Method for interfacing scanned product information with a source for the product over a global network

• US 6,816,894 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2000
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jack A. Turpin, RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: LV Partners LP (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Philyaw, Jeffry Jovan, Mathews, David Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Paul H.
• Application Number:
  US09/496,222
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/219, 709/236, 709/245, 705/26, 705/27, 235/472.01, 235/375, 235/476.15, 235/476.08, 235/476.25
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 : using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 : Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 : Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 : Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 : Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for interfacing scanned product information with a source for the product over a global network. A method is provided for obtaining information regarding the source of a product from a remote information source location on a global communication network utilizing a product code associated with the product and unique thereto. The product code associated with the product is scanned with a scanner at a user location on the global communication network to extract the information contained in the unique product code therefrom. A unique scan ID code is associated with the scanning operation and a packet of information assembled that is comprised of the extracted product code and the unique scan ID code to provide a routing packet. The user location is then connected to the remote information source location utilizing the routing packet and in response to the step of scanning, wherein the routing packet is representative of the location of the remote information source location on the global communication network through an association with a routing table.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining information regarding a source of a product from a remote information source location on a global communication network utilizing a product code associated with the product and unique thereto, comprising the steps of:

scanning the product code associated with the product with a scanner at a user location on the global communication network to extract therefrom the information contained in the unique product code;

pre-associating a unique scan ID code with the scanning operation, which pre associated unique scan ID is uniquely associated with the location of the scanner on the global communication network;

assembling a packet of information comprised of the extracted product code and the unique scan ID code to provide a routing packet; and

connecting to the remote information source location utilizing the information in the routing packet and in response to the step of scanning, which step of connecting includes a verification step that requires the unique scan ID and product code information to have a predetermined relationship in order for the connection to be completed wherein at least a portion of the routing packet is representative of the location of the remote information source location on the global communication network through an association with a routing table.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique scan ID code is an ID code that is permanently associated with the scanner which is utilized in the step of scanning.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the product code comprises a Universal Product Code (UPC).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of connecting comprises:

transmitting the routing packet from the user location to a predetermined intermediate location on the global communication network, wherein the intermediate location has a database associated therewith that provides in a stored routing table having associations stored therein to provide a correlation between product codes, unique scan ID codes and routing information associated with remote information source locations on the web as the predetermined relationship;

determining if there exists a match between the unique scan ID code associated with the scanning information and the extracted product code information in the database;

if there is a match, returning the associated network routing information regarding the associated remote information source location on the global communication network back to the user location; and

interfacing a user at the user location to the remote information source location in accordance with the returned network routing information.

5. The method of claim 4, and further comprising the step of returning information from the remote information source location after connection thereto and displaying the returned information on a user computer at the user location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein information is returned back to the user computer at the user location to determine the method by which the display is facilitated in accordance with information associated in the database with the unique scan ID code.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of scanning comprises:

providing a unique scanner having associated therewith the unique scan ID code; and

scanning the product code with the provided scanner to extract information therefrom, the step of scanning operable to incorporate the step of associating the unique scan ID code with the scanning operation such that the step of scanning also results in the output of the routing packet.

8. The method claim 7, wherein the step of scanning with the provided scanner comprises the step of decoding information in the product code, which product is encoded in a first format to output a value that can be assembled with the unique scan ID code in the routing packet.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating is performed in response to the step of scanning.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of associating is performed with no user intervention.