IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,818,017
Granted Patent B2
US 8,818,017 · App. 13/109,722 · Granted Aug 26, 2014

Geographic-based signal detection

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,818,017
App. No.
13/109,722
Granted
Aug 26, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

The disclosure relates generally to geographic-based signal detection. One claims recites a method including: receiving information indicating a geographical area; with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a geographical area, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector that corresponds to the information indicating a geographical area; using a programmed processor, processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and carrying out an action using the plural-bit message. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided as well.

Claims (37)

1. A method comprising:

receiving information indicating a location;

with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a location, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector based on the at least a portion of the information indicating a location;

using a programmed processor, processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and

carrying out an action using the plural-bit message.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the information indicating a location is received from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

3. The method of claim 1 in which a cell phone executes said method.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the information indicating a location is received from a network communicating with the cell phone.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises a 2D-barcode.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the 2D-barcode comprises an encrypted 2D-barcode.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the selected machine-readable indicia detector comprises at least a decryption key that corresponds to encryption used to encrypt the encrypted 2D-barcode.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises steganographic encoding.

9. A programmed cell phone comprising instructions stored therein, said instructions cause said programmed cell phone to perform the method of claim 1 .

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, said instructions cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 1 .

11. A computing device programmed to perform the method of claim 1 .

12. A cell phone comprising:

a location module for receiving information indicating a location;

a processor programmed for:

with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a location, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector based on the at least a portion of the information indicating a location;

processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and

carrying out an action using the plural-bit message.

13. The cell phone of claim 12 in which the location module comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

14. The cell phone of claim 12 in which the location module comprises a receiver for receiving the information indicating a location.

15. The cell phone of claim 12 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises a 2D-barcode.

16. The cell phone of claim 15 in which the 2D-barcode comprises an encrypted 2D-barcode.

17. The cell phone of claim 16 in which the selected machine-readable indicia detector comprises at least a decryption key that corresponds to encryption used to encrypt the encrypted 2D-barcode.

18. The cell phone of claim 12 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises steganographic encoding.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause a cell phone to perform the following:

obtain information indicating a location;

with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a location, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector based on the at least a portion of the information indicating a location;

processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and

carrying out an action using the plural-bit message.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 in which the information indicating a location is obtained via the cell phone's global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises a 2D-barcode.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 in which the 2D-barcode comprises an encrypted 2D-barcode.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22 in which the selected machine-readable indicia detector comprises at least a decryption key that corresponds to encryption used to encrypt the encrypted 2D-barcode.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises steganographic encoding.