Method and apparatus for reading and writing indicia such as bar codes using a scanned laser

• US 6,871,786 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2000
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Swartz, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US09/706,112
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/462.01, 235/462.13, 235/470, 235/375, 235/900, 235/472.01, 235/432, 235/472.02, 347/111, 347/130, 347/240, 347/241, 347/251, 347/264, 347/256, 347/129, 347/138, 347/139, 347/224, 347/225, 347/229, 347/231, 347/262, 358/296, 358/298, 358/474, 358/496, 358/472, 358/473, 399/111, 399/367, 399/130, 355/84
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/126 by photographic or thermographic registration recording apparatus for measuring instruments G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10633 by oscillation

Abstract

A system for reading and writing indicia on a medium including a light source for producing a light beam; a reading element for directing the light beam at the medium so as to scan indicia disposed on a first portion of said medium, detecting at least a portion of the light of variable intensity reflected off the indicia, and generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected light intensity; and a writing element for directing the light beam at the medium in a pattern on a second portion of the medium so as record information on the medium. The light beam is preferably a laser beam generated by a semiconductor laser, and a mirror is used to scan the beam both for reading and writing.

Claims

1. A hand-held apparatus for writing optical indicia on a medium, the apparatus comprising:

a housing configured to be hand held while disconnected from the medium;

a central processing unit (CPU) for controlling the apparatus;

an interface for connecting the apparatus to external devices;

a light source connected to the housing for generating a light beam suited for writing the optical indicia on the medium; and

a scanning element connected to the housing under control of the CPU that directs the light beam at the medium in a pattern prescribed by the CPU

wherein a position and orientation of the light beam relative to the medium is dependent on an orientation in which a user holds the housing, which is disconnected from the medium.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical indicia comprises alphanumeric characters.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the light beam is a pulsed laser beam.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the medium is thermal sensitive.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the light source is a laser.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the scanning element comprises a scanning mirror.