Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-31
2002-12-10
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
C235S462010, C235S462250
Reexamination Certificate
active
06491217
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems that employ machine-readable labels to store data and deliver them to readers when scanned. Examples include one- and two-dimensional bar-codes, memory buttons, smart cards, radio-frequency identifier (RFID) tags, smart cards, magnetic stripes, micro-chip transponders, etc.
2. Background
Various devices for encoding data currently exist and are under development. These take many different forms, from optical devices such as two-dimensional bar-codes to radio devices such as transponders. These devices generally permit objects to be tagged or labeled to permit machines to read data associated with the object. One-dimensional bar-codes have been used widely for this purpose, but they are limited in terms of how much information they can store. For example, they can identify classes of objects, but not individual objects.
A recent entrant to this field, radio-frequency identifier (RFID) tags, delivers information by radio signals to a reader just as a transponder does. One of the attractions of RFID devices is their potential to carry a large quantity of information. This is in contrast to conventional bar codes whose data capacity is much more limited. Another alternative to conventional bar-codes are two-dimensional bar codes. These are two-dimensional symbols that are capable of encoding much more data than a conventional bar-code. Another encoding device is the iButton®, a small token that stores information that can be read by a reader that makes electrical contact with the iButton®. Still other devices for storing information include printed and non-printed (e.g., etched) machine readable symbols (e.g., using a pattern recognition process) and digital watermarks.
Commercial applications of RFID technology are expected to be highly successful. Supply chain management is one of the biggest. Plans are for manufacturers to register each product's serial number in a database that could be accessed during the product's journey through the supply chain. By keeping the data on a network resource such as a server, a service provider could enable stores or warehouses to use a portable scanner to check the history of the product. Retailers thus could check for authenticity or theft, as well as monitor out-of-stock and out-of-demand trends. RFID tags may be programmable and may also include sensors that can record, right in the tag, various environmental factors such as the amount of time a crate of fruit was held at a given temperature.
An obvious model for a future consumer market for RFID tags is the present consumer market for bar-code readers. While bar-code readers have been widely adopted by commercial and industrial users, so far, attempts by manufacturers and vendors to develop consumer markets have met with very limited success. Some examples of consumer applications, current and future, are discussed below.
One example of a bar-code reader product aimed at consumers is the Cue Cat®, a reader designed to be installed on a computer and used to read bar-codes printed in catalogues, magazine advertisements, and product labels. When a user scans a bar-code, the code is automatically conveyed through the Internet to a server that points the user's browser to a web site for that particular bar-code. The user is saved the trouble of typing in a web address, which could conceivably be a long one if every product had its own web address, but the benefit is not much greater than that. Also, web addresses can be generated for existing products (like a year-old can of peaches in the cupboard) without the user having to look one up (such as by searching with a search engine). If the maintainer of the Cue Cat® service fails to provide a link for a product, users can suggest a web address. Another similar proposed application is bar-codes on coupons that take the user to a ‘bonus coupon’ section on a web site.
Another proposed application is recipe books with bar-codes that a user can scan and automatically generate a shopping list for the grocery store. The user chooses what to purchase by scanning bar-codes on labels of products at home. From this, a service generates a shopping list to take to the store and use as a dietary guide. Using a cordless barcode scanner the user scans barcodes on boxes or wrappers of grocery items to add them to the user's shopping list. The scanner is synched to a computer before shopping, and by means of an Internet connection, the personalized shopping list is generated and printed out. The shopping list includes healthy suggestions for the items on the list that are identified as similar to what was originally scanned, but more consistent with the user's specified dietary goals. Categories such as less fat, less sodium, fewer calories or other options are provided for. The list is broken down into two columns, one containing suggested choices and one with the items originally scanned. An explanation of why this food item is better is provided for each item. An indication is also provided for how close the original item is to the system's best choice for the class of product. A recipe icon next to some items cues the user to click on links for recipes that use the items on the shopping list and conform to the nutritional profile. For grocers that subscribe to a service, coupon offers can be entered on the shopping list and even downloaded to the user's shopper's loyalty card file.
Portable readers are used, or proposed to be used, in various other applications. For example, a consumer can maintain an inventory of bar-coded valuables, such as bicycles, camcorders, cars, etc. Another application allows users to scan items at participating retailers and build a “wish list” that they can post to a personalized web page. The list can be organized and emailed to others for gift-related occasions. Shoppers register at a mall kiosk, set up a password, and check out a scanner. Shoppers then build their “wish list” by simply scanning bar codes of items. The data is then downloaded to the kiosk when the scanner is returned and the wish list is posted to the web site. Yet another application, which is very similar to the Cue Cat® is the idea of placing a bar-code on a movie or sporting event ticket stub. The bar-code, in Cue Cat®-fashion, brings the user to a website automatically, allowing the user to purchase products relating to the event, such as sports memorabilia or movie sound-tracks. Yet another, offered by AirClic®, uses bar-codes attached to print articles to bring the user to a web site giving access to updated information, purchase opportunities, or other web features relating to the article. The technology is envisioned as being incorporated in handy appliances such as a cell phone, so the user does not need to be near a computer to use it.
The above examples illustrate various attempts to find consumer applications for their products. Most of these are one-off (specialized) ideas and confer little benefit over traditional ways of accomplishing their respective tasks. The wish list application is highly specialized, as are the grocery shopping list application and the home inventory application. With bar-codes being as pervasive as they are, it is surprising that nobody has come up with truly useful ways of using them, at least for consumers. As discussed above, one component of a breakthrough may be to increase the amount of data that can be stored on bar-code or other types of data storage vehicle. While this, by itself, will not make “killer applications” roll off the tops of designers' heads, many benefits arise in connection with the increased data capacity of RFID tags and other technologies for storing larger quantities of data than traditional bar-codes.
Unlike bar-codes, which can encode only enough data to correlate a small amount of information, some machine-readable label (MRL) devices can store enough information to accomplish some very interesting things. For example, if attached to a product, it can uniquely ide
Le Thien M.
Waxler Aaron
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