DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM HAVING EIR TERMINAL INTERFACE NODE

• US 20110090057A1
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• 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: Caballero, Aldo Mario, Kosecki, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,025,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• 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 that 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.

Claims

1. A method for reprogramming an encoded information reading (EIR) terminal by a terminal interface node, said method comprising the steps of:

said EIR terminal establishing a communication with said terminal interface node upon engaging to a docking station;

said EIR terminal uploading data to said terminal interface node;

said EIR terminal transmitting a terminal status message to said terminal interface node;

said terminal interface node, responsive to receiving said terminal status message, transmitting a terminal reprogramming message to said EIR terminal, said terminal reprogramming message including at least one of;

a binary file, a data file, a script file;

said EIR terminal, responsive to receiving said binary file, executing said binary file;

said EIR terminal, responsive to receiving said data file, updating a software configuration parameter;

said EIR terminal, responsive to receiving said script file, executing said script file;

wherein said interface node is configured to complete a higher priority operation before executing a lower priority operation; and

wherein a priority of said uploading data is higher than a priority of said transmitting reprogramming message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said terminal status message reflecting one of:

a status of a hardware component of said EIR terminal;

a status of a software component of said EIR terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of said EIR terminal establishing a communication with said terminal interface node further comprises the steps of:

said terminal interface node querying a docked EIR terminal for a list of active communication interfaces;

said docked EIR terminal transmitting a list of its active interfaces, said list of active interfaces including interface types and IP addresses; and

said terminal interface node performing further communication with said EIR terminal over a communication interface selected from said list of active interfaces, said communication interface not associated with a docking station to which said at least one EIR terminal is currently engaged.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said terminal reprogramming message includes one of:

a time of executing said script file and a condition to be satisfied to trigger the executing of said script file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of said terminal interface node, before transmitting said terminal reprogramming message, querying a reprogramming database, said reprogramming database containing a plurality of reprogramming records, each reprogramming record of said plurality of reprogramming records containing an EIR terminal identifying information and at least one of:

a binary file identifier, a data file identifier, a script file identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of said terminal interface node, before transmitting said terminal reprogramming message, querying a terminal status database, said terminal status database containing a plurality of terminal status records.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of said terminal interface node, responsively to receiving a reprogramming information message from a resource network, modifying a reprogramming database, said reprogramming database containing a plurality of reprogramming records, each reprogramming record of said plurality of reprogramming records containing an EIR terminal identifying information and at least one of:

a binary file identifier, a data file identifier, a script file identifier.