Method and System for Adapting a Mobile Computing Device with a Face Module Expansion Port

• US 20090321524A1
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Bellows, David, Wulff, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/146,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20090321524A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments

Abstract

Described are devices and systems for adapting an expansion port at a front end of a mobile computing device without impacting the performance of the device. The device includes a housing having a front end, a data capturing arrangement positioned on the front end, the data capturing arrangement collecting data from one or more automatic identification items, and an expansion port positioned on the front end, the expansion port receiving an expansion module increasing the functionality of the device. The system includes a mobile computing device including a housing having a front end, a data capturing arrangement positioned on the front end, the data capturing arrangement collecting data from one or more automatic identification items, and an expansion port positioned on the front end, and an expansion module increasing the functionality of the device, the expansion module receivable by the expansion port of the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a housing having a front end;

a data capturing arrangement positioned on the front end, the data capturing arrangement collecting data from one or more automatic identification items; and

an expansion port positioned on the front end, the expansion port receiving an expansion module increasing the functionality of the device.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a connection interface positioned on the front end of the housing, the connection interface including at least one of an electrical interface and a mechanical interface.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processor regulating an operation of the device by facilitating communications between the expansion port and the expansion module, the processor processing the data collected from the data capturing arrangement.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the data capturing arrangement includes one of a barcode reader, an imaging sensor, a radio frequency identification antenna, a location awareness system, and a global positioning system.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the data collected from the data capturing arrangement is received from one of a barcode, a radio frequency identification tag, a global positioning tag, and an image from an image-based scanner.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the expansion module includes one or more antennas for wirelessly communicating with at least one or more RFID tags, GPS tags, routers, access points, and further devices.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the expansion module includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) reader, an ultrahigh frequency (“

UHF”

) RFID reader, an electronic article surveillance (“

EAS”

) reader, local area network (“

LAN”

) communication interface, wide area network (“

WAN”

) communication interface, personal area network (“

PAN”

) communication interface, a modem, a magnetic stripe reader, a smart card reader, a voice recognition interface, and a biometric reader.

8. A system, comprising:

a mobile computing device including a housing having a front end, a data capturing arrangement positioned on the front end, the data capturing arrangement collecting data from one or more automatic identification items, and an expansion port positioned on the front end; and

an expansion module increasing the functionality of the device, the expansion module receivable by the expansion port of the mobile computing device.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the mobile computing device further includes a connection interface positioned on the front end of the housing, the connection interface including at least one of an electrical interface and a mechanical interface.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the mobile computing device further includes a processor regulating an operation of the device by facilitating communications between the expansion port and the expansion module, the processor processing the data collected from the data capturing arrangement.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the data capturing arrangement includes one of a barcode reader, an imaging sensor, a radio frequency identification antenna, a location awareness system, and a global positioning system.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the data collected from the data capturing arrangement is received from one of a barcode, a radio frequency identification tag, a global positioning tag, and an image from an image-based scanner.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the expansion module includes one or more antennas for wirelessly communicating with at least one or more RFID tags, GPS tags, routers, access points, and further devices.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the expansion module includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) reader, an ultrahigh frequency (“

UHF”

) RFID reader, an electronic article surveillance (“

EAS”

) reader, local area network (“

LAN”

) communication interface, wide area network (“

WAN”

) communication interface, personal area network (“

PAN”

) communication interface, a modem, a magnetic stripe reader, a smart card reader, a voice recognition interface, and a biometric reader.

15. A device, comprising:

a housing means having a front end;

a data capturing means, positioned on the front end, for collecting data from one or more automatic identification items; and

an expansion port means, positioned on the front end, for receiving an expansion module increasing the functionality of the device.

16. The device according to claim 15, further comprising:

a connection interface means, positioned on the front end of the housing, for one of electrically and mechanically coupling the expansion module to the expansion port means.

17. The device according to claim 15, further comprising:

a processing means for regulating an operation of the device by facilitating communications between the expansion port means and the expansion module, the processing means processing the data collected from the data capturing arrangement.

18. The device according to claim 15, wherein the data capturing means includes one of a barcode reader, an imaging sensor, a radio frequency identification antenna, a location awareness system, and a global positioning system.

19. The device according to claim 15, wherein the expansion module includes one or more antennas for wirelessly communicating with at least one or more RFID tags, GPS tags, routers, access points, and further devices.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein the expansion module includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) reader, an ultrahigh frequency (“

UHF”

) RFID reader, an electronic article surveillance (“

EAS”

) reader, local area network (“

LAN”

) communication interface, wide area network (“

WAN”

) communication interface, personal area network (“

PAN”

) communication interface, a modem, a magnetic stripe reader, a smart card reader, a voice recognition interface, and a biometric reader.