Data collection system having reconfigurable data collection terminal

• US 9,256,772 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Yeakley, Daniel D., Caballero, Aldo Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/499,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20150029002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/472.03, 235/492, 235/486, 235/462.25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1744 using compression, e.g. sparse files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/81 Indexing, e.g. XML tags; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10227 loading programming parameters or programs into the interrogator, e.g. for configuring the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1095 the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like

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.

Claims

1. A data collection system comprising:

a portable data collection terminal having a radio transceiver device for reading and/or writing encoded information; and

a computer spaced apart from the portable data collection terminal, the computer being configured to;

display a graphical user interface (GUI) prompting an operator of the data collection system to enter configuration data for reconfiguring the portable data collection terminal;

build a data package based on configuration data entered by the operator via the GUI; and

encode the data package into a tag by transferring an encoding command to the portable data collection terminal.

2. The data collection system of claim 1, comprising a physical communication link between the computer and the portable data collection terminal provided by a USB, Ethernet, 802.11 interface, and/or IrDA.

3. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein the portable data collection terminal comprises a radio communication interface provided by an IEEE 802.11 radio transceiver device, a Bluetooth radio transceiver device, a WIMAX radio transceiver device, and/or a cellular radio transceiver device.

4. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein:

the computer is communicatively coupled to the portable data collection terminal over a network; and

the computer is configured to transfer the encoding command to the portable data collection terminal utilizing a data communication protocol supported by the network.

5. The data collection system of claim 4, wherein the network is provided by an IP network.

6. The data collection system of claim 4, wherein the network is provided by a wired network and/or a wireless network.

7. The data collection system of claim 4, wherein the data communication protocol is provided by a file transport protocol (FTP).

8. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein the data package comprises a configuration file provided by an extensible markup language (XML) document.

9. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein the data package comprises a configuration file provided by an extensible markup language (XML) document comprising desired parameter settings for the portable data collection terminal.

10. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein the data package comprises file data corresponding to one or more files, command data, encryption selection data, compression selection data, and/or action indicators.

11. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein the data package comprises an XML document and file data corresponding to a file having a type other than XML.

12. A data collection system comprising:

a portable data collection terminal having a radio transceiver device for reading and writing encoded information; and

a computer spaced apart from the portable data collection terminal, the computer being configured to;

display a graphical user interface (GUI) prompting an operator of the data collection system to enter configuration data for reconfiguring the portable data collection terminal;

build a data package based on configuration data entered by the operator via the GUI; and

encode the data package into a tag by transferring an encoding command to the portable data collection terminal via a wired network and/or a wireless network;

wherein the portable data collection terminal is configured, responsive to reading the tag, to reconfigure a device of the portable data collection terminal, a subsystem of the portable data collection terminal, an application executed by the portable data collection terminal, and/or a peripheral device detachably attached to the portable data collection terminal.

13. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein the data package comprises a configuration file provided by an extensible markup language (XML) document.

14. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein the data package comprises a configuration file provided by an extensible markup language (XML) document comprising desired parameter settings for the portable data collection terminal.

15. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein the portable data collection terminal is configured to operate in a continuous read mode or an active read mode.

16. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein the data package comprises file data corresponding to one or more files, command data, encryption selection data, compression selection data, and/or action indicators.

17. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein the data package comprises an XML document and file data corresponding to a file having a type other than XML.

18. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein the portable data collection terminal is configured, responsive to reading the tag, to reconfigure a device of the portable data collection terminal by de-packaging the data package to extract a configuration file comprising a parameter setting and performing one of:

(i) passing the parameter setting to a hardware component associated with the device without modifying a program running the device;

(ii) passing the parameter setting to a program controlling operation of the device;

(iii) passing the parameter setting to a file that is accessed by a program running the device;

(iv) passing the parameter setting to a memory location other than a file memory location that is accessed by a program running the device; and

(v) retaining the configuration file in such a manner that the parameter setting is accessed by a program running the device.

19. A data collection system comprising:

a portable data collection terminal having an RFID reader device for reading and/or writing encoded information; and

a computer spaced apart from the portable data collection terminal, the computer being configured to;

display a graphical user interface (GUI) prompting an operator of the data collection system to enter configuration data for reconfiguring the portable data collection terminal;

build a data package based on configuration data entered by the operator via the GUI; and

encode the data package into a passive tag by transferring an encoding command to the portable data collection terminal.

20. The data collection system of claim 19, wherein the portable data collection terminal comprises a radio communication interface provided by an IEEE 802.11 radio transceiver device, a Bluetooth radio transceiver device, a WIMAX radio transceiver device, and/or a cellular radio transceiver device.

21. The data collection system of claim 19, wherein the data package comprises a configuration file provided by an extensible markup language (XML) document.

22. The data collection system of claim 19, wherein the data package comprises a configuration file provided by an extensible markup language (XML) document comprising desired parameter settings for the portable data collection terminal.