Multimode image capturing and decoding optical reader
First Claim
1. A portable device comprising:
- an imaging assembly including a two-dimensional solid state image sensor and optics focusing an image onto said image sensor;
a trigger;
a portable housing encapsulating said solid state image sensor;
a control circuit configured to operate in a mode in which said control circuit stores an image in response to a user-actuation of said trigger;
wherein said control circuit is further configured to operate in a mode in which said control circuit sends said image to an external spaced apart device together with a set of executable instructions executable by said external spaced apart device, said executable instructions instructing said external spaced apart device to (a) decode a bar code symbol represented in said image to generate a decoded-out message; and
(b) transmit back to said portable device said decoded-out message; and
wherein said control circuit is further configured to receive from said external spaced apart device said decoded-out message decoded from said image sent by said control circuit to said external spaced apart device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is an imaging device which can be equipped with decode functionality and which can be configured to operate in at least one of four user selected modes. In a first, “message only” mode, the device stores into a designated memory location a decoded-out message corresponding to a decodable indicia. In a second, “image only” mode, the device stores into a designated frame storage memory location an image representation of a scene. In a third, “omage plu message” mode the device stores into a designated frame storage memory location an image representation comprising a representation of a decodable symbol and into the same or other memory location the decoded-out message decoded from the decodable indicia, or data corresponding to the same. In the fourth, “two-step message and image” mode, the device is controlled to capture an image a first time for decoding a decodable indicia and a second time for capturing an image that is associated with the decoded-out message corresponding to the decodable indicia.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A portable device comprising:
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an imaging assembly including a two-dimensional solid state image sensor and optics focusing an image onto said image sensor; a trigger; a portable housing encapsulating said solid state image sensor; a control circuit configured to operate in a mode in which said control circuit stores an image in response to a user-actuation of said trigger; wherein said control circuit is further configured to operate in a mode in which said control circuit sends said image to an external spaced apart device together with a set of executable instructions executable by said external spaced apart device, said executable instructions instructing said external spaced apart device to (a) decode a bar code symbol represented in said image to generate a decoded-out message; and
(b) transmit back to said portable device said decoded-out message; andwherein said control circuit is further configured to receive from said external spaced apart device said decoded-out message decoded from said image sent by said control circuit to said external spaced apart device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for operating a hand held portable device having a two-dimensional solid state image sensor, a memory, and being configured to decode a bar code in accordance with a decoding program, said hand held portable device being in communication with an external spaced apart device, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) storing into said memory an image file in a file format suitable for storing image files, said image file having an open byte memory location; (b) decoding a bar code represented in an image utilizing said decoding program to produce decoded-out message data; (c) writing said decoded-out message data yielded by execution of decoding step (b) into said image file open byte memory location referred to in step (a); and (d) transmitting said image file including said decoded-out message data to said external spaced apart device so that both of image data of said image file referred to in step (a) and said decoded out message data referred to in step (b) are transferred to said external spaced apart device when said image file is transmitted from said hand held portable device to said external spaced apart device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for operating a portable device having a two-dimensional solid state image sensor, a memory, and being configured to decode a bar code in accordance with a decoding program, said portable device being in communication with an external spaced apart device, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) storing into said memory an image file in a file format suitable for storing image files; (b) decoding a bar code represented in an image utilizing said decoding program to produce decoded-out message data; (c) converting said decoded-out message data into an image representation of said decoded-out message data; (d) stitching said image representation of said decoded-out message data referred to in step (c) into said image file referred to in step (a); and (e) transmitting said image file to said external spaced apart device so that both the original image data of said image file referred to in step (a) and said stitched-in image data corresponding to said decoded-out message referred to in step (d) are transferred to said external spaced apart device when said image file is transmitted from said portable device to said external spaced apart device. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification