Data collection system having reconfigurable data collection terminal
First Claim
1. A data collection system comprising:
- a hand held portable data collection terminal having a bar code reader device for decoding bar code symbols, a manual trigger for actuation of bar code decoding, and a radio transceiver; and
a computer spaced apart from said hand held portable data collection terminal, said computer having a display, said hand held portable data collection terminal and said computer being configured as part of an IP network including both of said hand held portable data collection terminal and said computer;
said computer being configured to display a graphical user interface prompting an operator of said data collection system to enter configuration data for reconfiguring said radio transceiver, said computer further being configured to process configuration data entered by said operator at said computer to build an extensible markup language document including entered data;
wherein said data collection system is configured so that said extensible markup language document can be transferred from said computer to said hand held portable data collection terminal either by way of (i) encoding data of said extensible markup language and then decoding encoded data utilizing said bar code reader device of said hand held portable data collection terminal or (ii) transmitting data of said extensible markup language document from said computer to said portable data collection terminal utilizing a data communication protocol supported by said IP network.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided in one embodiment a data collection system including a data collection terminal having an encoded information reader device and a computer spaced apart from the data collection terminal. The data collection terminal in one embodiment can be configured to be responsive to configuration data expressed in an extensible markup language. The computer in one embodiment can use an existing extensible markup language document to create a data entry screen to received desired parameter settings for the data collection terminal within data entry fields of the data entry screen. The computer can further combine the extensible markup language document with the desired parameter settings to create configuration data and can initiate a transfer of the configuration data to the data collection terminal. The computer in one embodiment can be used to create for transfer to the data collection terminal a data package including file data corresponding to one or more selected files, together with additional data. The system provided can be used to transfer data, including but not limited to configuration data, between computers that are not data collection terminals and which are devoid of encoded information reader devices.
170 Citations
81 Claims
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1. A data collection system comprising:
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a hand held portable data collection terminal having a bar code reader device for decoding bar code symbols, a manual trigger for actuation of bar code decoding, and a radio transceiver; and a computer spaced apart from said hand held portable data collection terminal, said computer having a display, said hand held portable data collection terminal and said computer being configured as part of an IP network including both of said hand held portable data collection terminal and said computer; said computer being configured to display a graphical user interface prompting an operator of said data collection system to enter configuration data for reconfiguring said radio transceiver, said computer further being configured to process configuration data entered by said operator at said computer to build an extensible markup language document including entered data; wherein said data collection system is configured so that said extensible markup language document can be transferred from said computer to said hand held portable data collection terminal either by way of (i) encoding data of said extensible markup language and then decoding encoded data utilizing said bar code reader device of said hand held portable data collection terminal or (ii) transmitting data of said extensible markup language document from said computer to said portable data collection terminal utilizing a data communication protocol supported by said IP network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A data collection system comprising:
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a hand held portable data collection terminal having a bar code reader device for decoding bar code symbols, a manual trigger for actuation of bar code decoding, and a radio transceiver; a computer spaced apart from said hand held portable data collection terminal, said computer having a display, said hand held portable data collection terminal and said computer being configured as part of an IP network including both of said hand held portable data collection terminal and said computer; said computer being configured to display a graphical user interface prompting an operator of said data collection system to select data for inclusion in a data package, said computer building a data package in accordance with at least one selection of said operator; wherein said data collection system is configured so that said data package built by said computer can be transferred from said computer to said hand held portable data collection terminal by either of (i) encoding data of said data package and then decoding encoded data utilizing said bar code reader device of said portable data collection terminal or (ii) transmitting said data package from said computer to said portable data collection terminal utilizing a data communication protocol supported by said IP network. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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7. A data collection system comprising:
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a data collection terminal having an encoded information reader device, the data collection terminal responsive to configuration data expressed in an extensible markup language for configuring operation of the data collection terminal; and a computer spaced apart from the data collection terminal that uses an existing extensible markup language document to create a data entry screen to receive desired parameter settings for the data collection terminal within data entry fields, combines the extensible markup language document with the desired parameter settings to create configuration data expressed in an extensible markup language, and initiates a transfer of the configuration data to said data collection terminal. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A data collection system comprising:
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a data collection terminal having an encoded information reader device, the data collection terminal having an extensible markup language document from which the data collection terminal is configured; a computer that uses a copy of the extensible markup language document to create a data entry screen to receive desired settings in data entry fields for configuring the data collection terminal, combines the extensible markup language document with the desired settings to create configuration data, and initiates a transfer of the configuration data to a data collection terminal spaced apart from said computer; and a configuration application on the data collection terminal that receives the configuration data and updates or replaces the extensible markup language document with data contained in the configuration data.
