System and method for transferring information from a portable electronic device to a bar code reader

• US 20060255149A1
• Filed: 05/12/2005
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thumb-Find International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Thumb-Find International Incorporated
• Inventors: Retter, Dale J., Bandekar, Keshav D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.410
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1095 the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00334 with an apparatus processing barcodes or the like arrangements for sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

A translator is provided for reading the bar codes displayed on the screen of a portable electronic device which utilizes a digital camera and/or a microphone responsive to tones from the portable electronic device to process and convert the information received from the camera and/or the microphone to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader without requiring any modification of the bar code reader.

Claims

1. A method for transferring information from a portable electronic device with a display screen to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader including:

obtaining a digital image of the display screen of the portable electronic device;

decoding the digital image; and

supplying the decoded digital image to an output device readable by a reflective bar code reader.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular phone having a display screen.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein obtaining the digital image is effected by photographing the display screen.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein obtaining the digital image is effected by photographing the display screen.

5. A method for transferring information from a portable electronic device with a display screen to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader including:

obtaining a digital image of the display screen of the portable electronic device;

decoding the digital image;

supplying the decoded digital image to a laser emitter re-broadcaster for simulating a pulsed return signal produced when a laser scanner sweeps a scanning beam across the re-broadcaster.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular phone having a display screen.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein obtaining the digital image is effected by photographing the display screen.

8. The method according to claim 5 wherein obtaining the digital image is effected by photographing the display screen.

9. A method for transferring information from a portable electronic device having an audio output to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader including:

receiving a sequence of tones emitted from the portable electronic device upon actuation thereof;

decoding the sequence of tones to produce a digital sequence equivalent to a bar code sequence;

converting the digital sequence to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein converting the digital sequence includes producing a visual display.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein converting the digital sequence to an output readable by a reflective bar code reader includes translation by a laser emitter re-broadcaster to simulate the pulse return signal of a laser scanner.

12. A system for facilitating the transfer of information from a portable electronic device with a display screen to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader including:

a translator base unit having means for positioning the display screen of a portable electronic device in a predetermined position;

a decoding device coupled with the digital imaging camera for decoding the image produced thereby; and

a display coupled with the decoding device for producing the decoded digital image in a form readable by a reflective bar code reader.

13. A system for transferring information from a portable electronic device which produces an output in the form of a sequence of tone signals to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader including:

a microphone for receiving a sequence of tone signals from a portable electronic device;

a tone decoder coupled with the microphone for decoding the sequence of tone signals to produce a digital sequence equivalent to the sequence contained in a bar code sequence;

means coupled with the tone decoder for producing a representation of a bar code image; and

a display for displaying the representation of the bar code image in a form readable by reflective bar code reader.