Hand-held computerized data collection terminal with contoured hand grip configuration

• US 5,241,488 A
• Filed: 06/29/1990
• Issued: 08/31/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Norand Corporation (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Chadima, George E. Jr., Schultz, Darald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Malzahn, David H.
• Application Number:
  US07/547,087
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 364/708, D14/100, D18/7, 235/1 D
• US Class Current: 235/1.00D
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0216 Constructional details or arrangements

Abstract

A hand-held portable data collection terminal is encased by an elongate housing of generally rectangular outline. The housing includes upper and lower housing shells which are assembled into a water tight housing. The upper housing shell may support on an upper surface a display and a keyboard with typically alpha-numeric keys. The area taken up by the display and keyboard defines an overall width of the data terminal which may exceed the width of a readily hand fitting grip. The terminal consequently includes in its lower housing shell a grip-conforming inwardly displaced lower wall bounded by inwardly converging angled sidewalls. The inwardly displaced region at the bottom of the housing is spanned by a resilient strap disposed longitudinally across the grip-conforming portion. A user may insert a hand into a space defined between the strap and the inwardly displaced surface. The strap enables a user to relax the grip on the terminal without the terminal being released from holding engagement of the data collection terminal with the user'"'"'s hand. A battery pack inserted into a battery compartment at a bottom end of the lower housing shell is suitably mounted externally of a sealed environment within the housing. Sealed contacts extending through a wall of the battery compartment into the housing engage contacts of the battery pack and couple power supplied by the battery pack to the circuits of the data terminal within the sealed environment of the housing. The battery pack includes a plurality of external contacts for coupling an external battery charger to the battery pack, for initiating the charging process and for providing access to data transfer circuits through the battery pack to the interior of the data terminal.

Claims

1. In a data collection system, a hand-held computerized data collection terminal comprising a terminal casing for housing operating circuitry and having first and second opposite ends along a longitudinal axis of the data collection terminal, and having a substantially rectangular frontal side with data entry means to which manual force is applied for effecting the entry of data, said terminal casing itself having a bottom wall which is itself part of the terminal casing for housing the operating circuitry, said bottom wall itself having an exterior providing an underside of the terminal casing which is opposite said frontal side, said casing itself having side walls extending longitudinally of the data collection terminal between said frontal side and said bottom wall of said terminal casing, said bottom wall itself being of rounded grip-conforming configuration at a region of the bottom wall underlying at least a major portion of the data entry means so that the hand gripping the rounded grip-conforming configuration comfortably and substantially directly supports the data entry means during manual data entry with the other hand, said terminal casing strap means secured at said underside so as to extend longitudinally across the grip-conforming configuration, said strap means having a substantial spacing from the underside of the bottom wall of the terminal casing at the grip-conforming configuration over a longitudinal extent of the grip-conforming configuration of at least about three inches.

2. In a data collection system, a hand-held computerized data collection terminal comprising a terminal casing for housing operating circuitry and having first and second opposite ends along a longitudinal axis of the data collection terminal, and having a substantially rectangular frontal side with user interface means for interaction with a user of the data collection terminal, said terminal casing itself having a bottom wall which is itself part of the terminal casing for housing the operating circuitry, said bottom wall itself having an exterior providing an underside of the terminal casing which is opposite said frontal side, said casing itself having side walls extending longitudinally of the data collection terminal between said frontal side and said bottom wall of said terminal casing, said bottom wall itself having a bottom wall portion of longitudinal extent to receive a hand in gripping relation thereto, the bottom wall itself further having a downwardly protruding shoulder portion at the margin of the bottom wall portion nearest to the first end of the terminal casing, said bottom wall portion being of rounded grip-conforming configuration over its longitudinal extent so as to comfortably receive a hand in secure gripping relation thereto, for supporting said data collection terminal during user interaction with the user interface means at the frontal side thereof, and having strap means carried longitudinally of the terminal casing at said underside thereof and disposed in relation to the grip-conforming configuration of the underside of the terminal casing such that the fingers of one hand of the user can be slipped between the strap means and the underside of the terminal casing and such that, with the underside of the terminal casing gripped by the use, the strap means at the back of the one hand insures a secure comfortable retention of the data collection terminal during user interaction therewith.

3. In a data collection system according to claim 2, said strap means having a substantial spacing from the underside of the terminal casing at the grip-conforming configuration over the longitudinal extent of the grip-conforming configuration.

4. In a data collection system according to claim 3, said strap means being comprised of a resilient strap of generally flat configuration and having a width of at least about eighty percent of the width of the bottom wall portion of the terminal casing.

5. In a data collection system according to claim 4, said side walls of the terminal casing tapering inwardly at a substantial angle in the region of the grip-conforming configuration.

6. In a data collection system according to claim 2, said underside of the terminal casing having a substantial indentation therein at the grip-conforming configuration for accommodating the fingers of one hand, and providing substantially protruding shoulder portions at opposite longitudinal margins of the grip-conforming configuration.

7. In a data collection system according to claim 6, said strap means longitudinally spanning said substantial indentation and being spaced from the underside by minimum distances in a range from about one-fourth inch to about three-eighths inch over a longitudinal extent of at least about three inches.

8. In a data collection system according to claim 2, said strap means being comprised of a resilient strap of generally flat configuration and having a width of at least about eighty percent of the width of the bottom wall portion of the terminal casing.

9. In a data collection system according to claim 2, said strap means longitudinally spanning said grip-conforming configuration and being spaced from the underside by minimum distances in a range from about one-fourth inch to about three-eighths inch over a longitudinal extent of at least about three inches.

10. In a data collection system, a hand-held computerized data collection terminal comprising a generally rectangular terminal casing for housing operating circuitry and having first and second opposite ends along a longitudinal axis of the data collection terminal, and having a substantially rectangular frontal side including means for interfacing with a user, said terminal casing itself having a bottom wall which is itself part of the terminal casing for housing the operating circuitry, said bottom wall itself having an exterior providing an underside of the terminal casing which is opposite said frontal side, said casing itself having side walls extending longitudinally of the data collection terminal between said frontal side and said bottom wall of said terminal casing, said bottom wall itself comprising a bottom wall portion of longitudinal extend to receive a hand in gripping relation thereto, said bottom wall portion being of rounded grip-conforming configuration to receive a hand in comfortable and secure gripping relation thereto, said terminal casing having strap means secured at said underside so as to extend longitudinally across the grip-conforming configuration, said strap means having a substantially spacing from the bottom wall portion of the terminal casing at the grip-conforming configuration over a longitudinal extent of the grip conforming configuration of at least about three inches.