FR2834171A1 - Acquisition and processing of data on goods or services through a code carrying information on the goods or services, uses bar code reader connected to mobile telephone and displays information read from bar code on telephone screen - Google Patents

Abstract

The system uses a mobile telephone (1) with a lead (3) from a bar code reader (2) plugged into its external connector (1a). The data carried by the bar code is translated for display on the screen of the mobile telephone. The support carrying the bar code is at a location distant from the actual item it describes.

Description

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 The present invention relates to a system for acquiring and processing information relating to a good or service identified by a code comprising information relating to said good or service.

 More particularly, the invention relates to a system comprising: - mobile telecommunications equipment, - an optical information acquisition means capable of reading said code, said optical information acquisition means being connected to the mobile telecommunications by an electrical connection means, such that when the optical information acquisition means reads said code, the latter is transmitted to mobile telecommunications equipment via the electrical connection means.

 Such a system is for example described in document US 5,923,735. In such a system, the telecommunications equipment is a mobile telephone comprising a housing suitable for receiving an optical means for acquiring information such as in particular a code reader -Bars. The electrical connection between the mobile phone and the barcode reader is provided by the mobile phone battery, which is connected to the power port of the mobile phone.

 The drawback of such a system lies in the fact that the user needs to equip himself with this particular mobile telephone in order to be able to read a barcode and thus cannot use a conventional mobile telephone.

 Another drawback of this system is that it is relatively bulky given the presence of the barcode reader.

 The object of the present invention is in particular to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks.

 To this end, the system according to the invention is characterized in that the telecommunications equipment includes a power port on which

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 is connected from the outside said optical information acquisition means via said electrical connection means.

 Thanks to this arrangement, the user thus has the option of keeping his mobile telephone in order to be able to read a code identifying a good or a service.

 In preferred embodiments of the system according to the invention, recourse is had to one and / or the other of the following provisions: the telecommunications equipment comprises a means for storing said code; - the telecommunications equipment is a mobile telephone; - the storage means comprises a SIM card; the optical means for acquiring information is a barcode reader.

 The present invention also relates to a use of the system according to the invention.

 The use of the system described in document US 5,923,735 implies that the user must go in a thoughtful and premeditated manner to a store where the goods or services are grouped, in order to read the barcode labels assigned to the goods or services desired by the user. Such use therefore proves to be relatively restrictive. In addition, according to this use, the good or service described is only of the material type. Consequently, the user never has the possibility of immediately entering possession of the good or service.

 The object of the present invention is in particular to remedy these drawbacks.

 To this end, the use of the system according to the invention is characterized in that the code read by the optical information acquisition means appears on a display means mentioning the good or service, said means display being placed in a location distant from the good or service.

 This results in a more flexible use than that described in the prior art, the user being able to operate the system wherever it is located and to communicate with any supplier of the desired good or service,

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 wherever the supplier is located.

 In a preferred embodiment of the use according to the invention, use is made of the following arrangement: - the display means is a paper medium belonging to the group comprising newspapers, magazines, posters, prospectuses, - the code read by the optical information acquisition means comprises access data from an entity supplying the good or service, the access data is chosen from the group comprising a telephone number, an address for WAP server, a mobile Internet portal address, - the good or service is of the hardware type or comes in an electronic form.

 Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the following description of one of its embodiments, given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the single FIG. 1 appended.

 This figure represents the system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention.

 As can be seen in FIG. 1, the system according to the present invention comprises on the one hand mobile telecommunications equipment 1 and, on the other hand, an optical information acquisition means 2.

 In the example shown: - the mobile telecommunications equipment 1 is a standard mobile telephone, for example of the GSM type, - and the optical information acquisition means 2 is a barcode reader, preferably of the handheld type .

 The hand shower 2 comprises a cable 3, one end of which 3a is connected to a port 1a of the telephone 1 which is suitable for this purpose. Port 1a is preferably the USB (Universal Serial Bus) port of the mobile phone.

 Alternatively, the shower 2 could be connected to the mobile phone 1 by a radio link, for example of the Bluetooth type.

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 In a manner known as such, the hand shower 2 is capable of reading a bar code as designated by the reference numeral 4 in FIG. 1.

 The system according to the invention operates as follows.

 A user holding the system according to the invention becomes aware of a product or service which interests him on a display means 5 such as preferably a paper medium of the newspaper, magazine, poster, prospectus, etc. ...

 The product or service in question, which, in the example shown, is a material good such as a tennis racket 6, is identified by the barcode 4 which contains a reference number associated with the product or service. The latter also contains access data from an entity providing the good or service.

 If the barcode 4 does not contain such data, this data is clearly visible on the paper support 5.

 Such data consists, for example, of a telephone number, the telephone coordinates of a voice server, the coordinates of a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) server or even of a Mobile Internet portal.

