Method of and apparatus for managing and redeeming bar-coded coupons displayed from the light emitting display surfaces of information display devices

• US 8,556,176 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Horn, Erik, Olson, Daniel James
• Primary Examiner(s): MARSHALL, CHRISTLE I
• Application Number:
  US13/245,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20130075464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 23546201-46249
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06112 the marking being simulated using a light source, e.g. a barcode shown on a display or a laser beam with time-varying intensity profile
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates

Abstract

Improved methods of and apparatus for managing and redeeming bar-coded coupons that are displayed from a light emitting display surface of an information storage and display device, such as a cell-phone, a smart-phone, or a data communication device. The linear (1D) bar code symbols, associated with bar-coded store coupons, are displayed on the light emitting display surface using in a pulse code modulation (PCM) format, wherein a substantial portion of the pixels on the light emitting display surface are energized and de-energized to emit red-wavelengths of light energy, at a rate which temporally corresponds to the spatial frequency of the bars and spaces of the linear bar code symbol, so that a laser scanning bar code symbol reading device is capable of reading the PCM formatted bar code symbol displayed from the light emitting display surface.

Claims

1. An information storage and display device comprising:

a computing platform for running one or more computer applications;

a light emitting display surface interfaced with said computing platform for displaying digital images including graphics, bar code symbols, and graphical patterns in response to at least one computer application running on said computing platform;

wherein during the running of at least one said application, a bar-coded coupon including a bar code symbol is to be displayed on said light emitting display surface and read by a laser scanning bar code symbol reader, said application displaying said bar code symbol on said light emitting display surface in a pulse code modulation (PCM) format;

wherein a substantial portion of the pixels on said light emitting display surface are energized and de-energized to emit red-wavelengths of light energy at a rate which temporally corresponds to the spatial frequency of the bars and spaces of said bar code symbol so that said laser scanning bar code symbol reading device can read said PCM formatted bar code symbol displayed from said light emitting display surface without the generation of a laser scanning beam from said laser scanning bar code symbol reader; and

wherein said at least one application running on said computing platform allows said information storage and display device to capture a digital image of a bar-coded coupon including a bar code symbol present on the Internet or printed on a physical substrate, convert said digital image of the bar-coded coupon into a PCM formatted bar code symbol, and display a PCM formatted bar code symbol on said light emitting display surface in the form of pixels on said light emitting display surface energized and de-energized to emit red-wavelengths of light energy at a rate which temporally corresponds to the spatial frequency of the bars and spaces of said bar code symbol so that said laser scanning bar code symbol reading device can read said PCM formatted bar code symbol displayed from said light emitting display surface without the generation of a laser scanning beam from said laser scanning bar code symbol reader.

2. The information storage and display device of claim 1, comprising a digital camera for capturing digital images of objects including bar-coded coupons printed on physical substrates.

3. The information display device of claim 2, which further comprises an application for running on said computing platform, and capturing bar-coded coupons printed on substrates by capturing digital images thereof using said digital camera.

4. The information storage and display device of claim 1, comprising an audio transducer for producing sounds in response to operation of the applications;

an audio microphone for converting sounds into corresponding electrical signals; and

a wireless communication comprising electro-magnetic antennas for supporting wireless communication including transmission and reception of signals between the device and digital information networks and cellular communication.

5. The information and display device of claim 1, which further comprises a device selected from the group consisting of cell-phones, smart-phones, mobile information storage and display devices, television systems, image projectors, information appliances, and computer systems.

6. The information display device of claim 1, wherein said light emitting display surface is selected from the group consisting of liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, light emitting diode (LED) technology, organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology, plasma display technology, and digital light projection (DLP) technology.

7. A method of reading a code symbol displayed on a light emitting display surface associated with an information storage and display device, said method comprising:

running an application on said information display device, allowing said information storage and display device to capture a digital image of a symbol-coded coupon including a code symbol present on the Internet or printed on a physical substrate;

using said application to capture a digital image of said symbol-coded coupon including said code symbol;

converting the digital image of said code symbol into a pulse code modulation (PCM) format for display from said light emitting display surface; and

displaying said code symbol in said PCM format from said light emitting display surface, during which a substantial portion of the pixels on said light emitting display surface are energized and de-energized to emit red-wavelengths of light energy at a rate which temporally corresponds to the spatial frequency of the bars and spaces of said code symbol so that a laser scanning bar code symbol reading device can read said PCM formatted code symbol displayed from said display surface and produce symbol character data representative of said read code symbol.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of displaying said code symbol comprises displaying a graphical image of said code symbol on at least portion of said light emitting display surface, at the same time said code symbol is displayed in said PCM format.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said light emitting display surface is selected from the group consisting of liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, light emitting diode (LED) technology, organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology, plasma display technology, and digital light projection (DLP) technology.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said information storage and display device is selected from the group consisting of cell-phones, smart-phones, mobile information storage and display devices, television systems, image projectors, information appliances, and computer systems.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said code symbols are code symbols selected from the group consisting of 1D bar code symbols, and 2D stacked bar code symbols.

12. A device comprising:

a computing platform for running an application;

a display connected to the computing platform for emitting light;

wherein, when the computing platform runs the application, the computing platform converts a barcode symbol to a pulse code modulation (PCM) formatted barcode symbol and the display emits light pulses corresponding to the PCM formatted barcode symbol, wherein, when the computing platform runs the application, the light pulses emitted by the display are red wavelength light pulses.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein, when the computing platform runs the application, the display emits light pulses at a rate which temporally corresponds to the spatial frequency of the barcode symbol'"'"'s bars and spaces.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the display displays an image of the barcode symbol at the same time that the display emits lights pulses corresponding to the PCM formatted barcode symbol.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the computing platform runs an application that captures an image of the barcode symbol from the internet.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is a smart-phone.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

18. The device of claim 12, comprising a camera for capturing a digital image of the barcode symbol.

19. The device of claim 12, comprising a wireless communication module for supporting communication over networks.