Host feedback of scan status

• US 10,152,623 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Socket Mobile, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Socket Mobile, Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, Robert John, Leafblad, Allan, Newman, Thomas J., Ott, Leonard, Brandon, John E., Ader, Charles E., Miller, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Seung H
• Application Number:
  US15/484,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20180068144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 235383, 235385, 23546201, 23547201-47203
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/01 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10396 the interrogation device being wearable, e.g. as a glove, bracelet, or ring wearable aerials in general H01Q1/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A multi-mode ring scanner (MMRS) has a ring unit for wearing on a finger. The MMRS optionally has a wrist unit coupled to the ring unit, such as via a cable. The MMRS optionally communicates wirelessly with a computing device. The ring unit has one or more scanners (such as an optical scanner or an RFID tag reader). The ring unit optionally has two paddle switches for activation by inward pressure from fingers adjacent to the finger. The two switches enable specifying operation of the MMRS in a plurality of modes and/or to communicate a plurality of information codes to the computing device. The computing device is optionally enabled to assign a function to each combination of activation of the two switches. A scanning system including the MMRS optionally provides feedback to a user based on feedback from a host processor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a host, receiving notice of a scan initiation event from a scanner via a wireless link coupling the host with the scanner;

in the host and responsive to the notice, sending a scan initiation command from the host to the scanner via the wireless link;

in the host, receiving scan results produced via the scanner responsive to the scan initiation command, the scan results communicated via the wireless link;

in the host, determining scan status in accordance with the scan results; and

in the host, communicating the scan status to the scanner via the wireless link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the host is at least one of a mobile phone, a PDA, a laptop PC, a tablet PC, a desktop PC, and a Point-Of-Sale terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a database responsive to the scan results.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the host comprises at least a portion of the database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating is via a payload selectively having a first value indicating a good scan and a second value indicating a bad scan.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the payload is comprised in an Simple Serial Interface (SSI) sub command of an extended SSI protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan status enables indicating when information from the scan results has been successfully entered into a database.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the host communicating with a client/server coupled to a database.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating the database responsive to the scan results.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the host includes a processor coupled to a wireless module that enables the host to communicate via the wireless link, and communication between the processor and the wireless module is compatible with at least one of an industry standard H4 serial protocol and an industry standard USB protocol.

11. A host comprising:

a wireless interface enabled to operate a wireless link with a scanner;

a processor coupled to the wireless interface;

wherein the host is enabled to receive notice of a scan initiation event from the scanner via the wireless interface, and in response, send a scan initiation command to the scanner via the wireless interface;

wherein the host is enabled to receive scan results from the scanner via the wireless interface, the scan results produced via the scanner responsive to the scan initiation command;

wherein the host is enabled to determine scan status in accordance with the scan results; and

wherein the host is enabled to communicate the scan status to the scanner via the wireless interface.

12. The host of claim 11, wherein the host is at least one of a mobile phone, a PDA, a laptop PC, a tablet PC, a desktop PC, and a Point-Of-Sale terminal.

13. The host of claim 11, wherein the host is enabled to update a database responsive to the scan results.

14. The host of claim 13, wherein the host comprises at least a portion of the database.

15. The host of claim 11, wherein the communicating is via a payload selectively having a first value indicating a good scan and a second value indicating a bad scan.

16. The host of claim 15, wherein the payload is comprised in an Simple Serial Interface (SSI) sub command of an extended SSI protocol.

17. A system comprising:

means for receiving notice of a scan initiation event from a scanner via a wireless link coupling the system with the scanner;

means for sending a scan initiation command from the system to the scanner via the wireless link, the means for sending responsive to the notice;

means for receiving scan results produced via the scanner responsive to the scan initiation command, the scan results communicated via the wireless link;

means for determining scan status in accordance with the scan results; and

means for communicating the scan status to the scanner via the wireless link.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the scan status is communicated via a payload selectively having a first value indicating a good scan and a second value indicating a bad scan.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the payload is comprised in an Simple Serial Interface (SSI) sub command of an extended SSI protocol.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the scan status enables indicating when information from the scan results has been successfully entered into a database.