Stand to hold and charge a mobile machine-readable symbol reader

• US 10,176,351 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic IP Tech S.r.l. (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Datalogic IP Tech S.r.l. (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Volta, Romano, Di Bari, Giuseppe, Insero, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Mikels, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US15/471,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20180285613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 235435, 235439, 235454, 235462
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/109 adaptations to make the hand-held scanner useable as a fixed scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1408 the method being specifically adapted for the type of code
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems and methods for securing and charging a machine-readable symbol reader in a position that enables the machine-readable symbol reader to continue to capture machine readable codes. The machine-readable symbol reader is secured by a stand that includes a base, an arm, and a cradle. The cradle includes a housing that forms a cavity that is sized and shaped to securely receive a portion of the head of the machine-readable symbol reader. The cavity may further align the window on the secured machine-readable symbol reader with an aperture such that the machine-readable symbol reader can continue to capture visual representations of machine-readable symbols. The housing may include a primary inductive charging interface that aligns and inductively couples with a complementary secondary inductive charging interface located within the machine-readable symbol reader to provide power to the machine-readable symbol reader while the machine-readable symbol reader captures visual representations of machine-readable symbols.

Claims

1. A stand to hold and charge machine-readable symbol readers with inductive charging interfaces, the stand comprising:

a base;

a cradle, the cradle comprising a housing having a front end, a back end, a cavity, a first aperture at the back end, and a second aperture at the front end, the cavity which extends through the housing from the first aperture at the back end of the housing toward the second aperture at the front end of the housing, the cavity sized and dimensioned to removably receive at least a portion of a head of a machine-readable symbol reader having a window, with the window of the machine-readable symbol reader facing and aligned with the second aperture of the cradle, the housing of the cradle includes a major inside surface that delineates a top of the cavity and the inductive charging interface of the stand is parallel and adjacent to the major inside surface and a minor inside surface that delineates a bottom of the cavity, and the major and the minor inside surfaces are spaced to removably secure the head of the machine-readable symbol reader in the cavity, the cradle further comprising;

a first rotatable coupling joint that rotatably couples the major inside surface and the minor inside surface, wherein the first rotatable coupling joint has an axis of rotation that extends laterally across a width of the cavity, and a spring that applies a force to the major inside surface and the minor inside surface, the force to cause the major inside surface and the minor inside surface to rotate towards each other at the back end of the cavity to frictionally removably secure the head of the machine-readable symbol reader in the cavity;

an inductive charging interface, the inductive interface located in the housing of the cradle, positioned to inductively couple with a complementary inductive charging interface of the machine-readable symbol reader when the head of the machine-readable symbol reader is securely positioned in the cradle; and

a first arm having a first end and a second end, the first arm which extends at the first end thereof from the base, and the cradle that extends from the second end of the first arm.

2. The stand of claim 1 wherein the cavity of the cradle has a length, a width and a thickness, the length greater than the width and the width greater than the thickness, and the inductive charging interface of the stand predominately parallel to a plane defined by the length and the width of the cavity.

4. The stand of claim 1, wherein the cradle further comprises:

a side wall, the side wall to physically couple the minor inside surface and the major inside surface in a spaced apart relation to form a tapered cavity that tapers from the front end of the cradle to the backend of the cradle, wherein the tapered cavity is sized and dimensioned to hold the head of the machine-readable symbol reader;

a first rotatable coupling joint that rotatably couples the side wall to the second end of the first arm, wherein the first rotatable coupling joint has an axis of rotation that extends laterally across a width of the cradle; and

a torsional spring that applies a force to the side wall in the direction towards the major inside surface and away from the minor inside surface.

5. The stand of claim 4, wherein the force applied by the torsional spring in the direction towards the major inside surface is less than an opposing force to be applied by a machine-readable symbol reader sized and dimensioned to be held in the tapered cavity, the opposing force to cause the side wall to rotate along the axis of rotation towards the minor inside surface to pivotally removably secure the head of the machine-readable symbol reader in the tapered cavity.

7. The stand of claim 1 wherein the second aperture is a window.

8. The stand of claim 1 further comprising:

a second arm having a first end and a second end, the second arm which extends at the first end thereof from the base, and the cradle that extends from the second end of the second arm.

9. The stand of claim 8 wherein the first arm and the second arm are spaced apart across a width of the base, wherein at least a portion of the machine-readable symbol reader to suspend between the first support member and the second support member when the cradle has removably received at least a portion of the head of the machine-readable symbol reader.

10. The stand of claim 1 further comprising:

a first communications port that comprises a receiver and an antenna;

a processor communicatively coupled to the first communications port;

a second communications port that is communicatively coupled with the processor; and

a nontransitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the nontransitory computer-readable medium stores processor-executable instructions that specifically program the processor to;

store electronic representations of data received by the first communications port from the machine-readable symbol reader; and

transmit the electronic representations of data via the second communications port.

11. The stand of claim 10 wherein the second communications port further includes a power interface to receive power.

3. A stand to hold and charge machine-readable symbol readers with inductive charging interfaces, the stand comprising:

a base;

a cradle, the cradle comprising a housing having a front end, a back end, a cavity, a first aperture at the back end, and a second aperture at the front end, the cavity which extends through the housing from the first aperture at the back end of the housing toward the second aperture at the front end of the housing, the cavity sized and dimensioned to removably receive at least a portion of a head of a machine-readable symbol reader having a window, with the window of the machine-readable symbol reader facing and aligned with the second aperture of the cradle, the housing of the cradle further having a major inside surface that delineates a top of the cavity and the inductive charging interface of the stand is parallel and adjacent to the major inside surface and a minor inside surface that delineates a bottom of the cavity, and the major and the minor inside surfaces are spaced to removably secure the head of the machine-readable symbol reader in the cavity, the cradle further comprising a spring positioned on the minor inside surface, the spring to engage the head of the machine-readable symbol reader and provide a force to the head of the machine-readable symbol reader in a direction towards the major inside surface to frictionally removably secure the head of the machine-readable symbol reader in the cavity;

an inductive charging interface, the inductive interface located in the housing of the cradle, positioned to inductively couple with a complementary inductive charging interface of the machine-readable symbol reader when the head of the machine-readable symbol reader is securely positioned in the cradle; and

a first arm having a first end and a second end, the first arm which extends at the first end thereof from the base, and the cradle that extends from the second end of the first arm.

6. A stand to hold and charge machine-readable symbol readers with inductive charging interfaces, the stand comprising:

a base;

a cradle, the cradle comprising a housing having a front end, a back end, a cavity, a first aperture at the back end, and a second aperture at the front end, the cavity which extends through the housing from the first aperture at the back end of the housing toward the second aperture at the front end of the housing, the cavity sized and dimensioned to removably receive at least a portion of a head of a machine-readable symbol reader having a window, with the window of the machine-readable symbol reader facing and aligned with the second aperture of the cradle, and

a first magnet located along the major inside surface, wherein the first magnet aligns with and securely, magnetically couples to a corresponding second magnet located along a top surface of the head of the machine-readable symbol reader.