Association of a portable scanner with input/output and storage devices
View Patent ↗A device identifier is scanned with a portable scanner and communicated to a service provider. The service provider associates the device with the portable scanner. Information is scanned from a printed source and communicated to the service provider and subsequent information is received in response at a device identified by the device identifier. In some embodiments, a communication session identifier is scanned with a portable scanner and communicated to the service provider rather than (or in cooperation with) the device identifier.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a content retriever, scanned information comprising: (i) an identifier of a scanner device and (ii) additional information for locating content;
locating, by the content retriever, the content based at least on the additional information;
making a determination, by the content retriever, that a candidate device can perform the content by at least:
determining locations of the scanner device and a second device; and
selecting the candidate device from among the scanner device and the second device based at least on the locations of the scanner device and the second device; and
providing, by the content retriever, the content to the candidate device.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanned information comprises information scanned by the scanner device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein making the determination, by the content retriever, that the candidate device can perform the content further comprises:
maintaining a device database comprising location information for the scanner device and a plurality of devices, wherein the plurality of devices includes the second device.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing, by the content retriever device, the content to the candidate device further comprises providing the content from a network to the candidate device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein making the determination, by the content retriever, that the candidate device can perform the content further comprises examining characteristics of the content and determining that the candidate device can perform the content.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content comprises at least one of: text, digital sound, music, one or more digital images, a video, an electronic document of the scanned information, digital music associated with the scanned information, a digital voice recording, audio news, and audio product information.
7. A method comprising:
receiving, by a content retriever, scanned information comprising: (i) an identifier of a scanner device and (ii) additional information for locating content;
locating, by the content retriever, the content based at least on the additional information;
making a determination, by the content retriever, that the scanner device cannot perform the content;
selecting, by the content retriever, an associated device based at least on the scanned information by at least;
determining locations of the scanner device and a second device, and
selecting the associated device based at least on the locations of the scanner device and the second device; and
providing, by the content retriever, the content to the associated device.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the scanned information comprises information scanned by the scanner device.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein selecting, by the content retriever, the associated device based at least on the scanned information further comprises:
maintaining a device database comprising location information for the scanner device and a plurality of devices, wherein the plurality of devices includes the second device.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing, by the content retriever device, the content to the associated device further comprises providing the content from a network to the associated device.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein selecting the associated device based at least on the scanned information comprises examining characteristics of the content and determining that the associated device can perform the content.
12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the content comprises at least one of: text, digital sound, music, one or more digital images, a video, an electronic document of the scanned information, digital music associated with the scanned information, a digital voice recording, audio news, and audio product information.
13. A computing system comprising:
a processor; and
a data storage device comprising program instructions that, if executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive scanned information comprising: (i) an identifier of a scanner device and (ii) additional information for locating content;
locate the content based at least on the additional information;
make a determination that a candidate device can perform the content by at least:
determining locations of the scanner device and a second device and
selecting the candidate device from among the scanner device and the second device based at least on the locations of the scanner device and the second device; and
provide the content to the candidate device.
14. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein the scanned information comprises information scanned by the scanner device.
15. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein to make the determination that the candidate device can perform the content, the program instructions further cause the processor to:
maintain a device database comprising location information for the scanner device and a plurality of devices, wherein the plurality of devices includes the device.
16. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein to provide the content to the candidate device, the program instructions further cause the processor to provide the content from a network to the candidate device.
17. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein to make the determination that the candidate device can perform the content, the program instructions further cause the processor to examine characteristics of the content and determine that the candidate device can perform the content.
18. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein the content comprises at least one of: text, digital sound, music, one or more digital images, a video, an electronic document of the scanned information, digital music associated with the scanned information, a digital voice recording, audio news, and audio product information.