Service identification tag and communications system using the same

• US 6,950,938 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2000
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Ryuhei
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Application Number:
  US09/684,334
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182, 713/176, 713/201, 713/179, 713/186, 713/181, 380/202, 380/203, 380/216, 380/280, 705/58, 705/62, 379/93.02, 708/135
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes

Abstract

Disclosed is a service identification tag for being used in accessing an information transmission server on the Internet. The tag is formed combining an exclusive graphic pattern that can be recognized by a human, and an identification code that can be read by a reading unit. Also disclosed is a communications system having: a service server provided with an identification code/URL conversion table; an information transmission server provided with an information storage; and a terminal unit that is connected through a radio or wire communication network to the information transmission server, the terminal unit having a function for communicating with a Web server. The terminal unit makes a unique link to the service server, reads the identification code from a service identification tag, sends the identification code to the service server, and receives the URL information of the information transmission server corresponding to the identification code from service server.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of service servers each provided with an identification code/URL conversion table;

a plurality of information transmission servers each provided with an information storage; and

a terminal unit that is connected through a radio or wire communication network to said information transmission servers, said terminal unit having a function for communicating with a Web server;

wherein said terminal unit makes a unique link to one of said service servers based on a pattern recognition performed on an exclusive graphic pattern that is a part of a service identification tag, reads an identification code from the service identification tag that is composed of said exclusive graphic pattern that is recognizable by a human and said identification code that can be read by a reading unit, sends the identification code to said one of said service servers and receives a URL information of one of said information transmission servers corresponding to the identification code from said one of said service servers, wherein said terminal unit includes;

a data storing part; and

an identification tag reading means for conducting a pattern recognition of said exclusive graphic pattern, and an automatic calling means for automatically making a call to said one of said service servers when said exclusive graphic pattern read by said identification tag reading means coincides with a graphic pattern that is stored in advance in said data storing part,

wherein, only after said terminal unit has initially contacted said one of said service servers when said exclusive graphic pattern read by said identification tag reading means coincides with said graphic pattern that is stored in advance in said data storing part, does said terminal unit convert said identification code to text code and output the text code to said one of said service servers, in order to request URL information of said one of said information transmission servers.

2. The communication system, according to claim 1, wherein:

said terminal unit makes a link to said one of said information transmission servers located at the URL received from said one of said service servers after disconnecting the link to said one of said service servers, and obtain information stored in the information storage of said one of said information transmission servers.

3. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein said terminal unit further comprises:

a graphic data storage unit for storing a plurality of graphics data respectively corresponding to a plurality of service marks, and a plurality of telephone numbers respectively corresponding to said plurality of service servers that store URL information for accessing at least one of said plurality of information transmission servers.