Portable scanner with improved user feedback

• US 10,152,624 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2017
• 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, Timothy, Gifford, Bobby Dale, Ott, Leonard, Brandon, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US15/454,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20180012050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 23547202, 23546211, 23546241, 23546246, 23546224, 23546248
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10564 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• 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: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes

Abstract

A portable scanner with improved user feedback provides scan data to a networked computing node via a wireless interface and the Internet. The portable scanner receives user feedback information from the networked computing node via the wireless interface and the Internet. The user feedback information indicates successful entry of the scan data into a database, or alternatively successful receipt of the scan data by the networked computing node. The portable scanner sets a scan status indicator to a final state in response to the user feedback information. Optionally, the database is a remote database that a local database is synchronized with, and/or the database is associated with the networked computing node. Optionally the portable scanner is wearable. Optionally the portable scanner is compatible with barcode and/or RFID technologies.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a portable scanner, gathering scan data using a scan engine of the portable scanner;

in the portable scanner, setting a scan status indicator of the portable scanner to an initial state in response to the gathering;

in the portable scanner, providing at least a portion of the scan data to a networked computing node via a wireless interface and the Internet;

in the portable scanner, receiving user feedback information from the networked computing node via the wireless interface and the Internet, the user feedback information indicating successful entry of the at least a portion of the scan data into a database; and

in the portable scanner, setting the scan status indicator to a final state in response to the user feedback information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the networked computing node comprises a client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the networked computing node comprises a server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is a remote database and further comprising synchronizing the remote database with a local database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is associated with the networked computing node.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable scanner is a handheld scanner and the scan status indicator is at least partially contained in a scanner housing adapted to handheld scanning.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable scanner is a ring unit scanner and the scan status indicator is at least partially contained in a scanner housing adapted to ring unit scanning.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the portable scanner is wearable.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wearable portion comprises a wearable ring unit.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the wearable portion comprises a wearable wrist unit.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the wearable portion comprises a wearable pair of glasses.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan engine comprises a barcode scan engine.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan engine comprises an RFID scan engine.

14. A portable scanner comprising:

a scan engine enabled to gather scan data;

a scan status indicator;

a wireless interface enabled to provide at least a portion of the scan data to a networked computing node via the Internet, and further enabled to receive user feedback information from the networked computing node via the Internet; and

user feedback logic enabled to set the scan status indicator to an initial state in response to the scan engine gathering the scan data and further enabled to set the scan status indicator to a final state in response to the user feedback information, the user feedback information indicating successful entry of the at least a portion of the scan data into a database.

15. The portable scanner of claim 14, wherein the networked computing node comprises a client.

16. The portable scanner of claim 14, wherein the networked computing node comprises a server.

17. The portable scanner of claim 14, wherein the database is associated with the networked computing node.

18. The portable scanner of claim 14, wherein the portable scanner is a handheld scanner further comprising a scanner housing adapted to handheld scanning and to at least partially contain the scan status indicator.

19. The portable scanner of claim 14, wherein the portable scanner is a ring unit scanner further comprising a scanner housing adapted to ring unit scanning and to at least partially contain the scan status indicator.

20. The portable scanner of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the portable scanner is wearable.

21. The portable scanner of claim 20, wherein the wearable portion comprises a wearable ring unit.

22. The portable scanner of claim 20, wherein the wearable portion comprises a wearable wrist unit.

23. The portable scanner of claim 20, wherein the wearable portion comprises a wearable pair of glasses.

24. The portable scanner of claim 14, wherein the scan engine comprises a barcode scan engine.

25. The portable scanner of claim 14, wherein the scan engine comprises an RFID scan engine.

26. A system comprising:

a scan engine;

a scan status indicator;

means for gathering scan data using the scan engine;

means for providing at least a portion of the scan data to a networked computing node via a wireless interface and the Internet;

means for receiving user feedback information from the networked computing node via the wireless interface and the Internet, the user feedback information indicating successful entry of the at least a portion of the scan data into a database;

means for setting the scan status indicator to an initial state in response to the means for gathering scan data using the scan engine and to a final state in response to the user feedback information; and

wherein the system is compatible with portable scanning.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the networked computing node comprises a client/server.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the database is a remote database and further comprising means for synchronizing the remote database with a local database.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the database is associated with the networked computing node.

30. A system comprising:

means for gathering scan data;

means for providing at least a portion of the scan data to a networked computing node via a wireless interface and the Internet;

means for receiving user feedback information from the networked computing node via the wireless interface and the Internet, the user feedback information indicating successful receipt of the at least a portion of the scan data by the networked computing node;

means for indicating an initial state in response to the means for gathering scan data and a final scan state in response to the user feedback information; and

wherein the system is compatible with portable scanning.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the user feedback information further indicates successful entry of the at least a portion of the scan data into a database associated with the networked computing node.