Multiple application multiterminal data collection network

• US 6,161,760 A
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Data Collection Inc (Welch Allyn Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Data Collection Inc (Welch Allyn Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pettinelli, John, Reynolds, Andrew, Meier, Timothy, Pankow, Matthew, Bruno, Louis, Marrs, David, Guszcza, Joseph, Randolph, Bradley, Ruhlman, Thomas, Parker, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US09/152,583
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.13, 235/462.15, 235/462.25, 235/472.01
• US Class Current: 235/462.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L

Abstract

The invention is a multiterminal data collection network including a plurality of terminals and a base station configured so that each data collection terminal can be programmed in accordance with one of a predetermined number of available application. When a data collection terminal such as a bar code reader is programmed to operate in accordance with a particular application, the reader operates according to a data collection protocol that is the same as the data collection protocol of each other reader in the network programmed to operate in accordance with that same application. In another aspect of the invention, a base station normally transmits messages received from different readers according to different transmission protocols if the readers are programmed to operate in accordance with different applications, and transmits messages received from different readers according to the same protocol if the readers are programmed in accordance with the same application. A reader of the network can be associated with a new application group by reading of a specially designed application selector symbol.

Claims

1. A multiterminal data collection network comprising:

a plurality of data collection terminals;

a base station;

a system memory;

terminal-application correlation means stored in said system memory for correlating at least one terminal of said network with an application of said network;

wherein at least one operational aspect either of one of said terminals or said base station depends on a terminal-application correlation of said terminal-application correlation means.

2. The network of claim 1, further comprising means for changing terminal to application correlations of said terminal-application correlation means.

3. The network of claim 1, further comprising changing means initiated by one of said terminals for changing a correlation of said terminal-application correlation means.

4. The network of claim 2, wherein at least one of said terminals is a bar code reader and wherein said changing means comprises:

an application selector symbol;

means for reading and decoding a message from said application selector symbol; and

means for altering a correlation of said terminal-application correlation means in accordance with said message.

5. The network of claim 3, wherein at least one of said terminals includes an associated terminal memory, and wherein said changing means comprises:

means for storing in said terminal memory at least a partial contents of each message decoded by at least one reader that corresponds to an application selector symbol;

means for transmitting on power up of said at least one reader said at least partial contents of a last stored message corresponding to an application selector means; and

means responsive to said transmitting means for updating said terminal-reader correlation means.

6. The network of claim 1, further comprising application-parameter correlation means correlating applications of said network with parameters called by at least one of either of said terminals or said base station of said network.

7. The network of claim 6, wherein at least one parameter of said application-parameter correlation means is a data collection parameter called by at least one of said data collection terminals.

8. The network of claim 6, wherein said at least one parameter of said application-parameter correlation means is a data transmission parameter called by said base station.

9. The network of claim 6, wherein said base station includes a base terminal having an associated base terminal memory, and wherein said terminal-application correlation means and said application-parameter correlation means are stored in said base terminal memory.

10. The network of claim 9, wherein said application-parameter correlation means is provided by an application-parameter table and wherein a subset of said application-parameter table is periodically uploaded to at least one of said terminals.

11. The network of claim 6, wherein said application-parameter correlation means comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

12. The network of claim 1, wherein said terminal-application correlation means is provided by a terminal-application lookup table.

13. The network of claim 1, wherein said base station includes a base terminal having an associated base terminal memory, and wherein said terminal-application correlation means is stored in said base terminal memory.

14. The network of claim 1, wherein said terminals are provided by bar code readers, wherein said network further includes an application-parameter table correlating said applications of said network with at least one data collection parameter, and wherein said network further comprises:

means for reprogramming at least one of said readers, said at least one reader having a certain associated application;

means responsive to said reprogramming means for altering said application-parameter table; and

means responsive to said altering means for uploading to all readers a subset of said altered application-parameter table to all of said readers of said network having an application in common with said certain associated application of said at least one parameter.

15. The network of claim 1, wherein said reader reprogramming means include a parameter selector symbol.

16. The network of claim 1, wherein at least one aspect of a data collection protocol of at least one of said terminals and at least one aspect of a data transmission protocol of said base station depends on a terminal-application correlation of said terminal-application correlation means.

47. The network of claim 1, wherein said terminal-application correlation means comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers.

