BACKGROUND OF INVENTION:

A 2D barcode symbology basically includes the PDF417, DataMatrix, QR-code and Aztec barcodes that can be created depending on the kind of data that are encoded in them. For the purpose of my invention and the intended use, I adopted the QR-code symbology which can be countlessly created by a 2D barcode generator.

QR Code Overview

QR-Code is a kind of 2D (two-dimensional) barcode created by the Japanese corporation Denso-Wave (a division of Denso Corporation at the time) and released in 1994 with the primary aim of being a symbol that is easily interpreted by scanner equipment. Because of the built-in support for anj ^' i encoding, QR- Code is widely used in Japan. The QR is derived from Quick Response, as the code is intended to be decoded at high speed. QR-Code became popular for mobile tagging applications one of which will be discussed hereafter as an invention unique to this course.

QR-Code (2D Code) contains information in both the vertical and horizontal directions, whereas a bar code contains data in one direction only. Refer to Fig.l for 2D and ID barcodes. QR-Code holds a considerably greater volume of information than a bar code.

QR-Code Classification

QR-Code is a 2D barcode symbology with very high data density. In practice up to several hundred bytes are encoded in a single symbol. Each dot in a QR-Code symbol represents a bit. In contrast to linear bar-codes which encode the information usually in the ratio of the bars or spaces to each other a QR-Code is more tolerant with respect to poor printing quality.

History of QR-Code

QR Code was developed 1994 by the company DENSO. Aliases of QR-Code

QR-Code is also known under the names Quick Response Code, QR-Code. Technical Data

^■ Normative standards: The normative standards for the QR-Code barcode symbology are named JIS X 0510 (Japan) or ISO/IEC 18004 (ISO International Standard).

^■ Data capacity: A single QR-Code symbol can hold up to 7089 numeric characters, 4296 alphanumeric characters, 2953 bytes (binary data) or 1817 Kanji characters (character set according to JIS X 0208).

^■ The default character set is JIS-8/Shift-JIS, which corresponds to ECI 000020. Other character sets are possible by using different ECIs. ^■ Error correction: QR-Code offers a built-in error correction based on Reed-Solomon algorithms. The error correction level can be adjusted (supported levels are Low, Medium, Quartile, High). Depending on the error correction level it is possible to restore between 7% (Low) and 30% (High) of unreadable codewords in a QR-Code symbol without data loss.

^■ QR-Code supports 'Structured Append'. Up to 16 QR-Code symbols can be concatenated. If a scanner or decoder supports this feature, it returns the concatenated data content in the correct order.

^■ QR-Code printing quality: To optimize barcode quality a QR-Code symbol should not be printed with dots smaller than 4 to 5 device pixels.

General Application Areas of QR-Code

QR Code is mainly used in Asia (Japan) for automotive and logistic applications. Starting with 2006/2007 the QR Code is also in use in the areas of mobile ticketing , mobile marketing and business (e.g. Japanese business cards).

Depending on the application, a QR-Code can be used to encode specific URLs or ticket numbers: in a mobile marketing scenario, a QR-Code symbol is printed or displayed on products or marketing related material (like displays, magazines or web-sites).

A user can now scan and decode this QR-Code using a mobile phone with a built-in camera and suitable decoder software. After decoding the QR-Code symbol, the user is forwarded to product related web-sites or marketing campaigns as in Fig. 2. in a process called mobile tagging.

APPARATUS:

TEC-IT's Online 2D Barcode Generator, 3GVision's 2D Barcode (i-nigma) Reader Software, QR-code 2D barcode, Nokia E63 Mobile phone, SIM card, Airtel GSM/GPRS Network (operator) and hand-held Mobile Barcode Display Device (a proprietary OEM device optimised for 2D barcode display) or Hi-Resolution Mobile phone (or Laptop).

PRECAUTION:

The following precautions were observed in the course of this experiment to arrive at the desired result, although some of the precautions here observed during the experiment will no longer be tenable after the 2D barcode reader software has been technically modified into a dedicated mobile top up software. a) The PNG file format was adopted because of its intrinsic light-weight property, thus suitable for storage in smaller disk or memory space even in large quantities and its HTTP transfer rate duration during download is significantly short; implying fast download on GPRS terminals. b) After decoding the encoded Instant Top Up Code Sequence with the mobile phone, it was ensured that the Instant Top Up Code Sequence Command was executed 3 times in quick succession to successfully top up the mobile phone.

First time execution: Selecting and pressing the DIAL button of the barcode software when it is displayed on the mobile screen. A failed to connect message is received at first execution of this command. Second time execution: When the first execution fails, the instant top up code sequence will be automatically saved on the phone's dial or call log which you must locate. Next, pressing the phone's dial or call key opens the phone's dial or call log to reveal the top up code sequence.

Third time execution: Since the instant top up code sequence is the first item on the list, pressing the phone's dial or call key again successfully executes the Instant Top Up Code Sequence command.

SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURE: a) For experiment purpose, a non-commercial 2D barcode software application called i-nigma by 3G Vision Inc., USA was directly downloaded via a mobile web and installed on an E63 Nokia camera phone series which converted it automatically into a 2D mobile barcode reader. To get the i-nigma barcode reader - there are 2 easy ways namely;

I. On the mobile web - Go to www.i-nigma.mobi on your mobile. I-nigma will automatically identify your handset type, so you download and install the i-nigma barcode reader following shown instructions.

