6,199,048

A system and method for using identification codes found on ordinary articles of commerce to access remote computers on a network. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a computer is provided having a database that relates Uniform Product Code ("UPC") numbers to Internet network addresses (or "URLs"). To access an Internet resource relating to a particular product, a user enters the prodoct's UPC symbol manually, by swiping a bar code reader over the UPC symbol, or via other suitable input means. The database retrieves the URL corresponding to the UPC code. This location information in then used to access the desired resource.

The patent in question is NeoMedia's barcode scanning patent. Stupidly overbroad and made utterly redundant by prior art, NeoMedia's patent covers using your mobile phone as a way to display bar codes, which then can be scanned by a merchant device as a ticket or coupon. Prodded by the EFF, the US Patent Office re-examined NeoMedia's patent... and rejected each and every one of NeoMedia's ninety-five patent claims. This judgment immediately put an extortive lawsuit filed by NeoMedia against a competitor company, Scanbuy, on hold. NeoMedia has some options left open to them, but it's not looking good.

If Avot wanted to include a barcode reader as part of the service to link to a video of a particular self-assembly product, for example, it should not be problematic:

• Camera-Based Readers

2D imaging scanners are the fourth and newest type of bar code reader currently available. They use a small video camera to capture an image of a bar code. The reader then uses sophisticated digital image processing techniques to decode the bar code. Video cameras use the same CCD technology as in a CCD bar code reader except that instead of having a single row of sensors, a video camera has hundreds of rows of sensors arranged in a two dimensional array so that they can generate an image. There are a number of open source libraries for barcode reading from images. These include the ZXing project, which reads one- and two-dimensional barcodes using Android and JavaME, the JJIL project, which includes code for reading EAN-13 barcodes from cellphone cameras using J2ME, and Zebra, which reads various one-dimensional barcodes in C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcode...

Once the barcode has been read, a direct link to the video could be established and viewed/downloaded.

Toshiba has developed software that allows users to easily check online reviews of a product by reading its barcode with a camera-equipped cellphone. The software will be put to trial use in February at locations such as electronics stores and bookstores, and will become commercially available sometime in 2006.

The software is designed for products that purchasers tend to read reviews for, such as electronic goods, food, books, CDs, DVDs, makeup, etc. Users will be able to access information for approximately 400,000 products.

When a barcode is read using a cellphone camera, the data is automatically sent to a dedicated server, where data from blogs that refer to that product is searched. After about 10 seconds, the number of “positive” and “negative” blog hits is displayed on the cellphone screen. In addition, blog text related to the product is displayed, as well as information about related products.

Toshiba developed an original database that arranges approximately 500,000 Japanese keywords into categories such as “travel” or “culture,” and groups them according to the review ratings. The company claims this technique enables quick analysis of blog content.

http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/01/...

What is important is the versatility of Avot's tipMotion software, how others want to utilize this to promote their respective products/offerings will be to the benefit of increasing revenues.

Be well