Modular hand-held data entry system

• US 5,539,193 A
• Filed: 05/31/1994
• Issued: 07/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Norand Corporation (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Mahany, Ronald L., Danielson, Arvin D., Bunte, Alan G., Geers, Robert G., Arensdorf, Richard C., Hanson, George E., Miller, Phillip, Koenck, Steven E., Durbin, Dennis A., Kelly, Stephen J., Schultz, Darald R., Cargin, Keith K., Boatwright, Darrell L., Gibbs, William T., Hutton, James R., Adams, Glen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): PITTS, HAROLD I
• Application Number:
  US08/251,844
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/472
• US Class Current: 235/472.02
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0216 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10574 Multiple sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10702 Particularities of propagating elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors G06K7/10831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 : Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 : Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10811 : Focalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10841 : Particularities of the light-sensitive elements semiconductor devices H01L
• 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: G06K 7/1093 : sensing, after transfer of the image of the data-field to an intermediate store, e.g. storage with cathode ray tube
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 : the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 : using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 : Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 : Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 : Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 : by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 : with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 : using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 : Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 : using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 : Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3894 : Waterproofing of transmission device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 : Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0032 : Without explicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 : with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0208 : characterized by the relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 : Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 : Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 : comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 : for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 : including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/18 : including more than one keyboard unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

A hand held data entry apparatus having a body for receiving, storing and transmitting information, including a camming mechanism for quickly sealingly attaching an accessory such as a scanner to the top of a hand held data entry apparatus. Additionally, a similar camming mechanism is utilized to hold a battery pack in place with the additional feature of not only pulling the battery pack securely against the housing, but also pushing the battery pack contacts into abutment with complementary contacts disposed within the housing. A keypad is provided for permitting information to be manually entered into the hand held body and this keypad is encased in a layer of elastomeric material such as silicone. A pair of LED'"'"'s are utilized, one to indicate a "good scan" and the other to indicate something else, such as a "bad scan." Additionally, these LED'"'"'s can be encased in operative or dummy keys in order to save keyboard space. A mechanism is provided for pivoting the scanner about either of two perpendicular axes.

Claims

1. A modular hand-held data collection terminal unit comprising:

(a) a display screen assembled with said terminal unit;

(b) a keyboard assembled with said terminal unit;

(c) wherein the terminal unit further comprises a scanning module;

(d) wherein the scanning module is attached to an outer end of the terminal unit;

(e) said terminal unit having a broad user interface side comprising said display screen and said keyboard and having a broad handgrip side opposite said user interface side, said terminal unit having a frontal disposition with the user interface side facing the user;

(f) said terminal unit having respective lateral edge faces one of which is proximal to the user and one of which is remote from the user in each of first and second respective edgewise dispositions of the terminal unit wherein the terminal unit is supported by the left hand and right hand respectively;

(g) said scanning module comprising an automatic reader unit housing containing an automatic reader unit which effects an automatic reading operation without requiring movement of the terminal unit as a whole;

(h) said automatic reader unit housing being orientable in respective opposite lateral directions relative to the terminal unit, so that the automatic reader unit may be oriented to be directed laterally away from the user during an automatic reading operation whether the terminal unit is to be supported in the first edgewise disposition with the left hand of the user, or whether the terminal unit is to be supported in the second edgewise disposition with the right hand of the user; and

(i) manually actuatable selectors arranged correspondingly on the respective lateral edge faces of the terminal unit for convenient actuation by the left or right hand whichever is to grip the terminal unit at said handgrip side.

2. The terminal unit according to claim 1, wherein the display screen is of modular construction to form a display screen module and is selected as a preferred one of a plurality of display screen modules of different sizes available for assembly into said terminal unit.

3. The terminal unit according to claim 2, wherein the keyboard is of modular construction to form a keyboard module and is selected as a preferred one of a plurality of functionally different keyboard modules and including differently configured keys available for assembly into said terminal unit, the selected display screen module being attached to one end of the selected keyboard module.

4. The terminal unit according to claim 1, wherein said automatic reader unit housing contains a non-contact cyclically deflected laser beam reader for supplying a processed reader signal from the automatic reader unit housing to the remainder of the terminal unit in each of the orientations of the automatic reader unit housing relative thereto.

5. The terminal unit according to claim 1, wherein said automatic reader unit housing contains a non-contact automatic instant reader of the image photosensor type for supplying a processed reader signal from the automatic reader unit housing to the remainder of the terminal unit in each of the orientations of the automatic reader unit housing relative thereto.