Energizing scanners

• US 9,864,887 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2016
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Ngo, Tim Thoi
• Primary Examiner(s): Franklin, Jamara
• Application Number:
  US15/204,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20180012049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 23546243-46249, 23546201, 235454
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10207 parameter settings related to power consumption of the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/00 Hybrid capacitors, i.e. capacitors having different positive and negative electrodes; Electric double-layer [EDL] capacitors; Processes for the manufacture thereof or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 Energy storage using capacitors

Abstract

A device, mobile system, and method for scanning a source of information are described. During scan operations, the scanning device is energized by an on-board supercapacitor power source and is worn upon an extremity of a user. The scanning device is operable for scanning the information source, accessing the information from the source based on the scanning, and generating a signal comprising data related to the accessed information. The generated scan data signal is transmitted for processing to a base station, which is worn remotely from the scanning device, for example on the user'"'"'s belt.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a wireless scanner designed to be worn upon an extremity of a user and operable to scan a target having machine-readable information to obtain the machine-readable information, wherein the wireless scanner comprises a supercapacitor power source to provide power to the wireless scanner.

2. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the wireless scanner is further operable for providing a generated wireless signal to a base station operable for processing the provided signal and worn by the user in a position remote from the scanning component.

3. The device as described in claim 2 wherein the wireless scanner comprises a first transceiver, wherein the base station comprises a second transceiver operable for exchanging data signals with the first transceiver, the data signals relating to the generated signal comprising the data related to the machine-readable information.

4. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the wireless scanner comprises:

a light source operable for illuminating a scan target with an illuminating light; and

a light sensor operable for detecting a reflection of the illuminating light from the scan target.

5. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the machine-readable information comprises a graphic medium, and wherein the scanning of the machine-readable information is performed optically.

6. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the machine-readable information comprises one or more of an indicia or a symbol.

7. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the machine-readable information comprises one or more of a one dimensional (1D) data pattern, a two dimensional (2D) data pattern, or a geometric data pattern.

8. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the machine-readable information comprises a bar code data pattern.

9. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the machine-readable information comprises a matrix code data pattern.

10. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the machine-readable information comprises data related to text.

11. The device as described in claim 1 wherein the machine-readable information comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

12. A system, comprising:

a wireless scanner designed to be worn upon an extremity of a user and operable to scan a target having machine-readable information to obtain the machine-readable information, wherein the wireless scanner comprises a supercapacitor power source to provide power to the wireless scanner;

a base station designed to be worn by the user in a position remote from the wireless scanner; and

an electrical power supply disposed locally in relation to the base station to provide power to the base station,

wherein the wireless scanner wirelessly outputs the machine-readable information to the base station to decode and the power supply charges the supercapacitor power source when the wireless scanner is docked to the base station.

13. The system as described in claim 12 wherein the position at which the base station is worn comprises one or more of an article of clothing or an accessory item worn by the user, wherein the clothing article or the accessory item supports the base station physically.

14. The system as described in claim 13 wherein the clothing article or the accessory item comprises one or more of a belt, vest, strap, pocket disposed in the clothing article, or pouch suspended from one or more of the belt or strap.

15. The system as described in claim 12 wherein the electrical power supply comprises:

a battery; and

a port for charging the supercapacitor power source of the wireless scanner.

16. The system as described in claim 12 wherein the wireless scanner comprises a first of a plurality of substantially identical and operationally interchangeable scanning components, and wherein the system comprises at least a second of the scanning components.

17. The system as described in claim 16 wherein, during the operation of the first scanning component, the at least second scanning component is, optionally, rechargeable.

18. The system as described in claim 12 wherein the supercapacitor power source comprises a first of a plurality of substantially identical and operationally interchangeable supercapacitor power sources, wherein the system comprises at least a second of the supercapacitor power sources, and wherein, during the operation of the first supercapacitor power source, the at least second s supercapacitor power source is, optionally, rechargeable.

19. A method, comprising:

energizing, with a supercapacitor device, a wireless scanner worn, during a scan operation performed over a target having machine-readable information, upon an extremity of a user;

obtaining the machine-readable information based on the scan operation performed over the target; and

generating a signal comprising data related to the obtained information, wherein the generated data signal is processed in relation to reading the obtained information.

20. The method as described in claim 19 wherein the supercapacitor device comprises a first of a plurality of supercapacitor devices, the method further comprising the steps of:

charging at least a second of the supercapacitor devices; and

replacing the first of the supercapacitor devices with the at least second of the supercapacitor devices wherein, upon the replacing step, the step of energizing the scanner is performed by the at least second of the supercapacitor devices.