Systems and methods for scanning a user environment and evaluating data of interest

• US 9,235,571 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gerrity, Daniel A., Malamud, Mark A., Gates, William, Myhrvold, Nathan P., Holman, Pablos, Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Hyde, Roderick A., Rosema, Keith D., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Tegreene, Clarence T., Jung, Edward K. Y., Weaver, Thomas Allan, Kare, Jordin T., Wood, JR., Lowell L., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): GUDORF, LAURA A
• Application Number:
  US14/265,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20140231506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/435, 235/454, 23546201-46249, 705 39- 40
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a mobile device continuously and/or automatically scans a user environment for tags containing non-human-readable data. The mobile device may continuously and/or automatically scan the environment for tags without being specifically directed at a particular tag. The mobile device may be adapted to scan for audio tags, radio frequency tags, and/or image tags. The mobile device may be configured to scan for and identify tags within the user environment that satisfy a user preference. The mobile device may perform an action in response to identifying a tag that satisfies a user preference. The mobile device may be configured to scan for a wide variety of tags, including tags in the form of quick response codes, steganographic content, audio watermarks, audio outside of a human audible range, radio frequency identification tags, long wavelength identification tags, near field communication tags, and/or a Memory Spot device.

Claims

1. A method for capturing and evaluating data of interest to a user, comprising:

automatically scanning a user environment by a mobile imaging device for one or more tags containing non-human-readable data without the mobile imaging device being specifically directed at a particular tag owned by an owner;

identifying a tag, via the mobile imagining device, within the user environment that satisfies one or more user preferences;

identifying, via the mobile imaging device, a third party associated with one of the identified tag, the user, and the owner;

determining, via the mobile imaging device, an action associated with the identified tag;

performing the action by a computing device associated with the mobile imaging device; and

transmitting information to the third party related to the user that notifies the third party that the identified tag satisfied the one or more user preferences of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference is based at least in part on historical user input or actions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference is based at least in part on social network information associated with the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference includes a topic or topic category.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one topic includes a brand.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference includes a location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference includes an information type.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one information type includes one or more of advertising content, reviews, pricing information, and sale information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference includes criteria involving a current location of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference includes criteria involving a current time and/or date.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference includes image data proximate the tag.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is specified by the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is based at least in part on historical user input or user actions.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises recording the tag.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises recording tag context.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the tag context comprises one of a date the tag was identified, a time the tag was identified, a location where the tag was identified, and imagery near where the tag was identified.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is based at least in part on social network information associated with the user.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises using the identified tag to obtain a first set of supplemental content.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises notifying the user about the identified tag in the user environment.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein notifying including generating an audible alert.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein notifying includes generating a visual alert.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein notifying includes generating a haptic alert.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein notifying includes sending a message to the user.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a second action to be performed following the notification of the user; and

performing the second action by a computing device.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying the authenticity of a tag before performing the action.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein verifying comprises verifying the authenticity of the tag with one or more of the user, a creator of the tag, or a third-party verification service.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises transmitting data from the mobile imaging device to a remote location.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the data transmission is encrypted.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising decrypting the identified tag.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein only authorized users are able to decrypt the identified tag.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein a user is considered an authorized user based on the user'"'"'s age.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein a user is considered an authorized user based on a subscription plan.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein a user is considered an authorized user based on a fee payment.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the tag contains information encrypted using a plurality of different encryption keys, and wherein decrypting comprises decrypting the identified tag using a decryption key specific to the user.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises requesting third-party verification of whether the user is authorized to access the identified tag.

35. A system for capturing and evaluating data of interest to a user, comprising:

a mobile imaging device to automatically scan a user environment for one or more tags containing non-human-readable data without being specifically directed at a particular tag owned by an owner;

an identification component to identify a tag within the user environment that satisfies one or more user preferences and identify a third party associated with one of the identified tag, the user, and the owner;

an action component to determine an action associated with the identified tag to be performed by a computing device; and

a transmitter configured to transmit information to the third party related to the user that notifies the third party that the identified tag satisfied the one or more user preferences of the user.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code for causing a processor to perform operations comprising:

automatically scanning a user environment by a mobile imaging device for one or more tags containing non-human-readable data without the mobile imaging device being specifically directed at a particular tag owned by an owner;

identifying a tag within the user environment that satisfies one or more user preferences;

identifying a third party associated with one of the identified tag, the user, and the owner;

determining an action associated with the identified tag;

performing the action by a computing device; and

transmitting information to the third party related to the user that notifies the third party that the identified tag satisfied the one or more user preferences of the user.