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41. A data collection system comprising:
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a data collection terminal having a encoded information reader device; and a computer spaced apart from said data collection terminal that receives from a user identification of first and second files for transfer to said data collection terminal, prompts a user to enter at least one action indicator for each file identified by a user, creates a single data package incorporating file data corresponding to the identified first and second files and at least one action indicator, and enables a transfer of the single data package to said data collection terminal. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A system comprising:
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(a) a data collection terminal having an encoded information reader device, a control circuit, a radio transceiver, and a memory, the memory storing an Extensible Markup Language configuration file, the configuration file having a hierarchical tree structure, the configuration file having a device element including name content designating a device of said data collection terminal and a plurality of parameter elements of lower hierarchy than said device element, each of said parameter elements including parameter value content designating a parameter value controlling operation of said device; and (b) a host computer spaced apart from said data collection terminal, wherein said host computer is operable in a mode in which said host computer reads said configuration file from said data collection terminal, parses said configuration file and displays said name content designating a device of said data collection terminal in a graphical user interface window, the host computer enabling a user to change parameter values of said configuration file, the host computer building an edited configuration file including parameter values changed by a user, the host computer being configured so that said host computer can display parameter values associated with said device that can be changed by a user. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. A system for reconfiguring a data collection terminal having an encoded information reader device and a radio transceiver, said system comprising:
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(a) a host computer having a display and a pointer controller for controlling movement of a graphical user interface pointer on said display; (b) an extensible markup language configuration file accessible by said host computer for reconfiguring said radio transceiver, said configuration file having a radio transceiver element including name content designating said radio transceiver and a plurality of parameter elements of lower hierarchy than said radio transceiver element, each said parameter elements including parameter value content designating parameter values controlling operation of said radio transceiver, said configuration file further containing descriptive content for each of several of said parameter elements, the descriptive content including text describing the affect of changing a parameter; (c) wherein said host computer is configured to parse said configuration file and to display on said display said parameter values and said descriptive content, the host computer being configured to enable a user of said system to change a displayed parameter value displayed on said first graphical user interface window and to build an edited configuration file including a parameter value that has been changed by a user. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73)
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74. A system comprising:
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(a) a data collection terminal having an encoded information reader device, a control circuit, a radio transceiver, and a memory, the memory storing an extensible markup language configuration file, the configuration file having a hierarchical tree structure, the configuration file having a radio transceiver element including name content designating said radio transceiver and a plurality of parameter elements of lower hierarchy than said radio transceiver element, each said parameter elements including parameter value content designating parameter values of said radio transceiver; and (b) a host computer spaced apart from said data collection terminal, wherein said host computer is operable in a mode in which said host computer reads said configuration file from said data collection terminal, parses said configuration file and displays said name content designating said radio transceiver and said parameter values, the host computer enabling a user to change parameter values of said configuration file, the host computer building an edited configuration file including parameter values changed by a user. - View Dependent Claims (75, 76, 77)
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78. A system comprising:
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(a) a host computer for use in building a data package, the host computer having a display, the host computer being configured to display a graphical user interface enabling a user to select first and second files for packaging and being configured to package into a single data package file data corresponding to a plurality of files, wherein said graphical user interface enables a user to instruct said host computer to compress file data of said first file without compressing file data of said second file, and wherein said host computer in response to receiving a user request to compress file data of said first file without compressing file data of said second file, builds a data package including file data corresponding to said first file in compressed form and file data corresponding to said second file in uncompressed form, the host computer also having a bar code button and being configured so that when said bar code button is actuated, said host computer encodes said data package into one or more decodable bar code symbols; and (b) a hand held data collection terminal having a bar code reader device, said hand held data collection terminal being configured to decode said one or more decodable bar code symbols encoded by said host computer to recover said data package, said hand held data collection terminal further being configured to process said data package recovered when said one or more decodable bar code symbols are decoded.
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79. A system comprising:
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(a) a host computer for use in building a data package, the host computer having a display, the host computer being configured to display a graphical user interface enabling a user to select first and second files for packaging and being configured to package into a single data package file data corresponding to a plurality of files, wherein said graphical user interface enables a user to instruct said host computer to encrypt said first file without encrypting said second file, and wherein said host computer in response to receiving a user instruction to encrypt said first file without encrypting said second file, builds a data package including file data of said first file in encrypted form and file data of said second file in unencrypted form, the host computer also having a bar code button and being configured so that when said bar code button is actuated, said host computer encodes said data package into one or more decodable bar code symbols; (b) a hand held data collection terminal having a bar code reader device, said hand held data collection terminal being configured to decode said one or more decodable bar code symbols encoded by said host computer to recover said data package, said hand held data collection terminal further being configured to process said data package recovered when said one or more decodable bar code symbols are decoded. - View Dependent Claims (80, 81)
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Specification