KR20120044859A - Contact details acquisition apparatus and method using identification code - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A contact information obtaining device using an identification code and a method thereof are provided to enable a user to contact a customer center without manual inputs based on a standardized barcode of a product. CONSTITUTION: A conversion unit(120) converts image data which includes an identification code of a product into computer readable data. A memory unit(130) stores mapping information which is contact information of a product manufacturing company. A mapping unit(140) maps the converted information on the mapping information to extract contact information of the product manufacturing company from the mapping information.

Description

CONTACT DETAILS ACQUISITION APPARATUS AND METHOD USING IDENTIFICATION CODE}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for acquiring a contact of a product manufacturer using an identification code of a product, and more particularly, a user photographs an identification code of a product with a terminal and uses the photographed image to store a database stored in the terminal. The present invention relates to a terminal and a method of mapping and obtaining information such as a contact number of a corresponding product manufacturer customer center, that is, a telephone number, a homepage address, an email address, and the like.

Most consumer goods or books on the market are printed and distributed on the surface with a unique number for each item sold in the form of a bar code such as a world product code or an international standard book number. These barcodes are standardized and widely used worldwide because they can automate calculations, sales management, inventory management, and logistics management at retail stores.

In addition, although most consumer goods and books in the market are printed with contact information of a product customer center, the letters of the contact information are small, which makes it difficult to find a telephone. For example, in the case of a book, the barcode is well behind the cover, but the publisher's phone number is often printed in the book, so you must open the book to make a call.

In addition, two or more telephone numbers may also be printed, so care must be taken to locate a customer center or customer support telephone number. Finally, in order to call the found phone number, the user has to be careful not to be mistaken again and to manually enter a phone number in the phone.

On the other hand, there is a method of providing information using a barcode in the prior art. In this prior art, a method is disclosed in which a user reads a barcode using a terminal and then accesses a separate information providing server to obtain detailed information of a product.

However, the method for acquiring detailed information of the product using the identification code of the conventional product requires a user to access the information providing server through the terminal, so that time may be delayed in some cases, resulting in low convenience and additional data communication fees. There is a problem that occurs.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the user, by using the product identification code and the terminal, without obtaining a contact information, such as the customer's customer center of the manufacturer of the product, without contacting a separate information providing server, It is an object of the present invention to provide a contact obtaining apparatus and method for making a call to a contact or linking to a homepage without manually inputting the terminal to a terminal.

To this end, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a terminal for acquiring a contact number of a manufacturer of a product using an identification code of a product may include a form in which a computer decodes image data obtained by photographing an identification code attached to the product. A converting unit for converting the transform information into the transform information of the unit; A memory unit which stores mapping information which is a contact of a manufacturer for a product; And a mapping unit configured to extract the contact information of a manufacturer to be mapped by mapping the conversion information to the mapping information.

The terminal may further include a screen unit for displaying the contact information of the manufacturer to be mapped to the user when there is information mapped by the mapping unit, and displaying the conversion information to the user when there is no mapped information.

The identification code is characterized in that it comprises a standardized identification code that can characterize the manufacturer and product.

The mapping unit may be configured to map the conversion information corresponding to a country and a manufacturer to the mapping information or to map the conversion information corresponding to a product to the mapping information.

The mapping information may be updated from the related service providing server, and the updating of the mapping information may be performed at predetermined intervals predetermined in the terminal, or in real time as soon as the mapping information is updated in the related service providing server, or If necessary, it is performed by directly requesting an update by connecting to a related service providing server.

The terminal may further include a sender which attempts to contact the manufacturer's contact information extracted by the mapping unit by a user's selection.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a method of acquiring a contact number of a manufacturer of a product through a terminal using an identification code of a product, a computer may decode image data obtained by photographing an identification code of a product by a user in a conversion unit. A conversion step of converting the conversion information into a possible data type; And a mapping step of extracting the contact information of the manufacturer to be mapped by mapping the conversion information to mapping information which is the contact information of the manufacturer stored in the memory unit.

