Prior art — US Patent 6199048

Prior Art Analysis for U.S. Patent 6,199,048

As a senior patent analyst, this report details the most relevant prior art cited against U.S. Patent 6,199,048, "System and method for automatic access of a remote computer over a network." The analysis is based on the patent's own citations and examines the potential for anticipation of its claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

The core invention of patent 6,199,048 is a system and method that uses a product's identification code (like a UPC barcode) as an "index" to look up a network address (a "pointer," such as a URL) in a database, and then uses that address to connect a user's computer to a remote computer on a network. The independent claims (1, 36, and 71) broadly cover this method, the system for implementing it, and the user's computing device, respectively.

Below is an examination of the key prior art references cited by the patent examiner during the prosecution of the 6,199,048 patent.

U.S. Patent 5,727,155: "Remote retrieval and loading of network addresses"

Full Citation: U.S. Patent 5,727,155, Dawson, et al.
Publication Date: March 10, 1998
Filing Date: January 24, 1996
Brief Description: This patent describes a system for retrieving network addresses, such as URLs, from a remote server and automatically loading them into a user's web browser. It details a method where a user can select a description of a network resource, and the system then retrieves the corresponding address and directs the browser to that location.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- This reference is highly relevant to the general concept of remotely looking up network addresses. It describes a system that performs a function similar to the database lookup in patent 6,199,048. However, it does not explicitly disclose the use of a product identification code, such as a UPC, read from a physical object as the "index" for this lookup. Therefore, while it teaches the database and pointer retrieval concept, it may not anticipate the specific embodiment of using a barcode from an "article of commerce" as claimed in 6,199,048. Its relevance would be primarily against the broader interpretation of the claims.

U.S. Patent 5,761,606: "System for computer-implemented ordering of items"

Full Citation: U.S. Patent 5,761,606, Wolzien.
Publication Date: June 2, 1998
Filing Date: December 8, 1995
Brief Description: This patent details a system for ordering items, such as from a catalog, using a computer. A key feature is the use of an item's unique identification code, which can be scanned from a barcode, to retrieve information about that item from a database for the purpose of placing an order.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- This patent is particularly relevant as it discloses the use of a scanned barcode from a physical item to look up information in a database. This directly relates to the "reading a data carrier modulated with an index" and "accessing a database with the index" steps of claim 1. The primary distinction from patent 6,199,048 is the purpose of the database lookup. In '606, the goal is to facilitate an order, retrieving product information. In 6,199,048, the goal is to retrieve a network address to connect to a remote computer. An argument for anticipation would depend on whether retrieving product information for an order is sufficiently similar to retrieving a network address for informational access.

U.S. Patent 5,774,664: "System and method for remote-controlling a computer"

Full Citation: U.S. Patent 5,774,664, Tsubaki, et al.
Publication Date: June 30, 1998
Filing Date: June 7, 1995
Brief Description: This patent describes a system where a user can control a computer, such as a web browser, using codes that can be transmitted from a remote device. These codes can represent URLs or other commands. The patent mentions the possibility of inputting these codes via a barcode scanner.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- This reference teaches the concept of using a barcode to input a network address (URL) into a computer to navigate to a website. This aligns closely with the overall concept of the 6,199,048 patent. A key difference, however, is that '664 appears to describe a system where the URL itself is directly encoded in the barcode, rather than using an "index" to look up the URL in a separate database. The 6,199,048 patent specifically claims the use of an intermediate index (like a UPC) and a database lookup. Therefore, '664 may not directly anticipate the claims of 6,199,048, although it is very close in overall functionality.

U.S. Patent 5,845,265: "Consignment nodes"

Full Citation: U.S. Patent 5,845,265, Woolston.
Publication Date: December 1, 1998
Filing Date: April 26, 1995
Brief Description: This patent discloses an electronic market for used and collectible goods where consignment stores can create a database of their inventory. It describes a system for presenting these goods for sale on an electronic network.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- While this patent deals with online marketplaces and databases of goods, its primary focus is on the transaction and market-making aspects of e-commerce. It does not appear to describe a system for using a product's standard identification code, read from the physical product itself, to link to a general network resource. The '265 patent is more concerned with creating a "virtual presentment of goods" for sale online. Therefore, its relevance as prior art that would anticipate the specific claims of 6,199,048 seems limited.

Based on this analysis, the prior art cited during the prosecution of U.S. Patent 6,199,048 addressed several key elements of the invention, such as remote URL retrieval and the use of barcodes to look up product information. However, none of the references appear to explicitly disclose the complete claimed invention of using a standard product identifier (like a UPC) scanned from a physical "article of commerce" as an index to a database that in turn provides a network address for accessing a remote computer. The novelty of the 6,199,048 patent, therefore, seems to lie in the specific combination of these elements.