Hand held bar code readers or mobile computers with cloud computing services

A data decoding system that includes a server-side proxy component and at least two back-end computers, where the server-side proxy component is configured, when it receives a decoding request from a client, to select a back-end computer to forward the decoding request to, based on either a pre-defined rule, load estimates for the at least two computers, estimated network throughputs across network paths to the two computers. In response to receiving this request, the back-end computer that is selected is configured to decode the request, which is an image of decodable indicia, by locating the decodable indicia within the image and decoding it into a decoded message. The decodable indicia was provided by a raw image byte stream, a compressed image byte stream, or a partial compressed image byte stream.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to application Ser. No. 13/312,488 entitled “Hand Held Bar Code Readers or Mobile Computers with Cloud Computing Services” filed on the date of filing of the present application. The above application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for utilizing the storage and CPU power of cloud computing to increase the efficacy and performance of a bar code reader on a mobile device.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Bar codes are graphical representations of data, the most common of which are referred to as one dimensional (1D) and two dimensional (2D) bar codes. 1D bar codes are images that represent data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines. 2D bar codes are also images that represent data, but in addition to the parallel lines, or bars, a 2D bar code may contain rectangles, dots, hexagons and other geometric patterns in two dimensions. The data encoded in bar codes are interpreted by optical scanners and/or software.

Bar codes originally were scanned by special optical scanners called bar code readers; later, scanners and interpretive software became available on devices, including desktop printers and smart phones. Today, devices considered bar code readers include, but are not limited to: pen-type readers, laser scanners, CCD readers, camera-based readers, omni-directional bar code scanners, and cell phone cameras. Some of the leading manufacturers of smart phones offer bar code scanning software that can be installed on their respective smart phones. The goal of this software is to allow smart phone consumers to use their mobile devices to scan bar codes that they encounter, including but not limited to those on products in stores or on advertisements for products and/or services located in media such as magazines and posted in public places, such as bus stops.

After scanning a bar code using software installed on a smart phone, users can access the Internet to obtain information about the product, including but not limited to pricing and safety information. For example, information retrieved by a consumer can assist the consumer in finding the most competitive price for a product whose bar code the consumer scanned.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to utilize cloud computing to provide a system and method that enables mobile devices to scan complex data encoded as a bar coded image and utilize the decoded data.

Another object of the present invention is to utilize cloud computing to enhance the detail of the bar codes that can be generated for use by mobile devices.

Another object of the present invention is to utilize cloud computing to provide a system and method for sending complex data encoded as bar coded images from one device to another in a manner that does not rely upon the memory of the devices.

In one embodiment of the present invention, rather than install the bar code scanning software on a smart phone or other mobile device, a smart phone can be utilized as an access point to the software through a thin client, while the processing occurs on the cloud. In this embodiment, all operations that demand more CPU power and/or storage than is traditionally available on a mobile device itself can be performed by the resources of the cloud.

By off-loading processing to cloud resources, the bar code technology is no longer limited by the resources of a physical mobile device or any terminal (e.g., encoded information reading (EIR) terminals configured to read bar codes and/or other types of encoded information). Unlike the hardware and software on an EIR terminal, the cloud's resources are virtually unlimited because the cloud's capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. By installing the application on a cloud, the service provider can utilize the CPU power and storage of the cloud, which from an end user perspective, appears unlimited.

In this embodiment, once the processing is completed by the resources of the cloud, the decoded data can also be accessed by additional users of EIR terminals. In this manner, the cloud is being used for mobile-to-mobile communication. The first EIR terminal scans the bar code and the second “receives” the data by connecting to the central processing resource. The storage of the data is also handled by a resource of the cloud, but the second user connect through a thin client and views this data as if it were stored on his or her own terminal.

In another embodiment of the invention, the thin client on the EIR terminal can be used to encode a complex bar code image (or decode a semi-damaged or contaminative barcode using recovery algorithms) and store this image for further use. In this embodiment, a user of the EIR terminal enters data that is to be encoded into a bar code into a thin client on the EIR terminal. Rather than process the data and create the encoded bar code with software installed on the EIR terminal, the data entered is processed by the resources in the cloud. Additionally, the resultant image is stored on cloud resources. This image is accessible to the creator via the thin client on his or her EIR terminal. The EIR terminal user can direct the computing resources on the cloud to manage the image, for example, by sharing it with other users. The storage and CPU power on the smart phone need not be sufficient to support these operations because the bar codes are created using cloud resources and stored using cloud resources.

