Multilevel data communication system including local and host systems

• US 6,192,400 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1998
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Danielson, Arvin D., Cargin, Keith K., Mahany, Ronald L., Bunte, Alan G., West, Guy J., Hanson, George E., Salvay, Steven H., Miller, Phillip, Koenck, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/148,962
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/227, 370/310, 235/472.01
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0075 using a containment or docking space
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0078 Quick-disconnect two-parts mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10574 Multiple sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10702 Particularities of propagating elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors G06K7/10831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10811 Focalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10841 Particularities of the light-sensitive elements semiconductor devices H01L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 : constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 : using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2258 : used with computer equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3894 : Waterproofing of transmission device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 : by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 : Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0032 : Without explicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 : the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 : the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 : Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 : adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A computerized system for managing freight or the like which is picked up at various points and delivered to other various destinations, and more particularly to such a system which utilizes hand-held terminals, scanners and printers which are linked together by a micro link radio to each other and by a wide area network radio link to a main area station which can receive and transmit information to a plurality of sets of terminals, printers and the like for managing an overall freight system.

Claims

1. A data communication system comprising:

A plurality of remote data systems comprising a portable terminal, a code reader, and a printer, at least one of the portable terminal, code reader, or printer comprising a battery power source;

each of the portable terminal, code reader, and printer having a wireless transceiver for communication at a lower power transmission;

a local wireless transceiver;

a local computer system communicatively coupled to the local wireless transceiver and communication occurs between the host computer system and the one of the portable terminal, code reader, or printer of each of the plurality of remote data systems via higher power transmissions through the local wireless transceiver.

2. The data communication system of claim 1 wherein the printer further comprises a dock for communicatively receiving the portable terminal.

3. The data communication system of claim 1 wherein the host computer system comprises a dock for communicatively receiving the portable terminal.

4. The data communication system of claim 1 wherein the printer includes an input to utilizing a vehicle power source.

5. The data communication system of claim 4 wherein the releasable input connects to a cigarette lighter in a vehicle.

6. In a data communication system, a mobile data collection system comprising:

a portable terminal comprising a power source and a radio for transmitting and receiving information at a lower power;

a code reader communicatively coupled to the portable terminal;

a printer that wirelessly transmits information to and receives information from the portable terminal at the lower power, and transmits and receives information at a higher power outside of the mobile data collection system; and

a dock that engagingly receives the portable terminal to provide a communication link to the portable terminal.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the printer further comprises the dock.

8. The data communication system of claim 6 wherein the printer includes an input to utilize a vehicle power source.

9. The data communication system of claim 8 wherein the input connects to a cigarette lighter in a vehicle.

10. A data communication system comprising:

a mobile collection system comprising, a first data device, a second data device, and a third data device, at least two of the first data device, the second data device, or the third data device communicatively coupled via a radio transmitting at a lower power, and at least one of the first data device, the second data device, or the third data device comprises a radio transmitting at a higher power outside the mobile collection system, the first data device, the second data device, and the third data device comprising a portable terminal, a code reader, and a printer;

a local computer system communicatively coupled the radio transmitting at a higher power.

11. The data communication system of claim 10, the printer further comprising an engagement mechanism for communicatively mating the portable terminal to the printer.

12. The data communication system of claim 10, the printer further including an input to utilize a vehicle power source.

13. The data communication system of claim 12 wherein the input connects to a cigarette lighter in a vehicle.