising the steps of:

reading a machine readable product code at a user location on the network;

in response to the step of reading the machine readable product code, and without user intervention of a user at the user location on the network;

assembling a message packet containing information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein,

transmitting the message packet to an intermediate node on the network having associated therewith a database which has stored therein relationships between the information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein and routing information for at least one desired location on the network,

in accordance with the stored relationships in the database, converting the received information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein to routing information over the network to the at least one desired location associated therewith in the database, which routing information, associated with an instructional code, is returned to the user location and defines the manner by which a user or a computer at a user location wherein the machine readable product code was read can communicate with the at least one desired location via an interconnection therewith,

receiving at the user location from the intermediate node on the network the routing information and associated instructional code that instructs the user node to connect to the at least one desired location on the network, and

connecting the user location to the at least one desired location in accordance with the received instructional code and associated routing information such that connection to the at least one desired location is controlled by the intermediate node through the instructional code, wherein all connections to desired locations are controlled only by the intermediate node and not by any actions at the user location other than the operation of reading, and wherein actions at the user location do not prevent connection or affect connection to the desired location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the product code comprises a UPC.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the product code comprises an ISBN.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the product code comprises an LAN.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing information comprises a universal resource locator (URL) that comprises a unique locator on the network to the at least one desired location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of converting comprises:

providing the database having stored therein an associative table which relates a plurality of information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein with associated desired locations on the network, each of the information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein having routing information to that associated desired location associated therewith; and

comparing the received information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein with the associative table in the database to determine the routing information to the at least one desired location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reading comprises scanning of the machine readable product code with a bar code scanner and wherein the machine readable product code comprises a bar code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein comprises the product code information and further comprising the step of extracting the product code form the read machine readable product code prior to the step of assembling.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of extracting comprises the step of decoding the machine readable product code to extract the product code information therefrom.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the machine readable product code comprises a bar code having the product code information encoded therein in a plurality of lines of varying width, each associated with machine readable codes, and the step of decoding is operable to extract the machine readable product code from the lines during the step of reading, which step of reading comprises scanning the bar code with an optical bar code scanner.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assembling the message packet comprises forming a data transmission that is comprised of a first field having associated therewith source information as to the location on the network of the user location, as second field having associated therewith destination information as to the location of the intermediate node on the network and a third and data field having associated therewith the information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein.

12. A method for providing an interconnection relationship between a product that has disposed thereon a machine readable product code on the product, and a target location on a global communications network, the machine readable product code having encoded product code information contained therein, the product code information having no routing information embedded therein and the purpose thereof being other than routing to the target location on the network which would allow the product code information, in and of itself, to cause routing to the target location over any path on the network, comprising the steps of:

reading a machine readable product code at a user location on the network;

in response to the step of reading the machine readable product code, and without user intervention of a user at the user location on the network;

assembling a message packet containing information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein;

transmitting the message packet to an intermediate node on the network in accordance with intermediate node routing information at the user location on the network;

the intermediate node having associated therewith a database which has stored therein relationships between the information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein and target routing information for at least one target location on the network;

comparing the received information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein with the stored relationships in the database and, if there is a match, selecting the target routing information from the database associated with the matching relationship, which target routing information is then associated with an instructional code and returned to the user location, which instructional code defines the manner by which a user or a computer at a user location wherein the machine readable product code was read will communicate with the at least one target location via an interconnection therewith;

receiving at the user location from the intermediate node on the network the target routing information and associated instructional code that instructs the user node to connect to the at least one target location on the network; and

connecting the user location to the at least one target location in accordance with the received instructional code and associated target routing information such that connection to the at least one target location is controlled by the intermediate node through the instructional code, wherein all connections to target locations are controlled only by the intermediate node and not by any actions at the user location other than the operation of reading, and wherein actions at the user location do not prevent connection or affect connection to the target location.

