Portable data reading device with integrated web server for configuration and data extraction

• US 20060006231A1
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic Mobile Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: PSC Scanning, Inc. (Datalogic ADC Incorporated)
• Inventors: Elliott, Ryan R., Anson, Gary S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,273,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/435
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system

Abstract

A portable data reading device, such as a barcode scanner or RFID reader, includes a Web server and a first server-side application to modify one or more settings of the portable data reading device. The settings may include, for example, symbology settings, device settings, and network settings. The Web server may receive formatted data from a client browser representing a requested modification of at least one setting of the portable data reading device. Upon receiving the formatted data, the Web server may automatically invoke the first server-side application to modify the at least one setting responsive to the formatted data.

Claims

1. A portable data reading device comprising:

a Web server to deliver Web pages to a client browser; and

a first server-side application to modify one or more settings of the portable data reading device,

wherein the Web server is to receive formatted data from the client browser representing a requested modification of at least one setting of the portable data reading device, and

wherein the Web server is further to automatically invoke the first server-side application to modify the at least one setting responsive to the formatted data.

2. The portable data reading device of claim 1, further comprising a barcode scan engine to read one or more symbols from a physical object.

3. The portable data reading device of claim 2, wherein the one or more settings comprise symbology settings for the barcode scan engine.

4. The portable data reading device of claim 1, further comprising an RFID reading engine to read information from an RFID tag.

5. The portable data reading device of claim 1, wherein the one or more settings comprise user interface settings for the portable data reading device.

6. The portable data reading device of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface to communicate with the client browser through a network.

7. The portable data reading device of claim 6, wherein the one or more settings comprise network settings for the communication interface.

8. The portable data reading device of claim 1, further comprising a Web page comprising code to cause the Web server to automatically invoke the first server-side application to modify the at least one setting.

9. The portable data reading device of claim 8, wherein the Web page comprises a server-side page, and wherein the code comprises an embedded script.

10. The portable data reading device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second server-side application to interrogate one or more settings of the portable data reading device,

wherein the Web server is further to automatically invoke the second server-side application to interrogate at least one specified setting of the portable data reading device, and

wherein the Web server is to send formatted data representing the at least one interrogated setting to the client browser.

11. The portable data reading device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second server-side application to update a file system of the portable data reading device,

wherein the Web server is to receive formatted data from the client browser representing an updated file system, and

wherein the Web server is to automatically invoke the second server-side application to replace the file system of the portable data reading device with the updated file system.

12. The portable data reading device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second server-side application to clone a file system of the portable data reading device to at least one other portable data reading device,

wherein the Web server to automatically invoke the second server-side application to create a cloned image of the file system of the portable data reading device, and

wherein the Web server is to send formatted data representing the cloned image to at least one other portable data reading device with instructions for the at least one other portable data reading device to replace its file system with the file system from the cloned image.

13. The portable data reading device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second server-side application to extract read data from the portable data reading device,

wherein the Web server is further to automatically invoke the second server-side application to extract the read data, and

wherein the Web server is to send the extracted data to the client browser.

14. A portable scanning system comprising:

a reading engine;

a communication interface to connect the portable scanning system to a client browser through a network; and

a memory coupled to the reading engine and the communication interface, the memory comprising;

a Web server;

a first server-side application to modify one or more settings of the portable scanning system; and

a Web page including code to cause the Web server to receive formatted data through the communication interface from the client browser representing a requested modification of at least one setting of the portable data reading device, the Web page further including code to cause the Web server to automatically invoke the first server-side application to modify the at least one setting responsive to the formatted data.

15. The portable scanning system of claim 14, wherein the reading engine comprises a barcode scan engine to read one or more symbols from a physical object.

16. The portable scanning system of claim 15, wherein the one or more settings comprise symbology settings for the barcode scan engine.

17. The portable scanning system of claim 14, wherein the reading engine comprises an RFID reading engine to read information from an RFID tag.

18. The portable scanning system of claim 14, wherein the one or more settings comprise user interface settings for the portable scanning system.

19. The portable scanning system of claim 14, wherein the one or more settings comprise network settings for the communication interface.

20. The portable scanning system of claim 14, wherein the Web page comprises an server-side page, and wherein the code comprises an embedded script.

21. The portable scanning system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second server-side application to interrogate one or more settings of the portable data reading device,

wherein the Web page further includes code to cause the Web server to automatically invoke the second server-side application to interrogate at least one specified setting of the portable data reading device and to send formatted data representing at least one interrogated setting to the client browser.

22. The portable scanning system of claim 21, further comprising:

a third server-side application to update a file system of the portable data reading device,

wherein the Web page further includes code to cause the Web server to receive formatted data from the client browser representing an updated file system, the Web page further including code to cause the Web server to automatically invoke the third server-side application to replace the file system of the portable data reading device with the updated file system.

