Data collection system having EIR terminal interface node

• US 9,929,906 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Kosecki, James, Caballero, Aldo Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Haupt, Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US15/359,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20170078146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/01 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A network accessible node facilitates management of a fleet of portable communication devices (EIR terminal), including portable data terminals and/or barcode readers, by directing performance of software upgrade and/or configuration update actions by one or more members of the fleet of EIR terminals. The node can be configured for use in managing the reprogramming of the one or more EIR terminals. In one embodiment, the node can be disposed in a common local facility and connected to a common local area network with the at least one EIR terminal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a terminal interface node communicatively coupled to plurality of symbol reading devices, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to;

build and transmit a reprogramming message to at least one symbol reading device from amongst the plurality of symbol reading devices for at least one of a configuration, re-configuration, and a system upgrade of the symbol reading device, wherein the reprogramming message comprises at least one of;

(i) a binary file comprising instructions to be executed by the at least one symbol reading device from amongst the plurality of symbol reading devices;

(ii) a data file comprising software configuration parameters corresponding to the plurality of symbol reading devices; and

/or (iii) a script file comprising a sequence of commands to be executed by the at least one symbol reading device from amongst the plurality of symbol reading devices,

wherein the symbol reading devices are configured to decode machine readable symbols comprising coded information.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising a file system and a reprogramming database, wherein:

the terminal interface node is communicatively coupled to the file system; and

the reprogramming database stores a plurality of reprogramming file identifiers identifying reprogramming files stored in the file system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to run a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server software program to service DHCP requests for dynamic assignment of IP addresses, the requests being initiated by one or more symbol reading devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the terminal interface node is configured to query a docked symbol reading device for a list of active communication interfaces;

at least one symbol reading device of the plurality of symbol reading devices is configured to reply to the query for a list of active communication interfaces with a list of the at least one symbol reading device'"'"'s active interfaces comprising interface types and IP addresses; and

the terminal interface node is configured, upon receiving the list of the at least one symbol reading device'"'"'s active interfaces, to perform further communication with the at least one symbol reading device over a communication interface selected from the list of the at least one symbol reading device'"'"'s active interfaces, wherein the selected communication interface is not associated with a docking station to which the at least one symbol reading device is currently engaged.

5. The system of claim 1, comprising a user interface enabling a user of the terminal interface node to modify the reprogramming database, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to build the reprogramming message responsively to a user action via the user interface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to build the reprogramming message responsively to receiving a reprogramming request from a certain symbol reading device of the plurality of symbol reading devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to transmit the reprogramming message to a certain symbol reading device responsively to the certain symbol reading device being docked in a docking station.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to transmit the reprogramming message to a certain symbol reading device only during a specified time frame.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the symbol reading device identifying information is a symbol reading device unique identifier or a reprogramming condition.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the reprogramming message specifies a time for executing the script file or a condition to be satisfied to trigger the executing of the script file.

11. A system, comprising:

a terminal interface node communicatively coupled to a plurality of symbol reading devices, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to;

build and transmit a reprogramming message to at least one symbol reading device from amongst the plurality of symbol reading devices for at least one of a configuration, re-configuration, and a system upgrade of the symbol reading device,

wherein the terminal interface node comprises a user interface to be operated by a user for specifying at least one of, a target symbol reading device from amongst the plurality of the symbol reading device to be reconfigured, reprogramming files for configuring the target symbol reading device, and a command for initiating transmission of the reprogramming files to the target symbol reading device.

12. The system of claim 11, comprising a file system and a reprogramming database, wherein:

the terminal interface node is communicatively coupled to the file system; and

the reprogramming database stores a plurality of reprogramming file identifiers identifying reprogramming files stored in the file system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interface enables a user of the terminal interface node to specify a Domain Name System (DNS) name of at least one computer on a resource network or an IP address of at least one computer on a resource network.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to communicate with a resource network using one of:

Service Oriented Architecture Protocol (SOAP), Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) protocol, a proprietary application level protocol.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to receive the reprogramming information message from a resource network responsively to transmitting a request to the resource network.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to receive one or more reprogramming information messages from a resource network responsively to transmitting a terminal status message to the resource network.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to:

responsively to transmitting a request to a computer on a resource network, receive a re-direction response including a re-direction address; and

receive the reprogramming information message responsively to transmitting a request to the re-direction address.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal interface node is configured to allow a local administrator to specify a processing workflow to be executed upon a reprogramming message received from a resource network before performing a modification of a reprogramming database.

19. A system, comprising:

a symbol reading device configured to decode machine readable symbol comprising coded information and communicatively coupled to a terminal interface node, wherein the symbol reading device is to;

receive a reprogramming message from the terminal interface node for at least one of a configuration, re-configuration, and a system upgrade of the symbol reading device;

ascertain a change in a previous configuration of the symbol reading device; and

parse, upon ascertaining, the reprogramming message to perform updates to the symbol reading device based on information specified in the reprogramming message;

wherein the reprogramming message comprises at least one of;

(i) a binary file comprising instructions to be executed by the symbol reading device;

(ii) a data file comprising software configuration parameters corresponding to the symbol reading device; and

/or (iii) a script file comprising a sequence of commands to be executed by the symbol reading device.

20. The system of claim 19, comprising a file system and a reprogramming database, wherein:

the terminal interface node is communicatively coupled to the file system; and

the reprogramming database stores a plurality of reprogramming file identifiers identifying reprogramming files stored in the file system.