In this embodiment, once the processing is completed by the resources of the cloud, the encoded data, the bar code can also be accessed by additional users of EIR terminals. In this manner, the cloud is being used for mobile-to-mobile communication. The first EIR terminal user enters the data to be encoded and the second “receives” the bar code by connecting to the central processing resource. The storage of the bar code is also handled by a resource of the cloud, but the second user connect through a thin client and views this image as if it is were stored on his or her own terminal.

In another embodiment of the invention, one EIR terminal can send a bar coded image to another EIR terminal by using the cloud as an invisible go-between in a mobile-to-mobile transaction. In this embodiment, when a first EIR terminal scans a bar coded image, rather than this EIR terminal sending the image to another EIR terminal for processing, or processing the image itself before sending it to another EIR terminal, both being operations which require CPU and storage, the bar coded image is processed outside of the EIR terminal and saved in the cloud. This bar coded image is made viewable by a second EIR terminal. Although the EIR terminal is “receiving” this bar coded image, by viewing an image stored on the computing resources of the cloud, the second EIR terminal's memory is not a limitation to whether this image can be “received” by the terminal.

The term bar code also refers to any item containing decodable indicia, including but not limited to a 1D bar code, a 2D bar code and/or one or more optical character recognition (OCR) symbols. Additionally, scanning an item also includes using any device to capture an image of the item, including but not limited to using a camera to capture an image of the item, and/or using a laser scanner to read an image with decodable indicia. Bar code readers, i.e. devices used to capture images containing decodable indicia, include, but are not limited to: pen-type readers, laser scanners, CCD readers, camera-based readers, omni-directional bar code scanners, and cell phone cameras. Some of the leading manufacturers of smart phones offer bar code scanning software that can be installed on their respective smart phones.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to scanning a bar code using an optical scanner, many other variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. One such modification is using RFID tags instead of bar codes to house data. In this embodiment, the data on the RFID tags would be read by RFID readers on the EIR terminals. Further processing of the data would be off-loaded to an external data storage and processing system, such as a cloud.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method for utilizing the storage and CPU power of cloud computing and/or any external data processing and storage system to increase the efficacy and performance of a bar code reader on a mobile device. When installed on a mobile device, such as a smart phone, bar code reading software and the data encoded in the bar codes themselves are both constrained by the physical attributes of the mobile device. The CPU power of the mobile device controls the detail of the data that can be processed and the memory of the mobile device controls the detail of data that can be stored. By off-loading the processing and storage onto the cloud, the CPU power and storage of the cloud result remove these constraints.

The limited CPU power of a mobile device, such as a smart phone, impacts both the scanning and decoding software. Working within the constraints of the CPU power of the mobile device, bar code scanning and decoding activities are either accomplished at an extremely slow processing speed, or the image that is being decoded, and/or the algorithm used to decode it, must be simplified to compensate for the limited CPU power. Imposing constraints upon the complexity of the image based upon the CPU power of the mobile device affects the quality of the image and therefore, the quantity and quality of the data that can be encoded in the bar code.

The limited memory of the mobile device also impacts the quantity and quality of information that can be encoded in a bar code because after a bar code is decoded, storing the data encoded in the bar code would require storage space in the mobile device's memory. Over the course of time, a user of a single mobile device could scan multiple bar codes and the storage demands of this data would quickly exceed the local storage capacity of the device.

The power and capacity limitations of the mobile device are presently detriments to the expansion and enhancement of bar code technology mobile devices and in mobile devices in general. The ability to utilize this technology is presently controlled by mobile device manufacturers.

A need therefore exists for an efficient way to utilize a mobile device to scan complex data encoded as a bar coded image and utilize the decoded data. It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes a detailed description of cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type of computing environment now known or later developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction with a provider of the service. It is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that any external data processing and storage system with these characteristics would also be included in this disclosure.

One characteristic of the cloud computing model is that a consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as CPU power and storage capacity on the network, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with the service's provider.

The resources of the cloud are available over the network and can be utilized by consumers using a custom thin client, a software application that uses the client-server model where the server performs all the processing, or a standard web browser, running on a user terminal, including but not limited to smart phones, touchpad computers, tablet computers, desktop, and mobile computers, such as laptops.

