Low-power hand-held transaction device

• US 6,230,970 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1998
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Moce Solutions Limited Liability Company
• Original Assignee: E-Comm Inc.
• Inventors: Boydston, David H., Walsh, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/064,395
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/382, 235/492, 235/486, 235/472.01, 705/17, 705/16, 705/41, 705/43, 705/44, 705/45
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners

Abstract

An electronic hand-held device and method for inputting and sending requests and for receiving and outputting responses to the requests. The electronic hand-held device is a coupled to a telecommunications link over which requests are sent and responses are received. The electronic hand-held device derives sufficient electrical power from the telecommunications link in order to power the internal components of the electronic hand-held device that input request data, format requests, send requests, receive responses, and output responses. The electronic hand-held device can input request data in any number of different information media, including audio tones and voice signals, mechanical input to a keypad, printed barcodes, magnetic data stored in credit cards, and electronic data stored in electronic smart cards. The electronic hand-held device can output responses through an audio speaker, a visual LCD display device, and, optionally, through other output devices including printers. The electronic hand-held device is especially well suited for order entry and acquisition of product information.

Claims

1. A method for inputting an input request by a hand-held device, transmitting a server request corresponding to the input request from the hand-held device to a server computer through a telecommunications link, receiving a response to the server request by the hand-held device from the server computer, and outputting the response by the hand-held device, the hand-held device comprising a number of internal components, including input components, a transceiver component, and a number of output components, the method comprising:

coupling the hand-held device to a telecommunications link to transmit the request and to receive the response through the telecommunications link and to draw sufficient electrical power from the telecommunications link to operate the hand-held device;

maintaining the internal components of the hand-held device in inactive states and thereby conserving power prior to receiving the input request;

receiving an indication to input the input request by the hand-held device, the input request represented in an input medium selected from among audio tones, mechanical input, and from one of additional types of input media including a magnetic medium, an electronic medium, and a printed medium;

activating an input component within the hand-held device to input the input request;

processing the input request into a corresponding server request;

activating the transceiver component to transmit the server request to the server computer and to receive the response from the server computer through the telecommunications link;

activating an output component to output the response, the output component selected from among an audio speaker and a visual display; and

deactivating the activated internal components.

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

deactivating the activated input component following completion of inputting the input request and prior to output of the response.

3. The method of claim 1 further including:

deactivating the activated input component following completion of inputting the input request and prior to receiving the response.

4. The method of claim 1 further including:

deactivating the activated input component following completion of inputting the input request and prior to completion of transmission of the request.

5. The method of claim 1 further including:

deactivating an activated transceiver component following completion of receiving the response and prior to completion of outputting the response.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the transceiver component comprises a transmission component and a reception component and wherein activating the transceiver component to transmit the server request to the server computer through the telecommunications link and to receive the response from the server computer further includes:

activating the transmission component;

transmitting the server request;

deactivating the transmission component and activating the reception component; and

receiving the response.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein input media includes an electronic representation of a portion of a request.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the hand-held device includes a smart card reader input component for inputting information encoded electronically in a smart card.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein input media includes a magnetic representation of a portion of the request.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the hand-held device includes a magnetic card reader input component for inputting information encoded magnetically on a magnetic card.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein input media includes a printed representation of a portion of the request.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the hand-held device includes a bar code reader input component for inputting information stored in a printed bar code.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the bar code reader comprises a bank of illumination elements for illuminating a printed bar code, an optical element for gathering light reflected from the printed bar code, a charge coupled device for sensing bar codes from the gathered light, and a low-power proximity detector and wherein, when activated, the bar code reader activates the low-power proximity detector to first detect a reflective surface within some threshold distance from the optical element prior to activating the illumination elements to read a bar code.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the bar code reader comprises a bank of illumination elements for illuminating a printed bar code, an optical element for gathering light reflected from the printed bar code, a charge coupled device for sensing bar codes from the gathered light and wherein, when activated, the bar code reader activates a small number of illumination elements to first detect a printed bar code within some threshold distance from the optical element prior to activating the total number of illumination elements to read the bar code.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device draws no more than 300 milliwatts of electrical power from the telecommunications link.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunications link is a telephone line.

17. The method of claim 16 further including initiating a telecommunications connection by the server computer with the hand-held device, the hand-held device drawing power from the ring signal transmitted to the hand-held device over the telephone line in order to activate the internal components to receive and respond to the connection initiation.

18. The method of claim 16 further including transmitting analog signals from the hand-held device to the telephone line and receiving analog signals from the telephone line by the hand-held device such that the hand-held device operates as a telephone.

