Communication facilitation

• US 7,819,323 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US10/815,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20050063004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: 23546201-46249, 23547201-47203, 235/454
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10554 Moving beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10623 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10772 Moved readers, e.g. pen, wand
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• 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 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 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/59 by controlling the amount of charge storable in the pixel, e.g. modification of the charge conversion ratio of the floating node capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/671 for non-uniformity detection or correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/745 : Circuitry for generating timing or clock signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 : Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/767 : Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/778 : comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/1568 : for disturbance correction or prevention within the image-sensor, e.g. biasing, blooming, smearing correction circuits H04N25/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 : Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A method of facilitating communications using a product item is disclosed. The product item includes a surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data. In one implementation sensing data is received from a user device. The sensing data resulted from sensing the coded data. A determination is made that the sensing data is indicative of a communication request associated with a provider. A provider address is provided to the user device. A message and a destination address sent from the user device to the provider address is then received. Finally, the message is forwarded to the destination address.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating a communication using a product item, the product item including a surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data portions, each coded data portion encoding a product item identifier and position information identifying the position of the coded data portion on the surface of the product item, the method including the steps of:

receiving by a computer system sensing data from a user device, the sensing data resulting from sensing one of the coded data portions and includes the product item identifier and position information of the sensed coded data portion;

retrieving by the computer system from a database and using the product item identifier, a description of coded data portions on the surface;

mapping by the computer system, using the description, the position information to a communication request;

determining by the computer system a server address of a server using the product item identifier;

receiving by the computer system from the user device a message and a destination address;

sending by the computer system the message and destination address to the server address; and

forwarding, by the server, the message to the destination address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes the steps of:

generating, using the product item identifier, product item information; and

providing the product item information as part of the message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication request is for sending a free message, the method further including the step of embedding advertising material within the message prior to forwarding the message.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 and 4, wherein the product item identifier uniquely identifies the product item.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 and 4, wherein the coded data portions are redundantly encoded.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the coded data portions are redundantly encoded using Reed-Solomon encoding.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 and 4, wherein the coded data portions are substantially invisible to the unaided eye.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 and 4, wherein the coded data portions are printed using infrared ink.

4. A method of facilitating a communication using a product item, the product item including a surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data portions, each coded data portion encoding a product item identifier and position information identifying the position of the coded data portion on the surface of the product item, the method including the steps of:

receiving by a computer system sensing data, the sensing data resulting from sensing the coded data portions and includes the product item identifier and position information of the sensed coded data portions;

retrieving by the computer system from a database and using the product item identifier, a description of coded data portions on the surface;

mapping by the computer system, using the description, the position information to a communication request;

determining by the computer system a server address of a server using the product item identifier;

extracting by the computer system from the sensing data a message and a destination address;

sending by the computer system to the server address at least the message and the destination address; and

forwarding, by the server, the message to the destination address.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further includes the steps of:

generating, using the product item identifier, product item information; and

providing the product item information as part of the message.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the communication request is for sending a free message, the method further including the step of embedding advertising material within the message prior to forwarding the message.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the message and the destination is extracted from the sensing data through evaluating movement with respect to the surface of a sensing device used to sense the coded data portions.