By taking advantage of the computing power of the cloud system, software providers have the capability to distribute software as a service (SaaS), meaning that a consumer uses a provider's applications running on a cloud's infrastructure. The applications are accessible to the consumer from various user terminals through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email).

By deploying software into a cloud, the software provider accesses processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources. The provider does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).

The cloud computing model allows services to be delivered through shared data centers that can appear as a single point of entry, or a communications gateway, for a terminal accessing the cloud. For example, a user accessing an application as a service or a platform as a service may use a web browser to connect to a URL. At that URL, the user gains access to the cloud. While accessing the cloud through the web browser, the user will not be aware of the computers or networks that are serving the application and/or platform that the user is accessing. It could be a single computer or an elaborate network. This is not important to the user, as the owner of the cloud works to provide the user with the cloud services seamlessly.

Because the user relies upon the computing power of the cloud and not upon that of the terminal he or she is using to access the cloud, this model is device independence. By utilizing the cloud to provide applications and platforms as a service, the specifications of the device or terminal used to connect to the cloud are non-limiting.

Referring toFIG. 1, the technical architecture100of an embodiment of the prior art used to scan bar codes using an EIR terminal110includes an installed application on an EIR terminal110. An image capture device, such as a camera120, scans and/or captures an image of decodable indicia, such as a bar code130using the CPU140in the physical EIR terminal110. The image of decodable indicia can be provided by a raw image byte stream, a compressed image byte stream, and/or a partial compressed image byte stream. The data embedded in the bar code130, is then extracted and saved to the memory140of the EIR terminal110. This data can be transmitted to the Internet150via the network connection of the EIR terminal110.

Referring toFIG. 2, the technical architecture200of an embodiment of the claimed system used to practice the method of the invention includes an EIR terminal210running a thin client220, such as a web browser, which serves as the graphical user interface (GUI), also called the front end. The EIR terminal includes a decodable indicia capture hardware230, including but not limited to a camera. The EIR terminal210, connects to a data processing and storage system240, such as a cloud, over a network250.

The data processing and storage system240in this embodiment includes but is not limited to, a server-side proxy component241at least two back-end computers242a,242b,242n, which contain the computing and storage resources of the data processing and storage system240. InFIG. 2, the resources of the data processing and storage system240are located in the same physical facility. However, in additional embodiments of the present invention, the resources of the data processing and storage system240are spread out over at least two different physical locations.

The network250connecting the EIR terminal210to the data processing and storage system240includes but is not limited to a public network, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), wireless LAN, wireless WAN, wireless PAN and/or the Internet.

Installed on the application server resources260of the data processing and storage system240, is the back end software that performs operations that require processing utilizing processor resources in the data processing and storage system. Data processed when the software is executed on the processor(s) are saved in the storage resources of the data processing and storage system and/or can be further utilized by the application server resources of the data processing and storage system240to interact with servers internal and external to the data processing and storage system240(not pictured). For example, a server running a billing system may be internal or external to the data processing and storage system240. As a result of the data processing in the data processing and storage system240, data may be returned to the EIR terminal210and can render in the thin client220.

FIG. 3depicts an embodiment of the workflow in the claimed system and method300. First, a user of an EIR terminal scans an item including decodable indicia using optical scanning hardware and/or a thin client on the EIR terminal (S310). Alternatively, the user may use an image capture device, including but not limited to a camera to capture the image of this item. This item includes but is not limited to a 1D bar code, a 2D bar code and/or one or more optical character recognition (OCR) symbols.

After the item is scanned or captured, this item, and a request to decode this item, is sent to a server-side proxy of the data processing and storage system in a format including but not limited to a raw image bitstream, a compressed byte bitstream, and/or a partial compressed image byte stream (S320). A compressed image bitstream includes but is not limited to a TIFF byte stream, a GIF byte stream, a JPEG byte stream, or MPEG byte stream.

Once the server-side proxy receives the request, it selects a resource in the data processing and storage system that will decode the item (S330). In the embodiment ofFIG. 1, these resources were at least two back-end computers. The server-side proxy selects the appropriate resource using a selection process which includes but is not limited to pre-defined rule, load estimates for the resources in the data processing and storage system, the estimated network throughputs across network paths to each of the resources in the system. Types of pre-defined rules include but are not limited to round-robin selection and random selection.

Once the resource has been selected (S330), in this embodiment, the item is sent to the selected resource (S340). The resource processes the item and extracts a message (decoded data) from the item (S350).

