We have developed an open and scalable network-oriented architecture that integrates the physical world with the virtual world and admits the efficient storage and retrieval of data and information. The architecture works with existing and future network and Automated Identification (Auto-ID) technologies and requires the use of Globally Unique IDentifiers (GUIDes). An Auto4D tag affixed to a physical object stores the GUIDe for that object. Networked tag readers wirelessly communicate with the Auto-ID tags, thereby connecting the physical objects to the network. An object's GUIDe acts as a pointer to storage locations for data and information about that object, operating in a similar manner to pointers in programming languages. Given a GUIDe, the Object Name Service (ONS), a facility similar to the Domain Name Service (DNS), is queried to identify these storage locations on the local network and over the Internet. Storing an object's data and information in a standardized XML-based language such as PML allows the use of Internet friendly query languages such as XQL and Quilt and enables the automated storage and retrieval of data and information at remote locations. Our architecture efficiently networks the physical world, allowing effective and truly automated information search, information retrieval, and functionality.
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