Data communication device

• US 6,587,034 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2000
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Werback, Andrew R., Beach, Robert, Katz, Joseph, Heiman, Frederic
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): DALENCOURT, YVES
• Application Number:
  US09/621,364
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 340/7.55, 340/7.29, 340/7.42, 340/7.2, 370/338, 370/346, 370/349, 370/449, 370/474, 455/432, 455/434, 455/435, 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/2.3, 345/3.3, 345/23, 345/25, 345/204, 345/698, 345/699, 345/3.4, 358/1.2, 235/462.13, 235/462.45
• US Class Current: 340/7.55
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/913 Wireless or radio

Abstract

Simplified data message terminals and data communicating voice terminals are described for providing additional functionality in a facility using a wireless data communication system. The simplified data message terminals provide message and paging communication to employees or customers in a simplified terminal configuration using the existing data communication system. By performing voice to data and data to voice conversions, the same system provides voice communication without interruption of data communication services.

Claims

1. A mobile scanning-unit, comprising:

a scanner for scanning optical codes;

a programmed controller for controlling the scanner and receiving scanned data therefrom;

a radio module for data scanning;

a display, the display having a first screen having a first resolution and a second screen having a second resolution, and wherein the second resolution is higher than the first resolution;

an annunciator;

an antenna;

a plurality of user-depressable buttons;

wherein the radio module is programmed to receive alphanumeric paging messages, to provide the alphanumeric paging messages to the display, and to engage the annunciator to signal receipt of a paging message;

wherein said controller is arranged to receive a first data message, to display the first data message on the first screen, to receive a second data message, to display said second data message on the second screen, and to signal a user to refer to the second screen.

2. The mobile scanning unit as in claim 1, wherein the radio module is further programmed to disengage the annunciator upon activation of a user-depressabe button.

3. The mobile scanning unit as in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of memory elements, wherein the radio module is programmed to store the alphanumeric paging messages in the plurality of memory elements.

4. The mobile scanning unit as in claim 3, wherein a plurality of pre-selected responses are also stored in the plurality of memory elements, and wherein the pre-selected responses may be transmitted by the radio module based on the activation of the plurality of user-depressable buttons.

5. The mobile scanning unit as in claim 4, wherein the plurality of user-depressable buttons includes a button for upward scrolling, a button for downward scrolling, a button for selecting highlighted material and a button for canceling functions.

6. The mobile scanning unit as in claim 4, wherein the display includes at least four lines of displayable text.

7. The mobile scanning unit as in claim 4, further comprising a lens and wherein the second screen is more easily viewable using the lens.

8. A system for scanning, comprising:

(1) at least one mobile scanning unit, each comprising;

(a) a scanner for scanning optical codes;

(b) a radio module;

(c) a display, the display having a first screen having a first resolution and a second screen having a second resolution, and wherein the second resolution is higher than the first resolution;

(d) an annunciator;

(e) a power source and a power manager;

(f) a plurality of memory elements; and

(g) a plurality of user-depressable buttons;

(2) a wired network; and

(3) at least one access point;

wherein the at least one access point is capable of transmitting transmission data from the wired network to the at least one mobile scanning unit via a wireless medium and receiving reception data from the at least one mobile scanning unit to the wired network via a wireless medium;

wherein the at least one access point forms a transmission area, the transmission area including the space where association to the at least one access point is possible by the at least one mobile scanning unit; and

wherein the at least one access points broadcasts a periodic beacon via a wireless medium;

wherein each of the at least one mobile scanning unit attempts to associate with the at least one access points by broadcasting a poll via a wireless medium on a first periodic basis unless otherwise instructed by the power manager within the specific mobile scanning unit; and

wherein at least one of the at least one mobile scanning unit is arranged to receive a first data message, to display the first data message on the first screen of the mobile scanning unit, to receive a second data message, to display the second data messages on the second screen of the mobile scanning unit, and to signal a user to refer to the second screen.

9. The system as in claim 8, wherein the transmitting data is capable of including data obtained from the use of the scanner of at least one of the at least one mobile scanning unit.

10. The system as in claim 9, wherein the transmission data and the reception data include data representing the IP address associated with each of the at least one mobile scanning unit, and wherein the wired network is connected to the Internet.

11. The system as in claim 9, herein the transmission data and the reception data include data representing the MAC address associated with each of the at least one access point.