13. A method for providing an interconnection relationship between a product that has disposed thereon a machine readable product code on the product, and a target location on a global communications network, the machine readable product code having encoded product code information contained therein, the product code information having no routing information embedded therein and the purpose thereof being other than routing to the target location on the network which would allow the product code information, in and of itself, to cause routing to the target location over any path on the network, comprising the steps of:

reading a machine readable product code at a user location on the network;

in response to the step of reading the machine readable product code, and without user intervention of a user at the user location on the network;

assembling a message packet containing information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein;

transmitting the message packet to an intermediate node on the network in accordance with intermediate node routing information at the user location on the network, which intermediate node has associated therewith a database which has stored therein relationships between the information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein and target routing information for at least one target location on the network;

which intermediate node is operable to compare the received information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein with the stored relationships in the database and, if there is a match, select the target routing information from the database associated with the matching relationship, which target routing information is then associated with an instructional code and returned to the user location, which instructional code defines the manner by which a user or a computer at a user location wherein the machine readable product code was read will communicate with the at least one target location via an interconnection therewith;

receiving at the user location from the intermediate node on the network the target routing information and associated instructional code that instructs the user node to connect to the at least one target location on the network; and

connecting the user location to the at least one target location in accordance with the received instructional code and associated target routing information such that connection to the at least one target location is controlled by the intermediate node through the instructional code, wherein all connections to target locations are controlled only by the intermediate node and not by any actions at the user location other than the operation of reading, and wherein actions at the user location do not prevent connection or affect connection to the target location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of assembling the message packet comprises forming a data transmission that is comprised of a first field having associated therewith source information as to the location on the network of the user location, as second field having associated therewith intermediate node routing information as to the location of the intermediate node on the network and a third and data field having associated therewith the information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of reading comprises scanning of the machine readable product code with a bar code scanner and wherein the machine readable product code comprises a bar code.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the information representative of the machine readable product code and the product code information contained therein comprises the product code information and further comprising the step of extracting the product code form the read machine readable product code prior to the step of assembling.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of extracting comprises the step of decoding the machine readable product code to extract the product code information therefrom.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the machine readable product code comprises a bar code having the product code information encoded therein in a plurality of lines of varying width, each associated with machine readable codes, and the step of decoding is operable to extract the machine readable product code from the lines during the step of reading, which step of reading comprises scanning the bar code with an optical bar code scanner.

19. A method for providing an interconnection relationship between a product that has disposed thereon a machine readable product code on the product, and a desired location on a global communications network, the machine readable product code having encoded product code information contained therein and the purpose thereof being other than routing to the desired location on the network, the product code information having no routing information embedded therein which would allow the product code information, in and of itself, to cause routing to the desired location over any path on the network, comprising the steps of:

reading a machine readable product code at a user location on the network;

in response to the step of reading the machine readable product code, and without user intervention of a user at the user location on the network, extracting the product code information from the machine readable product code;

assembling a message packet containing the product code information;

transmitting the message packet to an intermediate node on the network having associated therewith a database which has stored therein relationships between the product code information and routing information for at least one desired location on the network wherein, at the intermediate location and in accordance with the stored relationships in the database, the received product code information has been converted to routing information over the network to the at least one desired location associated therewith in the database, which routing information, associated with an instructional code, is returned to the user location and defines the manner by which a user or a computer at a user location wherein the machine readable product code was read can communicate with the at least one desired location via an interconnection therewith;

receiving at the user location from the intermediate node on the network the routing information and associated instructional code that instructs the user node to connect to the at least one desired location on the network; and

the user location being connected to the at least one desired location in accordance with the received instructional code and associated routing information such that connection to the at least one desired location is controlled by the intermediate node through the instructional code, wherein all connections to desired locations are controlled only by the intermediate node and not by any actions at the user location other than the operation of reading, and wherein actions at the user location do not prevent connection or affect connection to the desired location.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the product code comprises a UPC.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the product code comprises an ISBN.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the product code comprises an LAN.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the routing information comprises a universal resource locator (URL) that comprises a unique locator on the network to the at least one desired location.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of converting comprises:

providing the database having stored therein an associative table which relates a plurality of product code information with associated desired locations on the network, each of the product code information having routing information to that associated desired location associated therewith; and

comparing the extracted product code information with the associative table in the database to determine the routing information to the at least one desired location.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of reading comprises scanning of the machine readable code with a bar code scanner and wherein the machine readable code comprises a bar code.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of extracting comprises the step of decoding the machine readable code to extract the product code information therefrom.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the machine readable product code comprises a bar code having the product code information encoded therein in a plurality of lines of varying width, each associated with machine readable codes, and the step of decoding is operable to extract the machine readable code from the lines during the step of reading, which step of reading comprises scanning the bar code with an optical bar code scanner.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of assembling the message packet comprises forming a data transmission that is comprised of a first field having associated therewith source information as to the location on the network of the user location, as second field having associated therewith destination information as to the location of the intermediate node on the network and a third and data field having associated therewith the product code information.