17. A method for operating a multiterminal data collection network, said network including a plurality of terminals, a base station for receiving messages from the various terminals, and a system memory, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a terminal-application correlation means in said system memory for correlating at least one terminal of said network with at least one application of said network;

storing an application-parameter correlation means in said system memory for correlating a plurality of applications of said network with at least one data collection parameter for each application; and

programming said at least one of said terminals to call, during operation of said terminal, a data collection parameter stored in said application-parameter correlation means so that operation of said at least one terminal depends on which application said at least one terminal is correlated with in said terminal-application correlation means.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of changing an application with which said at least one terminal is correlated with in said terminal-application correlation means so that operation of said at least one terminal is changed.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said data collection terminals are bar code readers and wherein said changing step includes the steps of:

configuring said network so that a correlation of said terminal-application correlation means changes when one of said readers decodes an application changing message;

providing an application-selector symbol that codes an application changing message; and

decoding and reading with one of said readers said application-selector symbol.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said base station includes a base terminal having an associated base terminal memory, and wherein said establishing step includes the step of establishing said terminal-application correlation means in said base terminal memory.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said storing step includes the step of storing said application-parameter correlation means in said base terminal memory.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said application-parameter correlation means stored in said storing means further correlates a plurality of applications of said network with at least one data transmission parameter for each application, and wherein said method further comprises the step of configuring said base station to call a data transmission parameter stored in said application-parameter correlation means so that operation of said base station depends on which application a reader that has initiated a present message is correlated with in said terminal-application correlation means.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein said network includes at least three terminals, and wherein at least two of said terminals are correlated with a first application, so that said two terminals correlated with said first application operate according to the same data collection protocol, which data collection protocol is different from the operation protocol or protocols of remaining terminals in the network.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein said terminal-application correlation means comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein said application-parameter correlation means comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein said terminal-application correlation means comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers, wherein said application-parameter correlation means comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein said terminal-application correlation means comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers.

27. A method for operating a multiterminal data collection network, said network including a plurality of terminals, a base station for receiving messages from the various terminals, and a system memory, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a terminal-application correlation means in said system memory for correlating at least one terminal of said network with at least one application of said network;

storing an application-parameter correlation means in said system memory for correlating a plurality of applications of said network with at least one data transmission parameter for each application; and

configuring said base station to call, during operation of said base station, a data transmission parameter stored in said application-parameter correlation means so that operation of said base station depends on which application a reader that has initiated a present message is correlated with in said terminal-application correlation means.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of changing an application with which said at least one terminal is correlated with in said terminal-application correlation means so that operation of said base station is changed.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said data collection terminals are bar code readers and wherein said changing step includes the steps of:

configuring said network so that a correlation of said terminal-application correlation means changes when one of said readers decodes an application charging message;

providing an application-selector symbol that codes an application changing message; and

decoding and reading with one of said readers said application-selector symbol.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said base station includes a base terminal having an associated base terminal memory, and wherein said establishing step includes the step of establishing said terminal-application correlation means in said terminal base memory.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said storing step includes the step of storing said application-parameter correlation means in said base terminal memory.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein said network includes at least three terminals, and wherein at least two of said terminals are correlated with a first application, so that when said base station transmits messages initiated in either of said two terminals correlated with said first application, said base station operates according to the same data transmission protocol, which data transmission protocol is different from a data transmission protocol of said base station when said base station sends messages initiated by terminals of said network not correlated with said first application.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein said application-parameter correlation means comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein said terminal-application correlation means comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers, wherein said application-parameter correlation means comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

36. A multi-terminal data collection network comprising:

a plurality of data collection terminals;

a base station;

a system memory;

a terminal-application correlation table stored in said system memory which correlates at least one terminal of said network with an application of said network;

wherein at least one operational aspect either of one of said terminals or said base station depends on a terminal-application correlation of said terminal-application correlation table.

37. The network of claim 36, further comprising means for changing terminal to application correlations of said terminal-application correlation table.

38. The network of claim 36, further comprising changing means initiated by one of said terminals for changing a correlation of said terminal-application correlation table.

39. The network of claim 36, further comprising an application-parameter correlation table which correlates applications of said network with parameters called by at least one of either of said terminals or said base station of said network.

40. The network of claim 39, wherein at least one parameter of said application-parameter correlation table is a data collection parameter called by at least one of said data collection terminals.

41. The network of claim 39, wherein said at least one parameter of said application-parameter correlation table is a data transmission parameter called by said base station.

42. The network of claim 39, wherein said base station includes a base terminal having an associated base terminal memory, and wherein said terminal-application correlation table and said application-parameter correlation table are stored in said base terminal memory.

43. The network of claim 42, wherein a subset of said application-parameter correlation table periodically uploaded to at least one of said terminals.

