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

摘要

A Web-based system and method for enabling an operator to access and display HTML-encoded documents located on the WWW. The system comprises one or more Internet information servers, an Internet access terminal, and an audio-visual monitor. The Internet information servers store a plurality of HTML-encoded documents at a plurality of storage locations specified by a plurality of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). The Internet access terminal is operably connected to the infrastructure of the Internet and embodies a GUI-based Internet browser program, supporting the TCP/IP networking protocol. The Internet access terminal includes a bar code symbol reader for reading bar code symbols. The bar code symbol reader is programmed for reading bar code symbols encoded with URLs specifying the location of HTML-encoded documents on the WWW, and producing data representative of each encoded URL. In response to reading a URL-encoded bar code symbol on the pages of a printed WWW-site guide, the bar code symbol reader produces data representative of the URL, and the produced data is transmitted to the Internet access terminal. Thereupon, the GUI-based Internet browser program automatically accesses the HTML-encoded document specified by the URLusing the TCP/IP networking protocol, and the Internet access terminal automatically displays the accessed HTML-encoded document on the audio-visual monitor for viewing.