System for reading optical indicia
First Claim
1. A portable optical indicia reader, comprising:
- a housing;
an array of photosensor elements, located within said housing;
a focusing system, positioned in said housing, to focus an image of an area of information located externally of said housing onto said array of photosensor elements; and
a field of view marking system, positioned within said housing, to project a light-energy marker structure away from said housing and onto a surface containing an area of information to designate an imaging area that is substantially equivalent to said focusing system'"'"'s field of view.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A portable hand-held reader unit includes a photosensor array interiorly of the unit and optics for focusing an image of indicia of information contained on and occupying a predetermined area on a label exteriorly of the reader unit. The reader unit further includes a flashable light source such as a xenon flash tube which is disposed in a ring-like manner about the optical field of view of the reader unit. A marker source which in a preferred embodiment comprise four light sources such as photo diodes or laser diodes, for example, are peripherally disposed interiorly of the reader unit laterally adjacent the photosensor array or in another embodiment at the four corners of the photosensor array. Light emitted from the light sources is projected through the optics of the reader unit peripherally of the field of view of the reader unit as marker beams which impinge a surface toward which the reader unit may be pointed in marker spots peripherally of the predetermined area. When the impinging marker spots of light bracket the information indicia on the label and the xenon tube is flashed, the instantaneous illumination of the label transfers an image of the information indicia onto the photosensor array within the reader unit from where the information may be stored within memory or transferred by communication links to a central processor.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A portable optical indicia reader, comprising:
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a housing; an array of photosensor elements, located within said housing; a focusing system, positioned in said housing, to focus an image of an area of information located externally of said housing onto said array of photosensor elements; and a field of view marking system, positioned within said housing, to project a light-energy marker structure away from said housing and onto a surface containing an area of information to designate an imaging area that is substantially equivalent to said focusing system'"'"'s field of view. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An optical indicia imager, comprising:
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means for housing components of the optical indicia imager; means for sensing received light energy, located within said means for housing; means for focusing, positioned within said means for housing, to focus an image of an area of information located externally of said means for housing onto said means for sensing; and means for designating a field of view'"'"'s boundary, positioned within said means for housing, to designate an area that is substantially equivalent to said means for focusing'"'"'s field of view. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for imaging optical indicia, comprising the steps of:
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aiming an optical indicia imager toward a surface containing indicia to be imaged; projecting a field of view marking structure away from the imager and substantially along the periphery of the imager'"'"'s field of view to delineate an imaging area, the projected field of view marking structure designating the imager'"'"'s field of view'"'"'s boundary on the surface containing the indicia to be read; and activating the imager to capture an image of the imager'"'"'s field of view.
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Specification