Multi-mode barcode resolution system

• US 9,727,657 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Inventors: Goyal, Neel, Kelly, Patricia, Kumar Dash, Pranab, Schonfeld, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US14/703,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20150234929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/08 using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1404 Methods for optical code recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Methods and systems for generating and resolving multi-mode barcodes include a device scanning and translating graphical data representing a barcode pattern into barcode information. The device detects distinct data items in the barcode information that each specifies an action to be taken by the device, and then transmits a request for a preference order to a remote server. Next, the device receives the preference order indicating a ranking of the distinct data items and determines, based on the ranking, an order in which actions specified by the data items are to be taken by the device. The device identifies a data item that the device is capable of taking the action specified by the data item and has a higher ranking in the preference order than the actions specified by all other data items that the device is capable of taking, and performs the action specified by the data item.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for selectively translating and presenting data content specified in scanned multi-mode barcodes, the method comprising:

inputting, by an optical scanning component of a scanning device, graphical data representing a barcode pattern, wherein the scanning device includes one or more processors coupled to the optical scanning component;

translating, by the scanning device, the graphical data into barcode information;

detecting, by the scanning device, that a plurality of distinct data items is present in the barcode information, wherein each data item of the plurality of distinct data items specifies human-understandable content and an action to be taken by the scanning device to provide the human-understandable content;

transmitting, to a remote server, a request for a preference order for execution of a plurality of actions specified by the plurality of distinct data items, wherein the remote server includes at least one processor programmed to receive and answer, via at least one network connection, requests for preference orders for execution of actions specified by distinct data items in multi-mode barcodes;

receiving, in response to the request, the preference order indicating a ranking of the plurality of distinct data items;

determining an order in which the plurality of actions specified by the plurality of distinct data items are to be taken by the scanning device based on the ranking;

selecting a preferred data item in the plurality of distinct data items for which the scanning device is capable of taking the action specified by the preferred data item, wherein the action specified by the preferred data item has a higher ranking in the preference order than other actions specified by all other data items in the plurality of distinct data items that the scanning device is capable of taking; and

providing, by the scanning device, the human-understandable content via the action specified by the preferred data item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the barcode information further comprises one or more preference order identifiers indicating a default order in which the scanning device should perform the plurality of actions associated with the plurality of data items.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the plurality of distinct data items are associated with a plurality of data types; and

providing, to the remote server, the plurality of data types in the request for the preference order.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of distinct data items includes at least a first data item associated with a first data type of the plurality of data types and a second data item associated with a second data type of the plurality of data types.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of data types include a web address, plain text, an email address, a text message, an image, a sound, an SMS text message, or an MMS text message.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the barcode information further comprises one or more preference order identifiers indicating a default order in which the scanning device should perform the plurality of actions specified by the plurality of data types.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the preference order further comprises:

receiving, in response to the request, the preference order indicating a ranking of the plurality of data types; and

determining the order in which the plurality of actions specified by the plurality of data types are to be taken by the scanning device based on the ranking of the plurality of data types.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the preferred data item in the plurality of distinct data items further comprises:

determining one or more suitable data items for which the scanning device is capable of taking the plurality of actions specified by the one or more distinct data items; and

identifying the preferred data item in the one or more suitable data items, wherein the data type associated with the preferred data item has a higher ranking than the data types associated with all other data items in the one or more suitable data items.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

prompting a user to select a preferred action to take from among the plurality of actions specified by the one or more suitable data items;

receiving an indication of a user selection of the preferred action; and

performing the preferred action selected by the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes one or more capabilities of the scanning device, and wherein the remote server generates the preference order based on the one or more capabilities of the scanning device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more capabilities of the scanning device includes at least one of a wireless connectivity, a web browsing capability, a plain-text processing capability, an email processing capability, a text message processing capability, an image processing capability, or a sound processing capability.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the text message processing capability includes at least one of an SMS processing capability or an MMS processing capability.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting a user to select a preferred action to take from among the plurality of actions specified by the plurality of data items;

receiving an indication of a user selection of the preferred action; and

performing the preferred action selected by the user.

14. A system for selectively translating and presenting data content specified in scanned multi-mode barcodes, comprising:

a scanning device comprising an optical scanning component that inputs graphical data representing a barcode pattern, a processing system comprising one or more processors coupled to the optical scanning component and a memory system comprising one or more computer-readable media, wherein the computer-readable media store instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the scanning device to perform operations comprising;

translating the graphical data into barcode information;

detecting that a plurality of distinct data items is present in the barcode information, wherein each data item of the plurality of distinct data items specifies human-understandable content and an action to be taken by the scanning device to provide the human-understandable content;

transmitting, to a remote server, a request for a preference order for execution of a plurality of actions specified by the plurality of distinct data items, wherein the remote server comprises at least one processor programmed to receive and answer, via at least one network connection, requests for preference orders for execution of actions specified by distinct data items in multi-mode barcodes;

receiving, in response to the request, the preference order indicating a ranking of the plurality of distinct data items;

determining an order in which the plurality of actions specified by the plurality of distinct data items are to be taken by the scanning device based on the ranking;

selecting a preferred data item in the plurality of distinct data items for which the scanning device is capable of taking the action specified by the preferred data item, wherein the action specified by the preferred data item has a higher ranking in the preference order than other actions specified by all other data items in the plurality of distinct data items that the scanning device is capable of taking; and

providing the human-understandable content via the action specified by the preferred data item.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the barcode information further comprises one or more preference order identifiers indicating a default order in which the scanning device should perform the plurality of actions associated with the plurality of data items.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the operations specified by the computer-readable media further comprise:

detecting that the plurality of distinct data items are associated with a plurality of data types; and

providing, to the remote server, the plurality of data types in the request for the preference order.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the operations specified by the computer-readable media further comprise:

receiving, in response to the request, the preference order indicating a ranking of the plurality of data types; and

determining the order in which the plurality of actions specified by the plurality of data types are to be taken by the scanning device based on the ranking of the plurality of data types.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the operations specified by the computer-readable media further comprise:

determining one or more suitable data items for which the scanning device is capable of taking the plurality of actions specified by the one or more distinct data items; and

identifying the preferred data item in the one or more suitable data items, wherein the data type associated with the preferred data item has a higher ranking than the data types associated with all other data items in the one or more suitable data items.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the request includes one or more capabilities of the scanning device, and wherein the remote server generates the preference order based on the one or more capabilities of the scanning device.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the one or more capabilities of the scanning device includes at least one of a wireless connectivity, a web browsing capability, a plain-text processing capability, an email processing capability, a text message processing capability, an image processing capability, or a sound processing capability.