System and method of enhancing consumer ability to obtain information via bar codes
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsKenneth L. Addy, Jaime E. Barahona, Albert Lee, Howard Yuk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method to use bar codes to facilitate obtaining information as to a product or service are provided. A smart phone, with a downloaded scanning application, can scan a bar code associated with a product or service. Information can be extracted from the code by the phone and the scanning application and forwarded automatically to a web server, via one or more computer networks. The server can analyze the information and extract other, responsive data from its data base. The responsive data can be downloaded to the scanning device for use with the product or service.
Claims16
A method comprising:
- identifying at least a trouble condition of a problem with a product or a service;
- responsive to the identifying, providing a bar code associated with the trouble condition of the problem with the product or the service on a display device on the product, on a printed tag attached to the product, or on physical material associated with the service;
- providing a portable communications device;
- scanning the bar code with the portable communications device;
- extracting at least some information embedded in the scanned bar code;
- transmitting, via a computer network, the extracted at least some information, to a remote source of information pertaining to the product or the service;
- downloading, from the remote source of information, via the computer network, responsive information identified, at least in part, by the transmitted at least some information;
- and
- the portable communications device and the product exchanging direct commands and requests via a plurality of bar codes, including the bar code, to fix the problem.
An apparatus comprising:
- a computer based source of information;
- and
- a portable communications device that scans selected types of codes presented transiently on a display device on a product, printed on a tag attached to the product, or printed on physical material associated with a service, the selected types of code are, in part, responsive to an identifier condition of the product, including at least a trouble condition indicating a problem with the product, that extracts at least some information embedded in the scanned selected types of codes, that transmits, to the source of information, via a communications network coupled to the source of information and the portable communications device, the extracted at least some information, that downloads, from the source of information, via the communications network, responsive information identified, at least in part, by the transmitted at least some information, and that exchanges direct commands and requests with the product via bar codes to fix the problem.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.