44. The network of claim 39, wherein said application-parameter correlation table comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

45. The network of claim 36, wherein said base station includes a base terminal having an associated base terminal memory, and wherein said terminal-application correlation table is stored in said base terminal memory.

46. The network of claim 36, wherein said terminal-application correlation means comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers.

48. A method for operating a multi-terminal data collection network, said network including a plurality of terminals, a base station for receiving messages from the various terminals, and a system memory, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a terminal-application correlation table in said system memory for correlating at least one terminal of said network with at least one application of said network;

storing an application-parameter correlation table in said system memory for correlating a plurality of applications of said network with at least one data collection parameter for each application; and

programming said at least one of said terminals to call, during operation of said terminal, a data collection parameter stored in said application-parameter correlation table so that operation of said at least one terminal depends on which application said at least one terminal is correlated within said terminal-application correlation table.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising the step of changing an application with which said at least one terminal is correlated within said terminal-application correlation table so that operation of said at least one terminal is changed.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein said data collection terminals are bar code readers and wherein said changing step includes the steps of:

configuring said network so that a correlation of said terminal-application correlation table changes when one of said readers decodes an application changing message;

providing an application-selector symbol that codes an application changing message; and

decoding and reading with one of said readers said application-selector symbol.

51. The method of claim 48, wherein said base station includes a base terminal having an associated base terminal memory, and wherein said establishing step includes the step of establishing said terminal-application correlation table in said base terminal memory.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein said storing step includes the step of storing said application-parameter correlation table in said base terminal memory.

53. The method of claim 48, wherein said application-parameter correlation table stored in said storing means further correlates a plurality of applications of said network with at least one data transmission parameter for each application, and wherein said method further comprises the step of configuring said base station to call a data transmission parameter stored in said application-parameter correlation table so that operation of said base station depends on which application a reader that has initiated a present message is correlated with in said terminal-application correlation table.

54. The method of claim 48, wherein said network includes at least three terminals, and wherein at least two of said terminals are correlated with a first application, so that said two terminals correlated with said first application operate according to the same data collection protocol, which data collection protocol is different from the operation protocol or protocols of remaining terminals in the network.

55. The method of claim 48, wherein said terminal-application correlation table comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers.

56. The method of claim 48, wherein said application-parameter correlation table comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

57. The method of claim 48, wherein said terminal-application correlation table comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers, wherein said application-parameter correlation table comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

58. A method for operating a multi-terminal data collection network, said network including a plurality of terminals, a base station for receiving messages from the various terminals, and a system memory, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a terminal-application correlation table in said system memory for correlating at least one terminal of said network with at least one application of said network;

storing an application-parameter correlation table in said system memory for correlating a plurality of applications of said network with at least one data transmission parameter for each application; and

configuring said base station to call, during operation of said base station, a data transmission parameter stored in said application-parameter correlation table so that operation of said base station depends on which application a reader that has initiated a present message is correlated within said terminal-application correlation table.

59. The method of claim 58, further comprising the step of changing an application with which said at least one terminal is correlated within said terminal-application correlation table so that operation of said base station is changed.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein said data collection terminals are bar code readers and wherein said changing step includes the steps of:

configuring said network so that a correlation of said terminal-application correlation table changes when one of said readers decodes an application changing message;

providing an application-selector symbol that codes an application changing message; and

decoding and reading with one of said readers said application-selector symbol.

61. The method of claim 58, wherein said base station includes a base terminal having an associated base terminal memory, and wherein said establishing step includes the step of establishing said terminal-application correlation table in said base terminal memory.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein said storing step includes the step of storing said application-parameter correlation table in said base terminal memory.

63. The method of claim 58, wherein said network includes at least three terminals, and wherein at least two of said terminals are correlated with a first application, so that when said base station transmits messages initiated in either of said two terminals correlated with said first application, said base station operates according to the same data transmission protocol, which data transmission protocol is different from a data transmission protocol of said base station when said base station sends messages initiated by terminals of said network not correlated with said first application.

64. The method of claim 58, wherein said terminal-application correlation table comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers.

65. The method of claim 58, wherein said application-parameter correlation table comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.

66. The method of claim 58, wherein said terminal-application correlation table comprises a plurality of terminal identifiers and a plurality of application identifiers, each terminal identifier being correlated with one of said application identifiers, wherein said application-parameter correlation table comprises a plurality of application identifiers and a plurality of parameter identifiers, each application identifier being correlated with a plurality of said parameter identifiers.