JP2002082853A - Internet access method and system, and printed medium stored with internet access processing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for easily accessing a Web page without accessing the Web page by using a retrieval engine or without accessing the Web page by inputting a URL directly to the address designating part of Internet browsing software, when the URL of the target Web page is known. SOLUTION: This internet access method for a system, where a plurality of information processors having a communicating means to which a barcode reader is connected and a plurality of servers are connected to a network, is provided with a barcode reading step where the URL composed of the arrangement of characters, numerals and symbols is made into barcode and the barcode reader reads the barcode printed on a printed medium, a character string conversion step where the barcode read in the barcode reading step is converted into the original arrangement of the characters, the numerals and the symbols, representing the URL, and an access step where the converted character string is transmitted to the server to access the URL.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for accessing the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method for accessing a certain web page on the Internet (a home page refers to a page corresponding to a window of a linked web page, a web page including the home page is used in this specification). A search is performed using a search engine, and a URL (Uniform Resource Lo) which is considered to be a target from a list displayed as a result is displayed.
cat.) and accessing the web page described in the URL, and directly inputting the URL of the target web page from the keyboard to the addressing unit of the Internet browsing software and directly accessing the web page. There are ways to access.

[0003]

In the above-described method of accessing a target web page using a search engine, if a URL of the web page is not known, a keyword or the like relating to the web page owner is used. Although it has the advantage that you can search by entering, at the same time, you must enter a keyword at least once and search with a search engine, and it is troublesome to find the target web page from the search results However, there is a problem that it may take time.
In a method of accessing a target web page by inputting a URL into an address designating section of Internet browsing software, it is possible to access the target web page at one time, but in some cases, a long character number may be used. Since it is necessary to enter characters and symbols such as alphanumeric characters, it is troublesome for the user, and at the same time, the URL
There is also a problem that the user makes a mistake in inputting.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a UR of a target web page.
When the L is known, the user can easily access the web page without using a search engine to access the web page or entering the URL directly into the addressing unit of the Internet browsing software to access the web page. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system for accessing a page, and a print medium for executing the method and the system.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and a system for accessing the Internet, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for communicating with a bar code reader. A method for accessing the Internet in a system in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a plurality of servers and a plurality of servers are connected on a network, comprising:
A barcode reading step of reading the barcode printed on a print medium by converting the L into a barcode, and reading the barcode read in the barcode reading step with the original characters, numerals and This is achieved by including a character string conversion step of converting the character string into an array of symbols, and an access step of transmitting the converted character string to the server to access the URL. In this case, the character string conversion step and the access step may be executed in the information processing apparatus, or the barcode reader may use a mouse with a barcode reading function. Furthermore,
Preferably, the print medium is any of a business card, a newspaper advertisement, a flyer, a pamphlet, or a company information magazine.

On the other hand, in the system invention, the above object of the present invention is a system for accessing the Internet, comprising a plurality of information processing apparatuses having communication means connected to a bar code reader and a plurality of servers. Bar code reading means for converting a URL composed of an array of characters, numbers and symbols into a bar code and reading a bar code printed on a print medium with the bar code reader, and a bar read in the bar code reading step. Code the URL
And character string conversion means for converting the character string into a character string of original characters, numbers and symbols, and an access means for transmitting the converted character string to the server to access the URL. You. In this case, the character string conversion unit and the access unit may be executed in the information processing apparatus, or the barcode reader may use a mouse with a barcode reading function. More preferably, the print medium is any of a business card, a newspaper advertisement, a flyer, a pamphlet, or a company information magazine.

[0007] Further, the object of the present invention is to provide a web page owner having a web page on the Internet on a printed material such as a business card, a newspaper advertisement, a flyer, a pamphlet or a company information magazine at the same time as the URL of the web page.
This is achieved by using a print medium storing an access process to the Internet, characterized in that a bar code of the RL is printed.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a system 1 showing an embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a large number of information processing apparatuses 2 for accessing the Internet and a server 3 connected to the information processing apparatuses. Also, U
The print medium 4 on which the RL is converted into a bar code and printed is necessary for implementing the present invention. Here, server 3
Has a function of searching for an address transmitted from the information processing apparatus 2, and is usually called a domain name server.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing apparatus 2 used in the present invention. The information processing apparatus 2 is for inputting means 11 such as a barcode reader for reading a barcode, and for browsing the Internet or a program for converting the input barcode into a character string of original letters, numbers and symbols. RAM for storing browsing software
(Random Access Memory) and RO
A storage means 12 such as an M (Read Only Memory) or a hard disk, a communication means 13 for accessing the converted URL, a display for displaying a web page at a location designated by the URL, a liquid crystal display , A display means 14 such as a television, and a CPU for controlling each of these means
(Central Processing Unit)
15 is provided. Examples of the information processing device 2 include a personal computer, a game machine, a car navigation system, and a television having a two-way communication function. As the bar code reader, a mouse with a bar code reading function may be used in addition to a commonly used bar code reader. In this case, the reading is performed together with the operation of the mouse, so that the processing can be performed smoothly.

