Customizable optical reader

• US 7,159,783 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Livingston, Joseph, Hussey, Robert M., Robinson, Michael D., Holzhauer, David, Keys, Barry, Fauth, Dieter, Walczyk, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US11/203,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20050284943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 235/472.01, 235/462.45, 235/462.15, 235/472.02
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1017 Programmable
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03

Abstract

An optical reader, which is operable in a “host commands” mode and a “host routines” mode. In the “host commands” mode, the reader receives and executes a script routine module from a host. In the “host routines” mode, the reader receives a script routine Module identifier from the host, and the reader, in turn, executes a selected one of a plurality of reader-stored script routine modules based on the identifier.

Claims

1. A method to create a custom function in an optical reader comprising the steps of:

providing a hand held optical reader having a host routines mode and a plurality of script routine modules;

providing a host computer to communicate with the optical reader;

providing a computer to order script routine modules into lists that can be executed in succession by the optical reader;

identifying a string of the script routine modules using the computer such that when said string of script routine modules are executed together in succession said string of script routine modules define a function;

generating a string of identifiers representing the string of script routine modules on the computer;

transmitting the string of identifiers from the computer to the host computer;

transmitting the string of identifiers from the host computer to one or more optical readers set to the host routines mode; and

executing the custom function on at least one of the optical readers as the execution order of a selected list of script routine modules.

2. The method of claim 1, to create a custom function wherein the step of identifying a string of the script routine modules comprises identifying a string of the script routine modules using the computer such that when the script routine modules are executed together in succession said string of script routine modules define a function to display a particular error message on an optical reader display.

3. The method of claim 1, to create a custom function wherein the step of identifying a string of the script routine modules comprises identifying a string of the script routine modules using the computer such that when the script routine modules are executed together in succession said string of script routine modules define a function to conduct an inventory application.

4. The method of claim 1, to create a custom function wherein the step of identifying a string of the script routine modules comprises identifying a string of the script routine modules using the computer such that when the script routine modules are executed together in succession said string of script routine modules define a function to conduct a shipping application.

5. The method of claim 1, to create a custom function wherein the step of transmitting the string of identifiers from the host computer to one or more optical readers comprises transmitting the string of identifiers from the host computer to one or more optical readers set to the host routines mode wherein the script routine modules identified by the string of identifiers are resident in the one or more optical readers.

6. The method of claim 1, to create a custom function wherein the step of executing the custom function comprises executing the custom function on at least one of the optical readers as the execution order of a selected list of script routine modules wherein a control circuit within the optical reader executes the script routine modules resident in a memory in the optical reader.

7. The method of claim 6, to create a custom function wherein the step of executing the custom function comprises executing the custom function on at least one of the optical readers as the execution order of a selected list of script routine modules wherein a control circuit within the optical reader executes script routine modules resident in a memory in the optical reader and the control circuit selects each successive script routine modules by use of a program pointer.

8. The method of claim 1, to create a custom function further comprising the step of sending a request to the host computer requesting the script identifiers before the step of transmitting the string of identifiers from the host computer.

9. A method to create a custom function in an optical reader comprising the steps of:

providing a hand held optical reader having a host command mode;

providing a host computer to communicate with the optical reader and to send one or more script routine modules to the optical reader set to the host command mode;

identifying one or more script routine modules to be transmitted to the optical reader;

transmitting the one or more script routine modules from the host computer to one or more optical readers set to the host command mode such that the script routine modules are executed together in succession by the optical reader as a custom function; and

executing the custom function on at least one of the optical readers.

10. The method of claim 9, to create a custom function wherein the step of providing a hand held optical reader comprises providing a hand held optical reader having a host command mode and a control circuit.

11. The method of claim 10, to create a custom function further comprising the step of sending a request to the host computer to send a script routine module to the reader before the step of transmitting the one or more script routine modules.

12. The method of claim 9, to create a custom function wherein the step of providing a hand held optical reader comprises providing a hand held optical reader having a host command mode, a control circuit, and an interpreter.

13. The method of claim 12, to create a custom function wherein the step of executing the custom function comprises executing the custom function on at least one of the optical readers by interpreting the one or more script routine modules in the optical reader using the interpreter, and executing the interpreted script routine modules with the control circuit to perform the custom function.

14. The method of claim 13, to create a custom function wherein the step of executing the custom function comprises executing the custom function on at least one of the optical readers by interpreting the one or more script routine modules in the optical reader using the interpreter, and executing the interpreted script routine modules with the control circuit by further executing one or more firmware functions built into optical reader to perform the custom function.

15. The method of claim 9, to create a custom function wherein the step of identifying the one or more script routine modules comprises identifying the one or more script routine modules to be transmitted to the optical reader in the host command mode following an unsuccessful attempt to create the custom function using a host routines mode wherein one or more of the needed script routine modules is not resident in the optical reader.

16. The method of claim 15, to create a custom function wherein the step of identifying the one or more script routine modules comprises identifying the one or more script routine modules to be transmitted to the optical reader in the host command mode following an unsuccessful attempt to create the custom function using a host routines mode wherein one or more of the needed script routine modules is not resident in the optical reader, and after the needed script routine modules are loaded into the reader in the host command mode and after the reader is returned to the host routines mode, a pointer is established to associate each of the selected script routine modules with an identifier.

17. The method of claim 9, to create a custom function wherein the step of identifying the one or more script routine modules comprises identifying the one or more script routine modules to be transmitted to the optical reader to display a particular error message on an optical reader display.

18. The method of claim 9, to create a custom function wherein the step of identifying the one or more script routine modules comprises identifying the one or more script routine modules to be transmitted to define a function to conduct an inventory application.

19. The method of claim 9, to create a custom function wherein the step of identifying the one or more script routine modules comprises identifying the one or more script routine modules to be transmitted to the optical reader to define a function to conduct a shipping application.

20. A hand held optical reader including:

a control circuit configured to control an image sensor and including a memory, a processor and firmware and where said processor is configured to execute instructions stored within said memory and said firmware;

a main operating program including a plurality of said instructions configured for execution by said processor;

a script interpreter program including a plurality of said instructions configured for execution by said processor, said script interpreter program is configured to interpret and execute commands communicated to said memory from another computer after execution of said main operating program; and

where said commands direct the execution of firmware functions stored within said firmware.