INDICIA READER

• US 20150102109A1
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Huck, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/109 adaptations to make the hand-held scanner useable as a fixed scanner

Abstract

An illuminating, indicia-reading device includes a hand-held indicia reader and a charging-and-communication base. The charging-and-communication base'"'"'s communication button places the hand-held indicia reader in presentation mode when the hand-held indicia reader is seated in the charging-and-communication base, thereby facilitating hands-free scanning and providing work lamp functionality via activation of the hand-held indicia reader'"'"'s light source. When the hand-held indicia reader is not seated, the communication button pages the hand-held-indicia reader.

Claims

1. An illuminating, indicia-reading device, comprising:

a hand-held indicia reader, comprising (i) an indicia-capturing subsystem for acquiring information about indicia within the indicia-capturing subsystem'"'"'s field of view, (ii) an indicia-decoding module configured for decoding indicia information acquired by the indicia-capturing subsystem, (iii) a light-source emitting broad-spectrum, visible light, and (iv) a hand-supportable housing physically integrating the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source; and

a charging-and-communication base (CCB) having exactly one communication button for initiating communication with the hand-held indicia reader, the charging and communication base configured to removably seat the hand-held indicia reader;

wherein the charging-and-communication base'"'"'s communication button is configured to activate the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source when the hand-held indicia reader is seated in the charging and communication base.

2. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 1, comprising a trigger integrated into the hand-held indicia reader'"'"'s hand-supportable housing, the trigger configured to activate the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source when the hand-held indicia reader is unseated from the charging-and-communication base.

3. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the charging-and-communication base'"'"'s communication button is configured to page the hand-held indicia reader when the hand-held indicia reader is unseated from the charging and communication base.

4. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 3, wherein the hand-held indicia reader is configured to emit a sound when paged by the charging-and-communication base.

5. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source are configured to deactivate after a defined period of indicia-reading inactivity following activation of the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source by the communication button.

6. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the charging and communication base'"'"'s communication button is configured to activate the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source for a predetermined period of time.

7. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held indicia-reader is a hand-held barcode reader.

8. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held indicia reader is powered by a battery.

9. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 8, wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery.

10. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the light source emitting broad-spectrum, visible light is configured to emit white light.

11. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the light source emitting broad-spectrum, visible light is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths between about 450 nanometers and 600 nanometers.

12. An illuminating, indicia-reading device, comprising:

a hand-held indicia reader, comprising (i) an indicia-capturing subsystem for acquiring information about indicia within the indicia-capturing subsystem'"'"'s field of view, (ii) an indicia-decoding module configured for decoding indicia information acquired by the indicia-capturing subsystem, (iii) a page-receiving subsystem configured for indicating the location of the hand-held indicia reader, (iv) a light-source emitting broad-spectrum, visible light, (v) a trigger configured to activate the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source, and (vi) a hand-supportable housing physically integrating the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, the broad-spectrum light source, and the trigger; and

a charging-and-communication base (CCB) having exactly one communication button for initiating communication with the hand-held indicia reader and comprising a page-transmitting subsystem configured for activating the hand-held indicia reader'"'"'s page-receiving subsystem, the charging-and-communication base configured to removably seat the hand-held indicia reader;

wherein, when the hand-held indicia reader is unseated from the charging-and-communication base, the trigger is configured to activate the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source, and the charging-and-communication base'"'"'s communication button is configured to activate the paging subsystem; and

wherein, when the hand-held indicia reader is seated in the charging and communication base, the charging-and-communication base'"'"'s communication button is configured to activate the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding module, and the broad-spectrum light source.

13. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 12, wherein the hand-held indicia-reader is a hand-held barcode reader.

14. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 12, wherein the hand-held indicia reader is powered by a battery.

15. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 14, wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery.

16. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 12, wherein the light source emitting broad-spectrum, visible light is configured to emit white light.

17. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 12, wherein the light source emitting broad-spectrum, visible light is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths between about 450 nanometers and 600 nanometers.

18. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 12, wherein the hand-held indicia reader is configured to emit a sound when paged by the charging-and-communication base.

19. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 12, wherein the hand-held indicia reader is configured to display a visual cue when paged by the charging-and-communication base.

20. The illuminating, indicia-reading device according to claim 12, wherein the hand-held indicia reader is configured to emit a sound and display a visual cue when paged by the charging-and-communication base.