Method for tagged bar code data interchange
View Patent ↗A method of tagged bar code data interchange includes creating electronic and/or printed documents with tagged bar coded information, capturing and decoding the tagged bar coded information, caching the tagged bar coded information, parsing the bar coded data tags, stripping the data tags, and inputting/storing the bar coded information. Business can be conducted on-line using e-mail transmissions of video displayed tagged bar coded information. Such tagged bar coded information can be stored and/or input into style sheets that are in common or company-specific formats. Further, companies can receive consumer information in a format that is easily accessible by any portion, affiliate, subsidiary, or related entity of the company, no matter what software system is running.
1. A method of data interchange, comprising:
creating a document having at least one bar code encoding data tags and data items;
decoding the at least one bar code to recover the data tags and the data items; and
inputting the data items into an application,
wherein the data tags are XML data tags,
wherein the document is an electronic document, and
wherein the electronic document is an HTML document.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one bar code includes a bar code having a one dimensional bar code format.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one bar code includes a bar code having a two-dimensional bar code format.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the application is a database.
5. A method of data interchange, comprising:
creating a document having at least one bar code encoding data tags and data items;
decoding the at least one bar code to recover the data tags and the data items;
inputting the data items into an application; and
electronically sending the document prior to decoding the at least one bar code,
wherein the data tags are XML data tags.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the electronic document is an XML document.
7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of sending the document comprises sending an encrypted version of the document.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein the application separates the data tags from the data items.
9. The method of claim 5 wherein the decoding is performed by a bar code scanner.
10. A method of data interchange, comprising:
creating a document having at least one bar code encoding data tags and data items;
decoding the at least one bar code to recover the data tags and the data items; and
inputting the data items into an application,
wherein the data tags are XML data tags, and
wherein the application includes a bar code decoder.
11. A method of data interchange, comprising:
creating an electronic document having a bar code, the bar code encoding a plurality of data tags and a plurality of data items, the data tags used to identify the data items;
electronically sending the electronic document;
scanning a printed form of the electronic document;
decoding the bar code; and
inputting the data items into one or more fields in an application based on the data tags,
wherein the data tags are XML data tags,
wherein the electronic document is an HTML document.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the bar code uses a one dimensional bar code format.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein the bar code uses a two-dimensional bar code format.
14. The method of claim 11 wherein the application is a database.
15. The method of claim 11 wherein the application separates the data tags from the data items.
16. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of decoding the bar code is performed by a scanner.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the scanner includes a parser.
18. A method of data interchange, comprising:
creating an electronic document having a bar code, the bar code encoding a plurality of data tags and a plurality of data items, the data tags used to identify the data items;
electronically sending the electronic document, wherein the step of electronically sending the electronic document comprises sending an encrypted version of the electronic document;
scanning a printed form of the electronic document;
decoding the bar code; and
inputting the data items into one or more fields in an application based on the data tags,
wherein the data tans are XML data tags.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the electronic document is an XML document.
20. A method of data interchange, comprising:
creating an electronic document having a bar code, the bar code encoding a plurality of data tags and a plurality of data items, the data tags used to identify the data items;
electronically sending the electronic document;
scanning a printed form of the electronic document;
decoding the bar code; and
inputting the data items into one or more fields in an application based on the data tags,
wherein the data tags are XML data tags, and
wherein the application includes a bar code decoder.
21. A method of data interchange, comprising:
creating an electronic document having a bar code, the bar code encoding a plurality of data tags and a plurality of data items, the data tags used to identify the data items;
electronically sending the electronic document;
scanning a printed form of the electronic document;
decoding the bar code; and
inputting the data items into one or more fields in an application based on the data tags,
wherein the data tags are XML data tags, and
wherein the application includes a parser.
22. A method of data interchange, comprising:
creating an electronic document having a bar code, the bar code encoding a plurality of data tags and a plurality of data items, the data tags used to identify the data items;
electronically sending the electronic document;
scanning a printed form of the electronic document;
decoding the bar code; and
inputting the data items into one or more fields in an application based on the data tags,
wherein the data tags are XML data tags, and
wherein the electronic document further includes at least one additional bar code and wherein at least one bar code is of a first type and at least one bar code is of a second type.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein the first type is a 1-D format and the second type is a 2-D format.
24. An electronic document, comprising:
a plurality of XML data tags;
a plurality of fields of data, each of the fields of data associated with at least one of the plurality of XML tags; and
a plurality of bar codes associated with the electronic document, at least one bar code encoding the plurality of XML data tags and the plurality of fields of data,
wherein the electronic document is an HTML document.
25. The electronic document of claim 24 further comprising a style sheet.
26. The electronic document of claim 24 wherein at least one of the plurality of bar codes is in a one dimensional bar code format.
27. The electronic document of claim 24 wherein at least one of the plurality of bar codes is in a two-dimensional bar code.
28. An electronic document, comprising:
a plurality of XML data tags;
a plurality of fields of data, each of the fields of data associated with at least one of the plurality of XML tags; and
a plurality of bar codes associated with the electronic document, at least one bar code encoding the plurality of XML data tags and the plurality of fields of data,
wherein at least one of the plurality of bar codes is of a first type and at least one of the plurality of bar codes is of a second type.
29. The electronic document of claim 28 wherein the electronic document is an XML document.
30. The electronic document of claim 28 wherein the first type is a 1-D format and the second type is a 2-D format.