US 5905248

An analysis of United States Patent 5,905,248 reveals the following details:

Title: System and method for carrying out information-related transactions using web documents embodying transaction enabling applets automatically launched and executed in response to reading URL-encoded symbols pointing thereto

Assignee: Metrologic Instruments, Inc.

Inventors: Garrett Russell, David M. Wilz, Sr., Carl Harry Knowles

Filing Date: August 22, 1997

Issue Date: May 18, 1999

Abstract: A novel transaction-enabling method and system are disclosed, wherein a transaction-enabling Java-Applet is embedded within an HTML-encoded document stored in an HTTP server at a predetermined URL. When a code symbol (e.g., magstripe or bar code) encoded with the URL is read using a code symbol reader interfaced with a Java-enabled Internet terminal, the corresponding HTTP document is automatically accessed and displayed at the terminal, and the transaction-enabling Java-Applet initiated for execution so that the customer, consumer or client desiring the transaction can simply and conveniently conduct the information-related transaction over the Internet. The transaction-enabling Internet terminal can be in the form of an Internet kiosk installed in a public location, in the manner as conventional ATMs. By virtue of the present invention, universal transaction machine (UTMs) can be easily deployed for use by the mass population so that they can easily conduct various types of transaction over the Internet.

Overview of Independent Claims:

This patent contains several independent claims that define the core of the invention. In plain language, these claims cover:

• Claim 1: A system for conducting transactions over the internet. This system includes a client computer with a web browser that is connected to the internet. It also has a code symbol reader (like a barcode scanner) connected to the computer. When this reader scans a symbol that has a URL encoded in it, the system automatically goes to that web address. The webpage at that address contains a special mini-program (an "applet") that then runs automatically to allow a user to perform a specific transaction.

• Claim 15: A method for carrying out transactions over the internet. This involves first creating a web document that includes a transaction-enabling applet. This document is stored on a web server at a specific URL. A physical symbol, like a barcode, is then created which contains this URL. When a user at a client computer scans this symbol with a reader, the computer automatically accesses the web document. The applet within the document is then launched, enabling the user to complete a transaction.

• Claim 29: An internet-based system for enabling transactions. This system is comprised of a client system with a web browser and a code symbol reader. There is also an internet server that stores a web document with an embedded transaction applet at a specific URL. When a code symbol encoded with this URL is read by the client's reader, the client system automatically retrieves and displays the web document, and the applet is executed to facilitate the transaction.

A search of the dockets for the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for the current year, 2026, did not produce any public records of litigation involving US Patent 5,905,248. This does not definitively mean no litigation exists, as some records may not be publicly accessible or may not yet be docketed.