Remote Application Invocation System for Cross-Device Barcode Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile devices struggle to uniformly interpret and act upon actionable data encoded in two-dimensional barcodes due to differing proprietary standards and hardware limitations, leading to difficulties in providing a single barcode that can invoke desired actions across various device types and models.
Innovation Solution
A remote application invocation system that uses an application invocation server to generate a unique URL associated with the data payload, encodes it into a machine-scannable code, and provides a device-type-specific URI to ensure that mobile devices of different types can interpret and act on the data, even with low-fidelity scanners, by using a SPARQCode standard that includes a non-machine-readable pictogram indicating the payload type.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single two-dimensional barcode encodes actionable text for multiple device types, then the barcode can potentially invoke actions on diverse devices, but different proprietary standards and hardware limitations prevent universal recognition and execution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between the barcode and mobile devices. The server receives the actionable text from the barcode, determines the user's device type, and generates device-specific actionable text in the appropriate format. This mediator resolves the contradiction by translating the universal barcode into device-specific commands, ensuring both broad compatibility and reliable execution across different device types and proprietary standards.
2Loss of information
If a two-dimensional barcode encodes large amounts of actionable text, then information density increases, but mobile devices with low-fidelity scanners cannot properly recognize densely-packed barcodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the information into two parts: (1) a compact, scannable barcode containing only essential identification data that even low-fidelity scanners can read, and (2) the complete actionable text stored on a server. When the barcode is scanned, the server retrieves and delivers the full actionable text in device-specific formats. This segmentation preserves all information while ensuring scannability across all device types.
3Ease of manufacture
If proprietary standards are used for formatting actionable text, then device-specific functionality is optimized, but other device types cannot recognize or act on the formatted text
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic system where the actionable text format is not fixed but adapts based on the user's device type. The server determines the device type and dynamically generates actionable text in the appropriate proprietary format for that specific device. This dynamic adaptation allows each device to receive optimized, device-specific formatting while maintaining universal compatibility through the server-mediated approach.
Data Source
AI summary
A server generates a unique URL corresponding to a data payload, provides that unique URL for exposure to mobile devices of different types, and when the server receives a request for the unique URL from a mobile device, the server uses a payload-type to mobile-device-type mapping to generate a device-type-specific URI that includes the data payload, formatted for the device type. The server delivers the device-type-specific URI to the mobile device to invoke an application for handling the data payload.