Hand held portable device with multiple functions

• US 6,550,683 B1
• Filed: 02/24/2000
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telxon Corporation (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Augustine, Kimberly Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GORT, ELAINE L
• Application Number:
  US09/512,175
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/28, 705/29, 235/462.45, 235/462.43, 235/462.01, 235/380, 235/385
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/30 Writer recognition; Reading and verifying signatures

Abstract

A hand held portable device is provided that includes a signature pad for receiving a customer'"'"'s signature and a carbon copy receipt printer that can print out a receipt with customer information, product information and the customer'"'"'s digitized signature on both a merchant receipt and a customer receipt. The hand hold portable device can also be provided with a bar code reader and a thermal transfer bar code printer. The hand held portable device is adapted to allow a user to input product information, inventory information, customer information and accept customer signatures. The portable device allows the user to select between reading a bar code, printing a bar code label and printing a receipt containing at least one of the digitized signature received by the digitized pad and the bar code information read from the bar code label. The hand held portable device can also download data to a main computer via a communication system with a connector or a radio frequency link. Warning LED'"'"'s are provided to inform the user whether a signature has been accepted or a bar code label has been properly read.

Claims

1. A hand held portable device, comprising:

a signature pad adapted to receive and digitize a signature written on the signature pad;

a bar code reader adapted to read a bar code label;

a receipt printer adapted to output a receipt with at least one of the digitized signature contained thereon and bar code data corresponding to information read from the bar code by the bar code reader;

an input device adapted to allow a user to input product information; and

a bar code printer adapted to print a bar code label containing the product information inputted by the user;

where the portable device allows the user to select between reading a bar code, printing a bar code label and printing a receipt containing at least one of the digitized signature received by the signature pad and the bar code information read from the bar code label.

2. The device of claim 1, the printer being a carbon copy printer adapted to output a first receipt with the digitized signature thereon and a carbon copy receipt with the digitized signature thereon.

3. The device of claim 1, the receipt further including at least one of customer and product data.

4. The device of claim 3, the at least one of customer and product data being stored in a memory of the hand held portable device.

5. The device of claim 3, the at least one of customer and product data being entered by a user through a key pad of the hand held portable device.

6. The device of claim 1, further including a processor operatively coupled to the signature pad and the receipt printer, the processor digitizing signatures written on the signature pad and outputting the digitized signature to the receipt outputted by the receipt printer.

7. The device of claim 6, further including a tri-state LED operatively coupled to the processor, the processor illuminating the tri-state LED green if a signature written on the signature pad is acceptable and illuminating the tri-state LED red if a signature written on the signature pad is not acceptable.

8. The device of claim 1, the signature pad utilizing optical sensors.

9. The device of claim 1, the signature pad being a digitized pad.

10. The device of claim 1, further including a display to display information relating to the operation of the hand held portable device.

11. The device of claim 1, further including a communication subsystem to download data to a main computer through a communication port.

12. The device of claim 1, further including a radio frequency communication subsystem to download data to a main computer and receive data through a communication port through a radio frequency link.

13. The device of claim 1, the bar code printer being a thermal transfer printer.

14. A hand held portable device, comprising:

a signature pad adapted to receive and digitize a signature written on the signature pad;

a bar code reader adapted to read a bar code label;

a receipt printer adapted to output a receipt with at least one of the digitized signature contained thereon and bar code data corresponding to information read from the bar code by the bar code reader;

an input device adapted to allow a user to input product information;

a bar code printer adapted to print a bar code label containing the product information inputted by the user; and

a processor operatively coupled to the signature pad, the receipt printer, the bar code reader and the bar code printer, the processor adapted to digitize signatures written on the signature pad and output the digitized signature to the receipt outputted by the receipt printer, the processor further adapted to receive bar code information from the bar code reader and output the bar code information to the receipt outputted by the receipt printer and also adapted to receive bar code data from a key pad and output that data to a bar code printed by the bar code printer.

15. The device of claim 14, further including a tri-state LED operatively coupled to the processor wherein the processor illuminates the tri-state LED green if a signature written on the signature pad is acceptable and illuminates the tri-state LED red if a signature written on the signature pad is not acceptable.

16. The device of claim 15, further including a green LED and a red LED both operatively coupled to the processor wherein the processor illuminates green LED if a bar code is properly read by the bar code reader and illuminates the red LED if a bar code is not properly read by the bar code reader.

17. The device of claim 16, further including a display adapted to display information relating to the operation of the hand held portable device.

18. The device of claim 17, further including a communication subsystem adapted to download data to a main computer through a communication port.

19. The device of claim 18, further including a radio frequency communication subsystem adapted to download data to a main computer and receive data through a