Document decoding system and method for improved decoding performance of indicia reading terminal

• US 9,104,934 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Jingquan, Meier, Timothy P., Hussey, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): KELLY, RAFFERTY D
• Application Number:
  US12/751,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20110240741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,959 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/462.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention comprise an indicia reading terminal including operatively configured to interact with a storage module to store data, including location data, of a decodable indicia found in a captured document image. In one embodiment, the indicia reading terminal can be provided with one or more pre-stored information about the decodable indicia and/or the document. In another embodiment the indicia reading terminal can be provided with instructions and similarly operatively configured components that can identify information about the decodable indicia, store such information in a table, and utilize the tabulated data to process captured image data of subsequent documents.

Claims

1. A system for use in decoding a decodable indicia on a document, said system comprising:

an indicia reading terminal comprising a two dimensional image sensor array comprising a plurality of pixels extending along an image plane, an optical assembly for use in focusing imaging light rays onto the plurality of pixels of said two dimensional image sensor array, and a housing encapsulating the two dimensional image sensor array and the optical assembly; and

a memory in communication with the indicia reading terminal, the memory having a zone for storing a data table comprising at least one record;

wherein the system is operative in a mode in which the system, in response to an operator initiated command, captures a frame of image data and processes the frame of image data for attempting to decode the decodable indicia,

wherein the system in the mode is operative to populate the records in the data table with information respecting one or more characteristics of the document,

wherein the characteristics of the document comprise positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to a document field within a frame of image data,

wherein the system in the mode is operatively responsive to the records to reduce a decode time that defines the difference in a first decode time for a first document and a second decode time for a second document, and

wherein the first document and the second document have the same document characteristic.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the document characteristic comprises positional location data of the decodable indicia with respect to the document field.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal in the mode is operative to identify records in the data table comprising one or more pre-populated document data items.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data table comprises one or more pre-populated data items respecting the first document and the second document.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data table comprise at least one data field that identifies one or more of the type of decodable indicia, the location of the decodable indicia, and the size of the decodable indicia.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data table is stored locally within the memory.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the document field is defined by a document image boundary, wherein the decodable indicia comprises a decodable indicia boundary within the document image boundary, and wherein the positional location data of the decodable indicia is defined by the relationship of the decodable indicia boundary relative to the document image boundary.

8. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a trigger for initiating the operator initiated command.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the frame of image data comprises the field of view of the terminal.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the memory is encapsulated in the housing of the indicia reading terminal.

11. A system for reading a bar code symbol disposed on a substrate, said system comprising:

an indicia reading terminal comprising a two dimensional image sensor array comprising a plurality of pixels extending along an image plane, an optical assembly for use in focusing imaging light rays onto the plurality of pixels of said two dimensional image sensor array, and a housing encapsulating the two dimensional image sensor array and the optical assembly;

an external server in communication with the indicia reading terminal, the external server external to the indicia reading terminal,

wherein the system is operative in a mode in which the terminal, in response to an operator initiated command, captures a frame of image data and processes the frame of image data for attempting to decode the decodable indicia,

wherein the system in the mode is operative to populate records in a data table with information respecting one or more characteristics of the document,

wherein the characteristics of the document comprise positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to a document field within a frame of image data,

wherein the system in the mode is operatively responsive to the records to reduce a decode time that defines the difference in a first decode time for a first document and a second decode time for a second document, and

wherein the first document and the second document have the same document characteristic.

12. A method for improving processing time of document image data captured with an indicia reading terminal, the document image data corresponding to a document with a decodable indicia, said method comprising:

receiving an operator initiated command for capturing a frame of image data and processing the frame of image data for attempting to decode the decodable indicia;

defining a document field within the frame of image data;

accessing a data table comprising at least one recording having information respecting a characteristic of the document so imaged; and

attempting to decode the decodable indicia,

wherein the characteristic of the document comprises at least positional location data of the decodable indicia relative to the document field,

wherein the records reduce a decode time that defines the difference in a first decode time for a first document and a second decode time for a second document, and

wherein the first document and the second document have the same document characteristic.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising identifying pre-populated information in the data table.

14. A method according to claim 12, further comprising populating at least one record with information that is not found in the data table in response to successive attempts to decode the decodable indicia.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein the information comprises the location of the decodable indicia with respect to the document.

16. A method according to claim 12, further comprising storing the information locally in a memory of the terminal.

17. A method according to claim 12, further comprising communicating with a remote database, wherein the terminal operatively configured to download and upload the information respecting the decodable indicia to the remote database.

18. A method according to claim 12, further comprising defining the document field with a document image boundary, wherein the decodable indicia comprises a decodable indicia boundary within the document image boundary, and wherein the positional location data of the decodable indicia is defined by the relationship of the decodable indicia boundary relative to the document image boundary.

19. A method according to claim 12, wherein the relationship identifies the distance between one or more points on the decodable indicia boundary relative to the document image boundary.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising identifying a feature within the document image boundary, wherein the decodable indicia comprises a decodable indicia boundary, and wherein the positional location data of the decodable indicia is defined by the relationship of the decodable indicia boundary relative to the document image boundary.