Communications: radio wave antennas – Antennas – With radio cabinet
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-27
2001-02-27
Wong, Don (Department: 2821)
Communications: radio wave antennas
Antennas
With radio cabinet
C235S472010, C235S462470
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195053
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates imagers, for example, symbology readers for reading machine-readable symbologies such as barcode, stacked and area code symbols.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Size and weight are major concerns in electronic devices. Symbology readers such as barcode scanners, typically house antennas and optical character set reading assemblies as separate components. Each component employs its own support and/or housing resulting in a bulky and heavy structure. This increase in weight and size makes the device unwieldy, and increases manufacturing costs. Even in devices not intended to be portable, separate housing of components unnecessarily reduces available space. Additional components may have to be omitted due to the lack of space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present apparatus and method solves these problems and other problems by configuring an antenna so as to complement an optical reading assembly. In this way, the device may be made more “efficient.” In other words, the antenna may be formed so as to utilize the space adjacent to the optical reading assembly to conserve space. Additionally, the antenna may utilize the structure of the optical character set reading assembly so that the need for a separate support and housing is eliminated. Manufacturing costs may be lowered by the resulting simplification of the manufacturing process, such as eliminating the need for separate production lines and facilities. By utilizing aspects of this invention, a device that requires these features may have increased portability yet still be less expensive to produce. Additional features may be added to the device due to the additional space contained in the unit made possible by the use of aspects of this invention. This makes the device more desirable to consumers and therefore more marketable. For the forgoing reasons, there is a need for a device capable of serving as an optical reading assembly and antenna.
In a first aspect of the present invention, a symbology reader has an optical reading assembly received in a reading assembly housing and an antenna shaped to conform to at least a portion of the reading assembly housing and in contact therewith.
In another aspect of the present invention, an imager has an antenna shaped to form at least a partial enclosure for the optical reading assembly.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a module is provided for use in an imager, the module having an optical reading assembly mounted in a housing and an antenna having a shape that is complimentary to a shape of at least a portion of the housing.
In yet a further aspect of the present invention, an antenna includes a conductive member having a shape at least partially conforming to a shape of a reading assembly housing in an imager.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrated and explanatory only and are not restrictive to the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain principles of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2256803 (1941-09-01), Hauser
patent: 5382784 (1995-01-01), Eberhardt
patent: 5555459 (1996-09-01), Kraus et al.
patent: 5943022 (1999-08-01), Massey
patent: 6003775 (1999-12-01), Ackley
Ackley H. Sprague
Kodukula Venkata S. R.
Clinger James
Intermec IP Corp.
Perkins Coie LLP
Wong Don
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