Patent ID: 7228282

Claim:
A method for interfacing a user location on a network to a destination location on the network, comprising the steps of: scanning a bar code at the user location having product information contained therein relating to an associated product, which bar code has no network routing information contained therein or inherently associated therewith; extracting product information from the bar code; defining routing information over the network from the user location to the destination location in direct response to the steps of scanning and extracting, which routing information defines the location of the destination location on the network, the step of defining including the steps of: accessing a relational database at a database location on the network different than the user location containing a relationship between product information and predefined destination locations on the network, which relational database is operable to determine the one of the predefined destination locations associated with the extracted product information from the user location; transmitting to the relational database the extracted product information; instructional code generated at the database location on the network defining an instruction to force the user location to be connected to at least one predefined destination defined by the relationship stored in the relational database in association with the transmitted extracted product information; receiving from the relational database the generated instructional code containing routing information associated with the extracted product information; and interconnecting the user location to the destination location in accordance with the received instructional code containing the defined routing information, which step of interconnecting occurs in direct response to the steps of scanning, extracting and defining after the step of scanning such that the operation thereof is controlled from the database location.