Secure wireless indicia reader

• US 20080217411A1
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinson, Michael D., Mather, Richard Kevin, Ledwith, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,439,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/472.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners

Abstract

A method of operating an indicia reader network comprising the steps of: reading an information bearing indicia of an item with a hand held indicia reader having a first wireless transceiver and generating therefrom an encrypted data message in accordance with a FIPS standard; transmitting the encrypted data message from the indicia reader to a base unit having a second wireless transceiver; decrypting the data message within the base; and transmitting the decrypted data message to a host device, wherein the network is configured so that the indicia reader and the base unit have a linking mode in which a base address of the base unit is sent to the indicia reader, and a reader address is sent to the indicia reader and a request to link is sent to the base unit by way of an encrypted wireless communication between the second wireless transceiver and the first wireless transceiver.

Claims

1. An indicia reader network, the network comprising:

an indicia reader for reading an information bearing indicia of an item and generating therefrom a FIPS 140 standard encrypted data message;

a base unit for receiving the encrypted data message from the indicia reader and decrypting the FIPS140 standard encrypted data message;

a host device for receiving the decrypted data message from the base unit.

2. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sending of an address of the base unit to the indicia reader is initiated when a portion of the indicia reader is placed in proximity with the base unit.

3. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the indicia reader and the base unit each further include complementarily shaped housings allowing a portion of a handle of the indicia reader to be inserted into and supported by a socket of the base unit.

4. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the indicia symbol is at least one of the following:

a linear symbol and a two-dimensional symbol.

5. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reader and the base communicate in accordance with the Bluetooth wireless communication standard.

6. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the encrypted messages are in accordance with the FIPS 140-2 encryption standard.

7. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless transceivers communicate in accordance with the FIPS 140-2 encryption standard.

8. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the encrypted data message contains medical patient information.

9. A method of operating an indicia reader network comprising the steps of:

reading an information bearing indicia of an item with a hand held indicia reader having a reader wireless transceiver and generating therefrom an encrypted data message in accordance with a FIPS 140 standard;

transmitting the encrypted data message from the indicia reader to a base unit having a base wireless transceiver;

decrypting the data message within the base; and

transmitting the decrypted data message to a host device,

wherein the network is configured so that the indicia reader and the base unit have a linking mode in which a base address of the base unit is sent to the indicia reader, and a reader address is sent to the indicia reader and a request to link is sent to the base unit by way of a wireless communication between the reader wireless transceiver and the base wireless transceiver.

10. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 9, wherein the sending of an address of the base unit to the indicia reader is initiated when a portion of the indicia reader is placed in proximity with the base unit.

11. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 9, wherein the indicia reader and the base unit each further include complementarily shaped housings allowing a portion of a handle of the indicia reader to be inserted into and supported by a socket of the base unit.

12. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 9, wherein the indicia symbol is at least one of the following:

a linear symbol and a two-dimensional symbol.

13. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 9, wherein the first and second wireless transceivers communicate in accordance with the Bluetooth wireless communication standard.

14. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 9, wherein the first and second wireless transceivers communicate in accordance with the FIPS 140-2 communication standard.

15. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 9, wherein the encrypted data message contains medical patient information.

16. An indicia reader network, the network comprising:

a hand held indicia reader for reading an information bearing indicia of an item and generating therefrom a FIPS 140 standard encrypted data message;

a hand held personal data terminal (PDT) or personal data assistant (PDA) for receiving the encrypted data message from the indicia reader and decrypting the FIPS140 standard encrypted data message.

17. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 16, wherein the sending of an address of the PDT OR PDA to the indicia reader is initiated when a portion of the indicia reader is placed in proximity with the PDT OR PDA.

18. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 16, wherein the indicia symbol is at least one of the following:

a linear symbol and a two-dimensional symbol.

19. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 16, wherein the reader and the PDT OR PDA communicate in accordance with the Bluetooth wireless communication standard.

20. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 16, wherein the first address of the reader is the address of a first wireless transceiver and the second address of the PDT OR PDA is the address of a second wireless transceiver.

21. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 16, wherein the encrypted messages are in accordance with the FIPS 140-2 encryption standard.

22. An indicia reader network in accordance with claim 16, wherein the encrypted data message contains medical patient information.

23. A method of operating an indicia reader network comprising the steps of:

reading an information bearing indicia of an item with a hand held indicia reader having a reader wireless transceiver and generating therefrom an encrypted data message in accordance with a FIPS 140 standard;

transmitting the encrypted data message from the indicia reader to a a hand held personal data terminal (PDT) or personal data assistant (PDA) having a PDT/PDA wireless transceiver;

decrypting the data message within the PDT OR PDA; and

transmitting the decrypted data message to a host device,

wherein the network is configured so that the indicia reader and the PDT OR PDA have a linking mode in which a PDT OR PDA address of the PDT OR PDA is sent to the indicia reader, and a reader address is sent to the indicia reader and a request to link is sent to the PDT OR PDA by way of a wireless communication between the second wireless transceiver and the first wireless transceiver.

24. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 23, wherein the sending of an address of the PDT OR PDA to the indicia reader is initiated when a portion of the indicia reader is placed in proximity with the PDT OR PDA.

25. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 23, wherein the indicia symbol is at least one of the following:

a linear symbol and a two-dimensional symbol.

26. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 23, wherein the reader and the PDT OR PDA communicate in accordance with the Bluetooth wireless communication standard.

27. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 23, wherein the reader and the PDT OR PDA communicate in accordance with the FIPS 140-2 communication standard.

28. A method of operating an indicia reader network in accordance with claim 23, wherein the encrypted data message contains medical patient information.