Method to Initialize a Physical Identification System for a Physical Item Identifier

Abstract

This invention is related to electronic information transfer between trading partners and more particularly to the use of a physical item identifier affixed to a physical item for tracking the item using physical identification systems. The invention further discloses the catalogs, catalog queries and processes to provide the information to initialize the item in the physical identification systems. In the present invention, a machine-readable item identifier is affixed to a physical item. The identifier is unique and is used to identify the item. The item identifier has three segments: 1) catalog identifier, 2) item description identifier, and 3) physical item identifier. The catalog identifier is used to determine the catalog that provides the item description and a description specific to the physical item. The item description identifier is used to query the catalog, which returns the description of the item. The physical item identifier is used to query the catalog, which returns a more detailed description of the physical item. The item identifier and the item description are used to initialize item in the physical identification system. The description specific to the item is added to the physical identification system and associated with the item identifier.

1 . A method to initialize a physical item identification system with one read of a machine readable item identifier affixed to a physical item, the method applied to a physical identification system and a first and second catalog, the first catalog capable of accepting a query including a catalog identifier specifying the second catalog, the second catalog capable accepting a query including an item description identifier specifying the item description;
 the method comprising:
 providing a physical item with a machine readable item identifier comprising three segments read as a single unit, the segments including:
 a catalog identifier that is unique within the first catalog specifying the second catalog, 
 an item description identifier that is unique within the second catalog, and 
 a physical item identifier that is not null and uniquely distinguishes the item identifier from other item identifiers that share the same catalog identifier and item description identifier, and 
 
 by this construction, identifies and distinguishes the physical item from other physical items with item identifiers; 
 reading the item identifier as a single unit; 
 in response to reading the item identifier as a single unit: 
 querying the first catalog including the catalog identifier from the item identifier; 
 receiving the identity of the second catalog in response to the query of the first catalog; 
 querying the second catalog including the item description identifier from the item identifier; 
 receiving the description of the item in the response to the query of the second catalog; and, 
 initializing the physical identification system by relating the item identifier and description of the physical item. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second catalog further provides a query including the item description identifier and physical item identifier and responds with information specific to the physical item;
 such that the physical identification system is further initialized to associate the information specific to the physical item from the second catalog with the item identifier.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a default catalog is defined as the second catalog and the first catalog is not queried or required and the catalog identifier segment is null in the item identifier. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physical identification system provides data specific to the physical item and relates this data with the item identifier. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the catalog identifier and item description identifier of the three segment item identifier are provided a check digit such that these two segments may be determined to be read correctly without reading the complete item identifier. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second catalog further responds to a query including the item description identifier and the physical item identifier with the identity of a third catalog such that the third catalog is queried including the item description identifier and the physical item identifier and the third catalog responds with information specific to the physical item to further initialize the physical item identification system to associate the information specific to the item from the third catalog with the item identifier. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the provider of the second catalog affixes the item identifier to the physical item. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physical identification system relates the item identifier with data specific to the physical item and the item identifier is read by the physical identification system and responds with data specific to the physical item. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second catalog further provides a query with the item description identifier and physical item identifier and updates information specific to the physical item;
 such that the physical identification system updates data specific to the physical item with the item identifier in the second catalog.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second catalog further responds to a query including the item description identifier and the physical item identifier with the identity of a third catalog such that the third catalog is queried including the item description identifier and the physical item identifier and the third catalog updates information specific to the physical item with the item identifier in the third catalog. 
     
     
         11 . A method to initialize a physical item identification system with one read of a machine readable item identifier affixed to a physical item, the method being applied to a physical identification system and a first and second catalog, the first catalog capable of accepting a query including a catalog identifier specifying the second catalog, the second catalog capable accepting a query including an item description identifier specifying the item description;
 the method comprising:
 providing a physical item with a machine readable item identifier affixed to the physical item by the provider of the physical item, comprising three segments read as a single unit, the segments including:
 a catalog identifier that is unique within the first catalog specifying the second catalog, 
 an item description identifier that is unique within the second catalog specifying the description of the physical item, and 
 a physical item identifier that is not null and uniquely distinguishes the item identifier from other item identifiers that share the same catalog identifier and item description identifier, and 
 by this construction, identifies and distinguishes the physical item from other physical items with item identifiers; 
 
 reading the item identifier as a single unit; 
 in response to reading the item identifier as a single unit: 
 querying the first catalog including the catalog identifier from the item identifier; 
 receiving the identity of the second catalog in response to the query of the first catalog; 
 querying the second catalog including the item description identifier from the item identifier; 
 receiving the description of the item in the response to the query of the second catalog; and, 
 initializing the physical identification system by relating the item identifier with the description of the item. 
   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the second catalog further provides a query with the item description identifier and physical item identifier and responds with information specific to the physical item;
 such that the physical identification system is further initialized to associate the information specific to the physical item from the second catalog with the item identifier.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the physical identification system provides data specific to the physical item and relates this data with the item identifier. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  and a pricing database relating the catalog identifier and item description segments of an item to the price of the item where the item identifier is read and the pricing database is queried including the catalog identifier and item description segments to determine the price of the physical item. 
     
     
         15 . A method to initialize a physical item identification system with one read of an item identifier affixed to a physical item, the method being applied to a physical identification system and a first and second catalog, the first catalog capable of accepting a query including a company prefix specifying a company that assigns an item reference number for an item, the second catalog provided by the company capable of accepting a query including the item reference number specifying the description of the physical item;
 the method comprising:
 providing a physical item with an item identifier comprising three segments read as a single unit, the segments including:
 a company prefix that is unique within the set of company prefixes, 
 an item reference number that is unique within the set of item reference numbers that share the same company prefix, and 
 a physical item number that is not null and uniquely distinguishes the item identifier from other item identifiers that share the same company prefix and item reference number, and 
 
 by this construction, identifies and distinguishes the physical item from other physical items with item identifiers; 
 reading the item identifier as a single unit; 
 in response to reading the item identifier as a single unit: 
 querying the first catalog including the company prefix from the item identifier; 
 receiving the identity of the second catalog in response to the query of the first catalog; 
 querying the second catalog including the item reference number from the item identifier; 
 receiving the description of the item in the response to the query of the second catalog; and, 
 initializing the physical identification system by relating the item identifier with the description of the item. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the second catalog further provides a query with the item reference number and physical item number and responds with information specific to the physical item;
 such that the physical identification system is further initialized to associate the information specific to the physical item from the second catalog with the item identifier.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein a default catalog is defined as the second catalog and the first catalog is not queried or required and the company prefix segment is null in the item identifier. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the physical identification system provides data specific to the physical item and relates the data with the item identifier. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the second catalog further responds to a query including the item reference number and the physical item number with the identity of a third catalog such that the third catalog is queried including the item reference number and the physical item number and the third catalog responds with information specific to the physical item to further initialize the physical item identification system to associate the information specific to the physical item from the third catalog with the item identifier. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15  and two distinct physical items each with an affixed item identifier where each item identifier shares the same company prefix and item reference number and are distinguished by different physical item numbers.