Automated help instructions for automatically or adaptively configuring a hand-held device, such as a bar code reader or hand-held personal computer
First Claim
1. A method for guiding a device operator through the process of enabling a bar code symbology on a hand-held device having a bar code reader, the hand-held device having a plurality of bar code symbologies, the method comprising:
- reading a bar code label;
automatically identifying a bar code symbology in which the bar code label has been expressed by,for each of the plurality of bar code symbologies that have an enabled status, determining if the bar code label has been expressed in that bar code symbology; and
for each of at least one bar code symbology that has a non-enabled status, determining if the bar code label has been expressed in that bar code symbology; and
if the identified bar code symbology has a non-enabled status, thenproviding the device operator a query asking whether the identified bar code symbology should have an enabled status in the hand-held device; and
receiving a reply to the query from the device operator.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides a method and system for guiding a hand-held device operator through the process of enabling input and output devices on the hand-held device. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a hand-held device includes a bar code reader which images or scans a bar code label. The hand-held device then searches its enabled bar code symbologies for a bar code symbology which interprets the scanned bar code label. If the device cannot interpret the scanned bar code label according to its presently enabled bar code symbologies, the device then examines its non-enabled bar code symbologies. If the scanned bar code label can be interpreted according to a non-enabled bar code symbology, then the device queries the operator to determine if the bar code symbology should be enabled. If the operator requests enablement of the bar code symbology, then the device changes the bar code symbology to an enabled status and interprets the scanned bar code label according to the newly enabled bar code symbology. Otherwise, the device generates an error message and sends it to the operator. Other embodiments of the invention permit the enablement of input devices such as touch-sensitive screens, keyboards, and operator-selectable input buttons.
187 Citations
56 Claims
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1. A method for guiding a device operator through the process of enabling a bar code symbology on a hand-held device having a bar code reader, the hand-held device having a plurality of bar code symbologies, the method comprising:
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reading a bar code label; automatically identifying a bar code symbology in which the bar code label has been expressed by, for each of the plurality of bar code symbologies that have an enabled status, determining if the bar code label has been expressed in that bar code symbology; and for each of at least one bar code symbology that has a non-enabled status, determining if the bar code label has been expressed in that bar code symbology; and if the identified bar code symbology has a non-enabled status, then providing the device operator a query asking whether the identified bar code symbology should have an enabled status in the hand-held device; and receiving a reply to the query from the device operator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for aiding a device operator through the process of enabling a non-enabled automatic data collection data type on a hand-held device having an automatic data collection reader, comprising:
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an automatic data collection data type processor which receives imaged or scanned automatic data collection data from the automatic data collection data reader and determines whether the imaged or scanned automatic data collection data can be characterized according to an enabled automatic data collection data type on the hand-held device, wherein the automatic data collection data type processor generates an indication signal if the imaged or scanned automatic data collection data cannot be characterized; and an enablement processor which receives the indication signal from the automatic data collection data type processor and determines if the imaged or scanned automatic data collection data could be characterized according to a non-enabled automatic data collection data type on the hand-held device, wherein if the enablement processor determines that a non-enabled automatic data collection data type characterizes the imaged or scanned automatic data collection data, then the enablement processor sends a query to the device operator to determine if the non-enabled automatic data collection data type should be enabled on the hand-held device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for guiding a device operator through the process of enabling an automatic data collection data type on a device for reading automatic data collection data, comprising:
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receiving data from the device for reading automatic data collection data and identifying an automatic data collection data type from which the automatic data collection data was encoded; detecting that the automatic data collection data type has not been enabled on the reader and generating a query to the device operator asking if the automatic data collection data type should be enabled on the reader; and receiving a reply to the query from the device operator. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for aiding a device operator in the enablement of a non-enabled parameter on a hand-held device, comprising:
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detecting an attempt to access the non-enabled parameter by the device operator; generating an error message and sending the error message to the device operator, wherein the error messages states that the non-enabled parameter has not been enabled so the attempt to access the non-enabled parameter cannot be processed by the hand-held device; querying the device operator whether the non-enabled parameter should be enabled; and receiving a reply from the device operator. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A system for aiding a device operator in the enablement of a non-enabled device on a hand-held device, comprising:
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a device processor for receiving an access request for the non-enabled device by the device operator; a data processor which receives the access request from the device processor and verifies that the non-enabled device has a non-enabled status, wherein the data processor generates and sends an error message to the device operator which states that the access request is for a non-enabled device; and a device enablement processor which sends a query to the device operator asking whether the non-enabled device should have an enabled status, wherein the device enablement processor receives a reply from the device operator in response to the query. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A method for aiding a device operator in the enablement of a pre-existing non-enabled functionality on a hand-held device, comprising:
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monitoring hand-held device input and output activities to detect attempt to access the pre-existing non-enabled functionality by the device operator; generating and sending an error message to the device operator; querying the device operator whether the pre-existing non-enabled functionality should be enabled; and receiving a reply to the query from the device operator. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56)
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Specification