Glove-mounted system for reading bar code symbols

• US 6,098,886 A
• Filed: 01/21/1998
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Swift, Philip W., Ball, Alan, Raymond, Lee, DeVita, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Diane I.
• Application Number:
  US09/010,342
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 235/472.01, 235/462.43, 235/462.44, 235/462.45, 235/462.48
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist

Abstract

A bar code reader having a reader module and a terminal module releasably connectable together for communication. Module components may be mounted on a glove to be worn by the user. One of a plurality of gripping portions is selected to provide a desired gripping mode for the reader.

Claims

1. A hand-mounted, electro-optical system for reading indicia, comprising:

a) a glove having a wrist portion and finger portions for respectively covering the wrist and fingers of a user'"'"'s hand when worn, and a pair of front and back coverings having outer surfaces located between the wrist and finger portions for respectively overlying the palm and back of the user'"'"'s hand when worn;

b) a reader including a light source for directing a light beam at an indicium to be read, and a detector for detecting light reflected off the indicium over a field of view, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the intensity of the detected light;

c) a terminal for processing the electrical signal, including a keyboard embedded in one of the coverings of the glove and having keys exposed at the outer surface of said one covering, for enabling the user to manually enter information to the system; and

d) an actuator on the glove for manually actuating the reader to indicate reading of the indicium.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the keyboard includes a plurality of manually depressible keys.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1;

and further comprising a display on the glove for visually displaying data relating to the indicia to the user.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the keyboard and the display are mounted adjacent each other on the back covering.

5. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the keyboard and the display are mounted adjacent each other on the front covering.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1;

and further comprising a flexible battery mounted on the wrist portion and operative for supplying electrical power to the reader.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6;

and further comprising a flexible film circuit computer mounted on the wrist portion.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator is a manually depressible trigger mounted on a forefinger portion of the glove and facing a thumb portion of the glove.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glove has a knuckle portion for overlying the user'"'"'s knuckles when worn, and wherein the reader is mounted on the knuckle portion.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reader is mounted on the finger portions.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glove has a communications interface, and wherein the reader is remote from the glove and has an interface for communicating with the communications interface of the glove.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reader includes a scanner for sweeping the light beam across the indicium.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reader includes a scanner for scanning the field of view across the indicium.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source is a laser diode.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detector is a photodiode.

16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glove is constituted of a flexible fabric.

17. A hand-mounted, electro-optical system for reading indicia, comprising:

a) a glove having a wrist portion and finger portions for respectively covering the wrist and fingers of a user'"'"'s hand when worn, and a pair of front and back coverings having outer surfaces located between the wrist and finger portions for respectively overlying the palm and back of the user'"'"'s hand when worn;

b) a reader including a light source on the glove for directing a light beam at an indicium to be read, and a detector on the glove for detecting light reflected off the indicium over a field of view, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the intensity of the detected light;

c) a terminal for processing the electrical signal, including a keyboard embedded in one of the coverings of the glove and having keys exposed at the outer surface of said one covering, for enabling the user to manually enter information to the system; and

d) an actuator on the glove for manually actuating the reader to indicate reading of the indicium.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17;

and further comprising a display on the glove for visually displaying data relating to the indicia to the user, and wherein the keyboard and the display are mounted adjacent each other on the back covering.

19. The system as claimed in claim 17;

and further comprising a display on the glove for visually displaying data relating to the indicia to the user, and wherein the keyboard and the display are mounted adjacent each other on the front covering.

20. A hand-mounted, electro-optical system for reading indicia, comprising:

a) a glove having front and back coverings having outer surfaces for respectively overlying the palm and back of a user'"'"'s hand when worn, said glove having a wrist covering surrounding the user'"'"'s wrist, and a plurality of finger coverings for containing the user'"'"'s fingers when worn, the front and back coverings being located between the wrist covering and the finger coverings;

b) a reader including a light source for directing a light beam at an indicium to be read, and a detector for detecting light reflected off the indicium over a field of view, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the intensity of the detected light;

c) a terminal for processing the electrical signal, including a keyboard embedded in one of the coverings of the glove and having keys exposed at the outer surface of said one covering, for enabling the user to manually enter information to the system; and

d) an actuator on one of the finger coverings of the glove for manually actuating the reader to indicate reading of the indicium.

21. A hand-mounted system for processing data, comprising:

a) a glove having a wrist portion and finger portions for respectively covering the wrist and fingers of a user'"'"'s hand when worn, and a pair of front and back coverings having outer surfaces located between the wrist and finger portions for respectively overlying the palm and back of the user'"'"'s hand when worn;

b) a terminal for processing the data, including a keyboard embedded in one of the coverings of the glove and having keys exposed at the outer surface of said one covering, for enabling the user to manually enter information to the system.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the keyboard includes a plurality of manually depressible keys.

23. The system as claimed in claim 21;

and further comprising a display on the glove for visually displaying the data to the user.

24. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the keyboard and the display are mounted adjacent each other on the back covering.

25. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the keyboard and the display are mounted adjacent each other on the front covering.

26. The system as claimed in claim 21;

and further comprising a flexible battery mounted on the wrist portion and operative for supplying electrical power to the terminal.

27. The system as claimed in claim 26;

and further comprising a flexible film circuit computer mounted on the wrist portion.

28. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the glove is constituted of a flexible fabric.