Optical code reader and methods and articles therefor

• US 6,290,133 B1
• Filed: 06/17/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Knighton, Mark S., Logan, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): St. Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/099,658
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/436, 235/462.01, 235/462.18, 235/462.25, 235/462.45, 235/472.01, 235/454
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10762 Relative movement
• 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

Abstract

A method comprises steps of sensing a first user action, transmitting a first optical message in response to the first user action, and performing at least one optical code reading step in response to non-receipt of a valid response to the first optical message. An apparatus to perform the aforementioned steps and an article of manufacture to direct the aforementioned steps are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

reading a first optical code;

storing first data to a memory, the first data associated with the first optical code;

reading a second optical code;

storing second data to the memory, the second data associated with the second optical code;

transmitting a first optical message based upon the first data;

receiving a first acknowledge response to the first optical message;

transmitting a second optical message based upon the second data; and

deleting the first data from the memory and maintaining the second data in the memory in response to non-receipt of a second acknowledge response to the second optical message.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

sensing a first user action, wherein the step of reading the first optical code is performed in response to the first user action;

sensing a second user action, wherein the step of reading the second optical code is performed in response to the second user action; and

sensing a third user action, wherein the steps of transmitting the first optical message and the second optical message are performed in response to the third user action.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first user action, the second user action, and the third user action are sensed by a switch.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein each of the first user action, the second user action, and the third user action comprises a user-initiated depression of the switch.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first optical message and the second optical message are transmitted using an emitter, and wherein the step of reading the first optical code comprises illuminating the first optical code using the emitter.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first optical code and the second optical code are read by a detector, and wherein the first acknowledge response is received by the detector.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first optical code includes a first bar code, and wherein the second optical code includes a second bar code.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining non-receipt of the second acknowledge response within a time period after transmitting the second optical message.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an optical code reader circuit;

a memory responsive to the optical code reader circuit to store first data associated with a first optical code and second data associated with a second optical code;

a data communication circuit in communication with the memory;

an emitter responsive to the data communication circuit to optically communicate a first message based upon the first data and a second message based upon the second data;

a detector; and

a logic circuit responsive to the detector to detect receipt of a first acknowledge response to the first message and to detect non-receipt of a second acknowledge response to the second message, wherein the memory is responsive to the logic circuit to delete the first data and to maintain storage of the second data in response to non-receipt of the second acknowledge message.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a sensor to sense at least one user action;

wherein the optical code reader circuit is responsive to the sensor to read the first optical code in response to the first user action and to read the second optical code in response to the second user action; and

wherein the emitter and the data communication circuit are responsive to the sensor to optically communicate the first message and the second message in response to a third user action.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the sensor comprises a switch.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of the first user action, the second user action, and the third user action comprises a user-initiated depression of the switch.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the emitter is responsive to the optical code reader circuit to illuminate the first optical code and the second optical code.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the optical code reader circuit is responsive to the detector to read the first optical code and the second optical code.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first optical code includes a first bar code, and wherein the second optical code includes a second bar code.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the logic circuit detects non-receipt of the second acknowledge response within a time period after transmitting the second message.

17. An article of manufacture comprising:

machine-readable storage medium; and

machine-readable data stored by the machine-readable storage medium, the machine-readable data to direct an apparatus to store first data associated with a first optically-read code, to store second data associated with a second optically-read code, to communicate a first optical message based upon the first data, to receive a first acknowledge response to the first optical message, to communicate a second optical message based upon the second data, and to delete the first data and maintain the second data in response to non-receipt of a second acknowledge response to the second optical message.