Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
1997-05-19
2001-02-27
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S462250
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193159
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable terminal apparatus for use to read information from an object of reading such as a bar code and process the information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, to commodities dealt with in such stores as mass-sales stores, convenience stores or supermarkets, bar codes including information regarding the commodities are applied.
A manager of a store reads, using a portable terminal apparatus having a scanning function of reading a bar code, bar cord information applied to a commodity and performs information processing and so forth of the thus read bar code information to perform merchandise control or warehousing management including taking in and out of commodities in the store.
Such a portable terminal apparatus as-described above includes an optical scanner unit (optical reading unit) which performs a scanning operation to irradiate light upon a bar code and receive reflected light from the bar code to obtain bar code information, and an apparatus body which is connected to the optical scanner unit by way of a cable or the like and processes information based on bar code information obtained from the optical scanning unit.
In the portable terminal apparatus, an apparatus body usually has an inputting section such as ten keys for inputting data or an operation instruction, and an operator can perform predetermined information processing by way of manual operation of the inputting section. Meanwhile, the optical scanner unit usually includes a trigger key, and reading is started when the trigger key is depressed.
Accordingly, upon operation of the portable terminal apparatus, an operator grasps the apparatus body with one hand and grasps the optical scanner unit with the other hand, and performs manual operation of the inputting section and manual operation of the trigger key of the optical scanner unit side by side with each other. Consequently, both hands are always busy, and it is difficult to operate the apparatus body after data are collected using the optical scanner unit, and this degrades the operability of the portable terminal apparatus.
Thus, it has been proposed to develop, different from such usual portable terminal apparatus, an apparatus body and an optical scanner unit, which can be mounted integrally onto the apparatus body, separately from each other and integrate the apparatus body and the optical scanner unit with each other to facilitate operation of the apparatus body.
However, the portable terminal apparatus wherein the optical scanner unit and the apparatus body are integrated with each other so that it may additionally have a scanning function has a subject to be solved in that the operability is degraded depending upon the mounting position of the trigger key of the optical scanner unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal apparatus wherein a trigger key of an optical reading unit is located so as to be used readily by an operator to assure a high degree of operability.
In order to attain the object described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal apparatus, comprising an apparatus body, an inputting section provided on the apparatus body for inputting processing information including data and an operation instruction, an optical reading unit mounted on the apparatus body for irradiating light upon a reading object and receiving reflected light from the reading object to obtain read information of the reading object, the portable terminal apparatus being additionally provided with a reading function as the optical reading unit is mounted integrally on the apparatus body, and a trigger key allocated on the inputting section of the apparatus body for being manually operated to start a reading operation by the optical reading unit.
In the portable terminal apparatus, as the optical reading unit is integrally mounted on the apparatus body, the reading function is additionally provided to the portable terminal apparatus. In particular, the optical reading unit irradiates light upon a reading object and receives reflected light from the reading object to read information from the reading object. Since the trigger key which is manually operated when such reading operation of the optical reading unit is to be started is allocated on the inputting section of the apparatus body, the operator can perform the manual operation of the trigger key on the inputting section. When the trigger key is operated, such trigger key operation information is stored into the register, and while the trigger key operation information is stored in the register, the optical reading unit is driven by the reading operation driving section to perform a reading operation.
With the portable terminal apparatus, since the trigger key which is manually operated when such reading operation of the optical reading unit is to be started is allocated on the inputting section of the apparatus body, the operator can manually operate the trigger key easily. Consequently, the portable terminal apparatus is advantageous in that the operability can be improved very much.
The portable terminal apparatus may be constructed such that the inputting section includes a ten key set, and a function as the trigger key is allocated to at least one of keys of the ten key set so that the key may serve also as the trigger key, or alternatively such that it further comprises a display section provided on the apparatus body for displaying a touch panel as the inputting section thereof, and the trigger key is allocated to the touch panel. In either case, the operation can perform the manual operation of the trigger key on the inputting section. Also here, since the trigger key which is manually operated when such reading operation of the optical reading unit is to be started is allocated on the inputting section of the apparatus body, the operator can operate the trigger key easily. Consequently, the portable terminal apparatus is advantageous in that the operability can be improved very much.
The portable terminal apparatus may further comprise a register for storing trigger key operation information when the trigger key is operated, a reading operation driving section for causing the optical reading unit to perform the reading operation while the trigger key operation information is stored in the register, a timer for counting a time elapsed after the trigger key operation information is stored into the register, and a resetting processing section for erasing the trigger key operation information stored in the register when the elapsed time counted by the timer exceeds a supervisory time or when read information of the reading object is obtained by the reading operation of the optical reading unit within the supervisory time. In the portable terminal apparatus, the timer counts a time elapsed after trigger operation information is stored into the register, and when the elapsed time counted by the timer exceeds the supervisory time or when read information of a reading object is obtained by a reading operation of the optical reading unit within the supervisory time, the trigger operation information stored in the register is erased by the resetting processing section.
The optical reading unit may include a trigger key for exclusive use for being operated to start a reading operation by the optical reading unit, the trigger key for exclusive use having the same function as that of the trigger key allocated on the inputting section. Here, since the trigger key for exclusive use has the same function as that of the trigger key allocated on the inputting section, the operator can start a reading operation by manual operation of the trigger key for exclusive use similarly as in a usual portable terminal apparatus. Thus, the operator can alternatively use the trigger key for exclusive use or the trigger key allocated on the inputting section depending upon the situation, and consequently, the portable terminal appara
Iura Akihiko
Miyata Maki
Murata Akio
Armstrong, Westerman, Hattori, McCleland & Naughton
Fujitsu Limited
Le Thien M.
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