System and method for using an ordinary article of commerce to access a remote computer

• US 8,805,728 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NM, LLC
• Original Assignee: NeoMedia Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Hudetz, Frank C, Hudetz, Peter R
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C
• Application Number:
  US13/323,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 705/23, 705/26.1, 725/100, 709/229
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A system and method for using identification codes found on ordinary articles of commerce to access remote computers on a network. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a computer is provided having a database that relates Uniform Product Code (“UPC”) numbers to Internet network addresses (or “URLs”). To access an Internet resource relating to a particular product, a user enters the product'"'"'s UPC symbol manually, by swiping a bar code reader over the UPC symbol, or via other suitable input means. The database retrieves the URL corresponding to the UPC code. This location information is then used to access the desired resource.

Claims

1. A method of a user computing device comprising a scanner and a computer accessing one of a plurality of remote information computers available for communication over a network, comprising:

scanning a bar code symbol affixed to an article of commerce, the bar code symbol encoded with an index readable by the user computing device;

transmitting the index by the user computing device to a remote server computer over the network for the remote server computer to

access with the index a database comprising a plurality of records comprising predetermined relationships that link an index to a pointer which identifies a remote information computer on the network,

extract a pointer from the database as a function of the index, and

return the pointer to the user computing device over the network; and

the user computing device receiving the pointer and then using the pointer to establish communication directly via the network with the remote information computer identified by the pointer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pointer comprises a Uniform Resource Locator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pointer comprises a network address.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pointer comprises a name of the remote information computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the pointer comprises an IP address.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the user computing device uses the pointer to establish communication directly via the network with the remote information computer identified by the pointer automatically by the user computing device without user intervention.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the automatic communication by the user computing device with the remote information computer is executed by a web browser program running on the user computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the user computing device uses the pointer to establish communication directly via the network with the remote information computer identified by the pointer by a user selecting a link received by the user computing device from the remote server computer.