Optical reader comprising soft key including permanent graphic indicia

• US 20030006290A1
• Filed: 05/02/2002
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Hussey, Robert M., Roberts, Clayton, Fitch, Timothy R., Walczyk, Joseph, Kinson, Lee
• Granted Patent: US 6,899,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1092 sensing by means of TV-scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments

Abstract

The present invention to provide an optical reader with at least two variable definition soft keys positioned adjacent the display and externally labeled with permanent down and up arrow indicia. Variable definition soft keys are highly versatile and allow the user to change or alter the function of the soft keys based on a user program. Soft keys positioned adjacent the display and labeled with down and up arrows graphically reinforce a wide range of text and graphic combinations shown on the display.

Claims

1. A data collection device comprising:

a gun style housing having a head portion and a handle portion;

a display disposed in said head portion;

a control circuit disposed in said housing controlling indicia displayed on said display; and

a pair of arrow soft keys disposed adjacently relative to said display, wherein one of soft keys includes a “

DOWN”

arrow formed thereon in a permanent graphic and the other of the soft keys includes an “

UP”

arrow formed thereon in a permanent graphic.

2. The data collection device of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays the words “

DECREASE” and

“

INCREASE,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys and wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays the words “

NO” and

“

YES,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys.

3. The data collection device of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays the words “

DECREASE” and

“

INCREASE,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys and wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays the words “

DOWN” and

“

UP,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys.

4. The data collection device of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays the words “

DECREASE” and

“

INCREASE,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys and wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays the words “

DISAGREE” and

“

AGREE,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys.

5. The data collection device of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays the words “

DECREASE” and

“

INCREASE,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys AND wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays the words “

CANCEL” and

“

ACCEPT,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys.

6. The data collection device of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays the words “

DECREASE” and

“

INCREASE,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys and wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays the words “

REVERSE” and

“

FORWARD,”

respectively, on said display adjacently relative to said down and up arrow soft keys.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said device includes an imaging assembly, and wherein said control circuit is adapted to decode decodable indicia represented in image signals generated by said imaging assembly.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said pair of arrow soft keys are disposed horizontally relative to said display.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said pair of arrow soft keys are disposed vertically upward relative to said display.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein said pair of arrow soft keys are disposed vertically downward relative to said display.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays on said display a first pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft keys, and wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays on said display a second pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft key.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays on said display a first pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft keys, and wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays on said display a second pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft key, and wherein said control circuit in a third mode of operation displays on said display a third pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft key.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays on said display a first pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft keys, and wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays on said display a second pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft key.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein said control circuit in a first mode of operation displays on said display a first pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft keys, and wherein said control circuit in a second mode of operation displays on said display a second pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft key, and wherein said control circuit in a third mode of operation displays on said display a third pair of messages adjacently relative to said arrow soft keys that are graphically reinforced by said combination of said down arrow and said up arrow soft key.

17. The reader of claim 16, wherein said control circuit is programmed to execute a mode of operation wherein said down and up arrow labeled soft keys reinforce the words “

DOWN” and

“

UP”

respectively shown on said display.

18. The reader of claim 16, wherein control circuit is programmed to execute a mode of operation wherein said down and up arrow labeled soft keys reinforce the words “

NO” and

“

YES”

respectively shown on said display.

19. The reader of claim 16, wherein said control circuit is programmed to execute a mode of operation wherein said down and up arrow labeled soft keys reinforce the words “

DECREASE” and

“

INCREASE”

respectively shown on said display.

20. The reader of claim 16, wherein said control circuit is programmed to execute a mode of operation wherein down and up arrow labeled soft keys reinforce the words “

DISAGREE” and

“

AGREE”

respectively shown on said display.

21. The reader of claim 16, wherein said control circuit is programmed to execute a mode of operation wherein down and up arrow labeled soft keys reinforce the words “

CANCEL” and

“

ACCEPT”

respectively shown on said display.

22. The reader of claim 16, wherein said control circuit is programmed to execute a mode of operation wherein down and up arrow labeled soft keys reinforce the words “

REVERSE” and

“

FORWARD”

respectively shown on said display.

13. A data collection device comprising:

a gun style housing having a head portion and a handle portion;

a display disposed in said head portion;

a control circuit disposed in said housing controlling indicia displayed on said display; and

a pair of arrow soft keys disposed adjacently relative to said display, wherein one of soft keys includes a “

MINUS (−

)”

sign formed thereon in a permanent graphic and the other of the soft keys includes an “

PLUS (+)”

sign formed thereon in a permanent graphic.

16. An optical reader operating under the control of a control circuit said reader comprising:

a housing;

a reader head;

a display; and

a keyboard having a plurality of keys including two variable definition soft keys positioned adjacent said display and externally labeled with down and up arrow indicia.