WO2014047705A1

WO2014047705A1 - Information processing method

Info

Publication number: WO2014047705A1
Application number: PCT/BR2013/000369
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roberto MACHADO FERREIRA
Original assignee: Fqr Tecnologia E Serviços Ltda. Epp.
Priority date: 2012-09-26
Filing date: 2013-09-26
Publication date: 2014-04-03
Also published as: BR102012024472A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method that allows recording information, such as video messages, in a data server, and subsequently displaying the information at an Internet address. The method consists in an information processing method comprising the following steps: (i) scanning a portion of an object provided with an access code; (ii) accessing an Internet address by means of the access code scanned in step (i); (iii) checking whether the Internet address accessed in step (ii) contains at least one item of recorded information; and (iv) displaying the recorded information on a browser interface at the Internet address when the check carried out in step (iii) indicates that the address accessed in step (ii) contains at least one item of recorded information.

Description

"INFORMATION TREATMENT METHOD"

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a method for handling information in a computer network environment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method capable of enabling the recording of information, such as video messages, on a data server, and its subsequent display at an Internet address.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Greeting cards are widely used on special dates such as birthdays, weddings, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, among many other dates, usually accompanied by gifts. These cards can usually be found for sale at stationery stores, bookstores, gift shops and supermarkets.

In the traditional business model, the consumer purchases a card, which may contain an image and / or a preprinted message, hand-writes his message and forwards it to the recipient in any way they wish. The recipient then receives the card and the message is read in sequence.

With the advent of the Internet, the purchase of gifts, whether products or services, through online store pages has become quite popular in recent years, as advantages such as convenience, convenience, convenience and time savings have been provided to consumers. Because of this, Internet store pages have also offered the option of sending cards to the recipient, virtual or real, along with the gift. In particular, some websites even offer free virtual greeting card sending service. In addition, with the growth and evolution of broadband technologies such as ADSL, cable, radio, WiMAX and fiber optics capable of providing fast computer connections to the Internet, there has been a notable popularization of web pages that offer multimedia features such as video. , music and games on demand.

Also, in recent years there has also been a popularization of the QR (Quick Reference) type code, which consists of a two-dimensional barcode that can be scanned using, for example, cell phone cameras or computers. This code can be converted into interactive text, an address of a website, a phone number, a geographical location, an email, and more.

Given the scenario described above, a potential has been found to associate new features with greeting cards in order to provide a new experience for users, adding proximity, simplicity and fun to the activity of gifting others.

OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of recording multimedia resources on an Internet data server, and their subsequent access by means of greeting cards and / or other products, such as gift items.

Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a method capable of recording personalized messages on the Internet by means of greeting cards and / or other products, such as gift items.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of displaying previously recorded personalized messages on the Internet by means of greeting cards and / or other products, such as gift items. In addition, it is also an object of the present invention to provide a method capable of recording a video on an Internet data server and subsequently displaying it to a user by means of a greeting card and / or other products. such as gift objects.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of providing a new use experience to consumers of greeting cards and / or other products, such as gift items, adding proximity, simplicity and fun to the gift-giving activity of others.

A first way of achieving one or more of the above-mentioned objectives of the present invention (s), among others, is by an information handling method comprising the following steps:

(i) scan a portion of an object with an access code;

ii) accessing an Internet address using the access code scanned in step i;

iii) verify that the Internet address accessed in step ii contains at least one recorded information; and

(iv) display, in a navigation interface of the address of the

Internet, the recorded information when the verification in step iii indicates that the address accessed in step ii contains at least one recorded information.

According to additional or alternative embodiments of the method of the present invention, the following steps, alone or in combination, may also be comprised:

v) record or load at least one information when the verification in step iii indicates that the address accessed in step ii does not contains recorded information;

vi) assign at least one visual effect to the recorded information; vii) record complementary information;

viii) display complementary information;

verifying that the recorded information is encrypted when the verification in step iii indicates that the address accessed in step ii contains at least one recorded information;

a) define addresses on the Internet;

b) generate a batch of codes based on the addresses defined in step a;

c) storing the batch of codes generated in step b in a database;

d) export a file containing the codes for printing on said object;

e) generate a directory structure on a data server based on the batch of code generated in step b;

f) create a file with extension .htm or .php in a last folder of a directory generated in the step and for storing the messages.