If the user wishes to obtain more information on the desired product or service, that is to say to obtain more details on the latter, or even to place an order form or even to make an online purchase, the user proceeds as follows :
1. a) either dial on the mobile phone 1 the access data which is indicated on the medium 5 so as to come into contact with the entity supplying the good or service, b) or scan the barcode 4 using the hand shower 2.

 2.

 - In case a), the supplier entity then asks the user to send him the barcode 4 linked to the desired product or service.

 The user then scans the barcode 4 using the hand shower 2.

In a manner known as such, the hand shower 2 produces an electrical signal

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 corresponding to the configuration of the bars and the spaces of the bar code 4. A decoder (not shown) integrated in the hand shower 2 decodes this signal into equivalent data appearing for example in an alphanumeric form. It may for example be a character string representing the reference of the product or service 6. The decoder transmits this data immediately to the mobile telephone 1 via the cable 3.

 Upon receipt, said data is then transmitted by the mobile telephone 1 towards the supplier entity which, for this purpose, includes a server (not shown). Following receipt of this data, the server searches its memory for the file associated with said data. In such a file appears for example the price, the name of the distributor of the product or service, the quantity available, the description of the product or service, etc ...

 Said data can also or alternatively be stored in a memory space of the mobile telephone 1, preferably in the subscriber identification module or SIM card (Subscriber Identification Module).

 The server of the supplier entity then extracts the desired information on the product or service and sends it back to the user.

 This information can be of any kind, namely that it can include text, images, multimedia components (sound, video, animation, etc.).

 - Case b) differs from case a) in that when scanning the barcode 4, the access data contained in the barcode 4 is extracted from the latter and then stored in a memory space of the mobile phone 1, for example the SIM card, so that it can be activated automatically by the user when the latter wishes to contact the supplier entity.

 Such a procedure is greatly facilitated since it allows the buyer to acquire information on a good or a service, or even buy this good or this service, in a minimum of time and in a minimum of actions.

 It also makes it possible to overcome the difficulties relating to the acquisition of a good or service appearing simply on a paper medium: - either because the distributor of the good or service is not clearly

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 identified, - either because the distributor, although known, is not easily reachable, - or because the product is not in stock, - or because the product is not distributed in the store near the home of the user, etc ...

 Finally, in the case where the good or service is presented in electronic form (cinema ticket, pre-reservation voucher, etc.) on the server of the supplier entity, the procedure advantageously allows the user not only to obtain, as in the previous example, information on the product or service, but also to buy this product or service and be delivered online on his mobile phone 1. As a result, the user can immediately acquire the product or service.

 It goes without saying that the embodiment which has been described above has been given for purely indicative and in no way limiting, and that numerous modifications can be easily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope. of the invention.

 Thus the SIM card or a memory space of the mobile telephone 1 could store bar codes defining electronic reduction coupons on various products or services of current consumption. Such bar codes would be intended to be issued by the mobile telephone 1 towards an electronic cash register, for example at the time of the purchase of said product or service.

 The hand shower 2 could also be replaced by any device for acquiring proximity data such as for example an optical reader, a digital camera or the like making it possible to read, interpret and use a URL address (Uniform Resource Locator) .

 The information acquisition and processing system which has just been described above has the following advantages: - as regards the entities supplying goods or services, easier and possibly easier access to their goods or services do at any time and

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 everywhere, thanks to the barcode printed on paper, which allows said entities to increase their sales, - as far as users are concerned, easier, faster, more multi-media access to products or services spontaneous and making it possible to avoid typing errors on the keyboard of the access data, - in the case of publishers, a rehabilitation of traditional paper supports.

Claims (10)

1. System for acquiring and processing information relating to a good or service (6) identified by a code (4) comprising information relating to said good or service, said system comprising: - mobile telecommunications equipment (1) , - an optical information acquisition means (2) able to read said code, said optical information acquisition means being connected to mobile telecommunications equipment (1) by an electrical connection means (3) , so that when the optical information acquisition means reads said code, the latter is transmitted to mobile telecommunications equipment via the electrical connection means, the system being characterized in that the equipment telecommunications (1) has a port (la) to which is connected from the outside said optical information acquisition means via said electrical connection means.  2. The system as claimed in claim 1, in which the telecommunications equipment comprises means for storing said code.  3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the telecommunications equipment is a mobile phone.  4. System according to claims 2 and 3, wherein the storage means comprises a SIM card.  5. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical information acquisition means is a barcode reader.  6. Use of the system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the code (4) read by the optical information acquisition means (2) appears on a display means (5) making mention of the good or service (6), said display means being arranged in a place remote from the good or service.  7. Use according to claim 6, characterized in that the display means (5) is a paper medium belonging to the group comprising newspapers, magazines, posters, flyers. <Desc / Clms Page number 9>  8. Use of the system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the code read by the optical information acquisition means comprises access data from an entity supplying the good or service.  9. Use according to claim 8, characterized in that the access data item is chosen from the group comprising a telephone number, a WAP server address, a mobile Internet portal address.  10. Use according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the good or service is of the material type or is in an electronic form.