Document decoding system and method for improved decoding performance of indicia reading terminal

• US 10,049,250 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Jingquan, Meier, Timothy P., Hussey, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelly, Rafferty
• Application Number:
  US14/817,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 235454, 23546211
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention comprise an indicia reading terminal including operatively configured to interact with a storage module to store data, including location data, of a decodable indicia found in a captured document image. In one embodiment, the indicia reading terminal can be provided with one or more pre-stored information about the decodable indicia and/or the document. In another embodiment the indicia reading terminal can be provided with instructions and similarly operatively configured components that can identify information about the decodable indicia, store such information in a table, and utilize the tabulated data to process captured image data of subsequent documents.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an indicia reading terminal comprising an image sensor and an optical assembly for focusing light onto the image sensor; and

a memory in communication with the indicia reading terminal, the memory having a zone for storing a data table comprising records;

wherein the system is operative in a mode in which the system;

in response to an operator-initiated command, captures a frame of image data and processes the frame of image data for attempting to decode a decodable indicia on a document;

determines positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to positional location data of a separate document feature within the frame of image data, comprising the system being operative to locate both the decodable indicia and the separate document feature within the frame of image data;

populates the records in the data table with information respecting one or more characteristics of the document, wherein the characteristics of the document comprise the positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to the positional location data of the separate document feature within the frame of image data; and

in response to the records, reduces a decode time that defines the difference in a first decode time for a first document and a second decode time for a second document, wherein the first document and the second document have the same document characteristic.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the document characteristic comprises positional location data of the decodable indicia with respect to the separate document feature.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system in the mode is operative to identify records in the data table comprising one or more pre-populated document data items.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data table comprises one or more pre-populated data items respecting the first document and the second document.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data table comprises at least one data field that identifies (i) the type of decodable indicia, (ii) the location of the decodable indicia, and/or (iii) the size of the decodable indicia.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the separate document feature is defined by a document image boundary, wherein the decodable indicia comprises a decodable indicia boundary within the document image boundary, and wherein the positional location data of the decodable indicia is defined by the relationship of the decodable indicia boundary relative to the document image boundary.

7. The system according to claim 1, comprising a trigger for initiating the operator-initiated command.

8. A system, comprising:

an indicia reading terminal comprising an image sensor and an optical assembly for focusing light onto the image sensor; and

an external server in communication with the indicia reading terminal, wherein the external server is external to the indicia reading terminal, and wherein the external server comprises memory having a zone for storing a data table comprising records;

wherein the system is operative in a mode in which the system;

in response to an operator-initiated command, captures a frame of image data and processes the frame of image data for attempting to decode a decodable indicia on a document;

determines positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to positional location data of a separate document feature within the frame of image data, comprising the system being operative to locate both the decodable indicia and the separate document feature within the frame of image data;

populates the records in the data table with information respecting one or more characteristics of the document, wherein the characteristics of the document comprise the positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to the positional location data of the separate document feature within the frame of image data; and

in response to the records, reduces a decode time that defines the difference in a first decode time for a first document and a second decode time for a second document, wherein the first document and the second document have the same document characteristic.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the document characteristic comprises positional location data of the decodable indicia with respect to the separate document feature.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the system in the mode is operative to identify records in the data table comprising one or more pre-populated document data items.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the data table comprises one or more pre-populated data items respecting the first document and the second document.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the data table comprises at least one data field that identifies (i) the type of decodable indicia, (ii) the location of the decodable indicia, and/or (iii) the size of the decodable indicia.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the separate document feature is defined by a document image boundary, wherein the decodable indicia comprises a decodable indicia boundary within the document image boundary, and wherein the positional location data of the decodable indicia is defined by the relationship of the decodable indicia boundary relative to the document image boundary.

14. An indicia reading terminal, comprising:

an image sensor;

an optical assembly for focusing light onto the image sensor;

a memory for storing a data table comprising records;

a processing module in communication with the image sensor and the memory; and

a housing encapsulating the image sensor, the memory, and the processing module;

wherein the indicia reading terminal is operative in a mode in which the indicia reading terminal;

in response to an operator-initiated command, captures a frame of image data and processes the frame of image data for attempting to decode a decodable indicia on a document;

determines positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to positional location data of a separate document feature within the frame of image data, comprising the system being operative to locate both the decodable indicia and the separate document feature within the frame of image data;

populates the records in the data table with information respecting one or more characteristics of the document, wherein the characteristics of the document comprise the positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to the positional location data of the separate document feature within the frame of image data; and

in response to the records, reduces a decode time that defines the difference in a first decode time for a first document and a second decode time for a second document, wherein the first document and the second document have the same document characteristic.

15. The indicia reading terminal according to claim 14, wherein the document characteristic comprises positional location data of the decodable indicia with respect to the separate document feature.

16. The indicia reading terminal according to claim 14, wherein the indicia reading terminal in the mode is operative to identify records in the data table comprising one or more pre-populated document data items.

17. The indicia reading terminal according to claim 14, wherein the data table comprises one or more pre-populated data items respecting the first document and the second document.

18. The indicia reading terminal according to claim 14, wherein the data table comprises at least one data field that identifies (i) the type of decodable indicia, (ii) the location of the decodable indicia, and/or (iii) the size of the decodable indicia.

19. The indicia reading terminal according to claim 14, wherein the separate document feature is defined by a document image boundary, wherein the decodable indicia comprises a decodable indicia boundary within the document image boundary, and wherein the positional location data of the decodable indicia is defined by the relationship of the decodable indicia boundary relative to the document image boundary.

20. The indicia reading terminal according to claim 14, comprising a trigger for initiating the operator-initiated command.