Patent ID: 7424521

Claim:
A method for facilitating computer based access to a location on a network by a consumer utilizing a product having information disposed thereon, the method comprising: scanning a machine readable code disposed on a surface of the product, wherein the machine readable code has encoded therein information related to the product, which the product is provided by a product manufacturer, and which the machine readable code is physically associated with the product itself, which the machine readable code has no routing information contained therein to allow the consumer to access any location on a network, and which the machine readable code has a relationship to the product or service unrelated to routing information; accessing a relational database after scanning the machine readable code, wherein the machine readable code being a part of the relational database that associates the machine readable code with a defined location on the network, wherein the relational database is associated with a routing system that facilitates connection to the defined location on the network; and connecting to the defined location on the network by a computer indicated by a visual indicia, wherein the visual indicia disposed on the product having no apparent relationship to the machine readable code or to the defined location disposed on the surface in a predetermined proximate visual orientation to the machine readable code and the visual indicia associated only with the routing system and not with the product manufacturer, such that the machine readable code and the visual indicia together form a defined composite visual appearance, indicative of a relationship between the machine readable code and the presence of a location on a network that will use the routing system for connection to the defined location and that such location on the network can be accessed by the computer having an appropriate input device for reading the machine readable code, such that reading of the machine readable code by the input device will cause the routing system to connect the computer to the defined location, and wherein the visual indicia indicates only that scanning of the machine readable code will cause computer based access to the defined location on the network by the routing system.