Method and apparatus for accessing electronic data via a familiar printed medium

• US 8,261,994 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marshall Feature Recognition LLC
• Original Assignee: Marshall Feature Recognition LLC
• Inventors: Rathus, Spencer A., Nevid, Jeffrey S.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US12/590,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20100133333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 23547201-47202, 23546201-46225, 235/454, 235/455, 235/470, 235/375, 235/380, 235/383
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon

Abstract

The disclosed methods and apparatus relate generally to the electronics media industry, such as cable television (CATV), home shopping services, on-line computer services and computer memory applications. These methods and apparatus allow a user to access and make use of electronic media input and output devices by reference to and/or utilization of standard printed matter, such as magazines, textbooks, or any other printed matter that can be correlated to electronic media.

Claims

1. A method for displaying programming material to a user using at least one machine recognizable feature within a printed matter and a database comprising programming material associated with the at least one machine recognizable feature, comprising the steps of:

creating a user profile comprising at least one user preference;

storing the user profile;

recognizing the at least one machine recognizable feature of the printed matter using a feature recognizing device coupled to a user device;

identifying encoded data associated with the at least one machine recognizable feature of the printed matter;

matching the at least one user preference with the encoded data associated with the at least one machine recognizable feature;

transmitting, using the user device, the data associated with the at least one machine recognizable feature that was matched with the user profile to the database;

receiving the programming material from the database; and

displaying the programming material on a display.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user profile includes a plurality of user preferences representing types of desired information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interacts with the user device in creating the user profile.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user provides user specific information to the user device in creating the user profile.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the user provides answers to a plurality of predetermined questions in creating the user profile.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the encoded data comprises a link for retrieving programming material.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one machine recognizable feature is selected from a group consisting of a printed matter, a code, a barcode, a two-dimensional barcode, a QR code, a magnetic strip, an audible audio emitting device, a biometric sample, a watermark, a digital watermark, a transponder, a radio frequency identification device tag, a touch sensor, an infrared tag, and a quantum dot.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the printed matter is selected from the group consisting of a book, a textbook, a newspaper, an editorial, a letter-to-the-editor, an advertisement, a magazine, a passport, a boarding pass, a real estate listing, an identification card, a smart card, a student identification card, a license, a registration, a receipt, a ticket, a business card, a credit card, a cash card, and a document.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the user device is selected from a group consisting of a personal computer, a hand-held communications device, a cellular telephone, a camera-enabled cellular telephone, a scanner, a personal digital assistant, an Internet-enabled telephone, an Internet-enabled device, an intelligent terminal, a television, a pager, a simulated book, a laptop computer, and a wireless communications device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one machine recognizable feature has associated therewith a data link which is recognized by the user device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the data link is selected from the group consisting of an image data link, a video data link, an audio data link, a programming data link, an online data link, a pictorial data link, an electronic data link, an electronic media link, and an “

information superhighway”

data link.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the “

information superhighway”

data link is selected from the group consisting of the Internet, a computer network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wireless network, an Ethernet network, a Radio Frequency cellular network, an Integrated Services Digital Network, a telephone line, and a cable television line.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the feature recognizing device is selected from the group consisting of a scanner, a camera, a barcode scanner, a code reader, a magnetic stripe reader, a transceiver, a biometric reading device, a watermark reader, a receiver a radio frequency identification device reader, an infrared reader, a quantum dot reader, an optical reader, and an optical mouse.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the feature recognizing device is linked to a personal computer or a wireless interface.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the wireless interface is selected from the group consisting of a cellular telephone, a pager, a wireless personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a wireless device, an Internet accessing device, and a television receiver.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the database is selected from the group consisting of a local database, a remote database, a remote server, and a network of databases.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the display is coupled to the user device.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the user profile is stored on the user device.

19. A system for displaying programming material to a user, the system comprising:

a printed matter having at least one machine recognizable feature;

a user device including;

a feature recognition device configured to recognize said at least one machine recognizable feature;

a display;

an input device configured to allow a user to create a user profile;

a storage device configured to store said user profile; and

a transmitter configured to transmit a coded signal containing data from said at least one machine recognizable feature and said user profile; and

an intelligent controller configured to access said programming material chosen based on said user profile in response to receiving said coded signal and cause said programming material to be displayed on said display.

20. A system according to claim 19 wherein said at least one machine recognizable feature has associated therewith a data link which is recognized by said feature recognition device.

21. A system according to claim 20 wherein said data link is selected from the group consisting of an image data link, a video data link, an audio data link, a programming data link, an online data link, a pictorial data link, an electronic data link, an electronic media link, and an “

information superhighway”

data link.

22. A system according to claim 21 wherein said “

information superhighway”

data link is selected from the group consisting of the Internet, a computer network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wireless network, an Ethernet network, a Radio Frequency cellular network, an Integrated Services Digital Network, a telephone line, and a cable television line.

23. A system according to claim 19 wherein said printed matter is selected from the group consisting of a book, a textbook, a newspaper, an editorial, a letter-to-the-editor, an advertisement, a magazine, a license, a registration, a passport, a ticket of admission, a boarding pass, a travel ticket, a business card, an identification card, a real estate listing, a commercial document, and an educational document.

24. A system according to claim 19 wherein said machine recognizable features are selected from the group consisting of a printed matter, a code, a bar code, a two-dimensional bar code, a magnetic strip, a biometric sample, a watermark, a digital watermark, and a transponder.

25. A system according to claim 19 wherein said feature recognition device is selected from the group consisting of a scanner, a camera, a bar code scanner, a code reader, a magnetic stripe reader, a biometric reading device, a watermark reader, a receiver, and a transceiver.

26. A system according to claim 19 wherein said feature recognition device is linked to a personal computer.

27. A system according to claim 19 wherein said feature recognition device is linked to a wireless interface.

28. A system according to claim 27 wherein said wireless interface is at least one selected from the group consisting of a cellular telephone, a pager, a wireless personal computer, a personal digital assistant, an Internet accessing device, and a television receiver.

29. A system according to claim 19 wherein said display comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital planner, an Internet accessing device, a wireless communication device, an intelligent terminal, a mobile telephone, a cellular telephone, a camera-enabled cellular telephone, an Internet enabled telephone, a handheld device, a television, a pager, and a flat panel display.