Bar code reader, scaling device and scaling method

• US 6,488,207 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1999
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Watanabe, Mitsuo, Yamazaki, Kozo, Kawai, Hiroaki, Iwaguchi, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, UYEN CHAU N
• Application Number:
  US09/473,987
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/385, 235/462.01, 235/462.11, 235/375, 235/462.14, 177/4, 177/32, 177/25, 177/164, 177/224, 705/16, 705/23, 705/407, 705/414, 705/416
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4144 for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing

Abstract

A bar code reader includes bar code processing units (10, 11) for generating a bright/dark pattern forming a bar code (40) by optically scanning a bar code forming surface of an object (4), converting into plural categories of module values indicating widths of the respective areas, and demodulating the bar code into character data, a scaling unit for creating scale data by scaling a weight of the object to be sold by weight, a adjustment control unit (11) to perform zero-setting in response to a request for initializing the scaling unit, and a weight change detecting unit (11) for judging at least one of an increment change and a decrement change from zero in weight, and making a corresponding piece of scale data visibly displayed when in the increment change and making an absolute value of a corresponding piece of scale data visibly displayed when in the decrement change.

Claims

1. A bar code reader comprising:

a bar code processing unit for generating a bright/dark pattern containing a plurality of bright areas and a plurality of dark areas forming a bar code by optically scanning a bar code forming surface of an object, converting the bright/dark pattern into plural categories of module values indicating widths of the respective bright areas and widths of the respective dark areas, and demodulating the bar code into character data;

a scaling unit for creating scale data by scaling a weight of the object;

a zero-adjustment control unit for working a weight scaling function of said scaling unit to perform zero-setting; and

a weight change judging unit for judging at least one of an increment change from zero weight when the object is placed onto the scaling unit following the zero-setting and a decrement change from zero weight when the object is taken off the scaling unit following the zero-setting on the basis of the scale data created by said scaling unit, and outputting a corresponding piece of scale data when in the increment change and an absolute value of a corresponding piece of scale data when in the decrement change; and

a comparison unit for comparing a weight of an object at a first point of time with a weight of the object at a second point of time posterior to the first point of time;

wherein, if a first object having a first weight and a second object having a different second weight are on the scaling unit and the first object is removed, then the first weight is outputted; and

whereby, an operator of the scaling unit does not need to re-execute a zero-adjustment after temporarily removing an object.

2. A bar code reader according to claim 1, further comprising:

an automatic zero-adjustment control unit for forcibly working the weight scaling function of said scaling unit to perform the zero-setting when said weight change judging unit judges the decrement change and outputs the absolute value of the scale data.

3. A bar code reader according to claim 2, wherein a box body of said bar code reader incorporates:

a first switch element for enabling an operator to input the request for initializing said scaling unit; and

a second switch element for enabling the operator to start up another processing function containing control for changing any one of a volume and a tone of a confirmation sound emitted from a loudspeaker when said bar code processing unit reads the bar code.

4. A bar code reader according to claim 3, wherein said first switch element and said second switch element are integrated into one same switch element.

5. A bar code reader according to claim 1, wherein a box body of said bar code reader incorporates:

a first switch element for enabling an operator to input the request for initializing said scaling unit; and

a second switch element for enabling the operator to start up another processing function containing control for changing any one of a volume and a tone of a confirmation sound emitted from a loudspeaker when said bar code processing unit reads the bar code.

6. A bar code reader according to claim 5, wherein said first switch element and said second switch element are integrated into one same switch element.

7. The bar code reader according to claim 1, comprising:

a output unit for outputting, when there occurs a decrement change in weight as a result of the comparison, scale data with plus and minus of the change being reversed.

8. The bar code reader according to claim 1, comprising:

a output unit for outputting, when there occurs a decrement change in weight as a result of the comparison, scale data corresponding to an absolute value of the change.

9. The bar code reader according to claim 1, comprising:

a setting unit for automatically setting, when there occurs a decrement change in weight as a result of the comparison, the weight of the object at the second point of time to zero.

10. A scaling method comprising:

creating scale data by scaling a weight of an object by a zero-set scaling device;

judging at least one of an increment change from zero weight when the object is placed onto the scaling unit following the zero-setting and a decrement change from zero weight when the object is taken off the scaling unit following the zero-setting on the basis of the created scale data;

comparing a weight of the object at a first point of time with a weight of the object at a second point of time posterior to the first point of time;

outputting a corresponding piece of scale data when in the increment change; and

outputting an absolute value of a corresponding piece of scale data when in the decrement change;

whereby, if a first object having a first weight and a second object having a different second weight are on the scaling unit and the first object is removed, then the first weight is outputted; and

whereby, an operator using the scaling method does not need to re-execute a zero-adjustment after temporarily removing the object.

11. A scaling method according to claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a start-up of a processing function of making said scaling device perform zero-setting, and a start-up of another processing function containing control for changing anyone of a volume and a tone of a confirmation sound emitted from a loudspeaker when reading the bar code, corresponding to a difference between operation methods of one same switch element.