Hand held bar code scanner with adjustment of direction of emitted light beam
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A hand held bar code reader comprising:
- (a) a hand held main body portion including a bar code reader, said main body portion having a major axis;
(b) a beam directing portion connected to said body portion for directing a light beam originating in said body portion to exit said reader through a window in said beam directing portion;
said body portion and said beam directing portion being adapted to be rotated with respect to each other, such that said beam directing portion may face in at least two different directions with respect to the major axis of said main body portion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In bar code symbol scanning systems employing laser, optical and sensor components a superstructure mounted on a housing and having a movable exit port to adapt the housing to steer a laser beam through the exit port to a particular course. Both right and left handed users are thereby accommodated.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A hand held bar code reader comprising:
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(a) a hand held main body portion including a bar code reader, said main body portion having a major axis; (b) a beam directing portion connected to said body portion for directing a light beam originating in said body portion to exit said reader through a window in said beam directing portion;
said body portion and said beam directing portion being adapted to be rotated with respect to each other, such that said beam directing portion may face in at least two different directions with respect to the major axis of said main body portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A scanning arrangement in a light scanning system for reading indicia having parts of different light reflectivity, comprising;
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(a) a light source component for emitting a light beam; (b) an optical component for optically modifying and directing the light beam along an optical path toward indicia located in the vicinity of a reference plane exteriorly of the system; (c) a photodetector component having a field of view and operative for detecting at least a portion of light of variable intensity reflected off the indicia, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected light intensity; (d) a scanning component for scanning at least one of the light beam and the field of view; (e) an electrical connecting component for conducting the electrical signal away from the photodetector component; (f) all of said components being mounted together in a common assembly to constitute a compact, lightweight scan module; (g) means for mounting the scan module in an interchangeable, modular manner in housings of different configuration; and (h) means for converting one of the housings for use by a specific hand of a user, said converting means including means for steering the light beam to one of two courses. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14)
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12. A system for reading bar code symbols or the like, comprising:
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(a) a hand-held scanning unit in a lightweight, portable housing including symbol-detection means for generating a laser beam directed toward a symbol to be read, and for receiving reflected light from such symbol to produce electrical signals corresponding to data represented by the symbol; and
read-control means to actuate said symbol-detection means to initiate reading of a symbol; and(b) a beam directing unit directly mounted on said scanning unit in more than one position, including a reflecting mirror for receiving the laser beam transferred from the symbol-detection means of said scanning unit, and an exit port jointly movable with the beam directing unit so as to adapt the housing to steer the laser beam through the exit port to a particular course during hand-held operation.
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- 15. In a hand-held bar code reader in which a light beam is emitted from an exit port of a beam directing portion directly mounted in more than one position on a stationary portion of a housing toward a bar code to be read, the improvement which comprises means for changing the overall direction of the emitted beam with respect to the housing by relatively rotating the beam directing portion and the stationary portion during hand-held operation.
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20. A system for reading bar code symbols or the like, comprising:
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(a) a hand-held terminal unit in a lightweight, portable housing including means for manually entering data and means for displaying data; and (b) a scanning light beam emitting unit directly mounted on said terminal unit in more than one position and including an exit port jointly movable with the beam emitting unit and beam-directing means for directing a scanning beam through the exit port toward a symbol to be read along a particular course during hand-held operation, and for receiving reflected light from such symbol for producing electrical signals corresponding to data represented by the symbol. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification