Optical reader comprising good read indicator

• US 20030001018A1
• Filed: 05/02/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Hussey, Robert M., Roberts, Clayton, Fitch, Timothy R., Walczyk, Joseph, Kinson, Lee
• Application Number:
  US10/137,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20030001018A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments

Abstract

The invention is an optical reader which in one embodiment includes reader head having both a top status condition indicator and a rear status condition indicator. A control circuit is adapted to control both of the top and read status condition indicators simultaneously so that an operator is provided with an easily viewed status indicator at the extremes of normal reader viewing angles expected during reader operation. The top status condition indicator may be a keyboard integrated indicator comprising a translucent key and a light source bank disposed to emit light through the translucent key under the control of the control circuit. The rear status condition indicator may be provided by a bank of LEDs operating in combination with a light pipe disposed in the reader to conduct light from the LED bank to the rear of the reader head.

Claims

1. An optical reader comprising:

a gun style hand held housing comprising a handle and a head, said reader head comprising a front, a top and rear;

a first status condition indicator including at least one light source disposed to emit light at a position substantially at said top of said head;

a second status condition indicator including at least one light source disposed to emit light substantially at a rear of said head; and

a control circuit for controlling condition status indications indicated by said first and second status condition indicators.

2. The reader of claim 1, wherein said first status condition indicator includes a translucent key and a bank of light sources disposed under said translucent key.

3. The reader of claim 1, wherein said second indicator includes a bank of light sources disposed in an interior of said head, and a light pipe for conducting light from said bank of light sources to a rear of said head.

4. The reader of claim 1, wherein said first status condition indicator includes a translucent key and a bank of light sources disposed under said translucent key, and wherein said second indicator includes a bank of light sources disposed in an interior of said head, and a light pipe for conducting light from said bank of light sources to a rear of said head.

5. The reader of claim 1, wherein said control circuit controls both of said first and second indicators to emit green light if there has been a successful decode, and red light if a decoding attempt has been successful.

6. The reader of claim 1, wherein said control circuit controls both of said first and second indicators to emit green light if there has been a successful decode, red light if a decoding attempt has been unsuccessful, and yellow light is a decoding attempt is in progress.

7. The reader of claim 1, wherein said at least one light source of at least one of said first or second status condition indicators comprises a red light source and a green light source, and wherein said control circuit operates both of said red and green light sources simultaneously when a decode attempt is in progress so that yellow light is emitted when decoding is in progress.

8. An optical reader comprising:

a gun style housing having a head and a handle, said reader head comprising a front, a top, and a rear;

a circuit board disposed in an interior of said head;

a control circuit at least partially disposed on said circuit board;

a status condition indicator operating under control by said control circuit, said status condition indicator including;

a bank of light sources disposed on said circuit board; and

a light pipe having a light entry end and a light exit end, said light pipe being disposed so that light entry end is in proximity with said bank of light sources, and said light exit end terminates at an exterior of said housing so that said light exit end is visible to a user.

9. The reader of claim 8, wherein said bank of light sources comprises a single LED.

10. The reader of claim 8, wherein said control circuit is adapted to decode decodable indicia in captured image data, wherein said bank of light sources comprises a red LED, a green LED, and a yellow LED, wherein said control circuit is adapted to activate said green LED when a decoding attempt is successful, said red LED when a decoding attempt is unsuccessful, and said yellow LED when a decoding attempt is in progress.

11. The reader of claim 8, wherein said control circuit is adapted to decode decodable indicia in a captured image data, wherein said bank of light sources comprises a green LED and a red LED, wherein said control circuit is adapted to activate said green LED when a decoding attempt is successful, said red LED when a decoding attempt is unsuccessful, and said green and red LEDs simultaneously to emit yellow light when a decoding attempt is in progress.

12. The reader of claim 8, wherein said rear of said head is substantially curved from a top viewing perspective so that said visible portion of said status condition indicator is visible from a side viewing perspective.

13. The reader of claim 8, further comprising a circuit board, wherein said control circuit and said bank of LEDs are at least partially disposed on said circuit board.

15. The reader of claim 14, wherein said control circuit is configured so that when said translucent key is depressed while said translucent key indicates a status condition, a new display message is displayed by said display, said new display message pertaining to said status condition.

16. The reader of claim 15, wherein said translucent key is an ENTER key.

17. The reader of claim 14, wherein said control circuit displays messages corresponding to an indicated status conditioning indicated by said key when said key is depressed.

18. The reader of claim 14, wherein said bank of light sources comprises a single LED.

19. The reader of claim 14, wherein said bank of light sources comprises a green LED and a red LED, wherein said control circuit activates said green light when a decode attempt has been successful, and said red light when a decode attempt has been unsuccessful.

20. The reader of claim 14, wherein said translucent key is larger than remaining keys of said keyboard.

21. The reader of claim 14, wherein said reader further includes a display controlled by said control circuit, wherein said control circuit displays on said display messages corresponding to a status condition presently being indicated by said status condition indicator.

22. The reader of claim 14, wherein said translucent key is an ENTER key of said keyboard.

24. The reader of claim 23, wherein said control circuit controls said display-associated light source to indicate a status condition selected from the group consisting of a battery low condition, a communication fail condition, and a scan result target-achieved condition.

25. The reader of claim 23, wherein said third status condition indicator comprises a second translucent key of said keyboard and an associated light source.

26. The reader of claim 23, wherein said display associated light sources comprises a plurality of light source, each emitting light in an emission wavelength band different from each reading display-associated light source, wherein said control circuit selectively operates light sources of said display to control a color of illumination of said display.

27. The reader of claim 23, wherein said control circuit controls indicia displayed on said display to reinforce a status condition indicated by one of said status indicators.

28. The reader of claim 23, wherein said reader further comprises a fourth status condition indicator embedded within said display.

29. The reader of claim 23, wherein control circuit controls said key-associated light source to pulse light for indication of a status condition.

30. The reader of claim 23, wherein said translucent key is an ENTER key of said keyboard.

31. The reader of claim 23, further comprises a status condition indicia including a translucent keyboard face plate and an associated light source.

32. The reader of claim 23, further comprising a decoding status condition indicator including a vibration device.

14. An optical reader for reading an indicia, said reader comprising:

a gun style hand held housing having a head portion and a handle portion;

an imaging assembly disposed in said housing;

a control circuit disposed in said housing configured to decode said indicia;

a keyboard disposed on said housing, said housing including at least one translucent key;

a bank of light sources disposed under said at least one translucent key, said bank of light sources and said translucent keys defining a status condition indicator, wherein said control circuit changes an indication indicated by said status condition indicator when said control circuit successfully decodes an indicia.

23. An optical reader operating under the control of a control circuit, said reader comprising:

a gun style hand held housing having a head portion and a handle portion;

a keyboard having a plurality of keys, at least one of said keys being translucent;

a display having a display-associated light source;

a first status condition indicator including a key-associated light source and said at least one translucent key;

a second status condition indicator including said display-associated light source; and

a third status condition indicator including a light source, wherein said first, second, and third status indicating light sources are controlled by said control circuit.