EP1235691A4 - Business card to retrieve associated web page - Google Patents

Business card to retrieve associated web page

Info

Publication number
EP1235691A4
EP1235691A4 EP00945459A EP00945459A EP1235691A4 EP 1235691 A4 EP1235691 A4 EP 1235691A4 EP 00945459 A EP00945459 A EP 00945459A EP 00945459 A EP00945459 A EP 00945459A EP 1235691 A4 EP1235691 A4 EP 1235691A4
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
business card
computer
access
card
access means
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP00945459A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1235691A1 (en
Inventor
Boris Katic
Gary Modica
Andrew Link
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP1235691A1 publication Critical patent/EP1235691A1/en
Publication of EP1235691A4 publication Critical patent/EP1235691A4/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
    • G07F7/08—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means
    • G07F7/10—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means together with a coded signal, e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
    • G07F7/1008—Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
    • B42D15/00—Printed matter of special format or style not otherwise provided for
    • B42D15/02—Postcards; Greeting, menu, business or like cards; Letter cards or letter-sheets
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
    • G06F16/90—Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
    • G06F16/95—Retrieval from the web
    • G06F16/955—Retrieval from the web using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/30—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
    • G06Q20/34—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
    • G06Q20/342—Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/30—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
    • G06Q20/34—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
    • G06Q20/346—Cards serving only as information carrier of service
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
    • G07F7/02—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by keys or other credit registering devices
    • G07F7/025—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by keys or other credit registering devices by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M17/00—Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems
    • H04M17/02—Coin-freed or check-freed systems, e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths

Definitions

  • the present invention relates broadly to a business card.
  • the invention will be described herein with reference to a company business card. It will be appreciated, however, that the present invention does have broader applications, in particular that the term business card is intended to include e.g. cards distributed by organisations in charge of organising and marketing events such as Olympic Games or cards distributed by e.g. tourist offices of a particular region. Background of the invention
  • a business card comprising access means arranged, in use, to effect access to a computer network for retrieval of information associated with the business card; wherein the access means comprises an electronic data storage means having stored thereon a browser application program, and wherein the access means is arranged, in use, to instruct a computer to execute the browser application program for the retrieval of the information associated with the business card.
  • the business card can be preferably used to "automatically” convey the information associated with the business card from the computer network, i.e. not limited to the physical size of the business card.
  • the computer network is the Internet
  • the access means is arranged to effect access to an Internet Web-page on a computer. Accordingly, the Internet Web-page can be "automatically” accessed, rather than having to e.g. manually input a web-site address printed on the business card.
  • the business card is arranged to be inserted into a card reader of the computer for effecting the reading of the access instructions by the computer.
  • the access means is arranged in a manner such that the access instructions can be read by the computer by way of a transceiver of the computer. In another embodiment, the access means is arranged to transmit the access instructions to a receiver of the computer .
  • the business card is further arranged, in use, to function as a telephone card.
  • Preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings .
  • Figure 1 shows a business card embodying the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 shows a system embodying the present invention.
  • Figure 3 shows another system embodying the present invention .
  • Figure 4 shows another system embodying the present invention.
  • the business card 10 comprises a chip 12.
  • the chip 12 may be what is sometimes referred to as a smart card chip, and includes both a data storage component and a central processing unit.
  • the central processing unit of the chip 12 instructs the computer 16 to connect to a home page 18 of a web-site address stored in the storage component, through a browser application installed on the computer 16.
  • the home-page is displayed on a monitor 20 of the computer 16.
  • a business card 22 comprises a chip 24 and an electro- magnetic transmitter 26.
  • the chip 24 includes both a data storage component and a central processing unit. If the business card 22 is moved in front of a suitable receiver 28 of a computer 30, the chip instructs the computer 30 to connect to a home page 32 of a web-site address stored in the storage component, through a browser application installed on the computer 30. The home-page is displayed on a monitor 34 of the computer 30.
  • a business card 36 comprises a bar code 38. If the business card 38 is moved pass a barcode reader 40 of a computer 42, the computer is arranged to retrieve the address of an Internet web-site associated with the business card 38 from an external database, in which the address is stored under the barcode number. The computer 42 is further arranged to connect to the home-page 44 of the web-site associated with the business card 36 through a browser application installed on the computer 42. The home-page 44 is displayed on a monitor 46 of the computer 42.
  • the computer 42 accesses the external database through connecting to a preselected website through the browser application, the preselected website address forming part of an application that runs on the computer 42.
  • This set-up can be achieved by the various known techniques, for example the use of a modem in conjunction with a telephone line.
  • the computers 16, 30 and 42 include software that enables the downloading of the information received from the business cards 10, 22 and 36, respectively.
  • business card described above need not be limited to the features described herein, but rather may comprise further functionalities, such as for example being capable of being used as a telephone card.
  • the browser application may be installed on the computer through the business card, i.e. a chip of the business card may include the browser application for "automatic" installation, in use, if the computer does not have a suitable application pre-instailed.
  • a chip of the business card may include the browser application for "automatic" installation, in use, if the computer does not have a suitable application pre-instailed.

