Method and system for interrogating and processing codes

• US 9,147,186 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States of America Postal Service
• Inventors: Reblin, Gary C.
• Primary Examiner(s): St Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/539,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20150073900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/385
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. 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. There can be 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. An interrogation and processing system, comprising:

a wireless communication device comprising;

a non-volatile memory that persistently stores an interrogation software program;

an interrogator responsive to the interrogation software program and 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 is configured to interrogate the information sources to obtain at least an electronic communication address embedded therein for accessing the automated processing subsystem, wherein the device is further configured to receive a request for shipping information from the automated processing subsystem, and wherein the device is configured to transmit shipping information to the automated processing subsystem; and

a data storage configured to store data associated with the plurality of information sources.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information sources include a barcode and wherein the wireless communication device is configured to scan, decode and convert the barcode to a uniform resource locator (URL) address.

3. The system of claim 2, 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.

4. The system of claim 2, 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.

5. The system of claim 1, 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.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogator is configured to read a bitmap of a URL address corresponding with the information source, and wherein the wireless communication device is configured to convert the bitmap to an encoding scheme representative of the URL address via optical character recognition.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the device further receives, from the automated processing subsystem, a receipt for a product or service corresponding to the item.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the device further receives a coupon for a product or service corresponding to the item.

9. The system of claim 1, 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.

10. The system of claim 1, 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.

11. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising a fulfillment subsystem configured to receive information from the automated processing subsystem and to effect delivery of the item to a destination.

12. 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 the data storage of the device, and transmit the payment information to the automated processing subsystem.

13. 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 the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication device includes a non-volatile memory that persistently stores a product ordering software program, and wherein receiving the encoded data 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;

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

obtaining the shipping information; and

transmitting the shipping information to the automated processing subsystem.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the interrogator comprises a scanner.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the information source comprises a barcode.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the encoded data corresponding to an information source includes communication information for accessing the automated processing subsystem.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the shipping information includes a shipping method.

18. The method of claim 13, 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.

19. The method of claim 13, 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.

20. A scanning and ordering system, comprising:

a wireless communication device comprising;

a non-volatile memory that persistently stores a product ordering software program;

a scanner responsive to the product ordering software program and 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 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, wherein the device is further configured to receive a request for shipping information from the automated processing subsystem, and wherein the device is configured to transmit shipping information to the automated processing subsystem in response to the request; and

a data storage configured to store data corresponding to a plurality of products associated with the plurality of information sources.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the scanner is configured to scan an information source representative of a telephone number associated with the automated processing subsystem and to wirelessly transmit data indicative of the telephone number associated with the automated processing subsystem, wherein one of the plurality of scanned information sources includes a barcode, and wherein the wireless communication device is configured to scan, decode and convert the barcode to a uniform resource locator (URL) address.