Terminal with board-mounted slim scan module
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A terminal for reading indicia, comprising:
- a) a hand-held housing extending along a longitudinal axis and having a generally parallelepiped main portion to be held by a user, and a head portion having a window, each of the main and head portions having a generally rectangular cross-section in a plane generally orthogonal to the axis;
b) a single printed circuit housing board within the housing and extending along the main portion and the head portion;
c) a scan module mounted on the housing board within the head portion, for electro-optically scanning the indicia through the window, said scan module comprising a generally parallelepiped-shaped, multiple-sided enclosure includingi) a support having a generally planar base at one peripheral side of the enclosure, for supporting a light emitter for emitting a light beam,ii) a generally planar member extending generally orthogonal to the base and forming at least a portion of another peripheral side of the enclosure,iii) a circuit board overlying the base in generally mutual parallelism and forming at least a portion of still another peripheral side of the enclosure, andiv) an opening at still another peripheral side of the enclosure, said opening permitting the light beam to pass therethrough to and past the window;
d) an initiator on the housing, for initiating the scanning of the indicia;
e) a keyboard on the housing, for manually entering information to the scan module;
f) a display on the housing for displaying data; and
g) an electronic circuit on the housing board, for processing signals related to at least one of said scanning, entering and displaying operations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A terminal for and method of reading indicia employ a hand-held housing, a scanning initiator, a keyboard and a display. The housing has a main portion and a head portion, both having generally rectangular cross-sections. A scan module is mounted on a circuit board that extends through the housing portions. The module includes a base for supporting a light emitter, another circuit board overlying the base, an opening for a light beam from the emitter to pass, and a planar member orthogonal to the base. A sensor having a field of view is mounted on the module. A drive scans the light beam and/or the field of view to read the indicia.
60 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A terminal for reading indicia, comprising:
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a) a hand-held housing extending along a longitudinal axis and having a generally parallelepiped main portion to be held by a user, and a head portion having a window, each of the main and head portions having a generally rectangular cross-section in a plane generally orthogonal to the axis; b) a single printed circuit housing board within the housing and extending along the main portion and the head portion; c) a scan module mounted on the housing board within the head portion, for electro-optically scanning the indicia through the window, said scan module comprising a generally parallelepiped-shaped, multiple-sided enclosure including i) a support having a generally planar base at one peripheral side of the enclosure, for supporting a light emitter for emitting a light beam, ii) a generally planar member extending generally orthogonal to the base and forming at least a portion of another peripheral side of the enclosure, iii) a circuit board overlying the base in generally mutual parallelism and forming at least a portion of still another peripheral side of the enclosure, and iv) an opening at still another peripheral side of the enclosure, said opening permitting the light beam to pass therethrough to and past the window; d) an initiator on the housing, for initiating the scanning of the indicia; e) a keyboard on the housing, for manually entering information to the scan module; f) a display on the housing for displaying data; and g) an electronic circuit on the housing board, for processing signals related to at least one of said scanning, entering and displaying operations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of reading indicia, comprising the steps of:
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a) configuring a housing to extend along a longitudinal axis and to have a generally parallelepiped main portion to be held in a user'"'"'s hand, and a head portion adjacent the main portion, said configuring step being performed by forming each of the main and head portions with a generally rectangular cross-section in a plane generally orthogonal to the axis; b) positioning a window on the head portion; c) mounting a single printed circuit housing board within the main and head portions; d) electro-optically scanning the indicia through the window, by mounting a scan module within the head portion on the housing board, said scan module comprising a generally parallelepiped-shaped, multiple-sided enclosure including i) a support having a generally planar base at one peripheral side of the enclosure, for supporting a light emitter for emitting a light beam, ii) a generally planar member extending generally orthogonal to the base and forming at least a portion of another peripheral side of the enclosure, iii) a circuit board overlying the base in generally mutual parallelism and forming at least a portion of still another peripheral side of the enclosure, and iv) an opening at still another peripheral side of the enclosure, said opening permitting the light beam to pass therethrough to and past the window; e) initiating the scanning of the indicia; f) manually entering information to the scan module by providing a keyboard on the housing; g) displaying data on the housing by providing a display on the housing; and h) processing signals related to at least one of said scanning, entering and displaying steps by mounting an electronic circuit on the housing board. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification