Method and system for interrogating and processing codes

• US 8,936,192 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Reblin, Gary C.
• Primary Examiner(s): KELLY, RAFFERTY D
• Application Number:
  US11/614,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20070138270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,953 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• 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 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

An interrogating and processing system and method is described. In one embodiment, a wireless communication device interrogates an information source, having a barcode or tag, and wirelessly transmits data indicative of the information source. The interrogator can be built into or adjunct to the wireless communication device. An automated processing subsystem receives the transmitted data and identifies an item corresponding to the data. A fulfillment subsystem effects delivery of the item to a destination. In another embodiment, there is a coupon code scanning and processing system and method. A wireless computing device having an interrogator reads a coupon code. An automated processing subsystem receives the corresponding data and provides a benefit associated with the coupon. The benefit can be a discount on a product or service. Alternatively, at least a portion of the coupon including a code is displayed on a screen of the computing device for processing at a point of sale terminal.

Claims

1. A scanning and ordering system, comprising:

a wireless communication device having a non-volatile memory that persistently stores a product ordering software program and a scanner configured to scan a plurality of information sources and in response to said scan to wirelessly transmit data indicative of a product order corresponding with one of the plurality of the information sources to an automated processing subsystem, wherein the device is further configured to obtain data from the one of the plurality of scanned information sources representative of an electronic communication address embedded therein for accessing the automated processing subsystem, and wherein the device has a data storage storing data corresponding to a plurality of products associated with the plurality of information sources, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to determine geographic information associated with the information source and the electronic communication address for a transportation entity based on a barcode associated with the information source, and to contact the transportation entity based on the electronic communication address and the geographic information to facilitate a transportation pickup.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a data storage and stores shipping address data in the data storage.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a data storage and stores payment information data in the data storage.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a data storage and stores delivery preference data in the data storage.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the information source comprises a barcode.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner scans an information source representative of a shipping address and wirelessly transmits data indicative of the shipping address.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner scans an information source representative of a delivery preference and wirelessly transmits data indicative of the delivery preference.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner scans an information source representative of an item quantity and wirelessly transmits data indicative of the item quantity.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner scans an information source representative of an item size and/or item color and wirelessly transmits data indicative of the item size and/or item color.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner scans an information source representative of payment information and wirelessly transmits data indicative of the payment information.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of scanned information sources includes a barcode that is scanned and decoded by the wireless communication device and converted to a uniform resource locator (URL) address.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the information source comprises a telephone number associated with the automated processing subsystem.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises an input device configured to provide additional data to be transmitted to the automated processing subsystem.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises an input device configured to provide additional data to be stored in a data storage.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device transmits data via a cellular or personal communications service protocol.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the shipping information corresponds to a user of the wireless communication device.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the shipping information corresponds to a third party.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a mobile cellular or personal communications service telephone having a persistent data storage.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a laptop computer, mobile computer, palm-top computer, hand-held computer, or personal digital assistant.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner is built into the wireless communication device.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner is adjunct to the wireless communication device.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated processing system uses interactive voice response technology.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated processing system requests the wireless communication device to provide additional information about the product order.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated processing system requests delivery preferences from the wireless communication device.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the, automated processing system provides a price total to the wireless communication device.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated processing system requests payment information from the wireless communication device.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated processing system sends confirmation information to the wireless communication device or other predetermined location.

28. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising a fulfillment subsystem to ship the product order via a delivery preference provided by the automated processing system.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated processing subsystem is an automated call center.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the device prompts a user to provide shipping information.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to receive a request for payment information from the automated processing subsystem, retrieve payment information previously stored in a persistent data storage of the device, and transmit the payment information to the automated processing subsystem.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a database.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the database stores a time that the information source is scanned.

34. The system of claim 1, wherein the information source comprises at least one of media, products or signage.

35. A scanning and ordering method using a wireless communication device having an interrogator, the method comprising:

receiving encoded data corresponding to a plurality of information sources associated with a plurality of products via a wireless communication device having an associated interrogator, wherein the wireless communication device includes a non-volatile memory that persistently stores a product ordering software program,

wherein receiving the encoded data further comprises interrogating the information sources to obtain an electronic communication address embedded therein for accessing an automated processing subsystem;

storing the encoded data in a data storage of the wireless communication device;

transmitting data indicative of a product order based on at least a portion of the encoded data to the automated processing subsystem via a wireless protocol;

wherein the wireless communication device is configured to determine geographic information associated with the information source and the electronic communication address for a transportation entity based on a barcode associated with the information source, and to contact the transportation entity based on the electronic communication address and the geographic information to facilitate a transportation pickup.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the interrogator comprises a scanner.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the information source comprises a barcode.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the encoded data corresponding to an information source includes communication information for accessing the automated processing subsystem.

39. The method of claim 35, additionally comprising:

receiving a request for payment information from the automated processing subsystem;

prompting a user to provide the payment information; and

transmitting the payment information to the automated processing subsystem.

40. The method of claim 35, additionally comprising:

receiving a request for payment information from the automated processing subsystem;

retrieving payment information previously stored in a persistent data storage of the wireless communication device; and

transmitting the retrieved payment information to the automated processing subsystem.

41. A interrogation and processing system, comprising:

a wireless communication device having a non-volatile memory that persistently stores an interrogation software program and an interrogator configured to read information from a plurality of information sources and in response to said read to wirelessly transmit data indicative of the information from one of the plurality of information sources to an automated processing subsystem, wherein the device interrogates the information sources to obtain at least an electronic communication address embedded therein for accessing the automated processing subsystem, and wherein the device has a data storage storing data associated with the plurality of information sources, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to determine geographic information associated with the information source and the electronic communication address for a transportation entity based on a barcode associated with the information source, and to contact the transportation entity based on the electronic communication address and the geographic information to facilitate a transportation pickup.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the information source includes a barcode that is scanned and decoded by the wireless communication device and converted to a uniform resource locator (URL) address.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to access a web page listing a product or service on a website based on the URL address.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to access a web page having a coupon for a product or service on a website based on the URL address.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein the automated processing system includes a server configured to receive the data indicative of the information source, decode the data and convert the decoded information to a URL address.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein the interrogator reads a bitmap of a URL address corresponding with the information source, and wherein the wireless communication device converts the bitmap to an encoding scheme representative of the URL address via optical character recognition.

47. The system of claim 41, wherein the device further receives, from the automated processing subsystem, a receipt for a product or service corresponding to the item.

48. The system of claim 41, wherein the device further receives a coupon for a product or service corresponding to the item.

49. The system of claim 41, wherein the device further receives an acknowledgement of a transportation pickup.

50. The system of claim 41, wherein the information source includes an active radio frequency identification tag configured to limit a particular business to a specified number of total coupon readings.

51. The system of claim 41, wherein the information source includes an active radio frequency identification tag configured to limit the wireless communication device to one reading for a particular coupon.

52. The system of claim 41, additionally comprising a fulfillment subsystem configured to receive information from the automated processing subsystem and to effect delivery of the item to a destination.

53. The system of claim 41, wherein the device is further configured to receive a request for payment information from the automated processing subsystem, retrieve payment information previously stored in a persistent data storage of the device, and transmit the payment information to the automated processing subsystem.