Apparatus and method for performing a variable data capture process

• US 10,365,721 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Haist, Paul D, Arnold, Scott A., Marshall, Graham G, Tsiopanos, Konstantinos D
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mathews, Crystal
• Application Number:
  US14/270,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20150323997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1091 means to wake up the scanner from a sleep mode, e.g. using an acceleration sensor indicating that the scanner is being picked up by a user

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing a variable data capture process at a data capture device comprising a data capture module and a trigger mechanism is provided. In operation, the data capture device detects an initial activation of the trigger mechanism. In response to the activation, data capture is initiated at the data capture module. A continued activation of the trigger mechanism subsequent to the initial activation is also detected. Following the detection of the continued activation of the trigger mechanism, the device identifies an obtained gesture and performs a data capture operation based on the identified gesture.

Claims

1. A method of performing a variable data capture process at a data capture device comprising a data capture module and a trigger mechanism, the method comprising:

detecting, by the device, an initial activation of the trigger mechanism;

initiating a data capture and capturing data from a data source disposed at a distance from the data capture device, by the data capture module, in response to the initial activation;

processing the captured data associated with the data source disposed at the distance from the data capture device;

receiving an indication that data capture is complete;

detecting, by the device, a continued activation of the trigger mechanism subsequent to the initial activation;

detecting, by the device, a gesture following the continued activation; and

performing, by the device, a modification of the processed data associated with the data source disposed at the distance from the data capture device based on identifying the detected gesture following the continued activation of the trigger mechanism and subsequent to receiving the indication that the data capture is complete.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger mechanism is at least one of a physical trigger mechanism, a virtual trigger mechanism.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the continued activation of the trigger mechanism further comprises:

detecting a continued activation of the trigger mechanism for a predetermined duration subsequent to the initial activation of the trigger mechanism.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting the gesture is performed for a predetermined duration.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the data capture device is at least one of an optical sensor, a near field communication sensor, and a radio frequency identification reader.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the detected gesture includes at least one of a pressure, a spatial and a temporal pattern.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein identifying the detected gesture comprises:

maintaining, in a memory of the device, at least one predefined gesture pattern;

obtaining, at the device, a gesture pattern; and

matching the obtained gesture pattern to at least one of the at least one predefined gesture pattern.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

obtaining the gesture pattern when the trigger mechanism continues to be activated.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

obtaining the gesture pattern for a predetermined time period.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the initial activation of the trigger mechanism comprises an initial part of the variable data capture process and performing the modification further comprises varying a remaining portion of the variable data capture process.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the initial activation of the trigger mechanism is performed as a step of a workflow and performing the modification further comprises varying a next step of the workflow.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

completing a data capture by the data capture module; and

providing a context to the modification based on the data captured by the data capture module.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the initial activation of the trigger mechanism is performed as a current step of a workflow and performing the modification further comprises varying the current step of the workflow.

14. A data capture device comprising:

a housing;

a processor positioned within the housing;

a data capture module and a trigger mechanism connected to the processor and positioned within the housing, the processor operating to;

detect an initial activation of the trigger mechanism;

initiate a data capture and capture data from a data source disposed at a distance from the data capture device, by the data capture module, in response to the initial activation;

process the captured data associated with the data source disposed at the distance from the data capture device;

receive an indication that data capture is complete;

detect a continued activation of the trigger mechanism subsequent to the initial activation;

detect a gesture following the continued activation; and

perform a modification of the processed data associated with the data source disposed at the distance from the data capture device based on identifying the detected gesture following the continued activation of the trigger mechanism and subsequent to receiving the indication that the data capture is complete.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein detecting the continued activation of the trigger mechanism further comprises:

detecting a continued activation of the trigger mechanism for a predetermined duration subsequent to the initial activation of the trigger mechanism.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein detecting the initial activation of the trigger mechanism comprises an initial part of the variable data capture process and performing the modification further comprises varying a remaining portion of the variable data capture process.

17. The device of claim 14 wherein detecting the initial activation of the trigger mechanism is performed as a step of a workflow and performing the modification further comprises varying a next step of the workflow.