Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-05
2004-07-13
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S462150, C235S487000, C235S454000, C235S380000, C235S462450, C235S383000, C235S375000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06761317
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bar code symbol reading systems having one or more base station units, and one or more portable bar code symbol reading devices each remotely situated from the base station(s) and capable of sending symbol character data over distance(s) to the base station(s).
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 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, prior art hand-held and/or portable bar code symbol readers using laser scanning mechanisms can be classified into two major categories.
The first category of bar code symbol readers includes manually-actuated trigger-operated systems having lightweight laser scanners which can be supported in the hand of the user. The user positions the laser scanner at a specified distance from the object bearing the bar code symbol, manually activates the scanner to initiate reading and then moves the scanner over other objects bearing bar code symbols to be read. Prior art bar code symbol readers illustrative of this first category are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,297 to Swartz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,625 to Knowles; U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,349 to Cherry; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,057 to Swartz, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,848 to Knowles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,100 to Shepard, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,456 to Katz, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,617 to Shepard, et al.
The second category of laser-based bar code symbol readers includes automatically actuated systems having lightweight triggerless laser scanners which can be supported in the hand of the user. The user positions the laser scanner at a specified distance from the object bearing the bar code, the presence of the object is automatically detected, the presence of the bar code symbol on the object is detected, and thereafter the detected bar code symbol is automatically read. Prior art illustrative of this second category of laser-based bar code symbol reading systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,606 to Boles, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,538 to Heiman, et al.
Presently, there are two methods of coupling the hand-held laser-based bar code scanner to its base unit which, depending on the particular application, may be either a controller, a keyboard-scanner interface device, or a central or host computer. The first method of coupling employs physical wiring between each hand-held bar code scanner and its associated base unit. Typically, the physical wiring is realized as flexible cord having a coiled structure to permit elongation as required during bar code symbol reading applications.
A major drawback with bar code symbol reading systems using the physical-wiring method of coupling is that the movement of the portable hand-held laser scanning device is restricted by the overall (extended) length of the flexible cord used. In many applications, such as product inventory, the use of such bar code symbol reading systems is simply unacceptable. The second method of coupling employs a “wireless” electromagnetic communication link between each hand-held bar code scanner (or reader) and its associated base unit. Typically, the electromagnetic communication link is established by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals over either the radio-frequency (RF) region or infra-red (IR) region of the electromagnetic energy spectrum. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,277 to Tremmel, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,687 to Tymes, and in the U.S. Patents cited therein.
While prior art bar code symbol reading systems employing the wireless method of coupling offer a marked degree of flexibility over systems utilizing the physical wiring method of interconnection, such prior art systems nevertheless suffer from a number of shortcomings and drawbacks. In particular, these prior art systems require two-way packet communications which involves the use of complex data communications protocols and a separate transmitter and receiver (or a transceiver) at each hand-held bar code symbol reader and base unit in the system. Typically, these data communications requirements increase the cost of manufacture of such systems, and substantially increase the electrical power consumption at each portable bar code symbol reader.
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.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a bar code symbol reading system having at least one hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device which, after each successful reading of a code symbol, automatically synthesizes and then transmits a data packet to a base unit positioned within the data transmission range of the bar code symbol reading device, and upon the successful receipt of the transmitted data packet and recovery of symbol character data therefrom, the base unit transmits an acoustical acknowledgement signal that is perceptible to the user of the bar code symbol reading device residing within the data reception range of the base unit.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a system with one or more automatic (i.e., triggerless) hand-supportable laser-based bar code symbol reading devices, each of which is capable of automatically transmitting data packets to its base unit after each successful reading of a bar code symbol.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system in which the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device can be used as either a portable hand-supported laser scanner in an automatic hands-on mode of operation, or as a stationary laser projection scanner in an automatic hands-free mode of operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol system, in which the base unit is adapted to support the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device in its automatic hands-free mode of operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol system in which the base unit contains a battery recharging device that automatically recharges batteries contained in the hand-supportable device when the hand-supportable device is supported within the base unit.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system with a mode of operation that permits the user to automatically read one or more bar code symbols on an object in a consecutive manner.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which a plurality of automatic hand-supportable bar code symbol reading devices are used in conjunction with a plurality of base units, each of which is mated to a particular bar code symbol reading device.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which radio frequency (RF) carrier signals of the same frequency are used by each hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device to transmit data packets to respective base units.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which a novel data packet transmission and reception scheme is used to minimize the occurrence of data packet interference at each base unit during data packet reception.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in
Colavito Stephen J.
Germaine Gennady
Knowles Carl H.
Rockstein George B.
Wilz, Sr. David M.
Le Thien M.
Metrologic Instruments Inc.
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Trail Allyson N.
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