Information gathering apparatus and method having multiple wireless communication options

• US 7,580,395 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2002
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec Technologies Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Ryan R., Boatwright, Darrell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard; Patrick N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, JUSTIN YE
• Application Number:
  US10/307,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20040105411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: 455/168.1, 370/338, 370/329
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

An information handling apparatus, and a method, having a plurality of wireless communication systems is disclosed. The apparatus can include three radio-frequency communication components. In another embodiment, the device can include four wireless communication systems. In one embodiment, the communication systems can communicate simultaneously.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data via a portable information handling apparatus having a plurality of radio transceivers, comprising the steps of:

determining whether a data transmission should be communicated via a wide area network, a local area network or a personal area network;

activating an appropriate resident radio transceiver for communication via the type of network determined to be appropriate in said determining step;

transmitting the data transmission via the resident radio transceiver that was activated in said activating step;

wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of concurrently transmitting the same data via at least two transceivers from a group of transceivers comprising an activated wide area network radio transceiver, an activated local area network radio transceiver and an activated personal area network radio transceiver; and

reading optical indicia via an optical indicia reader of the portable information handling apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of concurrently transmitting data via an activated wide area network radio transceiver and an activated local area network radio transceiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of concurrently transmitting data via an activated wide area network radio transceiver and an activated personal area network radio transceiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of concurrently transmitting data via an activated local area network radio transceiver and an activated personal area network radio transceiver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of concurrently transmitting data via an activated wide area network radio transceiver, an activated local area network radio transceiver and an activated personal area network radio transceiver.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical indicia reader comprises a digital imager, further comprising the step of capturing an optical image via the digital imager.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting step further comprises communicating a data transmission to a printer via a personal area network radio transceiver.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting step further comprises communicating a data transmission to a cellular telephone unit via a personal area network radio transceiver.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting step further comprises communicating a data transmission to a personal area network capable unit via a personal area network radio transceiver.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises transmitting an image.