Abstract

A business card (22) comprises access means (24, 26) arranged, in use, to effect access to a computer network (e.g. the Internet) for retrieval of information (32) associated with the business card (22). In an embodiment, the business card (22) comprises an integrated circuit chip (24) and an electromagnetic transmitter (26). When the business card (22) is moved in front of a receiver (28) of a computer (30), the chip (24) instructs the computer (30) to connect to a home page (32) of a web site address stored on a storage component of the chip (24). The home page is displayed on a monitor (34) of the computer (30). In an embodiment, the business card (22) is further arranged, in use, to function as a telephone card.

Description

BUSINESS CARD TO RETRIEVE ASSOCIATED WEB PAGE
Field of the invention
The present invention relates broadly to a business card. The invention will be described herein with reference to a company business card. It will be appreciated, however, that the present invention does have broader applications, in particular that the term business card is intended to include e.g. cards distributed by organisations in charge of organising and marketing events such as Olympic Games or cards distributed by e.g. tourist offices of a particular region. Background of the invention
Business cards have long been established as a marketing tool to provide customers or clients with a handy reference for contacting the business or a person. One of the major drawbacks with the conventional business cards is that the information conveyed thereon must be limited due to their physical size. Summary of the invention In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a business card comprising access means arranged, in use, to effect access to a computer network for retrieval of information associated with the business card; wherein the access means comprises an electronic data storage means having stored thereon a browser application program, and wherein the access means is arranged, in use, to instruct a computer to execute the browser application program for the retrieval of the information associated with the business card. Accordingly, the business card can be preferably used to "automatically" convey the information associated with the business card from the computer network, i.e. not limited to the physical size of the business card. In one embodiment, the computer network is the Internet, and the access means is arranged to effect access to an Internet Web-page on a computer. Accordingly, the Internet Web-page can be "automatically" accessed, rather than having to e.g. manually input a web-site address printed on the business card.
In one embodiment, the business card is arranged to be inserted into a card reader of the computer for effecting the reading of the access instructions by the computer.
In another embodiment, the access means is arranged in a manner such that the access instructions can be read by the computer by way of a transceiver of the computer. In another embodiment, the access means is arranged to transmit the access instructions to a receiver of the computer .
Preferably, the business card is further arranged, in use, to function as a telephone card. Preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings .
Brief description of the drawings
Figure 1 shows a business card embodying the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a system embodying the present invention.
Figure 3 shows another system embodying the present invention . Figure 4 shows another system embodying the present invention.
Detailed description of preferred embodiments
In Figure 1, the business card 10 comprises a chip 12. The chip 12 may be what is sometimes referred to as a smart card chip, and includes both a data storage component and a central processing unit.
Turning now to Figure 2, if the business card 10 is inserted into a suitable card reader 14 of a computer 16, the central processing unit of the chip 12 instructs the computer 16 to connect to a home page 18 of a web-site address stored in the storage component, through a browser application installed on the computer 16. The home-page is displayed on a monitor 20 of the computer 16.
In an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 3 , a business card 22 comprises a chip 24 and an electro- magnetic transmitter 26. The chip 24 includes both a data storage component and a central processing unit. If the business card 22 is moved in front of a suitable receiver 28 of a computer 30, the chip instructs the computer 30 to connect to a home page 32 of a web-site address stored in the storage component, through a browser application installed on the computer 30. The home-page is displayed on a monitor 34 of the computer 30.
In another embodiment, a business card 36 comprises a bar code 38. If the business card 38 is moved pass a barcode reader 40 of a computer 42, the computer is arranged to retrieve the address of an Internet web-site associated with the business card 38 from an external database, in which the address is stored under the barcode number. The computer 42 is further arranged to connect to the home-page 44 of the web-site associated with the business card 36 through a browser application installed on the computer 42. The home-page 44 is displayed on a monitor 46 of the computer 42.
In this embodiment, the computer 42 accesses the external database through connecting to a preselected website through the browser application, the preselected website address forming part of an application that runs on the computer 42.
It is noted that in the above description, the computers 16, 30 and 42 are set up to be connectable to the
Internet. This set-up can be achieved by the various known techniques, for example the use of a modem in conjunction with a telephone line.
Furthermore, in the above description, the computers 16, 30 and 42 include software that enables the downloading of the information received from the business cards 10, 22 and 36, respectively.
The business card described above need not be limited to the features described herein, but rather may comprise further functionalities, such as for example being capable of being used as a telephone card.
It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.
For example, in other embodiments the browser application may be installed on the computer through the business card, i.e. a chip of the business card may include the browser application for "automatic" installation, in use, if the computer does not have a suitable application pre-instailed. In the claims that follow and in the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