12. The system as in claim 9, wherein the transmission data and the reception data include at least one unique message each of which is identified by a unique sequence number;

and wherein the transmission data and the reception data include information associated with each of the at least one unique message that is identified by the unique sequence number associated with each of the at least one unique message.

13. The system as in claim 12, wherein a first of the at least one mobile scanning unit sends a first of the at least one unique message to a second of the at least one mobile scanning unit via the at least one access point, wherein the first of the at least one unique message is identified by its unique sequence number.

14. The system as in claim 9, wherein the transmission data comprises a plurality of alphanumeric paging messages that may be either individual paging messages that are designated by the wired network for a particular one of the at least one mobile scanning unit associated with the wired network or network paging messages that are designated by the wired network for each of the at least one mobile scanning unit associated with the wired network.

15. The system as in claim 14, wherein the at least one mobile scanning unit is programmable to disable receipt of the network paging messages.

16. The system as in claim 9, wherein the power manager is programmed to instruct the radio module within a specific mobile scanning unit to cease attempting to associate with the at least one access point on the first periodic basis after a predetermined length of time has passed since the last successful association between the specific mobile scanning unit and the at least one access point.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein the predetermined length of time is about 1 hour.

18. The system as in claim 16, wherein the power manager within the specific mobile scanning unit is further programmed to instruct the radio module within the same specific mobile scanning unit to resume attempting to associate with the at least one access point on the first periodic basis upon activation of one of the plurality of the user-depressable buttons within the same specific mobile scanning unit.

19. The system as in claim 9,

wherein the power manager within a specific mobile scanning unit is programmed to instruct the radio module within the same specific mobile scanning unit to cease attempting to associate with the at least one access point on the first periodic basis;

wherein the radio module within the same specific mobile scanning unit is programmed to attempt to access the periodic beacon transmitted by the at least one access points, the periodic beacon including information related to the presence or absence of pending messages for the particular mobile scanning unit within the wired network;

and wherein, if there are pending messages for the same specific mobile scanning unit, the same specific mobile scanning unit is programmed to associate with the at least one access point to obtain the pending messages.

20. The system as in claim 19, wherein the instruction to the radio module within the same specific mobile scanning unit to cease attempting to associate with the at least one access points on the first periodic basis results in less drain on the power source of the same specific mobile scanning unit.

21. The system as in claim 9,

wherein the power manager of a specific mobile scanning unit is programmed to instruct the radio module of the same specific mobile scanning unit to attempt to associate with the at least one access point on a second periodic basis, wherein the second periodic basis is less frequent than the first periodic basis;

wherein the attempt to associate with the at least one access point on a second periodic basis comprises;

the transmission of the poll by the same specific mobile scanning unit;

if there are pending messages for the same specific mobile scanning unit, the receipt of the pending messages from the at least one access point; and

if there are no pending messages for the same specific mobile scanning unit, the receipt of an acknowledgement from the at least one access point.

22. The system as in claim 21,

wherein the power manager of the same specific mobile scanning unit is programmed to instruct the radio module of the same specific mobile scanning unit to attempt to associate with the at least one access point on the second periodic basis at all times other than when the same specific mobile scanning unit is near the edge of the transmission area.

23. The system as in claim 9, wherein the annunciator of a specific mobile scanning unit is programmed to activate when the same specific mobile scanning unit is near the edge of the transmission area.

24. The system as in claim 9, wherein each of the at least one mobile scanning unit associates with the specific access point that is in closest proximity.

25. The system as in claim 9, wherein a first of the at least one mobile scanning unit that is unable to associate with the at least one access point is capable of associating with a second of the at least one mobile scanning unit, and wherein the second of the at least one mobile scanning unit is capable of functioning in the same manner as one of the at least one access point.

26. The system as in claim 9, wherein the transmission data and the reception data use a TCP/IP protocol, and wherein the wired network is connected to the Internet.

27. The system as in claim 9, further comprising a packet data scanning system comprising at least one converter for converting voice signals into a sequence of data signals, at least one assembler for assembling the data signals into data packets, and at least one resolver for sequentially converting the data signals in the data packets to voice signals;

and wherein the transmission data and the reception data comprise the data packets.

28. The system as in claim 27, wherein each of the at least one resolver is located on one of the at least one mobile scanning unit and wherein each of the at least one resolver is further capable of converting the data signals in the data packets to alphanumeric characters using voice recognition and displaying the alphanumeric characters on the display of the at least one mobile scanning unit.