Bar code reading device having image processing mode

• US 7,523,866 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Longacre, Andrew Jr., Hussey, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US11/589,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20070080229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/462.09, 235/462.24, 235/462.25, 235/462.45
• US Class Current: 235/462.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1017 Programmable
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1456 determining the orientation of the optical code with respect to the reader and correcting therefore

Abstract

The invention relates to a bar code reading device of the type having an imaging assembly including a two dimensional image sensor and which may be moved between varying positions, orientations and angles relative to a substrate. In one embodiment a bar code reading device can be used to obtain an area electronic representation of a substrate including bar code indicia and a signature, and can output an area representation including a representation of a signature. In another embodiment, the bar code reading device can process and output a processed area electronic representation to an output destination. In one embodiment an output destination to which a bar code reading device outputs a processed area electronic representation is a display.

Claims

1. An audible tone emitting portable bar code reading device capable of emitting an audible tone, said portable bar code reading device being of the type which may be moved between various distances, orientations, and angles with respect to a bar code symbol, said portable bar code reading device comprising:

an imaging assembly comprising a two dimensional solid state image sensor and an optics assembly focusing an image onto said solid state image sensor;

wherein said portable bar code reading device is configured to operate in an operating mode in which said portable bar code reading device (a) obtains an image that is desired to represent a signature, (b) processes said image to determine whether said signature is actually located in said image obtained in (a), and emits an audible tone responsively to said determining of whether said signature is located in said image obtained in (a).

2. The portable bar code reading device of claim 1, wherein said portable bar code reading device in processing said image to determine whether said signature is actually represented in said image determines whether a signature field is represented in said image obtained in (a).

3. The portable bar code reading device of claim 1, wherein said portable bar code reading device emits an audible tone if said portable bar code reading device in (b) determines that said signature is not represented in said image obtained in (a).

4. A method for utilizing a portable bar code reading device of the type having an imaging assembly including two dimensional solid state image sensor, said portable bar code reading device being moveable between varying positions, orientations, and angles relative to a substrate, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing on a substrate a fingerprint field in association with a recognizable indicia, said fingerprint field being at a predetermined position relative to a recognizable indicia;

(b) obtaining an image utilizing said portable bar code reading device, said image including a representation of said fingerprint field and said recognizable indicia;

(c) processing said image obtained in step (b) to determine position Information for a representation of said recognizable indicia in said image obtained in step (b);

(d) utilizing said position information relating to said recognizable indicia determined in step (c) to determine a position of a representation of said fingerprint field in said image obtained in step (c); and

(e) utilizing said position information relating to said representation of said fingerprint field determined in step (d), outputting to an output destination image data corresponding to said fingerprint field of said substrate.

5. The method of claim 4, where said processing step includes the step of processing said image to further determine at least one imaging characteristic of said recognizable indicia, and wherein said utilizing step includes the step of utilizing said at least one imaging characteristic in outputting to an output destination image data corresponding to said fingerprint field of said substrate.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said imaging characteristic is a scaling characteristic.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said imaging characteristics is an orientation characteristic.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said imaging characteristic is a distortion characteristic.

9. A portable bar code reading device of the type which may be moved between various distances, orientations, and angles with respect to a bar code symbol, said portable bar code reading device comprising:

an imaging assembly comprising a solid state image sensor and an optics assembly focusing an image onto said solid state image sensor;

wherein said portable bar code reading device is configured to operate in an operating mode in which said portable bar code reading device (a) obtains an image that is desired to represent a signature and, (b) processes said image to determine whether said signature is actually represented in said image obtained in step (a);

wherein said portable bar code reading device in said operating mode generates a feedback indicator to a user if said portable bar code reading device determines that said signature is not represented in said image, said feedback indicator indicating a direction of movement needed to obtain an image containing said signature.

10. The portable bar code reading device of claim 9, wherein said portable bar code reading device in processing said image to determine whether said signature is actually represented in said image determines whether a signature field is represented in said image obtained in (a).

11. The portable bar code reading device of claim 9, wherein said portable bar code reading device in said operating mode further generates a user-perceivable feedback indicator responsively to determining whether said signature is represented in said image.

12. The portable bar code reading device of claim 9, wherein said portable bar code reading device in said operating mode generates an aural feedback indicator responsively to determining whether said signature is represented in said image.

13. The portable bar code reading device of claim 9, wherein said portable bar code reading device generates an audible feedback indicator responsively to said processing of (b).

14. The portable bar code reading device of claim 9, wherein said portable bar code reading device generates a visual feedback indicator responsively to said processing of (b).

15. A portable bar code reading device of the type which may be moved between various distances, orientations, and angles with respect to a bar code symbol, said portable bar code reading device comprising:

an imaging assembly comprising a two dimensional solid state image sensor and an optics assembly focusing an image onto said solid state image sensor;

wherein said portable bar code reading device is configured to operate in an operating mode in which said portable bar code reading device (a) obtains an image that is desired to represent a signature and, (b) processes said image to determine whether said signature is actually represented in said image obtained in step (a); and

wherein said portable bar code reading device in said operating mode generates an aural feedback indicator responsively to determining whether said signature is represented in said image.

16. A portable bar code reading device of the type which may be moved between various distances, orientations, and angles with respect to a bar code symbol, said portable bar code reading device comprising:

an imaging assembly comprising a two dimensional solid state image sensor and an optics assembly focusing an image onto said solid state image sensor;

wherein said portable bar code reading device is configured to operate in an operating mode in which said portable bar code reading device (a) obtains an image that is desired to represent a signature and, (b) processes said image to determine whether said signature is actually represented in said image obtained in step (a); and

wherein said portable bar code reading device generates an audible feedback indicator responsively to said processing of (b).

17. The portable bar code reading device of claim 16, wherein said portable bar code reading device in processing said image to determine whether said signature is actually represented in said image determines whether a signature field is represented in said image obtained in (a).

18. The portable bar code reading device of claim 16, wherein said portable bar code reading device emits an audible tone if said portable bar code reading device in (b) determines that said signature is not represented in said image obtained in (a).