Portable transaction terminal

• US 5,208,449 A
• Filed: 09/09/1991
• Issued: 05/04/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Datalogic Mobile Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: PTO (Safe Fleet Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Eastman, Jay M., Boles, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, DON KITSUN
• Application Number:
  US07/756,637
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462
• US Class Current: 235/462.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2007/10534 Scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3866 carried on the head
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast

Abstract

A headset to be worn around the head of an operator having a head-band, a microphone, a bar code reader, a display, electronics including a microprocessor and speech recognition for translating alphanumeric names and words into data which are to be stored in the memory of the microprocessor and a transceiver for exchanging data with a remotely located modem. Upon a voice activation, messages issued by the microprocessor are visually projected on a display and the reader is initiated.

Claims

1. A portable transaction terminal which does not require manual keyboard or code reader actuation, said terminal comprising a headset, an optical code reader on said headset for scanning a code symbol when actuated, and voice operated means for entering transaction data and for actuating said code reader to enter data corresponding to the codes scanned by said reader also carried on said headset.

2. Terminal according to claim 1 further comprising means for transmitting messages for the user of said terminal to said headset from a remote location.

3. The terminal according to claim 1 wherein said headset has a band worn about the head of the user extending around the top of the head, said code reader being attached to said band and having a port through which a beam of light which scans said code projects.

4. The terminal according to claim 3 further comprising, an arm attached to said band where it extends around the top of the head, a transparent screen depending from said arm across a field of view of the user, and means for displaying the code read by said reader and transaction data on said screen for viewing by the user.

5. The terminal according to claim 4 further comprising means on said headset for applying messages transmitted from a remote location to said displaying means.

6. The terminal according to claim 3 wherein said code reader is attached to said band by being mounted on said arm.

7. The terminal according to claim 1 wherein said voice operated means comprises a microprocessor, a microphone carried by said headset, means for recognizing sounds pronounced by the user and received by said microphone for applying codes corresponding thereto to said microprocessor, means for applying electrical signals corresponding to said codes scanned by said code reader to said microprocessor, means for applying signals from said microprocessor to said code reader for actuating said code reader when a certain one of said codes is applied to said microprocessor, and memory means associated with said microprocessor for storing data corresponding to said codes.

8. The terminal according to claim 7 further comprising means operated by said microprocessor for translating such stored codes into messages for the user of said headset.

9. The terminal according to claim 8 wherein said message translating means comprises at least one earphone on said headset disposed in the vicinity of an ear of the user when wearing the headset, speech synthesizer means connected to said earphone, and means for applying said codes entered into said memory means to said speech synthesizer means via said microprocessor.

10. The terminal according to claim 9 wherein said message translating means comprises optical display means including a screen disposed in the field of view of the user, and means for applying said codes entered into said memory means to said display means via said microprocessor.

11. The terminal according to claim 9 further comprising means which output said codes entered into said memory means.

12. The terminal according to claim 11 wherein said output providing means comprises means for transmitting said codes to a remote location.

13. The terminal according to claim 12 wherein said transmitting means includes a modem and a transceiver for both transmitting data corresponding to said codes to a remote location and for receiving data from remote locations, said modem being connected to said microprocessor for entry of said received data into said memory means where it is available for application to said display means upon recognition of a code representing a command to display said received data by said recognizing means.