US6081629A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Handheld scanner and accompanying remote access agent
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1997-09-17
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Granted: 2000-06-27
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Expires: 2017-09-17
Abstract
Abstract A handheld device scans single line textual information in the form of internet URL'S, internet protocol addresses, internet e-mail addresses, FTP sites, USENET news group addresses and DNS addresses as they occur in print advertising and printed media. Scanned textual data is processed with OCR technology and displayed for user verification. The device utilizes onboard memory to store information until such time it can be transmitted via wireless communications to a companion software communications agent executing on a personal computer, network computer, PIN computing device or electronic newspaper. The software communications agent utilizes a connection to the internet to retrieve HTML/VRML documents, e-mail messages, USENET news, Java applets, ActiveX documents, or file transfers from the internet location interpreted by the handheld scanner/OCR device.
Inventors
- 👤 Denton R. Browning
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 23:22
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/002; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/95; G06F16/955; G06F16/9554; G06V; G06V10/00; G06V10/98; G06V10/987; G06V30/00; G06V30/10; G06V30/14; G06V30/142
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
179 words
A system for automatically connecting a communications device to a remote site identified in printed text, comprising the combination of: a handheld scanner including a housing adapted to be held in the hand of a user and scanned over a line of printed text, and containing an image scanning device for converting optical images of text scanned by said scanner into electrical signals representative of the optical images, a memory for storing said electrical signals, a character recognition engine for converting said stored electrical signals into data representative of characters of text, a display unit providing a visual display of the characters represented by said data, a wireless transmission device for transmitting said data to said communications device, and a set of user controls for manipulating the display and transmission of said character data; and a software agent that operates on said communications device for receiving the data transmitted from said handheld scanner and controlling said communications device to initiate a connection to a remote site that is identified by the characters of text represented by the transmitted data.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
179 words
A system for automatically connecting a communications device to a remote site identified in printed text, comprising the combination of: a handheld scanner including a housing adapted to be held in the hand of a user and scanned over a line of printed text, and containing an image scanning device for converting optical images of text scanned by said scanner into electrical signals representative of the optical images, a memory for storing said electrical signals, a character recognition engine for converting said stored electrical signals into data representative of characters of text, a display unit providing a visual display of the characters represented by said data, a wireless transmission device for transmitting said data to said communications device, and a set of user controls for manipulating the display and transmission of said character data; and a software agent that operates on said communications device for receiving the data transmitted from said handheld scanner and controlling said communications device to initiate a connection to a remote site that is identified by the characters of text represented by the transmitted data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said communications device includes a central processing unit (CPU), and said software agent further controls said CPU to launch an application program for communicating with the remote site.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 2 wherein said application program is an internet browser program.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said software agent is incorporated a browser program.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said software agent causes data to be retrieved from said remote site and provides said data to an application program that is executing on said communication device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said handheld scanner further includes a light emitting device for emitting a line of visible light that is aligned with said image scanning device for guiding the handheld scanner along a desired path of travel during a scanning operation.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
159 words
A handheld scanner for reading information to connect a communications device to a remote site identified in printed text, comprising: a housing adapted to be held in the hand of a user and scanned over a line of printed text; an image scanning device for converting optical images of text into electrical signals representative of the optical images; a light emitting device for emitting a line of visible light that is aligned with said image scanning device for guiding the handheld scanner along a desired path of travel during a scanning operation; a character recognition engine for converting said electrical signals into data representative of characters of text; a memory for storing said electrical signals and said data; a display unit providing a visual display of the characters represented by said data; a transmission device for transmitting said data to said communications device; and a set of user controls for manipulating the display and transmission of said character data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
159 words
A handheld scanner for reading information to connect a communications device to a remote site identified in printed text, comprising: a housing adapted to be held in the hand of a user and scanned over a line of printed text; an image scanning device for converting optical images of text into electrical signals representative of the optical images; a light emitting device for emitting a line of visible light that is aligned with said image scanning device for guiding the handheld scanner along a desired path of travel during a scanning operation; a character recognition engine for converting said electrical signals into data representative of characters of text; a memory for storing said electrical signals and said data; a display unit providing a visual display of the characters represented by said data; a transmission device for transmitting said data to said communications device; and a set of user controls for manipulating the display and transmission of said character data.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The handheld scanner of claim 7 wherein said transmission device transmits said data via wireless communications.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The handheld scanner of claim 8 wherein said transmission device transmits said data via infrared light signals.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The handheld scanner of claim 8 wherein said transmission device transmit said data via rf electrical signals.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
The handheld scanner of claim 7 wherein said housing further includes a self-contained power supply.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
106 words
A system for automatically connecting a communications device to a remote site identified in printed text, comprising: a handheld scanner including an image sensing device for converting optical images of scanned symbols into electrical signals, a character recognition engine for converting said electrical signals into data representative of alphanumeric characters, and a transmission device for transmitting said data to said communications device; and a software agent that operates on said communications device, for receiving the data transmitted from said handheld scanner and controlling said communications device to initiate a connection to a remote site that is identified by the alphanumeric characters represented by the transmitted data.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
106 words
A system for automatically connecting a communications device to a remote site identified in printed text, comprising: a handheld scanner including an image sensing device for converting optical images of scanned symbols into electrical signals, a character recognition engine for converting said electrical signals into data representative of alphanumeric characters, and a transmission device for transmitting said data to said communications device; and a software agent that operates on said communications device, for receiving the data transmitted from said handheld scanner and controlling said communications device to initiate a connection to a remote site that is identified by the alphanumeric characters represented by the transmitted data.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 12 wherein said software agent further controls said communications device to launch an application program for communicating with the remote site.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 13 wherein said application program is an internet browser program.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 12 further including a database stored on said communications device for providing said software agent with address information that corresponds to the remote site identified by character data received from said scanner.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 12, wherein said software agent is incorporated a browser program.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 12, wherein said handheld scanner further includes a display device which displays the alphanumeric characters converted by said character recognition engine.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 17, wherein said scanned symbols comprise textual characters, and said display device displays said textual characters after conversion by said character recognition engine.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-06-27 | 2003-12-27 | 2004-06-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-06-27 | 2007-12-27 | 2008-06-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-06-27 | 2011-12-27 | 2012-06-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |