8991results about "Web data retrieval using information identifiers" patented technology

A method of and system for finding and serving consumer product-related information on the Internet comprising a database serving subsystem which stores: a plurality of manufacturer identification numbers (MINs) assigned to a plurality of manufacturers of consumer products; a plurality of home-page specifying URLs symbolically linked to the plurality of MINs; a plurality of universal product numbers (UPN) assigned to a plurality of consumer products made by the plurality of manufacturers; and a plurality of product-information specifying URLs symbolically linked to the plurality of UPNs. During operation, a client subsystem transmits to the database serving subsystem, a request for information which includes the UPN assigned to the consumer product on which product-related information is being sought. The database serving subsystem automatically compares the UPN against the stored plurality of MINs, and automatically returns to the client subsystem, one or more of URLs symbolically linked to the UPN, if URLs have been symbolically linked to the UPN within the database serving subsystem. However, if no URLs have been symbolically linked to the UPN, then the database serving subsystem automatically returns the home-page specifying URL symbolically linked to the MIN contained within the UPN in the request. By virtue of this novel MIN-based search mechanism embodied within the database serving subsystem, client subsystems are automatically provided with the home-page of the manufacturer's World Wide Web (WWW) site in situations where product-information specifying URLs have not yet been symbolically linked with the UPN on any one of the manufacturer's products.

A system and method of manipulating notes linked to Web pages, and of manipulating the Web pages. These Web pages (or portions of Web pages) can be stored at a Web site or in a local file system. The method of linking notes to Web pages operates by enabling a user to select a portion of a Web page, creating a annotation, linking the annotation to the selected portion, receiving a request from a user viewing the annotation to display the selected portion linked to the annotation, and invoking an application, if the application is not already invoked, and for causing the application to load the Web page and present the selected portion.

The content metadata directory system connects consumers of identified content to managed metadata databases and other digital resources. The system manages links between identifiers in content objects and metadata sources. It supports a variety of different type of content identifiers and allows for overlap among different content identification schemes. One method of associating a content object with metadata uses a combination of a content identifier and a bounding identifier to enable handling of disparate sets of content identifiers for content objects with potentially conflicting content identifiers. The method receives a content identifier for a content object from among a set of content identifiers and provides a unique bounding identifier for the set of content identifiers. This unique bounding identifier is used in combination with the content identifier to form a globally unique identifier for the content object. This globally unique identifier is associated with a metadata source, which enables routing of a user to the metadata source.

An online social networking system can be used to rank social network objects of various different object types, each according to its type. The objects may comprise types such as users, communities, blogs, blog entries, events, forums, forum topics, postings, photographs, and/or images. The product comprises code for carrying out a method that begins with receiving ranking data about social network objects that comprises data about events performed on the social network. For each social network object, a ranking function is applied to ranking data about the social network object based on its type. In addition, the recency of an event on the social network related to the social network object is evaluated, in order to calculate the score for the social network object. A relative ranking for each of the plurality of social network objects based on its score is determined, and the score and relative ranking of each of the social network objects stored.

The present invention relates to linking on-line data to printed documents, such as business cards, envelopes, stickers, stationary, letterhead, résumés, etc. In one embodiment, a card-user registers with an on-line database and receives a gallery item including a steganographically-embedded unique identifier. The gallery item, such as a graphical background, text, shading, graphic, etc., is integrated and then printed with a document. The printed document can then be presented an optical-scanner, which outputs data. The output data is decoded to identify the unique identifier. The unique identifier is then used to index into the on-line database to retrieve information related to the proprietor of the document. In one embodiment, the on-line database includes features such as providing an immediate contact number, translation and/or pronunciation ability, and storage of audio/video files.

A system and method to permit users to have personal unique identifiers associated with personal information stored on a database accessed by an identity server is disclosed. The identity server is connected to one or more networks including the Internet. Users can distribute the personal unique identifier to third parties who can then obtain the personal information by accessing the server through the network. The users may modify the information stored in the database, which can then assist third parties in obtaining the modified information by inputting the personal unique identifier, or permitting client software to do so automatically on their behalf, in turn making updates to that information for the third party. This can be done over a large period of time such that third parties can easily access personal information of the user even if that information changes. The third parties may also be organizations or corporations with extensive customer lists that wish to update their client contact information with minimum interference to the customers and at minimal costs to the organization. Furthermore, users can use the personal unique identifier to populate electronic forms, such as web forms, provided on web sites hosted by organization or corporation, for the convenience of the organization or corporation and the use. The personal information of the user may also be organized in different cards having a variety of reveal and hidden status levels permitting access to additional information if a key, comprising an alphanumeric code, is entered together with the unique identifier.

A display controller includes display control means by which a partial display of a Web page is performed when the Web page is displayed on display means, display range detecting means for detecting a display range of the Web page displayed on the display means by the display control means, a key input pattern database in which information indicating an operation intended by a user is stored per key input pattern of the operating means, a home position database per URL for registering a home position used as the first display range when a Web page is displayed, together with URL information of each Web page, key input pattern detecting means for detecting a key input pattern of the operating means when the Web page is displayed by the display control means and home position registering means for registering a display range of the Web page detected by the display range detecting means as a home position corresponding to the Web page, together with URL information of the Web page, in the home position database per URL.

A method of gathering information relevant to the interests of a user includes receiving activity history associated with the user from a network data source, where the activity history includes a description of a user action initiated by the user, generating a first metadata item based upon the activity history; and storing the first metadata item as user profile information associated with the user in a user profile database. Generating the first metadata item may include extracting text from the activity history and generating the first metadata item based upon the text. The activity history may include a description of a user action. The method may further include providing a server plugin for performing a second method in response to access of web content on a server by the user, the second method comprising retrieving a content object from the server, determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object, adding a web link to the web content as a reference to the content object in response to the content object being relevant to the first metadata item; and providing the web content to the user.

A portable hand-held WWW access terminal for accessing HTML-encoded documents located on the WWW. The terminal includes a bar code symbol reader in a hand-supportable housing for reading URL-encoded symbols specifying the location of HTML-encoded documents stored in information servers connected to the Internet and supporting the TCP/IP standard. A computing platform is provided for supporting a GUI-based WWW browser program integrated with the bar code symbol reader in the hand-supportable housing. A telecommunication modem is operably connected to the computing platform in order to establish a two-way telecommunication link between the GUI-based WWW browser and an Internet service provider (ISP) connected to the Internet. In response to reading a URL-encoded bar code symbol, the WWW browser program automatically accesses a corresponding HTML-encoded document on the Internet, for display on a visual display panel integrated with hand-supportable housing. A keypad is also integrated with the hand-supportable housing for manually providing information to the WWW browser program.

A system and method for reliable content access using a cellular/wireless device with imaging capabilities, to use part of a printed or displayed medium for identifying and using a reference to access information, services, or content related to the reference, including capturing an image of the reference with an imaging device, sending the image via a communications network to a processing center, pre-processing to identify relevant frames within the image and to perform general purpose enhancement operations, detecting the most relevant frame within the image, and frame properties, applying geometric, illumination, and focus correction on the relevant frame, using color, aspect ration, and frame color, to perform a coarse recognition and thereby limit the number of possible identifications of a reference within the relevant frame, and using specific techniques of resealing, histogram equalization, block labeling, edge operation, and normalized cross correlation, to identify the reference within the image.

An internet traffic redirection architecture is disclosed that allows for directing of various traffic to specified sites. The system and method allow a controller, such as an ISP, to benefit from unresolved IP Address requests and keyword and hotword queries by capturing this traffic and directing it to participating partners who provide content relevant and/or geographically relevant results. The system and method can decrease lost traffic, irrelevant keyword and hotword search results, and irrelevant redirection by web browsers resident on user's personal computers.

A group detail indicator is provided that relates to group communication in a communication system. The group detail indicator provides information on at least an identity of a group and a type of the group. The group detail indicator also is attached to one of a request to initiate a group communication session and an instant messaging request.

A novel method for using product identifiers includes capturing a product identifier identifying a product, selecting one of a plurality of queries, transmitting the product identifier and the selected query to a data provider, and receiving a response to the selected query from the data provider. The method is performed on a personal data device (e.g., a camera phone, PDA, tablet PC et.), which includes a network interface, a scanner operative to capture the product identifier, a user interface operative to receive the query selection, and an application program interface operative to associate the product identifier and the selected query, transmit the product identifier and the selected query to the data provider via the network interface, and to receive the response to the identifier and query from the data provider via the network interface. A method for the data providers to use the product identifiers is also disclosed, and includes receiving a request from a consumer including a unique product identifier and data indicative of the type of information requested, retrieving the type of requested information associated with the particular product from a database, and transmitting the retrieved information to the consumer. The data provider includes a database associating the product identifiers with information corresponding thereto, and means for the providing the associated information to the requesting consumer.

In one embodiment, information content files, such as text files, image files, XML files and the like, that provide information related to an identifier bearing item, such as a consumer item with a barcode, are stored on a data storage device such as network server. Identifier data entries, such as UPC data, are associated with file data entries, such as file names, in a database. General file access information that is used in accessing the information content files is stored on a terminal. In operation an identifier is read by the terminal and is used to extract one of the file data entries from the database based on database communication information stored on the terminal. The file data entry in combination with the general file access information is used to establish communication with the data storage device and to extract one of the information content files.

According to one aspect, a first request is received at a services application programming interface (API) of a support center from a first user for a first product provided by a first client. A second request is received at the services API of the support center from a second user for a second product provided by a second client. A first knowledgebase (KB) associated with the first client and a second KB associated with the second client are identified. A third KB that contains information common to the first product and the second product is identified. The first KB and the third KB are enabled to be accessible by a first agent assigned to provide support services of the first product. The second KB and the third KB are enabled to be accessible by a second agent assigned to provide support services of the second product.

A radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder comprises a memory space having a predetermined data field for storing a destination address identifying a location on the Internet corresponding to the RFID transponder. The Internet address may further comprise an e-mail address or Uniform Resource Locator (URL). In an embodiment of the invention, a computer network comprises a client computer having an application executing thereon, an RFID tag having a memory containing an Internet address corresponding to the RFID tag, and an RFID reader connected to the client computer and adapted to communicate with the RFID tag. The RFID reader recovers the Internet address from the RFID tag and provides the Internet address to the client computer. The client computer thereby communicates with the location defined by the Internet address corresponding to the RFID tag using the application. A host server is connected to the client computer, and may be further connected to the Internet. The client computer thereby can access the Internet location by operation of the application through the host server.

Various utility portals that enable utility companies to manage demand-response events are disclosed. The disclosed utility portals include several different options for enabling utility companies to communicate information to and received information from an energy management system. The energy management system can host the portal and can carry out a demand response event via intelligent, network-connected devices based on information provided by the utility company.