Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-19
2001-08-07
Frech, Karl D. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S472010, C235S462450, C359S833000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270013
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hand-holdable optical scanners for scanning record media. The invention is particularly useful in the optical scanner described in our Israel Patent Application No. 114,367 filed Jun. 27, 1995, and is therefore described below with respect to that application.
Our Israel Patent Application 114,367 describes a hand-holdable optical scanner for scanning printed text on record media and for simultaneously translating the words from one language into another, or from one definition to another in the same language. Critical requirements of such an optical scanner include compactness in construction and reliability in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical scanner which enables the scanner to be constructed very compactly, thereby making the optical scanner particularly useful, among other applications, as a hand-holdable electronic translator.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical scanner comprising a hand-holdable housing including: a scanner head for scanning a record medium; a roller engageable and rotated by the record medium when scanned by the scanner head, the roller including an optically-sensible marking for use in measuring the rotary movements of the roller; illuminating means for illuminating the record medium and the roller including the marking thereon; an optical sensor for sensing information on the record medium and the markings on the roller and for producing an output corresponding thereto; a first optical system including a focusing lens for focusing light reflected from the record medium onto the optical sensor; and a second optical system for focusing light reflected from the roller onto the optical sensor; the second optical system including the focusing lens of the first optical system but located at a shorter distance from the roller than from the record member; the second optical system further including a lens-mirror member having: a first face facing the focusing lens for receiving light therefrom reflected by the roller; a second face facing the optical sensor for transmitting light exiting from the lens-mirror member to the optical sensor; and a third, reflecting face for receiving the incoming light from the first face and for reflecting same through the second face to the optical sensor; at least one of the faces being light-converging to partially focus the received light such as to compensate for the shorter distance between the focal lens and the roller than between the focal lens and the record member.
The foregoing features enable the optical scanner to be constructed very compactly, more compactly than that described, for example, in our above-cited Israel Patent Application 114,367, since the single lens-mirror member used in the novel construction of the present application replaces two spaced-apart mirrors in the construction described in that patent application.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention described in the present application, the first face is the light-converging face, the reflecting face is planar, and the second face is also planar and is inclined so as to be substantially normal to the light received from the roller and reflected by the reflecting face through the second face.
According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the housing further includes an optical light guide for guiding the movement of the scanner head over the record medium, the optical light guide comprising a light source for projecting light laterally of the housing in the direction of movement of the scanner head over the record medium. In one described embodiment, the optical light guide further comprises a mirror within the housing for projecting a beam of light laterally through an opening in the housing in the direction of movement of the scanner head over the record medium. In a second described embodiment, the optical light guide further comprises a transparent guide member fixed to the housing; the transparent guide member having an inner surface exposed to the light of the light source within the housing, and an outer surface projecting outwardly of the housing in the direction of movement of the scanner head over the record medium.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided an optical scanner comprising a hand-holdable housing including: a scanner head for scanning a record medium; an optical sensor for sensing information on the record medium and for producing an output corresponding thereto; and a data processor for processing the output of the optical sensor; the data processor being programmed to first measure the output of the optical sensor when the scanner head is out of contact with the record medium to assure the output is below a first predetermined threshold, and then to measure the output of the optical scanner when the scanner head is in contact with the record medium to assure that the output is above a second predetermined threshold, before it processes the output of the optical sensor.
The foregoing features may advantageously be used in optical scanners for a wide variety of applications, but are particularly useful in hand-holdable electronic translators.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description below.
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
REFERENCES:
patent: 3541248 (1970-11-01), Young
patent: 3703330 (1972-11-01), Allen
patent: 3767938 (1973-10-01), Kueper
patent: 3869599 (1975-03-01), Sansone
patent: 4157236 (1979-06-01), Busker
patent: 4195904 (1980-04-01), Yamashita
patent: 4349730 (1982-09-01), Pfeifer et al.
patent: 4539475 (1985-09-01), Bosse
patent: 4574317 (1986-03-01), Scheible
patent: 4701804 (1987-10-01), Toyoda et al.
patent: 4716291 (1987-12-01), Sakamoto et al.
patent: 4793812 (1988-12-01), Sussman et al.
patent: 4901163 (1990-02-01), Tsujioka
patent: 4906843 (1990-03-01), Jones et al.
patent: 4947261 (1990-08-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 5012349 (1991-04-01), de Fay
patent: 5095389 (1992-03-01), Yokomori
patent: 5111005 (1992-05-01), Smith et al.
patent: 5142161 (1992-08-01), Brackmann
patent: 5227909 (1993-07-01), Watson
patent: 5306908 (1994-04-01), McConica et al.
patent: 5321548 (1994-06-01), Takase
patent: 5371347 (1994-12-01), Plesko
patent: 5381020 (1995-01-01), Kochis et al.
patent: 5506394 (1996-04-01), Plesko
patent: 5517407 (1996-05-01), Weiner
patent: 5550362 (1996-08-01), Sherman
patent: 5574804 (1996-11-01), Olschafskie et al.
patent: 5623285 (1997-04-01), Aharonson et al.
patent: 5638466 (1997-06-01), Rokusek
patent: 5648760 (1997-07-01), Kumar
patent: 5963343 (1999-10-01), Kubo et al.
patent: 5974204 (1999-10-01), Lin et al.
patent: 5988900 (1999-11-01), Bobry
patent: 5999666 (1999-12-01), Gobeli et al.
patent: 6005681 (1999-12-01), Pollard
patent: 6036094 (2000-03-01), Goldman et al.
patent: 6036095 (2000-03-01), Seo
patent: 2 014 765 (1979-08-01), None
patent: 2 288 512 (1995-10-01), None
patent: 61-16671 (1986-01-01), None
patent: 61-67365 (1986-04-01), None
patent: 62-51365 (1987-03-01), None
patent: 62-115970 (1987-05-01), None
patent: 61-150564 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 63-30064 (1988-02-01), None
patent: 63-128865 (1988-06-01), None
patent: 63-181563 (1988-07-01), None
patent: 63-204864 (1988-08-01), None
patent: 63-292760 (1988-11-01), None
patent: 8-107479 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 8-107480 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 9-321944 (1997-12-01), None
patent: 9-312739 (1997-12-01), None
patent: 9-312738 (1997-12-01), None
patent: 9-321950 (1997-12-01), None
patent: WO 98/20446 (1998-05-01), None
Israel Patent Application No. . 114367.
Lipman Adi
Lipman Aharon
Cyr Daniel St.
Frech Karl D.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Wizcom Technologies Ltd.
LandOfFree
Hand-holdable optical scanner particularly useful as... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Hand-holdable optical scanner particularly useful as..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Hand-holdable optical scanner particularly useful as... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2537401