23. The portable scanning system of claim 22, further comprising:

a fourth server-side application to clone a file system of the portable data reading device to one or more other portable data reading devices,

wherein the Web page further includes code to cause the Web server to automatically invoke the fourth server-side application to create a cloned image of the file system of the portable data reading device and send formatted data representing the cloned image to at least one other portable data reading device with instructions for the at least one other portable data reading device to replace its file system with that of the cloned image.

24. The portable scanning system of claim 23, further comprising:

a fifth server-side application to extract data scanned by the portable data reading device,

wherein the Web page further includes code to cause the Web server to automatically invoke the fifth server-side application to extract the read data, the Web page further including code to send the extracted data to the client browser.

25. A method for modifying one or more settings of a portable data reader including an integrated Web server, the method comprising:

receiving at the Web server formatted data representing a requested modification of at least one setting of the portable data reader; and

invoking a first server-side application to modify the at least one setting in response to receiving the formatted data.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

invoking a second server-side application to interrogate at least one specified setting of the portable data reader; and

sending formatted data representing at least one interrogated setting to a client browser.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving formatted data representing an updated file system; and

invoking a second server-side application to replace a file system of the portable data reader with the updated file system.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

invoking a second server-side application to create a cloned image of a file system of the portable data reader; and

sending formatted data representing the cloned image to at least one specified portable data reader with instructions for the specified portable data reader to update its file system with the cloned image.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

invoking a second server-side application to extract read data from the portable data reader; and

sending the extracted data to a client browser.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising delivering to a client browser a Web page comprising code to automatically invoke the first server-side application to modify the at least one setting.

31. A method comprising:

integrating a portable data reader with a Web server to deliver Web pages to a client browser;

integrating the portable data reader with a first server-side application to modify one or more settings of the portable data reader;

receiving formatted data at the Web server from the client browser representing a requested modification of at least one setting of the portable data reader; and

automatically invoking the first server-side application to modify the at least one setting responsive to the formatted data.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising integrating the portable data reader with a barcode scan engine to read one or more symbols from a physical object.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein integrating the portable data reader with a first server-side application comprises integrating the portable data reader with a first server-side application in which the one or more settings comprise symbology settings for the barcode scan engine.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising integrating the portable data reader with an RFID reading engine to read information from an RFID tag.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein integrating the portable data reader with a first server-side application comprises integrating the portable data reader with a first server-side application in which the one or more settings comprise user interface settings for the portable data reader.

36. The method of claim 31, further comprising integrating the portable data reader with a communication interface to communicate with the client browser through a network.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein integrating the portable data reader with a first server-side application comprises integrating the portable data reader with a first server-side application in which the one or more settings comprise network settings for the communication interface.

38. The method of claim 31, further comprising integrating the portable data reader with a Web page comprising code to cause the Web server to automatically invoke the first server-side application to modify the at least one setting.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein integrating the portable data reader with a Web page comprises integrating the portable data reader with an server-side page in which the code comprises an embedded script.

40. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

integrating the portable data reader with a second server-side application to interrogate one or more settings of the portable data reader;

automatically invoking the second server-side application to interrogate at least one specified setting of the portable data reader; and

sending formatted data representing at least one interrogated setting from the Web server to the client browser.

41. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

integrating the portable data reader with a second server-side application to update a file system of the portable data reader;

receiving formatted data from the client browser representing an updated file system; and

automatically invoking the second server-side application to replace the file system of the portable data reader with the updated file system.

42. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

integrating the portable data reader with a second server-side application to clone a file system of the portable data reader to at least one specified portable data reader;

automatically invoking the second server-side application to create a cloned image of the file system of the portable data reader; and

sending formatted data representing the cloned image from the Web server to at least one specified portable data reader with instructions for the at least one specified portable data reader to replace its file system with the file system from the cloned image.

43. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

integrating the portable data reader with a second server-side application to extract read data from the portable data reader;

automatically invoking the second server-side application to extract the read data; and

sending the extracted data from the Web server to the client browser.

44. A method for configuring a portable data reader including a Web server and a first server-side application for modifying one or more settings of the portable data reader, the method comprising:

establishing a communication session with the portable data reader by providing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the Web server to a client browser;

sending formatted data from the client browser to the Web server comprising a requested modification of at least one setting of the portable data reader, wherein the formatted data is configured to cause the Web browser to automatically invoke the first server-side application to modify the at least one setting of the portable data reader.

45. A portable data reader comprising:

a reading engine;

a Web server coupled to the reading engine; and

a server-side application coupled to the Web server to update a file system of the portable data reader,

wherein the Web server is to receive formatted data from the client browser representing an updated file system, and

wherein the Web server is to automatically invoke the server-side application to replace the file system of the scanner with the updated file system.

46. A portable data reader comprising:

a reading engine;

a Web server coupled to the reading engine; and

a server-side application coupled to the Web server to clone a file system of the portable data reading device to at least one other portable data reader,

wherein the Web server to automatically invoke the server-side application to create a cloned image of the file system of the portable data reader, and

wherein the Web server is to send formatted data representing the cloned image to at least one other portable data reader with instructions for the at least one other portable data reader to replace its file system with the file system from the cloned image.