- the recorded information consists of a video message; - said video message is recorded via the internet address navigation interface;

- said video message is loaded by a digital file to be played on a user's personal computer or on an Internet data server; and

- the access code consists of a QR code or an alphanumeric code, arranged below the QR Code;

- the object with an access code is a greeting card BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The objects, technical effects and advantages of the method of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description referring to the accompanying figures illustrating exemplary but not limiting embodiments of the present invention wherein:

Figure 1 is a flow chart of an information handling method according to a first particular embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a first screen of a navigation interface that is displayed during and / or after performing at least one of the steps of the method shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 illustrates a second navigation interface screen that is displayed during and / or after performing at least one of the steps of the method shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 illustrates a third screen of the navigation interface that is displayed during and / or after performing at least one of the steps of the method shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a flow chart of an information handling method according to a second particular embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Firstly, it should be noted that the method of processing information, object of the present invention, will be described hereinafter according to particular but not limiting embodiments, since its embodiments may be implemented in different forms and variations and according to the desired application. In addition, it should also be noted that the term "greeting card" refers to any type of card provided with an access code such as, but not limited to, a QR (Quick Reference) type code. Note that QR-type codes are unique and therefore no two cards with the same code. Alternatively, other types of access codes may be implemented as long as they are suitable for the application. The greeting card may consist of any type of material (eg paper, plastic or fabric) and may be purchased, sold, gifted, donated or purchased / transferred by any means or action.

It is further noted that the method of the present invention is implemented and executed by computers connected to the Internet. Alternatively, the method may be implemented and / or performed by tablets, smartphones, or any electronic devices or computing means provided with microprocessors / microcontrollers capable of processing or executing computational algorithms.

As can be seen from Figure 1, the method of the invention, in a first particular embodiment, comprises a step i) scanning a portion of an object with an access code. Particularly, this object with the access code is a commemorative card. Thus, such a scan consists of a reading of the access code contained on the commemorative card by, for example, a webcam, a smartphone camera or any type of reader / lens capable of optically capturing an image.

The method of the invention also comprises a step ii) accessing an Internet address by means of the scanned access code in step i. Particularly, this access is made automatically by a computer, smartphone, tablet, etc., after reading the access code. In other words, the access code eliminates the need for the user to have to enter a certain address in the browser. Of course, if the user wishes, they will have the option of entering the address in the browser.

The method of the invention also comprises a step Mi) verifying that the Internet address accessed in step ii contains at least one recorded information. In this step it is verified if any person has already recorded any kind of information in the address directed by the access code. In particular, the recorded information consists of a video message that can be recorded via the internet address navigation interface. Optionally, the video message can be uploaded to a digital file stored on a user's personal computer or on an Internet data server. Alternatively, the recorded information may consist of an audio message or any type of multimedia message.

The method of the invention further comprises a step iv) displaying, in an Internet address navigation interface, the recorded information, when the check made in step iii indicates that the address accessed in step ii contains at least one recorded information. Thus, in this step, the video message, previously recorded at the address, is assisted by a person who has been presented with the commemorative card.

Particularly, but not necessarily, the method further comprises, between step iii and step iv, a step of verifying that the recorded information is encrypted, when the verification performed in step iii indicates that the address accessed in step ii contains at least one. recorded information.

Alternatively to step iv, the method further comprises, after step iii, a step of v) recording or loading at least one information when the check in step iii indicates that the address accessed in step ii does not contain recorded information. So in that In this step, the video message is recorded or uploaded by a person wishing to present another with the greeting card.

Still according to Figure 1, the method further comprises, after step v, a step of vi) assigning at least one visual effect to the recorded information. Thus, the greeting card buyer, after completing the recording of the video message or the video upload, can complete the operation with some complementary visual effects, such as decorative frames. These frames can have varied and seasonal themes. The user will be able to select the frames and view the result until it is satisfied and finishes this step of the process.

The method further comprises, after step vi, a step vii) recording complementary information consisting, for example, of an email to receive a return message or simply an acknowledgment of delivery of the message to the recipient. Additionally, you can limit the number of video message views that can be made through the greeting card. Additionally, supplementary information may consist of a password for access to the message.

Thus, if there is previously recorded supplementary information, the method further comprises, after step iv, a step of viii) displaying complementary information.

For the steps described above to be carried out, a pre-structuring is required which can be done by the following steps:

a) define addresses on the Internet;

b) generate a batch of codes based on the addresses defined in step a;

c) storing the batch of codes generated in step b in a database; d) export a file containing the codes for printing on said object;

e) generate a directory structure on a data server based on the batch of code generated in step b; and

Therefore, in the method of the invention, the recipient of the greeting card does not receive a written message but a message recorded in video / audio format so that he can see and / or hear the person who sent him the card. Therefore, it is a greeting card that can be printed on any material and in which the buyer records a video message and the recipient watches the recorded message, making the gift of giving more rewarding, adding proximity, simplicity and fun to the this activity.

Figure 5 represents a second particular embodiment of the invention, wherein a specific message recording application is used within the e-retailer store environment. In this embodiment, the user, after purchasing a gift / greeting card, performs the following steps: records a video in the virtual store environment (step v); assigns a visual effect (step vi); and writes supplemental information (step vii), all of which are performed through a specific web store application.

Still, in this second particular embodiment, the method comprises a step:

ixi) Deliver existing information if step iii has indicated that there is no recorded information.

APPLICATION EXAMPLES The method begins by identifying a QR access code, which may be printed on one side of the greeting card, but the code may also be present on third-party products, promotional actions, or may be printed on a physical or virtual.

Therefore, the operational flow of the method originates from the generation of codes that will be applied to a particular batch of greeting cards or other products.

Each code carries a unique encrypted information itself, the URL, Internet address or a line of code. When interpreting this code, the specified URL opens in the browser. However, before generating the codes you must configure the batch of URLs.

All codes in a batch will share a snippet of their URLs. For example, all codes will start with:

- http://www.xxxx.com.br/system/codes/

This address will be complemented by some parameters such as:

Customer Name: Customer 1

Lot Name: natal2012

Number of Codes: 100,000

· Tracking Code: clil natl 2

Activation Date: dd / mm / yyyy

Validity: 12 months

Based on this new data, the system will supplement the URL by creating the "Customer Name" and "Batch Name" directories, and associating the control code with the numeric series from 1 to 100,000. In this case, the URL of the first code will be:

http://www.xxxx.com/system/codes/Customer1/natal2012/cli1 nat1 2000001.htm. The URL of the second code will be:

http://www.xxxx.com/system/codes/Customer1/natal2012/cli1 nat1 2000002.htm.

In addition to the address information, the code will also contain a validation key, making it impossible to access the greeting card address by typing. This validation key is automatically generated and not visible to any of the users.

Once the codes have been successfully generated, a batch-identical directory structure is created on a suitable data server. The .htm or .php extension files at the end of the URLs are all identical and have the function of validating the key and checking the existence of an associated video file in the database.

Batch codes are image files that will later be exported to print on the greeting cards for that batch. Once printed, these cards go to the destination points of sale and are made available to the end customer.

The cardholder after opening the package will have access to the instructions for use such as:

"To see who sent you this card and get the message it carries, photograph the code above with your smartphone using a QR code reader, or go to: www.xxxx.com"

Based on this information, the card buyer will have two options, namely:

> Use a QR code reader already installed on any device (smartphone, tablet, etc.), which will direct you to the address. Since in this case there is not yet a video file associated with the URL contained in the scanned code, the user will be directed to the recording and upload section. video (see navigation interface represented by figure 2). By default, the user is offered the ability to record video using the device's camera and microphone as the primary option, but the user can upload a pre-recorded video. To do so, it should point to the local directory where the file is stored. Uploaded videos must meet the technical prerequisites, the specification of which may vary depending on the business model; or

> Access, via browser, the internet address (URL) indicated on the greeting card. When you access the URL www.xxxx.com, the camcorder and microphone of the device will be triggered and the user will be seeing himself through his own camera. Then a message will appear on the screen asking the user to position their card code in front of the camera (see navigation interface represented by figure 3). As soon as the code is placed, the QR code is recognized. As there is no file associated with the scanned code for the buyer, the user can record or upload the video. Alternatively, it is possible to access, via browser, e-retail stores that offer these greeting cards and record the message through a specific application at the time of purchase of a product / gift.