For security purposes, in another embodiment of the present invention, the selected resource authenticates the EIR terminal before processing the request. The resource can also establish a communication session with the EIR terminal. In one embodiment of the present invention, the communication is supported using one or more of the following: HTTP cookies, dynamic URLs. In another embodiment of the present invention, the resource is configured to communicate using SOAP protocol/socket protocol.

Once the data is extracted, i.e., the message, is optionally saved on a storage resource, such as the non-volatile memory, of the data processing and storage system (S360a). The message may also be transmitted to the client (S360b).

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the message is saved, an access key is sent to the EIR terminal (S370a). The EIR terminal receives the access key (S380a) and a user of the EIR terminal uses the access key to view the message, which is stored on a resource of the data processing and storage system, through a thin client on the EIR terminal (S390a). Alternatively, the access key can be sent to a different EIR terminal (S370b). The user of this EIR terminal receives the access key (S380a) and uses the access key to view the message (S390a).

In an embodiment of the invention, no access key may be necessary to view the message once it has been saved in the data processing and storage system.

In another embodiment of the invention, a user may be prompted to enter security credentials before viewing the saved message and/or the image.

This data can also be sent to additional resources, both internal and external to the data processing and storage system for further processing (S360b). The results of the processing can be saved in the storage resources of the data processing and storage system (S370) and/or populated in the thin client on the EIR terminal (S370) to be viewed by the user and/or another user of a separate EIR terminal. In an embodiment of the present invention, users may be required to enter credentials, such as a password, to access the results.

FIG. 4depicts a workflow of the present invention when applied to the task of assisting a consumer in finding the best price for a product after the consumer scans a bar code appearing on the desired product400. First, a consumer with an EIR terminal uses the device to scan the bar code on a product (S410). The bar code scanning software on the EIR terminal is limited to a thin client. This thin client communicates over the network with the back end application, which is installed on a resource or a group of resources in the data processing and storage system, i.e. the cloud (S420). The back end application on the system decodes the bar code to extract information describing the product with which the bar code is associated (S430). This application queries a data source, or a variety of data sources, that can be located in the system or external to the system, to locate the best price for the product (S440). The query can be formulated in a variety of query languages, including but not limited to SQL and HTSQL.

Once the pricing information is returned, the application processes the data so it can be presented in a user friendly manner by the thin client (S450). The application sends the data to the EIR terminal (S460). The thin client displays the location of the best price of the item scanned to the user (S470).

Many EIR terminals, such as smart phones, contain mobile phone tracking software which utilizes the multilateration of radio signals between (several) radio towers of the network and the phone, and/or the global positioning system (GPS) to attain the position of the terminal whether it is stationary or moving.

In the embodiment ofFIG. 4, mobile phone tracking information, such as GPS coordinates, can be utilized by the data processing and storage system in addition to the bar code in order to locate the best price for an item. When the thin client communicates with the back-end application (S420), the coordinates of the EIR terminal are broadcast to the back-end application as well. By using the location of the EIR terminal, the application queries the data source for the best price for a product within a given radius of the EIR terminal, for example within a five mile radius (S440). The pricing information returned to the EIR terminal (S450) is more relevant because if the best price for an item is over a hundred miles away, commuting to that destination to get that price may negate any cost savings.

In an embodiment of the invention, the handling instructions regarding the decoded message may be encoded in the bar code. Thus, when the data processing and storage system locates and decodes the decodable indicia within the image, a resource of the data processing and storage system then executes these instructions. Handling instructions include but are not limited to instructions to save the decoded message to a resource in the data processing and storage system, instructions to send the decoded message to the EIR terminal, instructions to send the decoded message to a node that is external to the data processing and storage system, instructions to direct the thin client in the EIR terminal to access a URL.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a URL is encoded in the bar code. In this embodiment, when the data storage and processing system decodes the image of decodable indicia, the thin client on the EIR terminal is directed to the encoded URL. One example of a use for this model is when the user of an EIR terminal sees an advertisement for a product at a bus stop or possibly in a magazine. The advertisement would feature a bar code. The user scans this bar code with his or her EIR terminal and is seamlessly directed to a web site where he or she accesses more information about the product and has the opportunity to purchase the product.