II. By SMS - Text the word i-nigma to: +447797 882325 (or 07797 882325 in the UK). You will receive back an SMS containing a link to the i-nigma software download site. Download and install on phone following shown instructions.

Note: The i-nigma software and services are free for personal use. b) For the purpose of this procedure and clarity, Airtel Nigeria was adopted as the preferred Mobile Network Operator. In a typical case, a N100 top up voucher card belonging to Mobile Network Operator (Airtel) was purchased from a local vendor and scratched to reveal a 16 digits valid voucher PIN and this PIN details were obtained and noted as shown below.

For example: Network Operator: Airtel Nigeria

Voucher Value: N100

Voucher PIN Code: 3973389404560503

c) The N100 Airtel top up voucher PIN code obtained in step b) above was manually keyed-in in combination with the Airtel's unique Instant Top Up Code Sequence and a scannable QR-code 2D barcode equivalent to a card or paper-based N100 Airtel Top Up voucher as shown in Fig. 3 was encoded and generated automatically. No Special training or technical skills was required. The QR-code 2D barcode was created automatically, copied and saved on a PC in a PNG file format using a non-commercial online barcode generator by TEC-IT Datenverarbeitung GmbH, Austria before it was transferred manually in the same format into a Mobile Barcode Display Device (an OEM device optimised for 2D barcode display).

A summary of how the QR-Code 2D barcode was created are highlighted below.

To create a QR-Code 2D barcode from a free online barcode generator, the following steps must be taken.

I. Go to http://barcode.tec-it.com/barcode-generator.aspx?LANG=en

II. Click on "Mobile Tagging" button category then input some barcode parameters online to create a QR- Code 2D barcode. For the purpose of my invention, the following barcode parameters were applied. Barcode Type: Select QR - Code > Select Dial a Phone Number

Data: Enter *126*3973389404560503#

Fore/Back Color: NIL (blank)

Module Width: 1.5mm - Select [mm] > Enter 1.5

DPI/Output Type (format): Enter 100 > PNG

Rotation: 0°

III. Click on "Generate Barcode" button.

VI. Right click on the barcode image generated, copy and paste the image in a folder or on the desktop, then open for scanning.

Airtel Instant Top Up Code Sequence comprises of a 22-character keyboard code sequence as shown below.

For Airtel Nigeria Mobile Network Operator;

Instant Top Up Code Sequence = *126*...[16 digits Voucher PIN Code]...#

= *126*3973389404560503# d) As shown in Fig. 4, the 2D mobile barcode reader (e.g. E63 Nokia camera phone) was used to decode the content of the QR-code 2D Barcode Voucher back to the Instant Top Up Code Sequence by scanning the QR-code 2D barcode image displayed on the Mobile Barcode Display Device or on the PC screen.

The same desired results were obtained reading the same QR-code 2D Barcode saved and displayed on a PC/laptop screen and on a separate supported mobile phone with screen resolution of 300ppi. Please see Fig. 5 for schematic drawing. e) Depending on the featured options of the 2D decoding software application on the mobile phone, the SAVE button could be selected to save the Top Up Code Sequence to the phone for onward transfer to other mobile phones or for future use. The Instant Top Up Code Sequence Command of the mobile network operator was invoked to successfully Top Up the mobile phone's pre-paid account based on the following.

Airtel Instant Top Up Code Sequence Command = *126*...fl6 digits Voucher PIN Code]...# Press SEND/OK

= *126*3973389404560503# Press SEND/OK

^♦ Please note that mobile phone SEND, OK and DIAL key commands all have the same meaning.

Based on the SAVE and DIAL unique functions of the 3GVision's 2D Barcode (i-nigma) Reader Software Application in Fig. 4(B), pressing the DIAL button during the session executes the Airtel Instant Top Up Code Sequence Command afore-mentioned and mobile phone is successfully topped-up with the N100 worth of airtime as indicated in Fig. 6.

CONCLUSION:

Mobile tagging phenomenon has evolved yet another new technique for mobile pre-paid subscribers to top up their pre-paid mobile accounts with a mobile network operator directly using the camera of their mobile phones and pre-encoded 2D barcode top up vouchers. This is achieved when the top up voucher PIN in the form of a 2D barcode is read, processed and executed according to the mobile operator's executable top up code sequence using the user's phone camera for convenience. GLOSSARY:

"QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED, Japan meaning quick response code.

XML - extensible Markup Language

GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications

JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group

PNG - Portable Network Graphic

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol

PDF - Portable Data File

GPRS - General Packet Radio Service

SMPP - Short Message Peer-To-Peer Protocol

IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission

MOBILE TAGGING - Is the process of providing data on mobile devices, commonly through the use of data (such as a URL, phone number, etc.) encoded in a two-dimensional barcode, meant to be read and inputted using a camera phone

URL - Uniform Resource Locator

PPI - Pixel Per Inch

DPI - Dot Per Inch

PC - Personal Computer

2D - Two Dimension

AIM - Automatic Identification Manufacturers International standard

JEIDA - Japanese Electronic Industry Development Association

JIS - Japanese Industrial Standards

ISO - international Standard Organisation

POS - Point Of Sale