Method and apparatus for accessing a remote location by scanning an optical code

A method of accessing one or more remote locations on a network by scanning an optical code, comprising the steps of:

• providing a first computer disposed on the network, the first computer having associated therewith a scanner program, and connected to a scanner, the scanner for scanning the optical code of a product by a user, the scanner uniquely identified with a scanner distributor by a scanner identification number;
• accessing a second computer disposed on the network in response to the user scanning the optical code with the scanner wherein the scanner identification number from the scanner is converted in a scanner interface coupled to an output of the scanner and combined with routing information generated in the scanner program for transmission to the second computer;
• performing a lookup operation at the second computer in an associative database containing routing relationships between scanner identification numbers and scanner distributor remote locations in order to match the scanner identification number with the scanner distributor remote locations to obtain remote routing information of the one of the one or more remote locations where the scanner distributor remote location resides;
• returning the remote routing information from the second computer to the first computer in order to access the one of the one or more remote locations disposed on the network where the scanner distributor remote location resides;
• and
• accessing the one of the one or more remote locations according to the remote routing information where the scanner distributor remote location resides to return remote information to the first computer for presentation to the user.