Automatically-activated hand-supportable omni-directional laser scanning bar code symbol reader having a user-selectable linear scanning menu-reading mode supported by a omni-directional laser scanning pattern having temporally varying intensity characteristics for improved bar code symbol navigation and alignment during menu-reading operations
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-mode laser-based bar code symbol reading device having a hand-supportable housing with a light transmission aperture, wherethrough visible light can exit and enter the hand-supportable housing. A laser scanning engine, disposed within the hand-supportable housing, is controlled to selectively operate in either an omni-directional reading mode or a uni-directional bar code reading mode. In the omni-directional bar code reading mode, the laser scanning engine projects pattern through the light transmission aperture, an omni-directional laser scanning pattern producing multiple laser scanning lines with substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at any given scanning plane parallel to the light transmission aperture within the working distance of the system, and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the omni-directional scanning pattern, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. In the uni-directional bar code reading mode, the laser scanning engine projects through the light transmission aperture, a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern, against a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at any given scanning plane parallel to the light transmission aperture within the working distance of the system, and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the single laser scanning line, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. A manually-actuatable data transmission switch, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, produces an activation signal in response to the manual-actuation of the data transmission switch. A data transmission subsystem, disposed in the hand-supportable housing, operates under control of control circuitry to communicate the symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine to a host device operably coupled to the bar code symbol reading device. The control circuitry enables communication of symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine in the uni-directional bar code reading mode of operation to the host device in response to the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch, and the control circuitry enables communication of symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine in the omni-directional reading mode of operation to the host device irrespective of the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1-23. -23. (canceled)
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24. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device comprising:
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a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a hand-supportable housing and capable of operating in two different bar code reading modes, namely;
in a first bar code reading mode, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity 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;
in a second bar code reading mode, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern having temporally varying intensity characteristics, against a single visible laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics 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;
wherein said hand-supportable housing further comprises a manually-actuatable data transmission control activation switch that is capable of serving dual purposes, namely;
(i) producing a control activation signal that enables communication of symbol character data produced by the bar code symbol reading mechanism to a host system in an automatic manner, as well as (ii) enabling the manual selection of the bar code mode reading modes supported by said device, in response to preprogrammed conditions determined by an automatic IR-enabled object detection subsystem embodied within said hand-supportable housing. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. An automatically-activated bar code reading system comprising:
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a visible laser light source, scanning element and a plurality of stationary mirrors arranged in a first configuration and cooperating to produce a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern with multiple laser scanning lines having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to a scanning window within a working distance of said system; and
wherein said visible laser light source, said scanning element and said plurality of stationary mirrors arranged in a second configuration and cooperating to produce a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern having temporally varying intensity characteristics, against a single visible laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics, at a given scanning plane parallel to said scanning window within the working distance of said system. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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- 31. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 31, wherein such timing signals are derived from a position sensor integrated into a rotating portion of the rotating light directing element.
Specification