The method includes displaying the extracted contact information of the manufacturer on a screen so that a user can recognize the contact information; By the user's selection, characterized in that it further comprises a sending step of attempting to contact the contact of the manufacturer displayed on the screen.

The displaying may include displaying an icon including a contact for each manufacturer on a screen, and when selecting the icon, a phone number, an e-mail address, or a homepage address of the corresponding manufacturer is displayed.

The displaying step may be characterized by superimposing the extracted contact information of the manufacturer on the location of the identification code in the image of the product to be photographed. In addition, when the identification code and the marker is attached to the product, it characterized in that the overlapping display of the extracted manufacturer's contact information on the marker position in the image of the product to be photographed.

The mapping step may include: a first mapping step of mapping conversion information corresponding to a country and a manufacturer to mapping information; And a second mapping step of secondly mapping the conversion information corresponding to the specific product to the mapping information, and if the mapping information mapped to the mapping information is two or more, performing the second mapping step. do.

If the mapped information does not exist, the conversion information is displayed on the screen.

According to the present invention, by using a standardized bar code, such as the identification code of the product (hereinafter referred to as identification code), by helping the user to contact the manufacturer's customer center of the product without the process of manual input of the contact has the effect of providing convenience for use have.

In addition, by taking the identification code of the product, it is possible to convert the photographed image directly to the phone number or the homepage address from the terminal without going through a separate information providing server, there is an effect that no additional data communication charges are incurred.

In addition, since the present invention performs mapping by dividing the code number without mapping using the entire code number which is conversion information generated by barcode recognition, it is possible to improve the mapping speed rather than mapping based on the entire code number. It also minimizes the storage space needed to maintain mapping information.

In addition, in the present invention, the contact information of the corresponding product by photographing the barcode of the product is displayed on the product image through augmented reality technology, or the contact information is displayed on the screen of the terminal in such a way that an icon including a contact is created, the user conveniently It is effective to manage or contact related contacts.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal for obtaining a contact number of a manufacturer of a product using an identification code of a product according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a simple flowchart illustrating a method of obtaining a contact number of a manufacturer of a product through a terminal using an identification code of the product according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a screen illustrating a use screen of the manufacturer contact acquisition process using the identification code via a smartphone in accordance with the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configuration of the present invention and the operation and effect thereof will be clearly understood through the following detailed description. Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals even if they are displayed on different drawings, and the detailed description will be omitted when it is determined that the well-known configuration may obscure the gist of the present invention. do.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal for obtaining a contact number of a manufacturer of a product using an identification code of a product according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal includes an imaging unit 110, a conversion unit 120, a memory unit 130, a mapping unit 140, a screen unit 150, and a transmission unit 160.

The terminal may be any device having a shooting function, such as a mobile communication terminal, a PC, a laptop, a smart phone, and a digital camera.

The imaging unit 110 includes a lens, a camera module, and the like, and serves to generate image data by a user photographing an identification code of a product.

The identification code here is an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), an International Standard Serial Number (PNJ), an European Articles Number (EAN), a Universal Product Code (UPC) Code), one-dimensional code including KAN (Korea Article Number), two-dimensional code including PDF (Quick Response) code, PDF417, Datamatrix, Maxicode, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), etc. Can be.

ISBN codes are internationally unique identifiers that are standardized in ISO2108 and KSX6004. A three-digit prefix (978), consisting of 13 digits, added to match EAN, a 2-digit national language code identifying the manufacturer's country ('89' in Korea), and a 3-digit publisher assigned to the manufacturer or salesman. It consists of 13 digits, including a code, a 4-digit title code, and a 1-digit check digit that verifies a barcode error.

KAN code is a national standard of EAN barcode of international standard, registered with Korea Distribution Information Center, and received product company code. For standard type, 3 digit country code ("880" in Korea) and 4 digit manufacturer It consists of 13 digits including a code, a 5-digit product list code, and a 1-digit check digit. In the case of the short form, it consists of 8 digits including 3 digit country code, 3 digit manufacturer code, 1 digit item code and 1 digit check digit.

