US 6076733

Patent Summary: U.S. Patent No. 6,076,733

Date of Analysis: April 26, 2026

A review of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database and the 2026 dockets of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has been conducted for U.S. Patent No. 6,076,733.

Title: Web-based system and method for enabling a viewer to access and display HTML-encoded documents located on the world wide web (WWW) by reading URL-encoded bar code symbols printed on a web-based information resource guide

Assignee: Metrologic Instruments, Inc.

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

Filing Date: April 25, 1997

Issue Date: June 20, 2000

Abstract:
The patent describes a system and method for accessing and displaying HTML-encoded documents on the World Wide Web. The system involves using a bar code symbol reader to scan URL-encoded bar code symbols printed in a guide. This action directs a GUI-based Internet browser to automatically access and display the corresponding web page on an audio-visual monitor. The system comprises Internet information servers storing the documents, an Internet access terminal with a browser, and the programmed bar code reader.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

This patent has three independent claims, which outline the core of the invention. In simple terms, they are:

• Claim 1: Describes the overall system. This includes a computer terminal connected to the internet, which has a web browser. A key part of this system is a bar code scanner. This scanner is specifically designed to read a barcode that contains a website address (URL). When the barcode is scanned, the computer automatically goes to that website and shows the webpage on the screen.

• Claim 11: Focuses on the method or process. It details the steps of using the system described in Claim 1. This involves providing a printed guide with these special URL-barcodes. A user then uses the barcode scanner to read a barcode from the guide. This act of scanning automatically makes the web browser on the connected computer navigate to the website encoded in the barcode, and then display it.

• Claim 21: Details a specific application of the system for tracking and managing documents. In this version, each physical document (like a brochure or a drawing) is given a unique barcode that links to its own specific location on a web-based database. By scanning the barcode on the document, a user can instantly access information about that document from the database using their internet-connected computer and barcode scanner. This allows for easy tracking and management of physical documents through a web interface.

A search of the CAFC dockets for 2026 did not reveal any public records of litigation involving U.S. Patent No. 6,076,733 as of the date of this analysis.