System and method for transferring information from a portable electronic device to a bar code reader

• US 7,568,623 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2005
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thumb-Find International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Thumb-Find International Incorporated
• Inventors: Bandekar, Keshav D., Retter, Dale J.
• Primary Examiner(s): St. Cyr; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/127,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20060255149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/462.25, 235/462.1, 235/462.45, 235/462.46, 235/472, 235/470, 235/462.7
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1095 the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00334 with an apparatus processing barcodes or the like arrangements for sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

A translator is provided for reading the bar codes displayed on the screen of a portable electronic device which utilizes a digital camera and/or a microphone responsive to tones from the portable electronic device to process and convert the information received from the camera and/or the microphone to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader without requiring any modification of the bar code reader.

Claims

1. A method for transferring information from a portable electronic device with a display screen to a form readable by a reflective bar code reader including:

obtaining a digital image of the display screen of the portable electronic device;

decoding the digital image;

supplying the decoded digital image to a laser emitter re-broadcaster for simulating a pulsed return signal produced when a laser scanner sweeps a scanning beam across the re-broadcaster.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular phone having a display screen.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein obtaining the digital image is effected by photographing the display screen.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein obtaining the digital image is effected by photographing the display screen.