×

PCMCIA interface card for coupling input devices such as barcode scanning engines to personal digital assistants and palmtop computers

  • US 5,664,231 A
  • Filed: 04/29/1994
  • Issued: 09/02/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. An interface on a PCMCIA defined PC Card between an input device that can scan a barcode and a host device with a PCMCIA slot such as a personal digital assistant, palmtop computer or other computing device, comprising:

  • an input port on said PC Card for coupling to an input device that can scan barcodes having light and dark spaces;

    memory means for storing data;

    means for sampling logic signals from said input device, said logic signals appearing at said input port and for storing in said memory means an "image" of said barcode recording at least the relative spacing between the transitions between said dark and light spaces in a barcode scanned by said input device;

    means for accessing said image data in said memory means and decoding therefrom alphanumeric characters encoded in said barcode;

    means for temporarily storing in said memory means said decoded alphanumeric characters along with pointer data and length data indicating, respectively, the location in said memory means of said alphanumeric characters and the number of addresses in said memory means that must be read to retrieve all said alphanumeric characters;

    means for cutting off power to said barcode scanning mechanism in said input device after a successful decoding operation;

    means for notifying said host device of the existence in said memory means of said alphanumeric characters and passing to said host device said pointer and length information, and for providing access to said alphanumeric characters to said host device when requested by said host device.

View all claims
  • 12 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×