초록 ▼

Disclosed is an automatically-activated code symbol reading system comprising a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a handsupportable housing having a manually-actuatable data transmission switch. During symbol reading operations, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically ge

Disclosed is an automatically-activated code symbol reading system comprising a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a handsupportable housing having a manually-actuatable data transmission switch. During symbol reading operations, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible laser scanning pattern for repeatedly reading,, one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby. During system operation, the user visually aligns the visible laser scanning pattern with a particular bar code symbol on an object (e.g. product, bar code menu, etc.) so that the bar code symbol is scanned, detected and decoded in a cyclical manner. Each time the scanned bar code symbol is successfully read during a bar code symbol reading cycle, a new bar code symbol character string is produced, while an indicator light on the hand-supportable housing is actively driven. During the bar code symbol reading cycle, the user actuates the data transmission switch producing a data transmission control activation signal and enabling a subsequently produced symbol character data string to be automatically selected and transmitted to the host system. By virtue of the present invention, automatically-activated hand-supportable bar code symbol readers are now able to accurately read, in an unprecedented manner, bar code symbols on bar code menus, consumer products positioned in crowded point-of-sale environments, and other objects requiring automatic identification and/or information access.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading system comprising:(1) a hand-supportable housing supportable in or on the hand of a user, and having a light transmission aperture through which visible light can exit and enter said hand-supportable housing;(2) automat

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading system comprising:(1) a hand-supportable housing supportable in or on the hand of a user, and having a light transmission aperture through which visible light can exit and enter said hand-supportable housing;(2) automatic scan data producing means in said hand-supportable housing for producing scan data from a bar code symbol on an object located within at least a portion of a laser scanning field definable relative to said hand-supportable housing, said scan data producing means including (i) a laser beam producing means disposed in said hand-supportable housing for producing and projecting a laser beam through said light transmission aperture, (ii) scanning means for repeatedly scanning said laser beam across said laser scanning field and across said bar code symbol on said object, and (iii) laser light detecting means for detecting the intensity of laser light reflected off said bar code symbol and passed through said light transmission aperture and for automatically producing scan data indicative of said detected light intensity;(3) bar code symbol detection means in said hand-supportable housing for processing produced scan data so as to detect the presence of said bar code symbol on said object and to automatically generated a first control activation signal (A.sub.2) in response to the detection of said bar code symbol in said laser scanning field;(4) decode processing means in said hand-supportable housing for processing produced scan data so as to decode said bar code symbol on said object and for automatically producing symbol character data representative of said decoded bar code symbol, and automatically generating a second control activation signal (A.sub.3) indicative of the production of said symbol character data;(5) manually-actuable data transmission switch integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for producing a third control activation signal (A.sub.4) in response to the manual-actuation of said manually-actuable data transmission switch;(6) data transmission means in hand-supportable housing, for transmitting said symbol character data to a host device operably connected to said automatic bar code symbol reading system only in response to the occurence of at least said second and third control activation signals; and(7) system control circuitry for automatically controlling the operation of said automatic bar code symbol reading system in response to the generation of said first, second and third control activation signals.