A method for accessing the Internet using the system as shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. First, the barcode reader 11 connected to the information processing apparatus 2 reads the barcode 5 representing the URL printed on the print medium 4 (step S1). The read barcode is converted into a character string representing the original URL by a character string conversion program stored in the storage means 12 (step S).
2). Here, when the user is using the Internet browsing software on the information processing device 2 (step S3), the URL represented by the converted character string is transmitted to the communication unit 13.
To the server 3 connected to the information processing apparatus 2 through the server (step S4). On the other hand, if the user has activated the information processing apparatus 2 but has not used the Internet browsing software (step S3), the program is executed using the Internet browsing software stored in the storage unit 12 of the information processing apparatus 2. Is started (step S5), and the URL represented by the character string converted at the same time is transmitted to the server 3 connected to the information processing apparatus 2 via the communication means 13 (step S4). The information processing device 2 performs step S
4 and receives a file such as text relating to the web page of the URL searched by the server 13 (step S6). Then, the received web page is displayed by the display means (step S7). Here, the words "access step" or "access means" used in the claims are used to transmit a URL from the information processing apparatus 2 to the server 3 connected to the information processing apparatus via the communication means 13. , The server 3 is the UR
Refers to a step or means for finding L. Accordingly, in the above description of the process, steps S1, S2 and S4 correspond to the barcode reading step, the character string conversion step and the access step, respectively. The means for executing the above steps corresponds to the bar code reading means, the character string converting means, and the access means, respectively.

The bar code 5 printed on the print medium 4 used in the above steps can use a commonly used bar code. The following is an example of converting characters, numbers, and symbols into barcodes.
In this example, an alphabetic character (alphabet) is assumed as a commonly used character. First, the alphanumeric characters and symbols used in the description of the URL are encoded with two-digit numbers. FIG. 4 shows this example. That is, the number “0” becomes the code “00”, the number “1” becomes the code “01”,.
.., The letter “a” is the code “10”, the letter “b” is the code “11”,.
In addition, the symbol "/" is coded into a code "37", and alphanumeric characters and symbols are coded by two-digit numbers such as. next,
The coded URL is converted to a barcode according to the usual method. For example, when a one-dimensional barcode is used, the numbers “0” to “9” are changed by changing the thickness (the number of dots) of the barcode element, or the thickness of a black bar and a white bar and the number thereof. Display by combination. In this way, it is possible to directly barcode the character string constituting the URL. Also, the characters used for the URL are not limited to alphabetic characters (alphabet). Therefore, when using kanji or kana, each character is coded with four digits in the same manner as described above. To perform bar coding. Furthermore,
Normally used character punctuation codes and the like can be used as they are, and using such existing ones has the advantage that the standard can be unified.

On the other hand, the barcode read by the information processing device 2 can be restored to an array of characters, numbers, and symbols by the reverse steps. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a flow of converting the read barcode into an array of characters, numbers and symbols. Note that, in this case as well, the case where an English character (alphabet) is used as a character and a one-dimensional barcode is used is exemplified, but the steps are the same even when other barcodes are used. First, the read barcode is converted into a number (step S11). The converted numbers are separated every two digits (step S12). According to the conversion table shown in FIG. 4, the separated two-digit numbers are converted into alphanumeric characters or symbols (step S13). Then, the original URL consisting of the character string of alphanumeric characters and symbols is restored (step S1).
4). By giving an instruction to the Internet browsing software to access the URL, it becomes possible for the user to browse the target web page without performing a troublesome input operation using a keyboard or the like. As a specific example of the instruction to the Internet browsing software, a method of pasting the converted character string of the URL to the address specification unit and instructing to access the URL, or a method of starting the Internet browsing software A method of setting the page to be opened first as the converted URL is conceivable.