FIG. 5depicts the workflow of the present invention when a URL is encoded in the bar code500. First, a consumer with an EIR terminal uses the device to scan the bar code in an advertisement (S510). The EIR terminal sends the bar code to a server-side proxy, a gateway to the data processing and storage system, the cloud (S520). The server-side proxy then selects a resource to decode the bar code (S530) and sends the bar code to the selected resource (S540). The resource decodes the image of decodable indicia, the bar code, extracting a URL (S550). The resource sends an instruction to the EIR terminal to access the URL (S560). The thin client on the EIR terminal connects to the URL and displays the web site that it represents (S570).

Depending upon the data encoded in a bar code, a user may desire an additional level security to protect the data that is encoded. In an embodiment of the present invention, the data in the bar code is encrypted. Thus, in addition to decoding the bar code, resources of the data processing and storage system, such as a cloud, decrypt the image before decoding the data, providing a security validation. After decrypting and decoding the bar code, the data processing and storage system takes action according to pre-determined rules and/or according to the action encoded in the barcode image. In one embodiment of the present invention, the data processing and storage system does not transmit the actual decode result to the EIR terminal for security reasons.

An embodiment of the present invention can also assist consumers in communicating with each other. Mobile to mobile communication is facilitated through the use of the present invention.FIG. 6depicts an exemplary technical architecture of an embodiment of the present invention as utilized to facilitate communication between two EIR terminals, including two mobile devices.

Referring toFIG. 6, the technical architecture of this embodiment600includes a first EIR terminal610and a second EIR terminal620. Using a thin client640as a connection point, the first EIR terminal can be used to scan a bar code using the workflows discussed in the embodiment ofFIG. 3. By offloading processing and storage to the network processing and storage system630, the first EIR terminal can “share” the bar coded image, or the data encoded in a bar coded image, with a second EIR terminal620. The second EIR terminal620, accesses the network processing and storage system630through a thin client650and although the EIR terminal620is accessing the system630, it receives the content through the system630that it was sent by the first EIR terminal610.

For example, as shown in the workflow ofFIG. 7,700, the user of the first EIR terminal610takes a picture of a bar code (S710) and enters a command on the EIR terminal610to send the bar coded image to the user of the second EIR terminal620(S720). Rather than store the bar coded image on the internal hardware of the first EIR terminal610, in a manner that is seamless to the user, when the image is captured by the first EIR terminal610, the image is actually stored on the system630(S710). The user of the second EIR terminal620appears to receive the bar coded image on the second EIR terminal620(S730). In reality, the bar coded image is stored on the system630, but the second EIR terminal620merely received information, such as a URL, that gave this EIR terminal620a point of access to use to view the bar coded image on the system630using a thin client650on the second EIR terminal620(S730).

In addition to decoding bar codes, the technical architecture ofFIG. 2can also be utilized to perform the method of encoding data into bar codes. Referring toFIG. 2, the thin client220on the EIR terminal210is a GUI that allows users to enter data. The data is transmitted to be encoded by back end software that resides on resources242a-242nin the data processing and storage system240. The resultant bar code is stored on the storage resources of the data processing and storage system242a-242n.

FIG. 8depicts the workflow800of this embodiment of the present invention. First, a user enters data into a thin client220on an EIR terminal (S810). This data and a request to encode is then transmitted by the EIR terminal to the server-side proxy in the data processing and storage system (S820). The server-side proxy selects a resource to generate an item with decodable indicia, such as a bar code, from the data entered (S830). The server-side proxy selects the appropriate resource using a selection process which includes but is not limited to pre-defined rule, load estimates for the resources in the data processing and storage system, the estimated network throughputs across network paths to each of the resources in the system. Types of pre-defined rules include but are not limited to round-robin selection and random selection.

The server-side proxy sends the data to the resource it selected (S840). The selected resource then generates an encoded item that is representative of the data (S850).

In this embodiment, the encoded item, such as a bar code, is then stored on the storage resources of the system (S860) where it can be accessed by the users and by applications internal and external to the system. Optionally, the encoded item created is sent back to the EIR terminal (S870).

In the embodiment ofFIG. 9, rather than rely on individual EIR terminal owners to scan bar codes, EIR terminals may be equipped with RFID module and antennae that “read” RFID tags that the EIR terminal user comes into contact with during the day. This passive collection of RFID information could aid merchants in collecting marketing data that could assist in, among other things, effectively marketing to certain demographics.

