Cloud-based system for processing of decodable indicia

• US 9,092,683 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Koziol, Thomas, Yeakley, Daniel, Todeschini, Erik, Deloge, Stephen Patrick, Hejl, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US13/545,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20140014724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 235/440, 235/462.01, 235/470
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1495 the method including an image compression step
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A data decoding system can comprise a client computer including an imaging device and one or more servers executing at least one decoding process. The client computer can be configured to acquire an image of decodable indicia and to process the acquired image by:

• • (i) identifying one or more areas of interest within the image;
  • (ii) cropping the image based on the identified areas of interest;
  • (iii) clipping one or more images from the image based on the identified areas of interest;
  • (iv) increasing or reducing a pixel resolution of at least part of the image;
  • (v) converting the image to a grayscale image or to a monochrome image; and/or
  • (vi) compressing the image using a compression algorithm.

The decoding process can be configured, responsive to receiving a decoding request comprising the processed image, to decode the decodable indicia and to transmit the decoding operation result to the client computer.

Claims

1. A data decoding system comprising a client computer and one or more servers communicatively coupled to a network, said one or more servers executing at least one decoding process;

wherein said client computer comprises at least one of;

an integrated imaging device, a peripheral imaging device;

wherein said client computer is configured to acquire an image of decodable indicia;

wherein said client computer is further configured to process said image by performing at least one of;

(i) identifying one or more areas of interest within the image;

(ii) cropping said image based on said one or more areas of interest;

(iii) clipping one or more images from said image based on said one or more areas of interest;

(iv) increasing or reducing a pixel resolution of at least part of said image;

(v) converting said image to a grayscale image;

(vi) converting said grayscale image to a monochrome image;

(vii) compressing said image using a compression algorithm;

wherein said client computer is further configured to transmit said processed image to said one or more servers for decoding said decodable indicia;

wherein said at least one decoding process is configured, responsive to receiving a decoding request comprising said image, to decode said decodable indicia into a decoded message; and

wherein said at least one decoding process is further configured, responsive to completing a decoding operation, to transmit a decoded message back to said client computer, wherein said decoded message comprises only a source identifier, and said client computer is further configured to transmit said source identifier to an external computer connected to said client computer to retrieve additional information corresponding to said source identifier from said external computer.

2. The data decoding system of claim 1, wherein said client computer is provided by an encoded information reading (EIR) terminal comprising an EIR device including a two-dimensional imager, said EIR device configured to perform one of:

outputting raw message data containing an encoded message, outputting a decoded message corresponding to an encoded message.

3. The data decoding system of claim 1, wherein said client computer is provided by a mobile computing device comprising at least one of:

an integrated imaging device, a peripheral imaging device.

4. The data decoding system of claim 1, wherein said client computer is provided by a general purpose computing device comprising one of:

an integrated imaging device, a peripheral imaging device.

5. The data decoding system of claim 1, wherein said client computer is integrated into a point-of-sale system, said client computer comprising at least one of:

an integrated imaging device, a peripheral imaging device.

6. The data decoding system of claim 1, wherein said image of decodable indicia is provided by one of:

a raw image byte stream, a compressed image byte stream.

7. The data decoding system of claim 1, wherein said decoding request further comprises one or more values of configuration parameters of said client computer.

8. The data decoding system of claim 1, wherein said client computer is configured to transmit said decoding request to an IP address assigned to one of:

a server of said one or more servers, a load balancing component.

9. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a microprocessor;

a memory;

an imaging device configured to acquire an image of decodable indicia;

wherein said mobile communication terminal is configured to pre-process said image by performing at least one of;

(i) identifying one or more areas of interest within the image;

(ii) cropping said image based on said one or more areas of interest;

(iii) clipping one or more images from said image based on said one or more areas of interest;

(iv) increasing or reducing a pixel resolution of at least part of said image;

(v) converting said image to a grayscale image;

(vi) converting said grayscale image to a monochrome image; and

(vii) compressing said image using a compression algorithm;

wherein said mobile communication terminal is further configured to transmit said pre-processed image to an external computer for decoding said decodable indicia and returning a decoded message back to said client computer, wherein said decoded message comprises only a source identifier of additional data, and said client computer is further configured to transmit said source identifier to an external computer to retrieve said additional data from said external computer.

10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein said mobile communication terminal is integrated into a point-of-sale system.

11. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein said decoding request further comprises one or more values of configuration parameters of said terminal.

12. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein said image of decodable indicia is provided by one of:

a raw image byte stream, a compressed image byte stream.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, further comprising an encoded information reading (EIR) device selected from the group consisting of:

an RFID reading device and a magnetic card reading device;

wherein said EIR device is configured to perform at least one of;

outputting raw message data containing an encoded message and outputting decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message.

14. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein said imaging device comprises a two-dimensional image sensor configured to output an analog signal representative of light reflected by an object located within a field of view of said imaging device, an amplifier configured to output an amplified analog signal by amplifying an analog signal read out of said image sensor, and an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter configured to convert said analog signal into a digital signal representing said acquired image.

15. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, further configured to transmit an unprocessed image to said external computer responsive to failing to identify at least one area of interest within said image.

16. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, further configured to omit said step of transmitting said image to said external computer responsive to failing to identify at least one area of interest within said image.

17. A data decoding system comprising a client computer and one or more servers communicatively coupled to a network, said one or more servers executing at least one decoding process;

wherein said client computer comprises at least one of;

an integrated imaging device, a peripheral imaging device;

wherein said client computer is configured to acquire an image of decodable indicia;

wherein said client computer is further configured to pre-process said image locally by performing at least one of;

(i) identifying one or more areas of interest within the image;

(ii) cropping said image based on said one or more areas of interest;

(iii) clipping one or more images from said image based on said one or more areas of interest;

(iv) increasing or reducing a pixel resolution of at least part of said image;

(v) converting said image to a grayscale image;

(vi) converting said grayscale image to a monochrome image;

(vii) compressing said image using a compression algorithm;

wherein said client computer is further configured to transmit said pre-processed image to the one or more servers for remotely decoding said decodable indicia;

wherein said at least one decoding process is configured, responsive to receiving a decoding request comprising said image, to decode said decodable indicia into a decoded message; and

wherein said at least one decoding process is further configured, responsive to completing a decoding operation, to transmit at least one of;

said decoded message, a decoding operation completion code to said client computer, wherein said decoded message and said code comprise a source identifier, and said client computer is further configured to transmit said source identifier to an external computer locally connected to said client computer to retrieve additional data from said external computer.

18. The data decoding system of claim 17, wherein said client computer is provided by an encoded information reading (EIR) terminal comprising an EIR device including a two-dimensional imager, said EIR device configured to perform one of:

outputting raw message data containing an encoded message, outputting a decoded message corresponding to an encoded message.

19. The data decoding system of claim 17, wherein said client computer is provided by a mobile computing device comprising at least one of:

an integrated imaging device, a peripheral imaging device.

20. The data decoding system of claim 17, wherein said client computer is integrated into a point-of-sale system, said client computer comprising at least one of:

an integrated imaging device, a peripheral imaging device.