Next, in order to carry out the present invention, a print medium on which a bar-coded URL is printed is required. Such print media include business cards, newspaper advertisements, flyers, pamphlets, company information magazines, and the like. In these examples, an individual or a corporation that has opened a web page prints a URL converted into a bar code at the same time as a character string of the URL on these print media, and reads the bar code with a bar code reader. The web page specified by the URL can be displayed on display means such as a display. In this case, the bar-coded UR
It is desirable to arrange L near the character string of the URL for easy understanding. For example, it is desirable to arrange the character string directly above or below the URL, or at either the left or right position. FIG. 6 shows an example of a newspaper advertisement. The character string 23 of the URL is printed on the lower right of the advertisement 22 placed on the newspaper 21,
The barcode 5 is arranged below the barcode. Anyone who owns a barcode reader and is interested in this advertising company or its products can obtain more detailed information about the advertising company or its products simply by reading the barcode 5 with a barcode reader. Can be. FIG. 7 shows an example in which a bar-coded version of the URL is arranged on the right side of the company name of the company that owns the web page among the companies listed in the company information magazine 31 such as the company quarterly report. In this figure, the bar code 5 of the web page of the company is printed on the right side of the company name 32. By reading these barcodes 5 with a barcode reader, the web page can be viewed without having to input the URL of the character string printed on the paper into the address designation section of the Internet browsing software.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a sales form of a company information magazine. Information such as the capital, number of employees, sales, stock price, etc. of the company traded on the stock market or over-the-counter, and the URL of the web page for the company that has the web page are printed in bar code and printed. The bar-coded UR together with a company information magazine 31 as shown in FIG.
The bar code reader 33 converts the bar code read by the bar code reader 33 into a URL character string in a procedure as shown in FIG. (Registered trademark) disk or CD-ROM containing a program for performing
And other recording media 34 are set. By selling a bar code reader and a program for converting a bar code to a character string together with a company information magazine in this way, it is possible to provide consumers with more detailed information about the company listed in the company information. it can.

[0016]

According to the present invention, a bar code reader is connected to an information processing device, a bar-coded URL is read by the bar code reader, and the information is read by the information processing device.
By converting to RL, it is possible to access the target URL without input operation from input means such as a keyboard.

In addition, a URL such as a business card, a newspaper advertisement, a flyer, a pamphlet or a company information magazine is printed on the printed material together with the URL.
By printing a bar-coded version of L, those who are interested in seeing the business card, newspaper advertisement, flyer, pamphlet or company information magazine, etc., can easily do it without having to perform troublesome operations. This has the effect of providing an environment in which the user can access the web page specified by the URL.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system for accessing the Internet according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a method for accessing the Internet according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of encoding alphanumeric characters and symbols.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a flow of a method of converting a read barcode into a URL.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a newspaper advertisement as an example of a print medium storing an Internet access process according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a company information magazine as an example of a print medium storing an Internet access process according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a form in which a barcode reader and a recording medium on which a program for converting a barcode is recorded are printed together with a company information magazine as a print medium in order to carry out the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 system 2 information processing device 3 server 4 print medium 5 barcode 11 input means 12 storage means 13 communication means 14 display means 15 CPU 21 newspaper 22 advertisement 23 URL (character string) 31 company information magazine 32 company name 33 barcode reader 34 recoding media

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A method for accessing the Internet in a system in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses having communication means connected to a bar code reader and a plurality of servers are connected on a network, comprising: A barcode reading step of reading a barcode printed on a print medium by converting a URL formed of an array into a barcode, and reading the barcode read in the barcode reading step as an element representing the URL; A character string conversion step of converting the converted character string into an array of characters, numbers and symbols, and transmitting the converted character string to the server to transmit the UR
L. An access method for accessing the Internet. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the character string conversion step and the access step are performed in the information processing apparatus. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bar code reader is a mouse with a bar code reading function. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the print medium is one of a business card, a newspaper advertisement, a flyer, a pamphlet, and a company information magazine. 5. An access system to the Internet, comprising a plurality of servers and a plurality of information processing apparatuses having communication means connected to a bar code reader, wherein a URL composed of an array of letters, numbers and symbols is used. Bar code reading means for reading a bar code converted into a bar code and printed on a print medium with the bar code reader; and reading the bar code read in the bar code reading step with original characters, numerals and symbols representing the URL. A character string converting means for converting the character string into a character string;
L, an access means for accessing the Internet. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said character string conversion means and said access means are executed in said information processing apparatus.
Internet access system as described in. 7. The Internet access system according to claim 5, wherein the bar code reader is a mouse with a bar code reading function. 8. The Internet access system according to claim 5, wherein the print medium is one of a business card, a newspaper advertisement, a flyer, a pamphlet, and a company information magazine. 9. A web page owner having a web page on the Internet prints the URL of the web page and a bar code of the URL on a printed material such as a business card, a newspaper advertisement, a flyer, a pamphlet or a company information magazine. A print medium storing a process of accessing the Internet, characterized in that: