Method and apparatus for uniquely associating a bar code reading terminal to a cash register in a retail store network
First Claim
1. A bar code reading terminal for use in a retail store network having a plurality of cash registers external to said bar code reading terminal, the bar code reading terminal comprising:
- a bar code reader unit;
a manual trigger;
a hand held housing devoid of a display encapsulating at least one component of said bar code reader unit, the housing being configured so that a user can actuate said manual trigger when grasping said housing, the bar code reading terminal being configured so that when said manual trigger is actuated said bar code reader unit produces a decoded bar code data message;
a radio transceiver encapsulated by said housing;
wherein said bar code reading terminal is configured to wait for a cash register address to be wirelessly received from one cash register of said plurality of cash registers and to automatically enter a unique association mode of operation subsequent to receiving said cash register address, wherein said one cash register has a certain cash register address and wherein said unique association mode of operation is characterized by the bar code reading terminal for the time that said bar code reading terminal remains in said unique association mode utilizing only said certain cash register address when initiating a network connection for the transmission of decoded out bar code message data to an external device; and
wherein said unique association mode is further characterized by said bar code reading terminal monitoring data transmissions and disconnecting from said one cash register if said bar code reading terminal is not actuated to send bar code message data to said one cash register within a timeout period, the unique association mode further being characterized by said bar code reading terminal attempting to reconnect to said one cash register utilizing said cash register address if actuated to read a bar code when in a disconnected state.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided herein an encoded information reading terminal such as may be provided for by a bar code reading terminal for operation in a network such as a retail store network that is configured in one embodiment to automatically enter a unique association mode of operation subsequent to wirelessly receiving a radio address from one computer of a plurality of computers, e.g., a cash register address from one cash register out of a plurality of cash registers. In one embodiment a bar code reading terminal can be configured to wait for a cash register address to be wirelessly received as part of a connection request initiated from one cash register out of a plurality of cash registers. A bar code reading terminal can be configured so that when operating in a unique association mode, a bar code reading terminal transmits all decoded bar code messages output by the bar code reading terminal to an external device to the one cash register sending its cash register address.
-
Citations
34 Claims
-
1. A bar code reading terminal for use in a retail store network having a plurality of cash registers external to said bar code reading terminal, the bar code reading terminal comprising:
-
a bar code reader unit; a manual trigger; a hand held housing devoid of a display encapsulating at least one component of said bar code reader unit, the housing being configured so that a user can actuate said manual trigger when grasping said housing, the bar code reading terminal being configured so that when said manual trigger is actuated said bar code reader unit produces a decoded bar code data message; a radio transceiver encapsulated by said housing; wherein said bar code reading terminal is configured to wait for a cash register address to be wirelessly received from one cash register of said plurality of cash registers and to automatically enter a unique association mode of operation subsequent to receiving said cash register address, wherein said one cash register has a certain cash register address and wherein said unique association mode of operation is characterized by the bar code reading terminal for the time that said bar code reading terminal remains in said unique association mode utilizing only said certain cash register address when initiating a network connection for the transmission of decoded out bar code message data to an external device; and wherein said unique association mode is further characterized by said bar code reading terminal monitoring data transmissions and disconnecting from said one cash register if said bar code reading terminal is not actuated to send bar code message data to said one cash register within a timeout period, the unique association mode further being characterized by said bar code reading terminal attempting to reconnect to said one cash register utilizing said cash register address if actuated to read a bar code when in a disconnected state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A system comprising:
-
a plurality of cash registers, each having a display; a bar code reading terminal having bar code reader unit, a manual trigger, a hand held housing devoid of a display encapsulating at least one component of said bar code reader unit, the housing being configured so that a user can actuate said manual trigger when grasping said housing, the bar code reading terminal being configured so that when said manual trigger is actuated said bar code reader unit produces a decoded bar code data message, the bar code reading terminal further including a radio transceiver encapsulated by said housing, wherein said bar code reading terminal is configured to wait for a cash register address to be wirelessly received from one cash register of a plurality of cash registers and to automatically enter a unique association mode of operation subsequent to receiving said cash register address; wherein said system is configured so that said cash register address waited for by said bar code reading terminal can be sent from said one cash register by commanding said one cash register to (i) display on said display designators for radio equipped devices in range of it so that one of the designators can be selected, the plurality of designators including a designator for said bar code reading terminal; and
(ii) send a cash register address of said one cash register to said bar code reading terminal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
-
-
17. A hand held encoded information reading terminal for use in a network having a plurality of computers external to said encoded information reading terminal, the encoded information reading terminal comprising:
-
an encoded information reading unit selected from the group consisting of a bar code reader unit, an RFID reader unit, and a card reader unit; a manual trigger; a hand held housing devoid of a display encapsulating at least one component of said encoded information reading unit, the hand held encoded information reading terminal being configured so that said encoded information reading unit can produce decoded data messages; a radio transceiver encapsulated by said hand held housing; wherein said encoded information reading terminal is configured to wait for a radio address to be wirelessly received by said radio transceiver from one computer of said plurality of computers and to automatically enter a unique association mode of operation subsequent to receiving said radio address, wherein said one computer has a certain radio address and wherein said unique association mode of operation is characterized by the encoded information reading terminal, for the time that said encoded information reading terminal remains in said unique association mode, being incapable of initiating a communication using said radio transceiver with an external device other than said one computer; and wherein said unique association mode is further characterized by said encoded information reading terminal monitoring data transmissions and disconnecting from said one computer if said encoded information reading device is not actuated to send bar code message data to said one computer within a timeout period, the unique association mode further being characterized by said encoded information reading terminal attempting to reconnect to said one computer utilizing said certain radio address if actuated to read a dataform when in a disconnected state. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
Specification