19. The method of claim 16 further including employing a step down switching regulator within the hand-held device to both decrease the voltage and increase the current drawn from the telephone line in order to draw sufficient current from the telephone line to power the internal components of the hand-held device.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunications link is a cellular telephone.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunications link is a wireless telephone.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunications link is a personal communication system.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunications link is a PBX telephone line.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunications link is a connection to a local computer system that is coupled to the server computer through a telecommunications link.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the connection is an RS232 connection.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the connection is a universal serial bus connection.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the connection is a radio frequency connection and wherein the hand-held device is powered by a battery.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device includes a microphone input component for inputting an input request represented by audio tones.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device includes a keypad input component for inputting an input request represented by mechanical manipulation of the keypad.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device includes a visual display capable of displaying alphanumeric symbols.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device includes a visual display capable of displaying both alphanumeric symbols and graphical images.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device includes a printer output component.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device includes an output component comprising one or more illumination elements.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein an input component that inputs amplified input signals receives amplified input signals from a dual power mode amplifier, the dual power mode amplifier transitioning from a low-power state to a high-power state upon detection of input signals and transitioning from high-power state back to low-power state when no further input signals are detected.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device contains a protected memory that stores information that can only be accessed by internal components of the hand-held device, the method further including storing, in the protected memory within the hand-held device, input information that must be protected from access by external devices, and by transmitting, in an encrypted form over the telecommunications link, input information that must be protected from access by external devices.

36. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device contains a tone generator.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the hand-held device employs the tone generator to transmit an out-of-band analog signal to the server computer to interrupt analog signals being sent from the server computer to the hand-held device.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the hand-held device employs the tone generator to send an out-of-band analog signal to the server computer to prepare the server computer to receive digitized packets from the hand-held device.

39. The method of claim 36 wherein the hand-held device employs the tone generator to send communications parameters to the server computer, including the baud rate for subsequent digitized packet exchange.

40. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is a request for information about a product and the response is a description of the product that may include textual, graphical, and audio information about the product.

41. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is a request for information about a service and the response is a description of the service that may include textual, graphical, and audio information about the product.

42. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is an order of a product and the response is a confirmation of the order.

43. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is an offer to employ the service and the response is an acceptance of the offer.

44. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device includes an electrical power storage component for storing electrical power obtained by the hand-held device from the telecommunications link for later use.

45. The method of claim 41 wherein the hand-held device is operated from stored electrical energy available from the stored energy component for inputting a number of requests, and then is later coupled to the telecommunications link to transmit the requests and to obtain electrical energy to operate the hand-held device and to replenish the electrical power storage component.

46. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held device can communicate through the telecommunications link with the server computer using the TCP/IP protocol and is therefore Internet compatible.

47. The method of claim 1 wherein a portion of the hand-held device, including the input and output components, is implemented in first unit powered by a battery supply and a portion of the hand-held device, including the transceiver component, is implemented in a second unit that is coupled to the telecommunications link, the first unit communicating with the second unit through a wireless communications medium.

48. The method of claim 44 wherein the wireless communications medium is radio frequency communications.

49. The method of claim 44 wherein the wireless communications medium is optical communications.

51. The hand-held device of claim 47 including a microphone input component that inputs audio data, including voice data.

52. The hand-held device of claim 47 including a scanner input component that inputs printed images and characters.

53. The hand-held device of claim 47 including a keypad input component having keys that correspond to symbols and that inputs a symbol corresponding to a key that is activated by an activation indication, activation indications including mechanical and electrical activation indications.

54. The hand-held device of claim 47 including a magnetic card reader input component that inputs magnetically encoded data.

55. The hand-held device of claim 47 including an electronic smart card reader input component that inputs electronically encoded data.

56. The hand-held device of claim 47 including a printed bar code reader input component that inputs data represented by printed bar codes.

57. The hand-held device of claim 47 including an output component that outputs alphanumeric symbols.

58. The hand-held device of claim 47 including an output component that outputs alphanumeric symbols and graphical images.

59. The hand-held device of claim 47 including an audio speaker output component.

60. The hand-held device of claim 47 including a printer output component.

61. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the processing component is a low-power microprocessor and wherein the microprocessor runs a number of software routines that construct requests from input request data and that manage the activation and deactivation of components within the hand-held device in order to conserve electrical power consumption by the hand-held device.

62. The hand-held device of claim 58 wherein, under control of the software routines executed by the microprocessor, an input component is activated when input data is available for that input component and the input component is deactivated once data input is completed.

63. The hand-held device of claim 58 wherein, under control of the software routines executed by the microprocessor,

a transmission component of the transceiver is activated to send the request,

upon completion of sending the request, the transmission component is deactivated and a reception component of the transceiver is activated, and

upon completion of receiving the response, the reception component is deactivated.

