diff --git a/ndn-cpp/helpers/uri.h b/ndn-cpp/helpers/uri.h
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/ndn-cpp/helpers/uri.h
@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+/* -*- Mode:C++; c-file-style:"gnu"; indent-tabs-mode:nil -*- */
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2013, Regents of the University of California
+ *                     Alexander Afanasyev
+ *
+ * BSD license, See the LICENSE file for more information
+ *
+ * Author: Alexander Afanasyev <alexander.afanasyev@ucla.edu>
+ */
+
+#ifndef NDN_DETAIL_URI_H
+#define NDN_DETAIL_URI_H
+
+#include "ndn-cpp/error.h"
+
+#include <boost/archive/iterators/transform_width.hpp>
+#include <boost/iterator/transform_iterator.hpp>
+
+namespace ndn
+{
+
+namespace detail
+{
+
+static const bool ESCAPE_CHARACTER [256] = {
+  1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, // 26
+  1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, // 53
+  0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, // 80
+  0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, // 107
+  0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, // 134
+  1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, // 161
+  1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, // 188
+  1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, // 215
+  1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, // 242
+  1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 // 255
+};
+
+/// @cond include_hidden
+template<class CharType>
+struct hex_from_4_bit
+{
+  typedef CharType result_type;
+  CharType operator () (CharType ch) const
+  {
+    const char lookup_table [16] = {'0','1','2','3','4','5','6','7','8','9','A','B','C','D','E','F'};
+    // cout << "New character: " << (int) ch << " (" << (char) ch << ")" << "\n";
+    BOOST_ASSERT (ch < 16);
+    return lookup_table[static_cast<size_t>(ch)];
+  }
+};
+
+typedef boost::transform_iterator<hex_from_4_bit<std::string::const_iterator::value_type>,
+                                  boost::archive::iterators::transform_width<std::string::const_iterator, 4, 8, std::string::const_iterator::value_type> > string_from_binary;
+
+
+
+template<class CharType>
+struct hex_to_4_bit
+{
+  typedef CharType result_type;
+  CharType operator () (CharType ch) const
+  {
+    const signed char lookup_table [] = {
+      -1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,
+      -1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,
+      -1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,
+      0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,
+      -1,10,11,12,13,14,15,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,
+      -1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,
+      -1,10,11,12,13,14,15,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,
+      -1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1
+    };
+
+    signed char value = -1;
+    if ((unsigned)ch < 128)
+      value = lookup_table [(unsigned)ch];
+    if (value == -1)
+      boost::throw_exception (error::StringTransform ());
+
+    return value;
+  }
+};
+
+typedef boost::archive::iterators::transform_width<boost::transform_iterator<hex_to_4_bit<std::string::const_iterator::value_type>, std::string::const_iterator>, 8, 4> string_to_binary;
+/// @endcond
+
+} // detail
+
+/**
+ * @brief A helper class to convert to/from URI
+ */
+class Uri
+{
+public:
+  template<class Iterator1, class Iterator2>
+  inline static void
+  fromEscaped (Iterator1 begin, Iterator1 end, Iterator2 inserter)
+  {
+    Iterator1 i = begin;
+    while (i != end)
+      {
+        if (*i == '%')
+          {
+            try
+              {
+                ++i;
+                Iterator1 j = i;
+                advance (i, 2);
+              
+                std::copy (detail::string_to_binary (j), detail::string_to_binary (i), inserter);
+              }
+            catch (ndn::error::StringTransform &e)
+              {
+                BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION (error::Uri ()
+                                       << error::pos (std::distance (i, begin)));
+              }
+          }
+        else if (!detail::ESCAPE_CHARACTER[static_cast<unsigned char> (*i)])
+          {
+            *inserter = *i;
+            ++inserter; ++i;
+          }
+        else
+          {
+            BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION (error::Uri ()
+                                   << error::pos (std::distance (i, begin)));
+          }
+      }
+  }
+
+  template<class Iterator1, class Iterator2>
+  inline static void
+  toEscaped (Iterator1 begin, Iterator1 end, Iterator2 inserter)
+  {
+    const char lookup_table [16] = {'0','1','2','3','4','5','6','7','8','9','A','B','C','D','E','F'};
+    
+    for (Iterator1 i = begin; i != end; i++)
+      {
+        if (detail::ESCAPE_CHARACTER[static_cast<unsigned char> (*i)])
+          {
+            *inserter = '%';         ++inserter;
+            *inserter = lookup_table [(*i >> 4) & 0x0F]; ++inserter;
+            *inserter = lookup_table [(*i & 0x0F)];      ++inserter;
+          }
+        else
+          {
+            *inserter = *i; ++inserter;
+          }
+      }
+  }
+};
+
+} // ndn
+
+#endif // NDN_DETAIL_URI_H