Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-28
2004-06-01
Lee, Michael G. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S462010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06742709
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to laser scanning bar code symbol reading systems, and more particularly to portable bar code symbol reading systems capable of generating raster-type laser scanning patterns having variable speed and resolution for reading various types of 1-D and 2-D bar code symbols during hands-on and hands-free modes of operation.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Bar code symbols have become widely used in many commercial environments such as, for example, point-of-sale (POS) stations in retail stores and supermarkets, inventory and document tracking, and diverse data control applications. To meet the growing demands of this recent technological innovation, bar code symbol readers of various types have been developed for scanning and decoding bar code symbol patterns and producing symbol character data for use as input in automated data processing systems.
In general, laser scanning bar code symbol scanners are used for reading one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2-D) bar code symbols on products and packages for identification purposes. 2-D bar code symbols are advantageous in that they have the capacity to encode a substantially larger volume of data than 1D bar code symbols. Consequently, 2-D bar code symbols have enjoyed increasing popularity over recent years.
Many different techniques exist for scanning laser beams across objects bearing 2-D bar code symbols. Examples of 2-D laser scanning mechanisms for reading 2-D bar code symbols (e.g. the popular PDF 417 symbology) are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,665,954, 5,691,834, and 5,550,367 and EPO Patent Application Publication No. EP 0 731 417 A2, incorporated herein by reference.
While each of these prior art laser scanning mechanisms are capable of producing a raster-type laser scanning pattern, such prior art techniques are unnecessarily complicated, expensive to manufacture, and generally do not enable precise speed/resolution control within the raster scanning pattern in a simple and practical manner required by numerous 2-D scanning applications.
Thus, there is a great need in the bar code symbol reading art for a bar code symbol reading system and method which overcomes the above-described shortcomings and drawbacks without compromising system performance and versatility.
OBJECTIVES AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide improved laser scanning bar code symbol reading system that avoids the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art methods and technologies.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a bar code symbol reading system comprising a hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device which embodies an electronically-controlled bar code symbol reading engine for producing a raster-type laser scanning pattern in either a hands-free or hands-on mode of operation for scanning 1-D and 2D bar code symbols.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein a support stand is provided for supporting the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device above a counter-top or like surface during the hands-free mode of operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device can be used as either a portable automatic hand-supported bar code symbol reader in its hands-on mode of operation, or as an automatic fixed projection-type bar code symbol reader in its hands-free mode of operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein the electronically-controlled bar code symbol reading engine has (i) a high-speed/high-resolution raster scanning mode of operation during which a high-speed, high-resolution raster-type scanning pattern is precisely generated under electronic control, and (ii) a high-speed/low-resolution raster scanning mode of operation during which a high-speed, low-resolution raster-type scanning pattern is precisely generated under electronic control.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein the electronically-controlled bar code symbol reading engine is induced into its high-speed/high-resolution raster scanning mode of operation when the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device is removed from its support stand, and into its high-speed/low-resolution raster scanning mode when the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device is placed into its support stand.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein 2-D bar code symbols can be easily and reliably read in the hands-on mode of operation when the electronically-controlled bar code symbol reading engine is induced into its high-speed/high-resolution raster scanning mode of operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein 2-D bar code symbols can be easily and reliably read in the hands-free mode of operation when the electronically-controlled bar code symbol reading engine is induced into its high-speed/low-resolution raster scanning mode of operation as, for example, during sheet reading applications.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein 2-D bar code symbols, containing numerous lines of information encoded in accordance with the PDF 147 symbology, can be read by the bar code symbol reading device and the symbol character data representative thereof be automatically transmitted to a base unit over a one-way wireless radio-frequency (RF) link, and therefrom, onto a host computer, whereupon the base unit an acoustical acknowledgment signal is automatically generated for reception by the human operator.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device is provided with an IR-based object detection subsystem for enabling automatic actuation of the raster-type bar code symbol reading engine of the present invention upon automatic detection of objects.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device is provided with a manually-actuated trigger for enabling manual actuation of the raster-type bar code symbol reading engine of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein the raster-type bar code symbol reading engine of the present invention can be electronically-reconfigured to produce a single-line type laser scanning pattern upon manual actuation of an external switch provided on the exterior of the hand-supportable housing of the bar code symbol reading device, or upon reading a predesigned mode-switching bar code symbol, for reading 1-D bar code symbols.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein the raster-type bar code symbol reading engine comprises a pair of mechanically-damped off-resonant laser beam scanning mechanisms that are arranged on a miniature optical bench and electronically-controlled by a synchronously driven drive circuit.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein the raster-type bar code symbol reading engine comprises a pair of mechanically-damped off-resonant laser beam scanning mechanisms that are arranged on a miniature optical bench and electronically-controlled by an asynchronously driven drive circuit so that the raster laser scanning pattern floats slightly along the y-scanning direction to facilitate reading of 2-D bar code symbols during the hands-on mode of operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system, wherein each such laser beam scanning mechanism c
Amundsen Thomas C.
Blake Robert E.
Carullo Thomas
Colavito Stephen J.
Knowles C. Harry
Kim Ahshik
Lee Michael G.
Metrologic Instruments Inc.
Parkowski, Esq., P. C. Thomas J.
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