Counter-top scanner with bump protection mechanism and scan angle adjustment mechanism
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A bar code scanner, comprising:
- a housing including;
(i) a substantially omnidirectional laser scanning platform mounted therein, and (ii) a window for admitting laser energy into the housing and for allowing laser energy to pass out of the housing;
a protective sheath encasing the housing that functions as a shock-absorbing mechanism to protect against damage if the bar code scanner is dropper or subjected to mechanical shock; and
a movable bracket adjustably mounted to the housing such that, if the movable bracket is mounted to a fixed surface, the movable bracket remains fixed, but permits adjustment of housing to any of a plurality of positions relative to the fixed surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved counter-top bar code scanner is equipped with a bump protection mechanism and a scan angle adjustment mechanism. The bump protection mechanism is provided in the form of a protective sheath fabricated of a shock-absorbing material. The scan angle adjustment mechanism is provided in the form of a movable bracket adjustably mounted to the scanner housing. If the bracket is mounted to a fixed surface, the bracket remains fixed but permits adjustments of the housing to any of the plurality of positions relative to the fixed surface.
14 Citations
51 Claims
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1. A bar code scanner, comprising:
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a housing including;
(i) a substantially omnidirectional laser scanning platform mounted therein, and (ii) a window for admitting laser energy into the housing and for allowing laser energy to pass out of the housing;a protective sheath encasing the housing that functions as a shock-absorbing mechanism to protect against damage if the bar code scanner is dropper or subjected to mechanical shock; and a movable bracket adjustably mounted to the housing such that, if the movable bracket is mounted to a fixed surface, the movable bracket remains fixed, but permits adjustment of housing to any of a plurality of positions relative to the fixed surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A bar code scanner comprising:
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a scanner housing having an approximately cubical volume and comprising a light transmission aperture; an adjustable mounting bracket removably attached to the scanner housing; a protective sheath encasing the housing that functions as a shock-absorbing mechanism to protect against damage if the bar code scanner is dropped or subjected to mechanical shock; an omnidirectional laser scanning engine mounted within the housing and including; (i) a laser beam producing mechanism for producing a laser beam, (ii) a laser beam sweeping mechanism having at least first, second and third light reflective surfaces each being disposed at a different acute angle with respect to a rotational axis of the laser beam sweeping mechanism for sequentially sweeping the laser beam about the rotational axis along a plurality of different paths, (iii) a stationary array of at least first second, third and fourth light reflective surfaces; (iv) a laser light collection subsystem, including a light collection element for collecting return laser light, the light collection subsystem further including a light receiving mechanism for detecting the collected return laser light and producing an electrical signal indicative of the detected laser light, (v) a signal processing mechanism for processing the electrical signal and producing scan data representative of a scanned code symbol, and (vi) a control mechanism for controlling the operation of the omnidirectional laser scanning engine. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. A laser scanner comprising:
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a hand-supportable housing having a light transmission window through which laser light can exit the hand-supportable housing, travel towards an object bearing a code symbol and reflect therefrom, and at least a portion of the reflected laser light travel back through the light transmission window and enter the hand-supportable housing;
wherein the hand-supportable housing having a longitudinal extent which extends along a central reference axis;a movable bracket adjustably mounted to the housing such that, if the movable bracket is mounted to a fixed surface, the movable bracket remains fixed, but permits adjustment of housing to of a plurality of positions relative to the fixed surface; a protective sheath encasing the housing that functions as a shock-absorbing mechanism to protect against damage if the bar code scanner is dropped or subjected to mechanical shock; and a laser beam producing mechanism disposed within the hand-supportable housing for producing a laser beam; a laser beam sweeping mechanism mounted within the hand-supportable housing for rotation about a rotational axis intersecting the central reference axis, where the intersection of the rotational axis and the central reference axis defines a central reference plane which extends along the longitudinal extent of the hand-supportable housing; the laser beam sweeping mechanism having a plurality of rotating light reflective surfaces each being disposed at a different acute angle with respect to the rotational axis, for sequentially sweeping the laser beam about the rotational axis along a plurality of different paths; a stationary array comprised of a plurality of stationary light reflective surfaces mounted within the hand-supportable housing with respect to the central reference axis and disposed substantially under the light transmission window;
