Discovery of asset information through scanning of communication tags associated with assets

• US 9,189,560 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tyree, David Spencer, Giardina, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Gofman, Alex
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mian, Umar
• Application Number:
  US13/371,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20130212117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

In some embodiments, a mobile device includes an interface configured to scan information from a communication tag associated with an asset, a memory operable to store the information, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory. The information comprises a header describing the information, business application data, and asset identification data uniquely identifying the asset. The processor is configured to extract the business application data from the information scanned from the communication tag and extract the asset identification data from the information scanned from the communication tag.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a Quick Response code (QRCode) scanner operable to scan information from a QRCode created by an asset, the information comprising;

a header describing the information;

a uniform resource locator (URL) containing asset identification data uniquely identifying the asset that created the QRCode; and

business application data not associated with the asset;

a memory operable to store the information and mobile device data associated with the mobile device comprising data;

identifying a location of the mobile device,

identifying when the QRCode is scanned, and

identifying a user associated with the mobile device;

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to;

extract the business application data from the information scanned from the QRCode;

provide the business application data to a business application;

extract the URL from the information scanned from the QRCode;

insert the mobile device data identifying the location of the mobile device, when the QRCode is scanned, and the user associated with the mobile device into the URL to yield an augmented URL; and

access an endpoint for the augmented URL, the endpoint configured to;

retrieve, from the augmented URL, the asset identification data uniquely identifying the asset that created the QRCode; and

track placement of the asset that created the QRCode based on the location of the mobile device from the mobile device data in the augmented URL.

2. A device, comprising:

an interface configured to scan information from a communication tag created by an asset, the information comprising;

business application data; and

a uniform resource locator (URL) containing asset identification data uniquely identifying the asset that created the communication tag;

a memory operable to store the information and device data associated with the device, the device data comprising data identifying a location of the device; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to;

extract the business application data from the information scanned from the communication tag;

extract the asset identification data from the information scanned from the communication tag;

insert the device data into the URL to yield an augmented URL; and

access an endpoint for the augmented URL, the endpoint configured to;

retrieve, from the augmented URL, the asset identification data uniquely identifying the asset that created the communication tag; and

track placement of the asset that created the communication tag based on the location of the device from the device data in the augmented URL.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein:

the processor is configured to augment the asset identification data with the device data to yield augmented data.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein:

augmenting the asset identification data with the device data comprises inserting the data identifying the location of the device into the asset identification data to yield the augmented data.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein:

the device data comprises data identifying when the communication tag is scanned; and

augmenting the asset identification data with the device data comprises inserting the data identifying when the communication tag is scanned into the asset identification data to yield the augmented data.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein:

the device data comprises data uniquely identifying the device or a user associated with the device; and

augmenting the asset identification data with the device data comprises inserting the data identifying the device or a user associated with the device into the asset identification data to yield the augmented data.

7. The device of claim 2,

wherein the device data is inserted into a query string of the URL to yield the augmented URL, and wherein the endpoint is further configured to retrieve the device data from the query string of the augmented URL.

8. The device of claim 6, the processor being further configured to transmit the URL to an asset manager.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein:

the communication tag is a Quick Response code (QRCode); and

the interface is configured to scan the QRCode.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein the interface is configured to scan the communication tag using near-field communication.

11. A method for managing assets in a business environment, comprising:

scanning information from a communication tag created by an asset, the information comprising;

business application data; and

a uniform resource locator (URL) containing asset identification data uniquely identifying the asset that created the communication tag;

extracting the business application data from the information scanned from the communication tag;

providing the business application data to a business application;

extracting the asset identification data from the information scanned from the communication tag;

inserting mobile device data associated with a mobile device into the URL to yield an augmented URL, the mobile device data comprising data identifying a location of the mobile device; and

accessing an endpoint for the augmented URL, the endpoint configured to;

retrieve the asset identification data uniquely identifying the asset that created the communication tag; and

track placement of the asset that created the communication tag based on the location of the mobile device from the mobile device data in the augmented URL.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising augmenting the asset identification data with the mobile device data to yield augmented data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

augmenting the asset identification data with the mobile device data comprises inserting the data identifying the location of the mobile device into the asset identification data to yield the augmented data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the mobile device data comprises data identifying when the communication tag is scanned; and

augmenting the asset identification data with the mobile device data comprises inserting the data identifying when the communication tag is scanned into the asset identification data to yield the augmented data.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the mobile device data comprises data uniquely identifying the mobile device or a user associated with the mobile device; and

augmenting the asset identification data with the mobile device data comprises inserting the data identifying the mobile device or a user associated with the mobile device into the asset identification data to yield the augmented data.

16. The method of claim 11,

wherein the mobile device data is inserted into a query string of the URL to yield the augmented URL, and wherein the endpoint is further configured to retrieve the mobile device data from the query string of the augmented URL.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting the URL to an asset manager.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the communication tag is a Quick Response code (QRCode); and

the interface is configured to scan the QRCode.