64. The hand-held device of claim 58 wherein, under control of the software routines executed by the microprocessor, an output component is activated when output for that output component is included in the response and is deactivated following completion of output of the response.

65. The hand-held device of claim 58 wherein the hand-held device includes a bar code reader and wherein a proximity detector within the bar code reader is used to ensure that a reflective surface that might contain a bar code is sufficiently close to the bar code reader before activating the bar code reader for reading a bar code.

66. The hand-held device of claim 62 wherein the microprocessor in the hand-held device is powered down while the proximity detector of the bar code reader is detecting the proximity of a reflective surface and wherein, and, once a bar code has been read, a bar code microprocessor within the bar code reader signals the microprocessor in the hand-held device to power up the microprocessor in the hand-held device in order to process the bar code.

67. The hand-held device of claim 62 wherein the bar code reader includes a bank of illumination elements that together illuminate a bar code to be read, and wherein the proximity detector comprises a subset of the illumination elements that provide sufficient illumination to detect a reflective surface.

68. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein input components that receive amplified signals receive amplified signals from dual power mode amplifiers such that, when no signals are being input to the input components, the dual power mode amplifiers are in a low-power state in order to conserve consumption of electrical power by the hand-held device.

69. The hand-held device of claim 47 further including a protected memory that stores input information that must be protected from access by external devices and that is transmitted in an encrypted form from the hand-held device to the telecommunications link.

70. The hand-held device of claim 47 further including a tone generator that sends multiple frequency tones that do not occur in voice-generated analog signals that serve as out-of-band signals to a receiving transceiver connected to the remote server computer.

71. The hand-held device of claim 67 wherein a multiple frequency tone is sent by the tone generator to interrupt analog communications being received from the remote server computer.

72. The hand-held device of claim 68 wherein multiple frequency tones are sent by the tone generator to initialize data exchange between the hand-held device and the remote server computer, including to set the baud rate, protocol, and other communications parameters prior to sending a request.

73. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the telecommunications link is a telephone line.

74. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the telecommunications link is an RS232 connection to a computer that is linked to the server computer.

75. The hand-held device at claim 72 wherein the hand-held device is also coupled to a telephone line and uses internal coupling method, such as optical coupling, to draw current from both the RS232 connection and the telephone line.

76. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the telecommunications link is a universal serial bus connection to a computer that is linked to the server computer.

77. The hand-held device of claim 72 wherein the hand-held device is also coupled to a telephone line and uses internal coupling method, such as optical coupling, to draw current from both the RS232 connection and the telephone line.

78. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the telecommunications link is a wireless telephone.

79. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the telecommunications link is a cellular telephone.

80. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the telecommunications link is a personal communications system telephone.

81. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the telecommunications link is a PBX telephone line.

82. The hand-held device of claim 47 wherein the transceiver component is included in a first unit and the input, output, and processing components are included in a second unit, wherein the first unit and second unit are coupled by communications via optical signals or radio frequency signals, and wherein the second unit is powered by stored electrical power and the first unit is powered by electrical power obtained from the telecommunications link.

83. The hand-held device of claim 47 further including one or more energy storing devices selected from capacitors and batteries that obtain electrical power from the telecommunications link when the hand-held device is connected to the telecommunications link and that provide electrical power to the hand-held device when the hand-held device is not connected to the telecommunications link.

85. The method of claim 81 wherein response output types further include printed alphanumeric symbols and electronic signals.

86. The method of claim 81 wherein the telecommunications connection may be selected from one of the telecommunications connections including a standard telephone line, a PBX telephone line, a cellular telephone, a wireless telephone, an RS232 connection to a computer, and a universal serial bus connection to a computer.

87. The method of claim 81 wherein a portion of the input data is a printed airline ticket for a commercial flight, and the response contains current information about the commercial flight, including one or more of gate assignments and times for arrival and departure, seat assignments, and availability of upgrades and special menus.

88. The method of claim 81 wherein a portion of the input data is a bar code corresponding to a product and the response contains information about the product, including one or more of music associated with the product, a voice description of the product, a textual description of the product, a price of the product, availability of the product, and a graphical image of the product.

89. The method of claim 81 wherein a portion of the input data is a bar code corresponding to a product and the response contains a confirmation of an order for purchasing the product.

90. The method of claim 81 wherein a portion of the input data is a printed indication in a children'"'"'s book and the response contains one or more of music associated with the indication, a graphical image associated with the indication, and spoken dialogue associated with the indication.