wherein at least two of the plurality of the stationary light reflective surfaces are symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the central reference plane, and closely adjacent the laser beam sweeping mechanism;a light collection subsystem disposed within the hand-supportable housing, and including (i) a light collection element, mounted along the central reference plane and adjacent at least two of the stationary light reflective surfaces, for allowing the laser beam produced from the laser beam producing mechanism to pass along a portion of the central reference plane, to the laser beam sweeping mechanism, for sweeping about the rotational axis thereof along the plurality of different paths, and (ii) a light receiver for receiving light from the light collection element at a point substantially within the central reference plane, and detecting the received light and producing an electrical signal indicative of the detected light; a signal processor disposed within the hand-supportable housing, for processing the electrical signal and producing scan data representative of a scanned code symbol; a control mechanism within the hand-supportable housing for controlling the operation of the hand-supportable laser scanner so that, during scanner operation, the laser beam produced from the laser beam producing mechanism passes along a portion of the central reference plane, to at least one of the rotating light reflective surfaces of the laser beam sweeping mechanism, and as the laser beam sequentially reflects off a plurality of the rotating light reflective surfaces, the laser beam is repeatedly swept across a plurality of the stationary light reflective surfaces, thereby producing a plurality of groups of plural scan lines, respectively, which are projected out through the light transmission window and intersect about a projection axis within an approximately collimated, frustral, or pyramidal scanning volume having an approximately columnar extent and extending from adjacent the light transmission window to at least about six inches therefrom so as to produce a collimated projected scanning pattern; the hand-supportable housing is supportable relative to an object bearing a code symbol so that when a code symbol is presented within the collimated scanning volume, the code symbol is scanned omnidirectionally by the collimated scanning pattern, at least a portion of the laser light reflected from the scanned code symbol is directed through the light transmission window, reflected off at least one of the stationary light reflective surfaces, then reflected off at least one of the rotating light reflective surfaces of the laser beam sweeping mechanism, and thereafter the reflected laser light is collected by the light collection element to be received by the light receiver for detection, whereupon the electrical signal is produced for processing by the signal processor; and wherein the hand-supportable housing allows the user to control the direction of the projection axis by adjusting the movable bracket relative to the housing and observing the window of the housing, to thus align the collimated scanning volume with the bar code symbol on the object to be scanned and identified. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. An automatic projection laser scanning system comprising:
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a hand-supportable housing having a light transmission aperture through which visible light can exit and enter into the hand-supportable housing; a movable bracket adjustably mounted to the housing such that, if the movable bracket is mounted to a fixed surface, the movable bracket remains fixed, but permits adjustment of housing to any of a plurality of positions relative to the fixed surface; a protective sheath encasing the housing that functions as a shock-absorbing mechanism to protect against damage if the bar code scanner is dropped or subjected to mechanical shock; an object detector in the hand-supportable housing, for detecting an object located in a scanning volume extending externally from the hand supportable housing, and automatically generating an activation signal in response to the detection of the object located therein; an activatable scan data reading mechanism in the hand-supportable housing, for reading scan data from a detected object located in the scanning volume, the scan data reading mechanism including; a laser beam generator for generating a visible laser beam and directing the visible laser beam through the light transmission aperture and into the scanning volume, a laser beam scanner for repeatedly scanning the visible laser beam so as to produce a highly collimated scanning pattern of approximately columnar extent within the scanning volume, for scanning a code symbol on the detected object presented therein a laser light detector for detecting the intensity of laser light reflected off the bar code symbol and passing through the light transmission aperture as the visible laser beam is repeatedly scanned within the scanning volume, and a receiver for automatically producing scan data indicative of the detected intensity; an activatable scan data processor for processing produced scan data so as to detect and decode the bar code symbol on the detected object, and automatically producing symbol character data representative of the decoded bar code symbol; and a control mechanism for controlling the operation of the automatic bar code symbol reading system; wherein the movable bracket allows the user to control the direction of the projection axis by adjusting the position of the hand-supportable housing relative to the bracket, and thus align the approximately columnar scanning volume with the bar code symbol on the object to be scanned and identified. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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Specification