NeoMedia Technologies, Inc (NEOM)

[ss9173]

Moconews.net commentary on new mobile barcode patent

http://www.moconews.net/?p=5010#comments

NeoMedia Technologies has been awarded a patent covering the use of mobile cameraphones to scan barcodes and return information. This is US Patent No. 6,993,573 and the abstract reads:

A camera-enabled cell phone that is adapted to image a machine readable code such as a bar code, decode the bar code, send the bar code data over the Internet to a resolution server that will return an associated URL that will link the camera phone to content on an information server. Thus, by taking a picture of a bar code symbol, the camera phone will automatically retrieve content from the Internet that has been linked to that bar code.

The steps appear to be to take a picture of the barcode, the image being decode and converted into a URL on the handset, that URL being sent to a central server which returns information to the handset.

There’s a lot of mobile barcode readers, some using normal UPC barcodes and others which generate their own. I’m not sure exactly how they work or whether they’ll be infringed by this patent. However, the patent was filed on June 7, 2004, so if they predate that time they should be OK.

3 Responses to “ NeoMedia Patents Cameraphone Barcode Scanners”

S Woodside Says:
February 3rd, 2006 at 8:38 pm
Well, considering the Sharp J-SH010:

“Other convenient functions include a bar code reader and composer as well as a mobile light even brighter than those found in previous models.”

That press release dates from 2003/01/30.

–simon

S Woodside Says:
February 3rd, 2006 at 8:39 pm
The J-SH010 URL:

tinyurl.com/8285g

David Adams Says:
February 4th, 2006 at 12:57 am
This is very suprising considering the amount of prior art that already exists. Doesn’t this conflict with several Denso-wave patents? (QR Codes, etc.)

SS9173