ARRANGEMENT FOR AND METHOD OF MANAGING A SOFT KEYBOARD ON A MOBILE TERMINAL CONNECTED WITH A HANDHELD ELECTRO-OPTICAL READER VIA A BLUETOOTH(R) PAIRED CONNECTION

• US 20140091147A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Evans, John P., Wright, Mariya
• Granted Patent: US 8,876,005 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/472.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners

Abstract

A wireless Bluetooth® paired connection is established between a Bluetooth® module in an electro-optical, handheld reader and a Bluetooth® module in a mobile terminal via a human interface device (HID) profile. Data capture from a target is initiated upon one type of manual actuation, e.g., a single pull, of a trigger on the reader. A soft keyboard is caused to appear on a display on the terminal, either immediately, or after a predetermined event, after the establishment of the Bluetooth® paired connection. The soft keyboard is caused to disappear upon manual actuation of the trigger with a different type of manual actuation, e.g., a double pull, of the trigger. Another double pull of the trigger will cause the soft keyboard to reappear.

Claims

1. A soft keyboard management arrangement, comprising:

an electro-optical, handheld reader including a data capture assembly in the reader for capturing data from a target, a manually actuatable trigger on the reader for initiating the data capture upon one type of manual actuation, a reader microprocessor in the reader for processing the data, and a BLUETOOTH®

module in the reader; and

a mobile terminal including a BLUETOOTH®

module for establishing a wireless BLUETOOTH®

paired connection with the BLUETOOTH®

module in the reader via a human interface device (HID) profile, a display on the terminal, and a terminal microprocessor for enabling a soft keyboard to appear on the display, and for causing the soft keyboard to disappear upon manual actuation of the trigger with a different type of manual actuation;

wherein the terminal microprocessor is operative for detecting the establishment of the BLUETOOTH®

paired connection, and for automatically enabling the soft keyboard to appear on the display immediately upon the detection of the BLUETOOTH®

paired connection; and

wherein the one type of manual actuation is a single pull on the trigger, and wherein the different type of manual actuation is a double pull on the trigger, and wherein the terminal microprocessor is operative for detecting a first occurrence of the double pull to cause the soft keyboard to disappear.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the data capture assembly includes a solid-state imager for capturing an image of the target in response to manual actuation of the trigger with the one type of manual actuation, and wherein the reader microprocessor is operative for processing the image of the target.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the data capture assembly includes a scan component for moving a laser beam across the target for reflection therefrom in response to manual actuation of the trigger with the one type of manual actuation, and a detector for detecting return light from the target, and wherein the reader microprocessor is operative for processing the return light from the target.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. A soft keyboard management method, comprising:

establishing a wireless BLUETOOTH®

paired connection between a BLUETOOTH®

module in an electro-optical, handheld reader and a BLUETOOTH®

module in a mobile terminal via a human interface device (HID) profile;

initiating data capture from a target upon one type of manual actuation of a trigger on the reader;

enabling a soft keyboard to appear on a display on the terminal; and

causing the soft keyboard to disappear upon manual actuation of the trigger with a different type of manual actuation;

detecting the establishment of the BLUETOOTH®

paired connection, and automatically enabling the soft keyboard to appear on the display immediately upon the detection of the BLUETOOTH®

paired connection; and

detecting the different type of manual actuation of the trigger, and enabling the soft keyboard to appear on the display immediately upon the detection of the different type of manual actuation of the trigger.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the data capture is performed by a solid-state imager for capturing an image of the target in response to manual actuation of the trigger with the one type of manual actuation, and by processing the image of the target.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the data capture is performed by moving a laser beam across the target for reflection therefrom in response to manual actuation of the trigger with the one type of manual actuation, by detecting return light from the target, and by processing the return light from the target.

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)