Customizable optical reader

• US 8,474,719 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Walczyk, Joseph, Fauth, Dieter, Holzhauer, David M., Hussey, Robert M., Keys, Barry H., Livingston, Joseph, Robinson, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US12/568,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20100012717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/454, 235/462.15, 235/462.45, 23547201-47203
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1017 Programmable
• 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

Abstract

An optical reader, which is operable in a “host commands” mode and a “host routines” mode. In the “host commands” mode, the reader receives and executes a script routine module from a host. In the “host routines” mode, the reader receives a script routine Module identifier from the host, and the reader, in turn, executes a selected one of a plurality of reader-stored script routine modules based on the identifier.

Claims

1. A data collection system comprising a host computer and at least one optical reader, said optical reader including a portable housing, an image sensor, a memory, a script interpreter program residing in said memory, and a control circuit, said control circuit configured to output decoded message data corresponding to an indicia representation;

wherein said at least one optical reader is configured, responsive to receiving a command from said host computer, to interpret by said script interpreter program and execute said command;

wherein said command includes;

an identifier of a routine to be executed by said optical reader, and at least one of;

a request to acknowledge successful execution of said command by said optical reader, and a data item to be assigned by said optical reader to a variable in said memory of said optical reader.

2. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said variable is a reserved system variable expected to return said decoded message data.

3. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said at least one optical reader is configured to request said command from said host computer.

4. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said host computer is configured to transmit said command responsive to a user interface action.

5. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said script interpreter program is a part of a main operating program being executed by said optical reader.

6. A data collection system comprising a host computer and at least one optical reader, said optical reader including a portable housing, an image sensor, a memory, a script interpreter program residing in said memory, and a control circuit, said control circuit configured to output decoded message data corresponding to an indicia representation;

wherein said optical reader is configured to interpret by said script interpreter program and execute at least one script statement received from said host computer; and

wherein said script statement contains at least one of;

a first parameter identifying a category of commands allowed to be executed by said optical reader when executing said script statement, a second parameter containing a list of commands allowed to be executed by said optical reader when executing said script statement.

7. The data collection system of claim 6, wherein said optical reader is configured to wait for said at least one command to be transmitted by said host computer.

8. The data collection system of claim 6, wherein said category of commands identifies commands specifically designated as allowed to be initiated by host computer.

9. The data collection system of claim 6, wherein said at least one optical reader is configured to request said command from said host computer.

10. The data collection system of claim 6, wherein said host computer is configured to transmit said command responsive to a user interface action.

11. The data collection system of claim 6, wherein said script interpreter program is a part of a main operating program being executed by said optical reader.

12. A data collection system comprising a host computer and at least one optical reader, said optical reader including a portable housing, an image sensor, a memory, a script interpreter program residing in said memory, and a control circuit, said control circuit configured to output decoded message data corresponding to an indicia representation;

wherein said optical reader is configured to receive a script statement from said host computer and to interpret a script statement by said script interpreter program and execute a script statement, said script statement instructing said optical reader to transmit a data item to said host computer; and

wherein said script statement contains at least one of;

a parameter identifying a prefix to be transmitted when said data item is not null, a parameter identifying a prefix to be transmitted when said data item is null, a parameter identifying a suffix to be transmitted when said data item is not null, and a parameter identifying a suffix to be transmitted when said data item is null.

13. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein said optical reader is configured to execute said script statement responsive to a user interface action.

14. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein said script interpreter program is a part of a main operating program being executed by said optical reader.