CRADLE FOR HANDHELD MACHINE-READABLE SYMBOL READER

• US 20160094070A1
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic IP Tech S.r.l. (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Datalogic IP Tech S.r.l. (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Mazzone, Claudio
• Granted Patent: US 9,825,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems, methods, and articles to provide a charging cradle or base station that includes one or more movable electrical contacts. Generally, each of the movable contacts protrudes through an opening in a surface of the cradle only when a cordless electrical device is positioned on or within the cradle. When the cordless electrical device is not positioned on or within the cradle, the one or more movable contacts are retracted inside the body of the cradle such that the movable contacts cannot be bumped or hit by the reader during insertion of the reader into the cradle and during removal of the reader from cradle. Systems, methods, and articles to provide a charging cradle or base station with selectively removable electrical contacts are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A cradle for an electrical device, the electrical device includes an external surface having an electrical contact thereon, the electrical contact electrically coupled to at least one electrical component of the electrical device, the cradle comprising:

a body that includes;

a device receiver portion that receives or supports at least a portion of the electrical device, the device receiver portion includes a contact surface positioned adjacent the external surface of the electrical device when the at least a portion of the electrical device is received or supported by the device receiver portion, the contact surface includes a contact aperture therein;

an electrical contact; and

a contact actuator physically coupled to the electrical contact, the contact actuator moves the electrical contact between a retracted position wherein the electrical contact of the cradle is positioned below the contact surface of the device receiver portion, and a protruded position wherein the electrical contact at least partially extends above the contact surface through the contact aperture.

2. The cradle of claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical device detector that detects the presence or absence of the electrical device proximate the device receiver portion; and

a controller operatively coupled to the electrical device detector and the contact actuator, the controller receives via the electrical device detector an indication of the presence or absence of the electrical device proximate the device receiver portion, and causes the contact actuator to move the electrical contact into one of the retracted position and the protruded position dependent on the received indication.

3. The cradle of claim 2 wherein the electrical device detector includes at least one of a magnetic detector, an optical detector, an electrical detector, or a mechanical detector.

4. The cradle of claim 2, further comprising:

a user interface operatively coupled to the controller, wherein the controller causes the user interface to provide a user notification dependent on the received indication.

5. The cradle of claim 4 wherein the user notification comprises at least one of an audible notification or a visual notification.

6. The cradle of claim 1 wherein the contact surface of the device receiver portion includes a switch aperture, and the contact actuator comprises a beam and a switch, the beam pivotable about a pivot point, a first end of the beam physically coupled to the electrical contact and a second end of the beam physically coupled to the switch, the switch at least partially protrudes through the switch aperture of the contact surface of the device receiver portion when the at least a portion of the electrical device is separated from the device receiver portion and, when the at least a portion of the electrical device is received or supported by the device receiver portion, the switch contacts at least a portion of the electrical device and causes the beam to pivot until the electrical contact is in the protruded position.

7. The cradle of claim 1 wherein the contact actuator includes an elastic member that biases the electrical contact in the retracted position when the at least a portion of the electrical device is separated from the device receiver portion.

8. The cradle of claim 7 wherein the elastic member comprises a coil spring.

9. The cradle of claim 1 wherein the contact actuator includes at least one magnet that biases the electrical contact in at least one of the refracted position or the protruded position.

10. The cradle of claim 9 wherein the magnet causes at least one of an attraction force or a repulsion force with a component of the electrical device when the at least a portion of the electrical device is received or supported by the device receiver portion.

11. The cradle of claim 1 wherein the contact actuator includes a bistable solenoid.

12. The cradle of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source electrically coupleable to the electrical contact of the cradle.

13. The cradle of claim 1 wherein the body, the electrical contact and the contact actuator are selectively removable from a base portion of the cradle which houses one or more electrical components.

14. The cradle of claim 13 wherein the electrical contact is electrically coupleable to the one or more electrical components housed in the base portion of the cradle via at least one mechanical interlock.

15. The cradle of claim 1, wherein the cradle is a cradle for a machine-readable symbol reader.

16. A cradle for an electrical device, the electrical device includes an external surface having an electrical contact thereon, the electrical contact electrically coupled to at least one electrical component of the electrical device, the cradle comprising:

a contact connector comprising;

a device receiver portion that receives or supports at least a portion of the electrical device, the device receiver portion includes a contact surface positioned adjacent the external surface of the electrical device when the at least a portion of the electrical device is received by the device receiver portion, the contact surface includes a contact aperture therein;

an electrical contact; and

a contact actuator physically coupled to the electrical contact, the contact actuator moves the electrical contact between a refracted position wherein the electrical contact of the cradle is positioned below the contact surface of the device receiver portion, and a protruded position wherein the electrical contact at least partially extends above the contact surface through the contact aperture; and

a base portion that houses an electrical component electrically coupleable to a power source, wherein the electrical contact of the contact connector is coupleable to the electrical component of the base portion.

