Bar code reading device for reading 1D or 2D bar code symbols

• US 7,546,954 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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., Ehrhart, Michael A., Koziol, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik; Steven S
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US11/413,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20060278709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/462.1, 235/462.17, 235/462.45, 235/472.01
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1017 Programmable
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• 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 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1491 the method including a reconstruction step, e.g. stitching two pieces of bar code together to derive the full bar code

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bar code reading device for reading 1D or 2D bar code symbols. The bar code reading device, in one embodiment, can receive a command to disable symbology reading. In another embodiment, a bar code reading device can have a timercount and an image memory. In one embodiment, a bar code reading device can be configured to read bar code symbols of more than one bar code symbology.

Claims

1. An optical reader comprising:

an imaging assembly;

a memory;

a programmable controller in communication with said imaging assembly and said memory, said memory having stored therein a program controlling operation of said controller;

wherein said programmable controller is programmed to store image data into said memory and to attempt to decode said image data in accordance with a plurality of different decoding programs, the plurality of different decoding programs including more than one different 1D symbology decoding programs, and more than one different 2D symbology decoding programs, wherein said programmable controller is further configured to disable a plurality of said more than one 1D symbology decoding programs upon receipt of a user activated command to disable a plurality of 1D symbology decoding programs, and wherein said programmable controller is further configured to disable a plurality of said more than one 2D symbology decoding programs upon receipt of a user activated command to disable a plurality of said 2D symbology decoding programs.

2. The reader of claim 1, wherein at least one of said decoding programs is a 1D symbology decoding program.

3. The reader of claim 1, wherein at least one of said decoding programs is a 2D symbology decoding program.

4. The reader of claim 1, wherein said memory has stored therein a parameter table having parameters specifying the modes of operation of said optical reader, and wherein said controller changes one of said parameters when receiving said user activated command.

5. The reader of claim 4, in which said parameter table includes parameters that specify corresponding scanning-decoding modes in which different respective relationships are established between scanning operations and decoding operations performed by said optical reader.

6. The reader of claim 1, in which said reader has available a plurality of scanning-decoding modes including at least one tracking mode.

7. The reader of claim 1, in which said reader has available a plurality of scanning-decoding modes including a plurality of non-tracking modes.

8. The reader of claim 1, in which said reader has available a plurality of scanning-decoding modes including at least one tracking mode and at least one non-tracking mode.

9. The reader of claim 1, in which said reader has available a One Shot scanning-decoding mode.

10. The reader of claim 1, in which said reader has available a Repeat Until Stopped scanning-decoding mode.

11. The reader of claim 1, in which said reader has available a multiple symbols operating mode.

12. The reader of claim 1, in which said reader has available a multiple symbols operating mode which, when enabled, causes said reader to attempt to decode more than one symbol from a single set of stored image data.

13. The reader of claim 12, wherein said user activated command to disable a plurality of 1D symbology decoding programs is initiated by the reading of a menu symbol with use of said reader.

14. The reader of claim 12, wherein said user activated command to disable a plurality of said 2D symbology decoding programs is initiated by the reading of a menu symbol with use of said reader.

15. The reader of claim 1, in which said reader has available a multiple symbols operating mode which can be enabled in response to a user activated command and which can be disabled in response to a user activated command, said reader being configured so that when said multiple symbols mode is disabled, said reader attempts to decode more than one symbol represented in a captured image captured by said reader in response to a trigger being pulled, said reader further being configured so that when said multiple symbols operating mode is disabled, said reader stops decoding symbols represented in a captured image captured in response to a trigger being pulled after a single symbol is decoded utilizing said captured image.

16. The reader of claim 15, wherein said user activated command for enabling said multiple symbols operating mode is initiated by the reading of a menu symbol with use of said reader.

17. The reader of claim 15, wherein said user activated command for disabling said multiple symbols operating mode is initiated by the reading of a menu symbol with use of said reader.

18. The reader of claim 15, wherein each of said user activated command for enabling said multiple symbols operating mode and said user initiated command for disabling said multiple symbols operating mode are initiated by the reading of a menu symbol with use of said reader.

19. The reader of claim 1, wherein said user activated command to disable a plurality of 1D symbology decoding programs is initiated by the reading of a menu symbol with use of said reader.

20. The reader of claim 1, wherein said user activated command to disable a plurality of said 2D symbology decoding programs is initiated by the reading of a menu symbol with use of said reader.

21. An optical reader comprising:

an imaging assembly;

a memory;

a programmable controller in communication with said imaging assembly and said memory, said memory having stored therein a program controlling operation of said controller;

wherein said programmable controller is programmed to store image data into said memory and to attempt to decode said image data in accordance with a plurality of different decoding programs, the plurality of different decoding programs including a plurality of different 1D symbology decoding programs, and a plurality of different 2D symbology decoding programs, wherein said programmable controller is further configured to disable all of said 1D symbology decoding programs upon reception of a user activated command to disable all 1D symbology decoding programs, and wherein said programmable controller is further configured to disable all of said 2D symbology decoding programs upon receipt of a user activated command to disable all 2D symbology decoding programs.

22. The reader of claim 21, wherein at least one of said decoding programs is a 1D symbology decoding program.

23. The reader of claim 21, wherein at least one of said decoding programs is a 2D symbology decoding program.