UPC is an international code used in North America, with 12-digit standard and 8-digit abbreviation, representing a one-digit number system character, a five-digit manufacturer code, a five-digit product item code, and a one-digit check digit.

EAN is divided into Standard Type A, Standard Type B, Abbreviated Type, and Medicine, and represents the country code, manufacturer code, product item code, and check digit according to each digit.

QR code is a two-dimensional bar code that overcomes the limitations of conventional bar codes and expands its format and content. It is used to store character data in addition to numbers by having vertical and horizontal information.

The identification code presented in this embodiment is exemplary and may be any one that can characterize the manufacturer and the product and is standardized.

The conversion unit 120 converts the generated image data into conversion information (for example, a string, a string, or a combination of letters / numbers) in the form of a computer-readable data.

The memory unit 130 stores a mapping table including a code number, which is conversion information, and a contact number of a manufacturer, which is mapping information, such as a phone number, a homepage address, an email address, and the like. The mapping table may be updated in real time or periodically by a method described below or at any time according to a user's request.

The mapping unit 140 maps the conversion information from the mapping table stored in the memory unit 130 to mapping information including the customer center contact information of the manufacturer, and extracts the contact information of the manufacturer mapped with the conversion information. The mapping information may be updated from a related service providing server at the time of registering a new manufacturer's contact or changing an existing contact.

The updating of the mapping information may be performed at predetermined intervals predetermined in the terminal, or may be performed in real time as soon as the mapping information is updated in the related service providing server. It is also possible by request.

If there is information mapped by the mapping unit 140, the screen unit 150 displays the contact information of the manufacturer to the user, and if the information is not mapped, the screen unit 150 displays the conversion information to the user.

The sender 160 plays a role of calling a phone number displayed on the screen unit, linking to a homepage address, or sending an e-mail by key manipulation of a user's terminal.

Referring to FIG. 2, a method of providing a contact information to a terminal using an identification code of a product having such a configuration is as follows.

The terminal should be provided with a photographing apparatus for photographing the identification code of the product. When the terminal equipped with the photographing apparatus is in the standby state as described above, when the user of the terminal performs a specific key operation, the imaging unit 110 photographs an identification code of the product and obtains image data for the identification code therefrom (step S1). ).

Thereafter, the conversion unit 120 converts the acquired image data into conversion information (for example, a character string, a string of numbers, or a combination of letters and numbers) in the form of a computer-readable data (step S2). Next, the mapping unit 140 maps the converted conversion information to mapping information which is a manufacturer contact stored in the memory unit 130 (step S3).

Here, an embodiment of the mapping is as follows. Table 1 is mapping information for six books, and mapping information is registered based on a corresponding International Standard Book Number (ISBN) code. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mapping information may include a telephone number, a homepage address, an e-mail address, etc. of a publisher customer center, but various information such as a publisher name, a book title, and an author name may be registered and used.

Table 1 shows a mapping table in which code numbers, which are conversion information, and mapping information corresponding thereto are registered. In the mapping table shown in Table 1, a telephone number, a home page address, and an e-mail address are registered as mapping information.

Referring to Table 1, when the conversion information converted by the conversion unit 120 is represented by 13 digits, for example, when the code number is 978 89 2392 155 7, the first 3 digits 978 is a prefix code, and the next 2 The digit 89 is the country code, the next 4 digits 2392 is the publisher code, the next 3 digits 155 is the title code, and the next 1 digit 7 is the check digit.

The mapping unit 140 primarily maps code numbers corresponding to country codes and publisher codes to mapping information. As a result of mapping, when the mapping information is one, the mapping unit 140 extracts the mapping information and ends the mapping. However, if the mapping information is two or more, the mapping unit 14 checks the code number corresponding to the next title code and extracts the mapping information.

The mapping unit 140 may perform the mapping using the entire code number, but if the mapping is performed by dividing the code number as in the embodiment of the present invention, the mapping speed may be improved rather than the mapping based on the entire code number. Can be.

In general, if the country / publisher is the same, the mapping information is often the same, so that the mapping information can be extracted quickly by checking only the country code and the publisher code. However, if different mapping information is required for each title, mapping information may exist for each title code. In this case, corresponding mapping information is finally extracted through secondary mapping. For example, a book popular with a public or a movie screening can be managed by a specific person or can be operated separately from the homepage.

An example of performing mapping by dividing a code number in the mapping unit 140 will be described. When the conversion information output from the conversion unit 120 is '978 89 2392 155 7', the mapping unit 140 first searches up to '978 89 2392' in the mapping table of the memory unit 130. As a result of the mapping, since there is only one mapping information of the book, the mapping unit 140 corresponds to the corresponding mapping information, phone number 02) ###-####, homepage address HTTP :: //www.koonja.co.kr Extract the email address admin@koonja.co.kr and finish the mapping.

On the other hand, when the conversion information output from the conversion unit 120 is '978 89 5460 255 7', the mapping unit 140 performs a search up to the country code, the publisher code, and the '978 89 5460'. However, since there are two or more mapping information of the searched book, the mapping unit 140 searches up to the next title code, '255 7', and the mapping information is telephone number 031) ***-0000, homepage address HTTP :: // You will extract www.hollygrail.com and email address jabi@jabi.co.kr and finish the mapping.

If the country / manufacturer contains not only an ISBN but also a country / manufacturer, the mapping information (phone number or homepage address) is often the same, so there is no need to store mapping information for every barcode.

That is, multiple code numbers are the same regardless of 4 digits after '987 89 2392'. If you have mapping information, you only need to register '987 89 2392 xxxx' in the mapping table. Similarly, if '978 89 5460' has a large number of identical mapping information, '978 89 5460 xxxx' is registered in the mapping table, and the code number (for example, '978 89 5460 255 7 ').

In step S3, if there is mapped information, and if there is no mapped information, the conversion information is displayed on the screen unit 150 so that a user can recognize it (step S6). To display the contact information of the customer center of the corresponding product, which is the mapping information, is displayed on the screen unit 150 so as to recognize whether the user wants to send the call immediately or later (step S4).

If the user wants to call immediately, call or link to the homepage address of the customer center displayed on the screen unit 150 (step S5), if you want to call later, the screen unit 150 ) Stores the contact information of the customer center displayed in the) in the phone book, etc. (step S7).

Alternatively, the user photographs the identification code of the product with the imaging unit 110 of the terminal to obtain image data for the identification code therefrom. The image data for the identification code is converted and mapped by the above method. Thereafter, if there is information mapped in step S3, and if there is no mapped information, the converted information is superimposed and displayed on the identification code position in the corresponding product image photographed by the imaging unit 110, and the mapped information is mapped. If there is information, the contact information of the customer center of the corresponding product, which is the mapping information, may be superimposed and displayed on the identification code position in the product image photographed by the imaging unit 110. That is, by overlaying the contact information of the manufacturer on the product image photographed using augmented reality technology, the user may be displayed as if the contact number of the manufacturer is written on the product. In addition, apart from the identification code, when the marker is present on the product together, the corresponding information may be displayed on the marker instead of the identification code. In augmented reality technology, markers are used for the convenience of location tracking and recognition.

3, a process of obtaining a manufacturer's contact information using an identification code through a smartphone, which is one of terminals according to the present invention, will be described briefly.

The user photographs a barcode of a book that he / she wants to obtain a contact with a smartphone camera. At this time, the number of books for which contact information is desired may be one or several. When photographing the barcode of each book is generated and displayed in the form of a small icon on the smartphone screen, respectively (Fig. 3 (a)). In FIG. 3 (a), separate icons are displayed for each book. However, even if the books are different, only one icon may be displayed even when photographing barcodes attached to a plurality of books when the publishers are the same and the mapping information is the same. . In this case, the icon may display the name of the publisher as the title of the icon and may include the name of each book in addition to the contact information.

