Y-ADAPTER WITH EMBEDDED WIRELESS PORT

• US 20080105743A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Socket Mobile, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Socket Mobile, Inc.
• Inventors: Mills, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US12/013,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20080105743A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/441
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation

Abstract

An improved way to add a wireless peripheral to existing digital systems is taught. A small lightweight and low-cross-section adapter is illustrated that is suitable for use suspended inline with the cables attached to it. The adapter has an embedded wireless port for receiving decoded data from a wireless peripheral, such as a handheld scanner. The adapter is applicable to all wireless peripheral types. For use with handheld scanners, the adapter is applicable to all scanner types, including those where the scan head (scan engine) is based on optical or radio frequency techniques. Hence the scanner data may correspond to optically-scanned printed-codes (e.g., bar codes) or RF-scanned RFID tags. The adapter further has an input connector for communicating with an existing wired peripheral and an output connector for communicating with the existing system unit. To add a wireless peripheral, the adapter is merely inserted between a wired peripheral and the system unit. The adapter may be plugged directly into the system unit where the cable of the wired peripheral formerly attached. Compared to prior art solutions, the concepts taught ease the installation of the wireless peripherals, lower the cost of the addition, and expand the placement freedom for the wireless peripheral'"'"'s charging cradle.

Claims

1. A system, including:

a device connector to communicate with a wired device;

a system connector to communicate with a system unit;

a wireless interface to communicate with a wireless peripheral;

a switch having inputs coupled to the device connector and to the wireless interface, the switch having an output coupled to the system connector;

wherein the switch couples the wireless interface to the system connector when there is data activity from the wireless peripheral and couples the device connector to the system connector when there is no data activity from the wireless peripheral, and

wherein the wireless interface and the switch are implemented within a mechanical substrate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the connectors are implemented within the mechanical substrate.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the connectors are implemented separate from the mechanical substrate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the connectors, the interface, the switch, and the mechanical substrate are included in an adapter.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the weight and shape of the adapter are suitable for direct suspended operation while inserted into a receptacle on the system unit.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the adapter is formed into a rigid element.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mechanical substrate is implemented using injection molded plastic, and the interface and the switch are embedded in the mechanical substrate.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless interface and the switch are powered via the system connector.

9. The system of claim 1, further including a power connector to couple to a power supply.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired device has an RS-232 interface.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired device has a USB interface.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the system unit has an RS-232 interface.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the system unit has a USB interface.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired device is a wired scanner.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired device is a data collection device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired device is a keyboard.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless peripheral is a wireless RFID reader.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired device is a wired scanner and the wireless peripheral is a wireless RFID reader.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the coupling between the wireless interface and the switch includes protocol conversion circuitry to adapt the wireless interface to a protocol compatible with the system unit.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless peripheral includes an optical based scan head.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the scan head is adapted to scan bar codes.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the scan head includes a laser scanner.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the scan head includes a one-dimensional CCD array.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the scan head includes a two-dimensional CCD array.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless peripheral includes an RF based scan head.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the scan head is adapted to scan RFID tags.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the scan head is adapted to scan inductively.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the scan head is adapted to scan via perturbated reflected RF energy.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the scan head is adapted to scan via microwave backscatter.

30. The system of claim 1, further including the wireless peripheral.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the wired device is a keyboard.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the wired device is a scanner.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the system unit is a POS unit.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the wireless peripheral is a scanner.

35. A method, comprising the steps of:

coupling, via a switch circuit, a wireless interface to a system connector when there is data activity from a wireless device in communication with the wireless interface;

coupling, via the switch circuit, a wired device to the system connector when there is no data activity from the wireless device; and

wherein

the wired device is coupled to a device connector,

the device connector is coupled to the switch circuit, and

the wireless interface and the switch circuit are implemented within a mechanical substrate.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the mechanical substrate is of a weight and shape that are suitable for direct suspended operation while the system connector is mechanically coupled to a compatible receptacle.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the wireless interface and the switch circuit are powered via the system connector.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the wireless interface and the switch circuit are powered via a power supply coupled to a power connector implemented within the mechanical substrate.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the wired device is a wired optical scanner.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the wired device is a keyboard.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the wireless device is a wireless optical scanner.

42. The method of claim 35, wherein the wireless device is a wireless RFID reader.

43. The method of claim 35, wherein the system connector is coupled to a POS unit.

44. A method, comprising the steps of:

communicating, via an adapter, data between a wireless device and a host system when there is data activity from the wireless device;

communicating, via the adapter, data between a wired peripheral and the host system when there is no data activity from the wireless device;

wherein the adapter includes

a peripheral connector to couple to the wired peripheral,

a host connector to couple to the host system, and

a wireless interface to communicate with the wireless device; and

wherein the adapter is implemented in a common housing.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising inserting the adapter between the wired peripheral and the host system.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the weight and shape of the adapter are suitable for direct suspended operation while inserted into a receptacle on the host system.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the adapter is powered via the host connector.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the adapter is powered via a power connector included in the adapter.

49. The method of claim 44, wherein the peripheral connector is compatible with an RS-232 interface.

50. The method of claim 44, wherein the host connector is compatible with an RS-232 interface.

51. The method of claim 44, wherein the peripheral connector is compatible with a USB interface.

52. The method of claim 44, wherein the host connector is compatible with a USB interface.

53. The method of claim 44, wherein the wired peripheral is a wired optical scanner.

54. The method of claim 44, wherein the wired peripheral is a keyboard.

55. The method of claim 44, wherein the wireless device is a wireless optical scanner.

56. The method of claim 44, wherein the wireless device is a wireless RFID reader.

57. The method of claim 44, wherein the host connector is coupled to a POS unit.