Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 7992773 ("System and method for presenting information about an object on a portable electronic device"), we must examine the claims of US7992773 and compare them to the disclosures of its cited prior art. The core innovation of US7992773, particularly as defined in independent Claim 1, involves a method where symbology is detected and decoded by a portable electronic device, the decode string is sent to both local visual detection applications (for a first amount of information) and a remote server (for a second amount of information), and these two amounts of information are then combined and displayed as cumulative information.

Here are some of the most relevant patent citations, along with their details and potential anticipatory aspects:

1. US7809633B2 - Automated system and method for enabling a portable electronic device to identify an object

• Full Citation: US7809633B2, Automated system and method for enabling a portable electronic device to identify an object, issued October 5, 2010, to Leigh M. Rothschild.
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed April 22, 2005; Granted October 5, 2010.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for a portable electronic device to identify an object using detected symbology (e.g., barcodes). The device sends an identification code (derived from the symbology) to a remote server, which retrieves information about the object and sends it back to the portable device for display. The system can automatically detect symbology or respond to a user trigger, and may select appropriate applications.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent, by the same inventor, is highly relevant and anticipates several elements of US7992773. It clearly describes detecting/decoding symbology, identifying an object, sending an identification code to a remote server, receiving information from the server, and displaying it on the portable device. It also touches on automatic detection and application selection.
  • Claim 1 (partially anticipates): Anticipates detecting/decoding symbology, sending to a remote server, receiving information, and displaying. However, it does not explicitly disclose sending the decode string to local visual detection applications for a first amount of information and combining that local information with the remote information to obtain cumulative information. This is a key distinguishing feature of US7992773's independent claims.
  • Claim 5, 6, 7 (partially anticipates): It discloses determining if a trigger is initiated or automatically detecting symbology, and alerting/prompting the user.
  • Claim 13 (partially anticipates): Similarly, it describes a portable electronic device with modules for display, communication with a server, and object identification and information retrieval, but lacks the explicit dual-source information retrieval and combination.

2. US7822676B2 - Systems and methods for providing an interface for selecting a scanning application

• Full Citation: US7822676B2, Systems and methods for providing an interface for selecting a scanning application, issued November 2, 2010, to Leigh M. Rothschild.
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed April 22, 2005; Granted November 2, 2010.
• Brief Description: This patent focuses on improving the user experience for scanning applications on portable devices. It describes automatically selecting an appropriate scanning application upon recognition of applicable symbology, or providing an interface for the user to select from multiple appropriate applications, rather than requiring the user to manually select an application first.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent is highly relevant to the application management and selection aspects of US7992773.
  • Claim 9 (anticipates): Discloses decoding symbology to determine a category of the object and determining appropriate visual detection applications based on that category.
  • Claim 10 (anticipates): Discloses enabling the user to select one or more of the appropriate visual detection applications when multiple are determined to be appropriate.
  • Claim 20, 21 (anticipates): The system equivalents of Claims 9 and 10 are also anticipated.
  • This patent doesn't, however, focus on the dual-source information retrieval and combination defined in Claim 1 of US7792773.

3. US7139722B2 - System and method for providing information to users of portable electronic devices

• Full Citation: US7139722B2, System and method for providing information to users of portable electronic devices, issued November 21, 2006, to Leigh M. Rothschild.
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed April 22, 2005; Granted November 21, 2006.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method where a portable electronic device detects an identification code (e.g., from symbology, RFID, user input), sends it to a remote server, and receives information about the object/item for display. It aims to allow users to quickly access product information, potentially for purchase.
• Potential Anticipation: Similar to US7809633B2, this patent covers the general concept of using a portable device to scan an object, send data to a server, and receive information.
  • Claim 1 (partially anticipates): Anticipates the detection, decoding, sending to a remote server, receiving information, and displaying. However, it lacks the explicit parallel processing by local visual detection applications and the combination of local and remote information, which is central to US7992773's novelty.
  • Claim 11, 12 (partially anticipates): The ability to store information or run a purchasing application is broadly anticipated by systems designed to provide product information and facilitate transactions.
  • Claim 22, 23 (partially anticipates): The system equivalents are also broadly anticipated.

4. US6467093B1 - Method and apparatus for enabling an Internet link from a printed publication

• Full Citation: US6467093B1, Method and apparatus for enabling an Internet link from a printed publication, issued October 22, 2002, to Andrew M. Smith.
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed February 26, 1999; Granted October 22, 2002.
• Brief Description: This patent describes scanning a barcode from a printed publication (e.g., a magazine) using a scanner device. The scanner decodes the barcode to obtain a URL, which is then used to access a website via the Internet, providing supplementary information related to the content of the publication.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent represents a foundational concept for linking physical symbology to digital information via a network.
  • Claim 1 (partially anticipates): Anticipates detecting and decoding symbology (barcode), obtaining a decode string (URL), and using it to retrieve information from a remote source (Internet server). However, it does not involve a "portable electronic device" specifically processing the decode string with "local visual detection applications" to get a "first amount of information" and then combining that with information from a remote server. The focus is primarily on linking print to web content.
  • Claim 13 (partially anticipates): It describes an apparatus capable of scanning a barcode and using it to retrieve information via a network, but again, without the distinct local application processing and combination of information as claimed in US7992773.

In summary, the most relevant prior art, particularly the patents by Leigh M. Rothschild, broadly cover aspects of using portable devices to scan symbology, transmit identifiers to servers, and retrieve information. However, the unique contribution of US7992773, specifically in Claim 1, appears to lie in the explicit combination of information gathered from both local applications on the portable device and a remote server, which is then presented as cumulative information. While elements like symbology detection, server communication, and displaying information are well-established in the prior art (e.g., US7809633B2, US7139722B2, US6467093B1), the dual-source information retrieval and subsequent combination appear to be a distinguishing feature of US7992773. US7822676B2 is highly relevant to the application selection and management aspects detailed in the dependent claims of US7992773.