Patent ID: 7694020

Claim:
A method for utilizing a product code having product information contained therein for interfacing a user node on a network to a remote node on the network utilizing the network, the user node having application software installed thereat for examining product code input thereto, comprising the steps of: extracting a representation of the product information from the product code at the user node for input thereto, which product code is disposed on or in close association with an associated product; in response to the step of extracting, the application software: assembling a message packet containing a destination address of an intermediate node on the network, a source address that defines the location of the user node on the network and a data field that includes the representation of the product information, and transmitting the message packet to the intermediate node on the network; receiving from the intermediate node on the network, instructional code that instructs the user node to connect to one of the remote nodes on the network that has a defined association with the extracted representation of the product information defined at the intermediate node; and connecting the user node to the one of the remote nodes in accordance with the received instructional code such that connection to the remote node is controlled by the intermediate node through the instructional code, wherein connections to remote nodes having defined relationships to the representation of product information are controlled only by the intermediate node and not by any actions at the user node other than the operation of extracting, and wherein actions at the user node do not prevent connection or effect connection to the remote node.