Patent ID: 7197543

Claim:
A method of enabling a user to access a remote location on a network using an optical reader, comprising the steps of: transmitting one of a scan code and a dedicated code from an optical reader to a first computer disposed on the network, the optical reader having an optical scanning system for scanning an encoded indicia, and a dedicated code system, including the steps of: the optical scanning system, in response to the user scanning the encoded indicia therewith, sending to the first computer the scan code indicative of information encoded in the scanned encoded indicia; or the dedicated code system, in response to the user completing an activation sequence, sending to the first computer the dedicated code indicative of information relating to a particular remote location on the network, the information not originating from the scanning of an encoded indica or related to the encoded indicia, the dedicated code having no routing information contained therein; accessing, in response to the first computer receiving the one of the scan code or the dedicated code from the optical reader, a second computer disposed on the network; performing a lookup operation at the second computer to match the one of the scan code or the dedicated code received from the optical reader with routing information for a remote location on the network; returning the routing information from the second computer to the first computer; and accessing the remote location on the network in accordance with the routing information returned from the second computer.