The Claims Defining the Invention are as Follows:
1. A business card comprising access means arranged, in use, to effect access to a computer network for retrieval of information associated with the business card; wherein the access means comprises an electronic data storage means having stored thereon a browser application program, and wherein the access means is arranged, in use, to instruct a computer to execute the browser application program for the retrieval of the information associated with the business card.
2. A business card as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computer network is the Internet, and the access means is arranged to effect access to an Internet web-page associated with the business card on the computer. 3. A business card as claimed in claims 1 or 2 , wherein the business card is further arranged, in use, to function as a telephone card.
4. A business card as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the business card is arranged to be inserted into a card reader of the computer for effecting the reading of the access instructions by the computer.
5. A business card as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the access means is arranged in a manner such that the access instructions can be read by the computer by way of a transceiver of the computer.
6. A business card as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the access means is arranged to transmit the access instructions to a receiver of the computer.
EP00945459A 1999-08-04 2000-07-26 Business card to retrieve associated web page Withdrawn EP1235691A4 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU42478/99A AU720554B3 (en) 1999-08-04 1999-08-04 Marketing communication device
AU4247899 1999-08-04
PCT/AU2000/000890 WO2001010653A1 (en) 1999-08-04 2000-07-26 Business card to retrieve associated web page

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1235691A1 EP1235691A1 (en) 2002-09-04
EP1235691A4 true EP1235691A4 (en) 2004-05-06

Family

ID=3729697

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP00945459A Withdrawn EP1235691A4 (en) 1999-08-04 2000-07-26 Business card to retrieve associated web page

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1235691A4 (en)
AU (1) AU720554B3 (en)
WO (1) WO2001010653A1 (en)

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FR2812429B1 (en) * 2000-07-27 2003-08-01 Air Liquide INSTALLATION FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION RELATING TO AN OBJECT
FR2821188B1 (en) * 2001-02-20 2004-01-23 Gemplus Card Int PROCESS FOR SECURE STORAGE OF PERSONAL DATA AND CONSULTATION, CHIP CARD, TERMINAL AND SERVER FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROCESS
US6744869B2 (en) 2001-10-03 2004-06-01 Comverse, Inc. Method and system for one party to pass a calling invitation to another party
EP1583000A3 (en) * 2004-04-02 2005-12-28 Swisscom Mobile AG Method by means of which an end device can retrieve from a EPC Network pieces of information associated to EPC Codes.
DE102005043585A1 (en) * 2005-09-12 2007-04-12 Combots Product Gmbh & Co. Kg Personal contact- and visiting card for Internet-supported communication system, has card and/or support body with data and/or information carriers having contact data, and including receiver to receive one of carriers against other carrier
US8166011B2 (en) 2005-10-03 2012-04-24 Personalized Business Products, Inc. System and method for electronically managing individual and business information
US20070164554A1 (en) * 2005-12-16 2007-07-19 Krone Craig E Order fulfillment system and method for printing products including individualized information
DE102009030242A1 (en) * 2009-06-23 2010-12-30 Hans-Martin Lauer Device and method for providing secure access to a web-based restricted access service

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GB2295939A (en) * 1994-12-09 1996-06-12 Charles Richards Data communication
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FR2737797A1 (en) * 1995-07-25 1997-02-14 Germaneau Benoit Luc Gildas Electronic calling card carrying communication addresses - has personal and contact information stored physically and electronically, to be read by electronic and communication devices
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US5804803A (en) * 1996-04-02 1998-09-08 International Business Machines Corporation Mechanism for retrieving information using data encoded on an object
US6012102A (en) * 1996-04-02 2000-01-04 Infogear Technology Corporation System using machine-readable printed symbols created from encoded data resource specifiers to establish connection to data resource on data communications network
US5903729A (en) * 1996-09-23 1999-05-11 Motorola, Inc. Method, system, and article of manufacture for navigating to a resource in an electronic network
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Title
No further relevant documents disclosed *
See also references of WO0110653A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1235691A1 (en) 2002-09-04
AU720554B3 (en) 2000-06-01
WO2001010653A1 (en) 2001-02-15

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