Color bar codes

• US 7,850,067 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Persson, Carl J., Wilson, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Seung H
• Application Number:
  US11/946,039
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/462.04, 235/465, 235/469, 359/443, 359/504, 359/601, 359/614, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A device for initiating automatic retrieval of content using a plurality of three-dimensional elements is provided. The device comprises a plurality of three-dimensional elements producing a color pattern. The color pattern is associated with an item of interest and is used to obtain a content related to the item of interest.

Claims

1. A communication system based on a sequence of color patterns, comprising:

a mobile device capturing one or more images of one or more color patterns from a sequence of color patterns, the sequence of color patterns created by a plurality of discreet three-dimensional colored lights, wherein the three-dimensional colored lights are coupled to a public promotion space that displays information associated with a promotion, and wherein the three dimensional colored lights are coupled to the public promotion space such that vantage points from which the three dimensional colored lights are visible include vantage points from which the information displayed by the public promotion space is visible and vantage points from which the information displayed by the public promotion space is not visible; and

an application that, when executed on a processor of the mobile device, uses the captured images to automatically retrieve additional content related to the information associated with the promotion displayed on the public promotion space.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application retrieves the additional content based in part on a retrieval history of the mobile device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application retrieves the additional content based in part on a location of the mobile device at the time of capture, wherein the sequence of color patterns corresponds to first content when the sequence of color patterns is captured at a first location and the sequence of color patterns corresponds to second content when the sequence of color patterns is captures at a second location.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the application retrieves the additional content based in part on a retrieval history of other mobile devices at the location of the mobile device during the time of capture.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application provides an indication when the mobile device captures an incomplete image of the one or more color patterns.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the application provides a user of the mobile device with an audible presentation interface.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a user of the mobile device directs the display of the retrieved additional content using verbal instructions.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the three dimensional colored lights are coupled to a periphery of the public promotion space.

9. A method of content retrieval using a sequence of colored light patterns, comprising:

capturing two or more images of two or more colored light patterns in a sequence of colored light patterns using a camera on a mobile device, the colored light patterns generated by a plurality of colored lights coupled to a public promotion space that displays information associated with a promotion;

decoding the captured images of the two or more colored light patterns;

identifying additional content related to the information associated with the promotion displayed on the public promotion space based on the decoding of the captured images; and

providing the additional content to a user of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the decoding is performed by an application on the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the decoding is performed by an application on a server.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the decoding is performed using a resource selected from the group consisting of an association table, a look-up table, a decoding tree, and a mathematical algorithm.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein if the mobile device does not capture the entire sequence of colored light patterns, an application is able to provide one or more possible results to the user of the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein if the application provides one or more possible results to the user of the mobile device, the user of the mobile device is able to select one or more desired result from the one or more possible results.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising dynamically updating the two or more colored light patterns in the sequence of colored light patterns to update the additional content associated with the information associated with the promotion displayed on the banner.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the public promotion space is a billboard.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the additional content comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a uniform resource locator (URL);

an electronic mail address;

a coupon; and

a telephone number.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein capturing further comprises capturing a different colored light pattern in each of the one or more images of the two or more colored light patterns in the sequence of colored light patterns.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying additional content related to the information associated with the promotion displayed on the public promotion space is based in part on a location of the mobile device at the time of capture, wherein the additional content comprises first content when the captured image is captured at a first location and the additional content comprises second content when the captured image is captured at a second location.