Wireless laser scanning bar code symbol reading system, wherein the RF-based transceiver chipsets within the wireless hand-supportable unit and base station thereof are automatically deactivated and said RF data communication link therebetween terminated when said system enters its power-saving sleep mode, and reactivated and re-eastablished when re-entering its operational mode
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Abstract
Disclosed is an automatically-activated wireless code symbol reading system comprising a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a hand-supportable housing having a manually-activatable data transmission switch. During symbol reading operations, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible laser scanning pattern for repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby. During system operation, the user visually aligns the visible laser scanning pattern with a particular bar code symbol on an object (e.g. product, bar code menu, etc.) so that the bar code symbol is scanned, detected and decoded in a cyclical manner. Each time the scanned bar code symbol is successfully read during a bar code symbol reading cycle, a new bar code symbol character string is produced, while an indicator light on the hand-supportable housing is actively driven. During the bar code symbol reading cycle, the user actuates the data transmission switch producing a data transmission control activation signal and enabling a currently or subsequently produced symbol character data string to be automatically selected and transmitted to the host system. By virtue of the present invention, automatically-activated hand-supportable bar code symbol readers are now able to accurately read, in an unprecedented manner, bar code symbols on bar code menus, consumer products positioned in crowded point-of-sale environments, and other objects requiring automatic identification and/or information access.
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Citations
100 Claims
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1-92. -92. (canceled)
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93. An automatically-activated wireless bar code symbol reading system for use in a work environment and having an operational mode and a sleep mode, said system comprising:
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(A) a wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader in two-way RF communication with a base station operably connected to a host system, by way of an RF-based wireless data communication link having a predetermined RF communication range over which two-way communication of data packets can occur, said wireless hand-supportable bar code reader including (1) a hand-supportable housing, (2) a battery disposed within said hand-supportable housing, for supplying electrical power to electrical-energy consuming components employed therewithin. (3) a bar code symbol reading mechanism, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for automatically and automatically reading a bar code symbol on an object and producing a symbol character data string representative of said read bar code symbol, (4) a first RF-based transceiver chipset, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for transmitting data packets corresponding to said produced symbol character data string, to said base station and for subsequent transmission to said host system, and (5) a first microcontroller, operably associated with said first RF-based transceiver chipset, for controlling the operation of said first RF-based transceiver chipset; and
(B) said base station installable within a work environment and including (1) a base station housing, (2) a second RF-based transceiver chipset, disposed within said base station housing, for receiving data packets corresponding to said symbol character data strings transmitted from said first RF-based transceiver chipset, and (3) a second microcontroller, operably associated with said second RF-based transceiver chipset, for controlling the operation of the second RF-based transceiver chipset;
wherein said first and second RF-based transceiver chipsets enable said RF-based wireless data communication link between said wireless hand-supportable bar code reader and said base station;
wherein said first and second RF-based transceiver chipsets cooperate to enable the communication of data packets over said RF-based wireless data communication link, during said operational mode;
wherein said second RF-based transceiver includes means for automatically generating and transmitting a reference signal to said first RF-based transceiver circuit over said RF-based wireless data communication link;
wherein said first RF-based transceiver circuit includes means for automatically receiving said reference signal and detecting the strength of said reference signal; and
wherein when said system enters said sleep mode, then said first and second RF-based chipsets and said first and second microcontrollers associated therewith are automatically deactivated and said RF data communication link is terminated to conserve said electrical power within said wireless hand-supportable bar code reader, and wherein, when said system re-enters its operational mode, then said first and second RF chipsets and said first and second microcontrollers associated therewith are automatically reactivated and said RF data communication link is re-established to resume communication between said wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader and said base station. - View Dependent Claims (94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100)
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Specification