REAL-TIME ADJUSTABLE WINDOW FEATURE FOR BARCODE SCANNING AND PROCESS OF SCANNING BARCODE WITH ADJUSTABLE WINDOW FEATURE

• US 20160188941A1
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Todeschini, Erik, Anderson, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1095 the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1439 including a method step for retrieval of the optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1465 using several successive scans of the optical code

Abstract

A mobile bar code scanning device with a pinch-to-window feature includes an embedded camera and a user interface system having a visual display. The user interface system enables the user to access features of the mobile barcode scanning device with touch gestures. The mobile barcode scanning device also includes a barcode scanning application initialized by a user of the mobile barcode scanning device. The mobile barcode scanning device also includes an operating system communicatively coupled to the embedded camera, the barcode scanning application, and the user interface system. The visual display provides a viewfinder for the embedded camera in the barcode scanning application. The user-defined pinch-to-window feature is real-time adjustable in size, orientation, and position by at least a two-point touch gesture.

Claims

1. A feature on a mobile barcode scanning device, wherein:

the mobile bar code scanning device is provided with (i) an embedded camera, (ii) a user interface system, the user interface system being provided with a visual display, the user interface system being configured to allow the user to access features of the mobile barcode scanning device with touch gestures on the visual display, (iii) a barcode scanning application, the barcode scanning application being initialized by an act of a user of the mobile barcode scanning device, and (iv) an operating system, the operating system communicatively coupled to the embedded camera, the barcode scanning application, and the user interface system, and wherein the visual display provides a viewfinder for the embedded camera in the barcode scanning application; and

the feature comprises a user-defined graphical window overlaid on the viewfinder, the user-defined graphical window being adjustable in size, orientation, and position by at least a two-point touch gesture on the visual display by the user of the mobile barcode scanning device, the two-point touch gesture being capable of resizing, reorienting, and relocating the graphical window to a size, orientation, and location of the two points in real-time such that the barcode to be scanned can be defined in the adjustable graphical window by the user in real-time.

2. The feature of claim 1, wherein the two-point touch gesture on the visual display is a pinch gesture with two fingers of the user.

3. The feature of claim 1, wherein the two-point touch gesture is a touch gesture with a pair of styli.

4. The feature of claim 1, wherein the two-point touch gesture is a multi-touch gesture.

5. The feature of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a front-facing camera and image processing software, the operating system is communicatively coupled to the front-facing camera and the image processing software, and the graphical window can be repositioned by an eye-tracking capability of the mobile device, the eye-tracking capability being carried out by a cooperation between the front-facing camera and image processing software.

6. The feature of claim 1, wherein the mobile barcode scanning device is a smartphone.

7. The feature of claim 1, wherein the mobile barcode scanning device is a smartwatch.

8. The feature of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer.

9. The feature of claim 1, wherein the act of the user to initialize the barcode scanning operation includes a voice command, a swiping motion of a stylus on the visual display, a touch gesture on the visual display, and/or a physical motion of the mobile barcode scanning device.

10. The feature of claim 1, wherein the barcode scanning application is configured so that a barcode can be successfully decoded if the barcode is partially encompassed by the graphical window.

11. The feature of claim 1, wherein the barcode scanning application is configured so that a barcode can be successfully decoded if the barcode is fully encompassed by the graphical window.

12. A process of scanning a barcode with a mobile device, comprising:

providing a mobile device having (i) an embedded camera, (ii) a user interface system, the user interface system being provided with a visual display, the user interface system being configured to allow the user to access features of the mobile device with touch gestures on the visual display, (iii) a barcode scanning application, and (iv) an operating system, the operating system communicatively coupled to the embedded camera, the barcode scanning application, and the user interface system, wherein the visual display provides a viewfinder for the embedded camera, wherein the viewfinder provides a user-defined graphical window in which a barcode to be scanned and decoded successfully must be at least partially encompassed when the barcode scanning application begins scanning, and wherein the graphical window is adjustable in size, orientation, and position by a two-point touch gesture of a user of the mobile device;

initializing the barcode scanning application;

displaying the camera viewfinder on the visual display;

superimposing the user-defined graphical window in the viewfinder;

defining in real-time the size, orientation, and location of the graphical window in the viewfinder through a two-point touch gesture of the user to at least partially encompass a barcode to be scanned and decoded in the viewfinder; and

decoding any barcode within the graphical window.

13. The process of claim 12, wherein the defining step is accomplished by resizing, reorienting, and relocating the graphical window in real-time by a two-point touch gesture to a size, orientation, and location of the two points, such that the barcode to be scanned can be defined in the adjustable graphical window by the user in real-time.

14. The process of claim 13, wherein the two-point touch gesture is a two-finger pinch gesture.

15. The process of claim 12, wherein the defining step is accomplished at least in part by an eye-tracking capability of the mobile device that comprises a front-facing camera and image processing software, wherein the operating system is communicatively coupled to the front-facing camera and the image processing software, and wherein the eye-tracking capability is carried out by a cooperation between the front-facing camera and image processing software.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the defining step is accomplished by relocating the graphical window via the eye-tracking capability of the mobile device.

17. The process of claim 12, wherein the barcode scanning application is configured so that a barcode to be scanned and successfully decoded must be fully encompassed in the graphical window in the viewfinder.

18. The process of claim 12, wherein the mobile barcode scanning device is a smartphone, a smartwatch, or a tablet computer.

19. The process of claim 12, wherein the initializing step is accomplished by a physical act of the user comprising a voice command, a swiping motion of a stylus on the visual display, a touch gesture on the visual display, or a physical motion of the mobile barcode scanning device.

20. The process of claim 12, wherein the barcode scanning application is provided with application logic, the application logic performing required data processing of the barcode scanning application, and wherein the initializing step is accomplished by the application logic.