Referring toFIG. 9, a technical architecture900of this embodiment includes an EIR terminal910equipped with an RFID930receiver and is running a thin client920, such as a web browser, which serves as the graphical user interface (GUI), also called the front end. The EIR terminal910, connects to a data processing and storage system940, such as a cloud, over a network950.

The data processing and storage system940in this embodiment includes but is not limited to, a server-side proxy component941at least two back-end computers942a,942b,942n, which contain the computing and storage resources of the data processing and storage system940. InFIG. 9, the resources of the data processing and storage system940are located in the same physical facility. However, in additional embodiments of the present invention, the resources of the data processing and storage system940are spread out over at least two different physical locations.

The network950connecting the EIR terminal910to the data processing and storage system940includes but is not limited to a public network, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), wireless LAN, wireless WAN, wireless PAN and/or the Internet.

Installed on the application server resources960of the data processing and storage system940, is the back end software that performs operations that require processing utilizing processor resources in the data processing and storage system. Data processed when the software is executed on the processor(s) are saved in the storage resources of the data processing and storage system and/or can be further utilized by the application server resources of the data processing and storage system940to interact with servers internal and external to the data processing and storage system940(not pictured). As a result of the data processing in the data processing and storage system940, data may be returned to the EIR terminal910and can render in the thin client920.

In this embodiment, the RFID receiver930on the EIR terminal910reads the data on RFID tags,931a,931b,931cthat it comes into contact with, i.e., that the user of the EIR terminal passes. The RFID receiver930collects the data from the tags. Rather than process the data at the EIR terminal910, the EIR terminal910routes the raw data to the data processing and storage system940. The server-side proxy receives the request to process the data and selects a resource within the system940, such as942a,942b,942n, to fulfill the request. The selected resource processes the data and returns the results to the EIR terminal910, which displays the results in the thin client920.

The embodiments ofFIGS. 2,6and9contain one or more EIR terminals210,610,620,910, a server-side proxy241,641,941, and back-end computers242a-n,642a-n,942a-n. In these embodiments, the server-side proxy server and the back-end computers comprise the data processing and storage systems240,640,940. The EIR terminals and the enumerated resources of the data processing and storage systems are all individually computer systems1000, as illustrated inFIG. 10.

FIG. 10illustrates a block diagram of a computer system1000which is part of the technical architecture of certain embodiments of the present invention. The system1000may include a circuitry1002that may in certain embodiments include a microprocessor1004. The computer system1000may also include a memory1006(e.g., a volatile memory device), and storage1008. The storage1008may include a non-volatile memory device (e.g., EEPROM, ROM, PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, firmware, programmable logic, etc.), magnetic disk drive, optical disk drive, tape drive, etc. The storage1008may comprise an internal storage device, an attached storage device and/or a network accessible storage device. The system1000may include a program logic1010including code1012that may be loaded into the memory1006and executed by the microprocessor1004or circuitry1002.

In certain embodiments, the program logic1010including code1012may be stored in the storage1008. In certain other embodiments, the program logic1010may be implemented in the circuitry1002. Therefore, whileFIG. 10shows the program logic1010separately from the other elements, the program logic1010may be implemented in the memory1006and/or the circuitry1002.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device.

Using the processing resources of a data processing and storage system, such as a cloud, to execute software, computer-readable code or instructions, does not limit where this code is can be stored. Referring toFIG. 11, in one example, a computer program product1100includes, for instance, one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media1102to store computer readable program code means or logic1104thereon to provide and facilitate one or more aspects of the present invention.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language, such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language, assembler or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on one resource of a data processing and storage system, such as a cloud, partly on various resources, and/or partly on the EIR terminal and partly on one or more resources of the data processing and storage system.

In one aspect of the present invention, an application may be deployed for performing one or more aspects of the present invention. As one example, the deploying of an application comprises providing computer infrastructure operable to perform one or more aspects of the present invention.

As a further aspect of the present invention, a computing infrastructure may be deployed comprising integrating computer readable code into a computing system, in which the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing one or more aspects of the present invention.

As yet a further aspect of the present invention, a process for integrating computing infrastructure comprising integrating computer readable code into a computer system may be provided. The computer system comprises a computer readable medium, in which the computer medium comprises one or more aspects of the present invention. The code in combination with the computer system is capable of performing one or more aspects of the present invention.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. As such, it will be readily evident to one of skill in the art based on the detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment of the system and method explained herein, that different embodiments can be realized.