On the other hand, the recipient of the greeting card, upon receiving it, will read the same instructions on the card and access the video message using one of the options below: > Use a QR code reader previously installed on any device (smartphone, tablet, etc.) that will direct you to the correct address. As in the case of the recipient there is already a video file associated with the URL contained in the scanned code, the user is directed directly to the video delivery section (see navigation interface represented by figure 4); or

> Access, via browser, the internet address (URL) by typing, as indicated on the card. Then an on-screen message prompts the user to position their card code in front of the camera. As soon as the code is placed, the system already recognizes it as a QR code and executes the loaded command line, looking for that card's URL. Alternatively, you can also enter the alphanumeric code located below the QR code in a specific text field located on a website.

The above example represents a case where the greeting card is sold in physical stores. In this case, the cards are placed on displays available to the consumer public inside retail stores. Therefore, the recording of the video and the sending of the card are entirely up to the buyer.

Optionally, the commemorative card can also be sold in e-commerce stores, and the process of generating the codes until the cards are printed is identical to the process previously described for physical stores. Once printed, the cards are sent to a retailer's Distribution Center and made available in the electronic store. In a first model, the greeting cards are available for purchase within the e-retail store, specifically in the shopping cart. To purchase a card, the shopper must indicate that it is a gift purchase. Most e-commerce sites already offer this option. The buyer should select the appropriate option and select the card model. After selecting the model, the customer, still in the retailer's store, must finalize the purchase making the payment. Then, the value of the card is added to the total purchase and only after the payment confirmation is the process continued.

The video recording process begins from an email sent to the buyer after payment has been confirmed. This email contains a link that, when clicked, directs the buyer directly to the recording and uploading section of the video message.

In a second model, greeting cards are available for purchase within the e-retail store, specifically in the shopping cart. To buy a card, the buyer must select the appropriate option and select the card model. After selecting the model, the customer, still in the retailer's store, will record the message through an application built into the store interface. Upon completion of the recording steps, the buying process follows its normal course.

The process of receiving the video message in e-commerce is identical to that shown for physical stores.

Finally, the concept involved in the greeting card can still be applied to third party products. In this case, the code for video recording and delivery can be entered or printed on any product. For example, codes may be printed on gift cards, which consist of cards that allow access to a cash credit to be used for purchases at specific stores. This way, anyone who buys a gift card as a gift for someone else can record their video message on the same card that gives them access to the credits.

Although the description of the particular embodiments above refers to specific implementations, the method of the present invention may be carried out in different ways and may have modifications in its embodiment, so that the scope of protection of the invention is limited only by the content of the embodiments. appended claims, including all possible equivalent variations.

Claims

1. INFORMATION TREATMENT METHOD characterized by the fact that it comprises the following steps:

(i) scan a portion of an object with an access code;

access an Internet address using the access code scanned in step i;

Verify that the Internet address accessed in step contains at least one recorded information; and

display, in a navigation interface of the address of the

Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises, after step iii, a step v:

v) recording or loading at least one information when the verification in step iii indicates that the address accessed in step ii does not contain recorded information.

Method according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises, after step v, a step vi:

vi) assign at least one visual effect to the recorded information.

Method according to claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises, after step vi, a step vii:

vii) record supplementary information.

Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it further comprises, after step iv, a step viii: viii) display supplementary information.

Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises, between step iii and step iv, a step of verifying that the recorded information is encrypted when verifying it in step iii indicate that the address accessed in step ii contains at least one recorded information.

Method according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it further comprises, before step i, the steps:

a) define addresses on the Internet;

b) generate a batch of codes based on the addresses defined in step a;

c) storing the batch of codes generated in step b in a database;

d) export a file containing the codes for printing on said object; and

e) generate a directory structure on a data server based on the batch of code generated in step b.

Method according to claim 7, characterized in that it further comprises, after step e, a step f:

Method according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the recorded information consists of a video message.

Method according to claim 9, characterized in that said video message is recorded by means of the Internet address navigation interface.

Method according to claim 9, characterized in that said video message is carried by a digital file to be played on a user's personal computer or on an Internet data server.

Method according to one of Claims 1 to

10, characterized in that the access code consists of a QR code or an alphanumeric code arranged below the QR code.

Method according to one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the object with an access code is a commemorative card.