17. The cradle of claim 16 wherein the contact connector is selectively attachable to the base portion.

18. The cradle of claim 16 wherein the contact connector comprises a first mechanical interlock, and the base portion comprises a second mechanical interlock, the first and second mechanical interlocks selectively coupleable with each other to selectively couple the contact connector with the base portion of the cradle.

19. The cradle of claim 18 wherein the first mechanical interlock and the second mechanical interlock each comprises a connector that selectively forms both electrical and mechanical connections.

20. The cradle of claim 16 wherein at least one of the contact connector or the base portion comprises:

an electrical device detector that detects the presence or absence of the electrical device proximate the device receiver portion; and

a controller operatively coupled to the electrical device detector and the contact actuator, the controller receives via the electrical device detector an indication of the presence or absence of the electrical device proximate the device receiver portion, and causes the contact actuator to move the electrical contact into one of the retracted position and the protruded position dependent on the received indication.

21. A method of operating a recharging cradle for an electrical device, the electrical device includes an external surface having an electrical contact thereon, the electrical contact electrically coupled to at least one electrical component of the electrical device, the method comprising:

providing a device receiver portion that receives or supports at least a portion of the electrical device, the device receiver portion includes a contact surface positioned adjacent the external surface of the electrical device when the at least a portion of the electrical device is received or supported by the device receiver portion, the contact surface includes a contact aperture therein;

positioning an electrical contact in a retracted position wherein the electrical contact is positioned below the contact surface of the device receiver portion; and

moving the electrical contact from the retracted position to a protruded position wherein the electrical contact at least partially extends above the contact surface through the contact aperture.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

detecting the presence or absence of the electrical device proximate the device receiver portion; and

moving the electrical contact into one of the retracted position and the protruded position dependent on detecting the presence or absence of the electrical device proximate the device receiver portion.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein detecting the presence or absence of the electrical device comprises at least one of magnetically detecting, optically detecting, electrically detecting, or mechanically detecting the presence or absence of the electrical device proximate the device receiver portion.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a user notification dependent on detecting the presence or absence of the electrical device proximate the device receiver portion.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein providing a user notification comprises providing at least one of an audible notification or a visual notification.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein positioning an electrical contact in a retracted position comprises biasing the electrical contact in the retracted position via an elastic member.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein biasing the electrical contact in the retracted position via an elastic member comprises biasing the electrical contact in the retracted position via a coil spring.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein positioning an electrical contact in a retracted position comprises magnetically biasing the electrical contact in the retracted position.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein moving the electrical contact from the retracted position to a protruded position comprises moving the electrical contact using a magnetic force.

30. The method of claim 21 wherein the electrical contact is physically coupled to an armature of a bistable solenoid, the armature movable between a first stable position and a second stable position, positioning an electrical contact in the retracted position comprises operating the bistable solenoid to be in the first stable position, and moving the electrical contact from the retracted position to a protruded position comprises operating the bistable solenoid to be in the second stable position.

31. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

selectively removing the device receiver portion and the electrical contact from a base portion of the cradle which houses one or more electrical components; and

selectively attaching the device receiver portion and the electrical contact from the base portion of the cradle.

32. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving or supporting by the device receiver portion the electrical device.

33. A method of operating a recharging cradle for an electrical device, the electrical device includes an external surface having an electrical contact thereon, the electrical contact electrically coupled to at least one electrical component of the electrical device, the method comprising:

providing a contact connector comprising;

a device receiver portion that receives or supports at least a portion of the electrical device, the device receiver portion includes a contact surface positioned adjacent the external surface of the electrical device when the at least a portion of the electrical device is received or supported by the device receiver portion, the contact surface includes a contact aperture therein;

an electrical contact; and

a contact actuator physically coupled to the electrical contact, the contact actuator moves the electrical contact between a refracted position wherein the electrical contact of the cradle is positioned below the contact surface of the device receiver portion, and a protruded position wherein the electrical contact at least partially extends above the contact surface through the contact aperture;

providing a base portion that houses an electrical component electrically coupleable to a power source; and

selectively coupling the contact connector to the base portion.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the contact connector comprises a first mechanical interlock, the base portion comprises a second mechanical interlock, and selectively coupling the contact connector to the base portion comprises coupling the first and second mechanical interlocks to selectively couple the contact connector with the base portion of the cradle.