Many objects and items that people buy, sell, operate, or otherwise use include codes that allow them or others to identify the objects or items. For instance, bar codes allow store clerks and cashiers to quickly identify consumer sale items and their associated sale prices, among other information. Some items include codes that identify individual objects among several objects of the same build, model, make, design, etc. For example, automobiles includes a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) which uniquely identifies each individual automobile (even distinguishing the automobiles across a make and model). Such identifying codes are currently only accessible to a user who is required to manually input (e.g., type in) the VIN of a vehicle or scan the VIN barcode using a mobile device's camera to retrieve the VIN of a vehicle. The current process is very cumbersome, can result in user input errors, and has a problematic issue with low light conditions or glare conditions in which the user cannot accurately scan a VIN using the mobile device camera (e.g., the camera is not able to capture an image that clearly includes the numbers/letters of the VIN).
The current problem with scanning or manually entering a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is accessibility of the VIN on the Vehicle. The VIN is a barcode printed on a metal strip which is on the vehicle in different locations of the vehicle and is often pretty cumbersome to access it with a mobile device camera. Therefore, there is a need for a process which does not need a user to access the VIN for manual entry or scanning of the VIN.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds