ENCODED INFORMATION READING TERMINAL WITH MULTI-BAND ANTENNA

• US 20120055988A1
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Qu, Huyu, Wang, Ynjiun P., Sauerwein, James T. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,757,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices

Abstract

An encoded information reading (EIR) terminal can comprise a microprocessor, a memory communicatively coupled to the microprocessor, an EIR device, a multi-band antenna, and a wireless communication interface. The EIR reading device can be provided by a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, and/or a card reading device. The EIR device can be configured to output raw message data comprising an encoded message and/or output decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message. The wireless communication interface can be configured to support at least two wireless communication protocols. The multi-band antenna can be configured to simultaneously receive two or more radio signals in two or more frequency regulatory domains. The EIR terminal can be configured to dynamically select a wireless communication network and/or a wireless communication protocol by optimizing a value of a wireless communication protocol selection criterion which can be based on said two or more radio signals.

Claims

1. An encoded information reading (EIR) terminal comprising:

a microprocessor;

a memory communicatively coupled to said microprocessor;

an EIR device selected from the group consisting of;

a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, and a card reading device, said EIR device configured to perform at least one of;

outputting raw message data comprising an encoded message and outputting decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message;

a multi-band antenna; and

a wireless communication interface configured to support at least two wireless communication protocols;

wherein said multi-band antenna is configured to simultaneously receive two or more radio signals in two or more frequency regulatory domains; and

wherein said EIR terminal is configured to dynamically select at least one of;

a wireless communication network and a wireless communication protocol by optimizing a value of a wireless communication protocol selection criterion, said wireless communication protocol selection criterion based on said two or more radio signals.

2. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication protocol selection criterion is based on at least one of:

a signal strength of said radio signals, a wireless network status, a wireless network usage cost, and a wireless network throughput.

3. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said multi-band antenna is further configured to transmit radio signals in two or more frequency regulatory domains.

4. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication interface is configured to support at least two of:

GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS (WCDMA/TD-SCDMA), HSPA/HSPA+, CDMA, CDMA2000, CDMA 1xEvDo, TDMA, LTE (FDD-LTE or TD-LTE), UWB, 802.11, 802.15, and 802.16m (WiMax) wireless communication protocols.

5. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said two or more frequency regulatory domains include two or more of:

850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1700 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz.

6. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said multi-band antenna has a size of less than one tenth of said radio signal wavelength.

7. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said multi-band antenna comprises at least one feed.

8. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said multi-band antenna comprises a splitter/diplexer.

9. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said multi-band antenna comprises an impedance match circuit.

10. The EIR terminal of claim 1 further comprising at least one connector configured to receive a SIM card.

11. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said memory is configured to store:

a first wireless account data structure comprising a first wireless account identifier; and

a second wireless account data structure comprising a second wireless account identifier.

12. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said memory is configured to store:

a first wireless account data structure comprising a first wireless account identifier and one of;

a first preferred routing list, a first preferred operator list; and

a second wireless account data structure comprising a second wireless account identifier and one of;

a second preferred routing list, a second preferred operator list.

13. An encoded information reading (EIR) terminal comprising:

a microprocessor;

a memory communicatively coupled to said microprocessor;

an EIR device selected from the group consisting of;

a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, and a card reading device, said EIR device configured to perform at least one of;

outputting raw message data comprising an encoded message and outputting decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message;

a wireless communication interface configured to support at least two wireless communication protocols, said wireless communication interface comprising an RF front end configured to perform at least one of;

receiving a first radio signal and transmitting a second radio signal; and

an antenna electrically coupled by said RF front end, said antenna provided by at least one of;

two or more single-band antennas, a multi-band antenna;

wherein said antenna is configured to simultaneously receive two or more radio signals in two or more frequency regulatory domains;

wherein said microprocessor is configured to execute at least one of;

a base band encoder software program and a base band decoder software program; and

wherein said EIR terminal is configured to dynamically select at least one of;

a wireless communication network and a wireless communication protocol by optimizing a value of a wireless communication protocol selection criterion, said wireless communication protocol selection criterion based on said two or more radio signals.

14. The EIR terminal of claim 13, wherein said wireless communication protocol selection criterion is based on at least one of:

a signal strength of said radio signals, a wireless network status, a wireless network usage cost, and a wireless network throughput.

15. The EIR terminal of claim 13, wherein said antenna is further configured to transmit radio signals in two or more frequency regulatory domains.

16. The EIR terminal of claim 13, wherein said wireless communication interface is configured to support at least two of:

GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS (WCDMA/TD-SCDMA), HSPA/HSPA+, CDMA, CDMA2000, CDMA 1xEvDo, TDMA, LTE (FDD-LTE or TD-LTE), UWB, or 802.16m (WiMax) wireless communication protocols.

17. The EIR terminal of claim 13, wherein said two or more frequency regulatory domains include two or more of:

850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1700 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz.

18. The EIR terminal of claim 13 further comprising at least one connector configured to receive a SIM card.

19. The EIR terminal of claim 13, wherein said memory is configured to store:

a first wireless account data structure comprising a first wireless account identifier; and

a second wireless account data structure comprising a second wireless account identifier.

20. The EIR terminal of claim 13, wherein said memory is configured to store:

a first wireless account data structure comprising a first wireless account identifier and one of;

a first preferred routing list, a first preferred operator list; and

a second wireless account data structure comprising a second wireless account identifier and one of;

a second preferred routing list, a second preferred operator list.