91. The method of claim 81 wherein a portion of the input data is a mechanical indication of a desire to speak with a human operator and the response contains a voice signal generated by the human operator.

92. The method of claim 81 wherein a portion of the input data is an ATM banking command and the response contains information about an account and confirmation of the execution of the command.

93. The method of claim 81 wherein a portion of the input data is a product identification and an indication of a problem with the product and the response contains one or more of a diagnosis of the problem, an indication of where to bring the product for service, and a solicitation of more specific information about the problem to assist in further diagnosis of the problem.

95. The hand-held device of claim 91 wherein the communications link is an RS232 connection.

96. The hand-held device of claim 91 wherein the communications link is a universal serial bus connection.

100. The method of claim 96 wherein the collected input and the response are transmitted and received via analog signals.

101. The method of claim 96 wherein the collected input and the response are transmitted and received via digitized voice signals.

50. A hand-held device for inputting request data, constructing a request, transmitting the request to a server computer through a telecommunications link, receiving a response to the request from the server computer, and outputting the response, the hand-held device coupled to a telecommunications link through which the request is transmitted and the response is received, the telecommunications link also serving as a sufficient source of electrical power to operate the hand-held device, the hand-held device comprising:

a number of input components for inputting request data from a number of different input media, including audio tones and mechanical manipulation of an input component and at least one of additional input media including electronic, magnetic, and printed request data;

a processing component that constructs a request from the request data;

a transceiver component that sends the request to the server computer and that receives the response from the server computer; and

a number of output components that output a portion of the response received from the server computer in a particular response output medium.

84. A method for conducting transactions and for information acquisition and display, the method comprising:

connecting a hand-held device to a telecommunications link so that the hand-held device obtains sufficient electrical power from the telecommunications link to operate and so that the hand-held device can transmit and receive analog signals and digitized packets via the telecommunications link;

inputting data to the hand-held device that represents a portion of a request, the request selected from one of a number of types of requests, including a transaction request that represents a command and solicits a response to the command and an informational request that solicits a response containing requested information, the data input in the form of audio tones, including voice data, mechanical input, and at least one of additional data input types including electronic, magnetic, and printed data;

when the request is intended to be sent to a server computer, formatting the data into one or more digitized packets and sending the one or more digitized packets to the server computer and receiving one or more digitized packets from the server computer that contain the response;

when the request is intended to be sent to a human operator via analog signals,

sending input voice data to the human operator as analog signals and receiving from the human operator analog signals that represent a voice response; and

outputting the response in one or more of a number of response output types, including displayed alphanumeric symbols, displayed graphical images, and audio tones.

94. A hand-held device for inputting request data, constructing a request, and transmitting the request to a computer through a communications link, the communications link also serving as a sufficient source of electrical power to operate the hand-held device, the hand-held device comprising:

one or more input components, each input component capable of inputting request data from a different type of input media, including audio tones, mechanical manipulation of an input component, electronically encoded request data, magnetically encoded request data, and printed request data;

a processing component that constructs a request from the request data; and

a transceiver component that sends the request to the computer.

98. The method of claim 94 wherein the remote entity is a server computer.

99. The method of claim 94 wherein the remote entity is a human.

102. The method of claim 94 wherein the collected data is encrypted.

103. The method of claim 94 wherein the collected data is compressed for efficient transmission.

104. The method of claim 94 wherein the remote entity is another hand-held device.

105. The method of claim 94 wherein the input is collected and stored within the hand-held device prior to coupling the hand-held device to the telecommunications link while the hand-held device is operated from electrical energy stored within the hand-held device in electrical energy storage device, the collected input later transmitted to the remote entity after the hand-held device is coupled to the telecommunications link.

97. A method for collecting input by a hand-held device, transmitting the collected input from the hand-held device to a remote entity through a telecommunications link, receiving a response from the remote entity, and outputting the response by the hand-held device, the hand-held device comprising a number of internal components, including input components, a transceiver component, and a number of output components, the method comprising:

coupling the hand-held device to a telecommunications link to transmit the collected input and to receive the response through the telecommunications link and to draw sufficient electrical power from the telecommunications link to operate the hand-held device;

maintaining the internal components of the hand-held device in inactive states and thereby conserving power prior to receiving the input request;

receiving an indication initiate input, the input selected from among audio tones, mechanical input, and from one of additional types of input including magnetic, an electronic, and a printed input;

activating an input component within the hand-held device to receive the input;

activating the transceiver component to transmit the collected input to the remote entity and to receive the response from the remote entity through the telecommunications link;

activating an output component to output the response, the output component selected from among an audio speaker and a visual display; and

deactivating the activated internal components.