Automatical access of internet content with a camera-enabled cell phone

Abstract

A camera-enabled cell phone that is adapted to image a machine readable code such as a bar code, decode the bar code, send the bar code data over the Internet to a resolution server that will return an associated URL that will link the camera phone to content on an information server. Thus, by taking a picture of a bar code symbol, the camera phone will automatically retrieve content from the Internet that has been linked to that bar code.

1 . A portable wireless device for accessing content from a server computer on a computer network comprising:
 a. a wireless transceiver;   b. input means for reading a machine readable code and for providing code data from the machine readable code; and   c. processing circuitry programmed to:
 i. cause the wireless transceiver to selectively communicate with a wireless network to transmit and receive wireless messages, and to communicate with server computers on a computer network; 
 ii. receive code data from the input means; 
 iii. process the code data to generate a file identifier; 
 iv. form a data request message comprising the file identifier; 
 v. transmit, via the wireless transceiver, the data request message to a server computer on the computer network; 
 vi. receive content via the computer network as a function of the data request message; and 
 vii. perform a function with respect to the received content. 
   
     
     
         2 . The portable wireless device of  claim 1  wherein the processing circuitry processes the code data to generate a file identifier by decoding a bar code symbol which is the machine readable code. 
     
     
         3 . The portable wireless device of  claim 1  wherein the data request message additionally comprises a device identifier. 
     
     
         4 . The portable wireless device of  claim 3  wherein the device identifier comprises information that identifies operating characteristics of the portable wireless device. 
     
     
         5 . The portable wireless device of  claim 1  wherein the input means for reading a machine readable code and for providing code data from the machine readable code is a camera. 
     
     
         6 . The portable wireless device of  claim 1  wherein the wireless transceiver is a cellular telephone transceiver. 
     
     
         7 . The portable wireless device of  claim 1  further comprising a display screen, and wherein the received content is displayed on the display screen with a web browser. 
     
     
         8 . The portable wireless device of  claim 1  wherein the data request message comprises a URL. 
     
     
         9 . The portable wireless device of  claim 1  wherein the content received via the computer network as a function of the data request message comprises an information URL, and further wherein the function performed with respect to the received content comprises loading the information URL into a browser program and accessing an information server computer identified by the information URL. 
     
     
         10 . A method for accessing content from a server computer on a computer network comprising the steps of:
 a. reading a machine-readable code with a portable wireless device to provide code data;   b. processing, on the portable wireless device, the code data to generate a file identifier;   c. forming, on the portable wireless device, a data request message comprising the file identifier;   d. transmitting, from the portable wireless device via an associated wireless communications network, the data request message to a server computer on the computer network that is interoperable with the wireless communications network; and   e. receiving content on the portable wireless device as a function of the data request message;   f. performing a function with respect to the received content.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the machine-readable code is a bar code symbol and wherein the step of processing, on the portable wireless device, the code data to generate a file identifier, comprises decoding the bar code symbol. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the computer network is a global computer network, and wherein the portable wireless device communicates over a cellular network with the global computer network. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the data request message additionally comprises a device identifier. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the content is determined as a function of the device identifier. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the device identifier comprises information that identifies operating characteristics of the portable wireless device. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the machine-readable code is read with a camera on the portable wireless device. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the data request message is transmitted with a cellular telephone transceiver on the portable wireless device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the function performed with respect to the received content comprises the step of displaying at least part of the returned content with a web browser the portable wireless device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the data request message comprises a URL. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the content received as a function of the data request message comprises an information URL, and further wherein the function performed with respect to the received content comprises loading the information URL into a browser program and accessing an information server computer identified by the information URL.