Next, when the icon of the book that you want to know first of the generated icons is selected, the phone number, e-mail address, and homepage address of the book publisher are displayed on the screen (Fig. 3 (b)). When the user selects the desired contact method on the screen, the smartphone attempts to contact the contact method immediately. In other words, if you select a phone number, the call is sent to that number. If you select an email address, an email creation screen with an email address is displayed, and you can send it immediately after completing the contents. Linked immediately.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the present invention, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the specification of the present invention are not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention should be construed by the claims below, and all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto will be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Conventionally, the user has to find a phone number of a customer service center printed on the product and enter a phone number by hand to make a phone call. In particular, the elderly have a great inconvenience in use, and furthermore, they have to obtain relevant information through a network connection. Although there was a problem in cost, the present invention can obtain a contact number of the customer center directly from the identification code without a network connection, and can conveniently contact and manage the contact center of the customer center, so that the customer can quickly and easily use the identification code such as a barcode. It can be widely used in the field of providing the contact service.

110: imaging unit 120: conversion unit
130: memory unit 140: mapping unit
150: screen unit 160: transmitter

Claims (15)

In the terminal for obtaining the contact information of the manufacturer of the product using the identification code of the product,
A conversion unit for converting image data obtained by photographing an identification code attached to a product into conversion information in a form of a computer readable data;
A memory unit which stores mapping information which is a contact of a manufacturer for a product;
A mapping unit which maps the conversion information to the mapping information and extracts a contact of a manufacturer to be mapped;
Terminal comprising a. The method of claim 1,
If there is information mapped by the mapping unit, the terminal further comprises a screen unit for displaying the contact of the manufacturer to be mapped to the user, and if there is no information mapped to display the conversion information to the user. The method of claim 1,
And the identification code comprises a standardized identification code for characterizing a manufacturer and a product. The method of claim 1,
And the mapping unit maps the conversion information corresponding to a country and a manufacturer to the mapping information. The method of claim 1,
And the mapping unit maps the conversion information corresponding to a specific product to the mapping information. The method of claim 1,
The mapping information may be updated from the related service providing server, and the updating of the mapping information may be performed at predetermined intervals predetermined in the terminal, or in real time as soon as the mapping information is updated in the related service providing server, or Terminal, characterized in that performed by requesting the update directly to the relevant service providing server as needed. The method of claim 1,
The terminal further comprises a transmitter for attempting to contact the manufacturer's contact information extracted by the mapping unit by the user's selection. In the method for obtaining the contact information of the manufacturer of the product through the terminal using an identification code attached to the product,
A conversion step of converting image data obtained by photographing an identification code of a product by the user into conversion information in the form of a computer-readable data;
A mapping step of mapping the converted information to mapping information which is a contact of a manufacturer which is stored in advance and extracting a contact of a manufacturer to be mapped;
≪ / RTI > The method of claim 8,
A display step of displaying the extracted contact information of the manufacturer on a screen so that a user can recognize the extracted contact information;
Calling step of attempting to contact the manufacturer's contact displayed on the screen by user's selection
≪ / RTI > 10. The method of claim 9,
The displaying may include displaying an icon including a contact for each manufacturer on a screen. The method of claim 10,
If the icon is selected, the telephone number, email address or homepage address of the corresponding manufacturer is displayed. The method of claim 8,
And the displaying step superimposes the extracted manufacturer's contact information on the identification code position in the image of the goods to be photographed. The method of claim 8,
If the product is attached with an identification code and a marker,
And the displaying step superimposes the extracted manufacturer's contact information on the marker position in the image of the goods to be photographed. The method of claim 8,
The mapping step may include: a first mapping step of mapping conversion information corresponding to a country and a manufacturer to mapping information;
A second mapping step of secondly mapping the conversion information corresponding to the specific product to the mapping information,
And if the mapping information mapped in the first mapping step is two or more, performing the second mapping step. The method of claim 8,
And displaying the conversion information on the screen when the mapped information does not exist.

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