Metrologic Instruments, Inc.

Congwei Xu

Xiaoxun Zhu

C Harry Knowles

Ka Man Au

Mark C Schmidt

Garrett K Russell

Patrick Anthony Giordano

George B Rockstein

Stephen J Colavito

Robert E Blake

Sung Byun

John Bonanno

Lin Wang

Donald T Hudrick

Min Jiang

Meng Hu

Hongjian Jin

MingQing Ji

Shamei Shi

David M Wilz

Kai Ji

Xuewen Zhu

Aili Yang

Liang Liu

Wuqing Zhang

David M Witz, Sr

Ming Qing Ji

Ming Jiang

The wireless PDT of the present invention employs a 'display-on bottom' design which places the unit perfectly centered in the hand of the operator, allowing for the best possible viewing as well as providing comfortable single-handed operation. The high-resolution LCD display allows the PCT to show sharp, clear bitmap images while supporting all Windows-recognized font types and sizes. With the auto back-lit feature, the brightness adjusts automatically making the screen easy to read in all light conditions. The PDT is designed for support within the download/charger cradle of a base station which interfaces with a host system using either USB or RS232 interface. Two standard 'AA' or rechargeable Li-Ion batteries provide more than 100 hours of operation. In addition, the PDT comes standard with 2 MB of RAM providing enough memory to store over 100,000 records. Applications for the PDT can be developed using a novel integrated development and deployment environment (IDE) which contains an easy-to-use Windows-based application generator and download utilities. For advanced programming, developers can choose to write software using an advanced application generator or 'C' programming application generator which provides the developer with simple programming and fast setup. Further enhancements available in the application generator include drag and drop icons, time/datestamp, battery level indicator and variable fonts, giving the developer the ability to create custom screen layouts.

Wireless bar code symbol driven portable data terminal (PDT) system for running application programs on an operating system emulated on a virtual machine

A digital imaging-based system for reading code symbols affixed to objects, including an imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem for capturing and processing digital images of code symbols affixed to objects, and reading said code symbols and producing symbol character data representative of read code symbols. A data transmission subsystem, operably coupled to the imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem, communicates such symbol character data to the communication interface of a host system over a communication link therebetween. The data transmission subsystem implements a plurality of different communication interfaces, and thus is capable of interfacing to a variety of different host devices in an automatic and error free manner with minimal human involvement, thus providing significant advantages over the prior art code symbol reading systems and devices.

Digital imaging-based system having intelligent data communication interface to a host system

A wireless code symbol reading system including a wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader in two-way RF communication with a base station operably connected to a host system, by way of an RF-based wireless data communication link having a predetermined RF communication range over which two-way communication of data packets can occur. The wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader is programmed to automatically detect when it is located inside and outside of the predetermined RF communication range. When the wireless reader is inside the RF communication range, then symbol character data is automatically transmitted to the base station, and when the wireless reader is located outside of the RF communication range, then symbol character data is automatically collected and stored in a data packet buffer, until the wireless reader has re-entered its RF communication range.

Wireless code symbol reading system with automatic communication range dependent control

A wireless automatically-activated bar code symbol reading system for use in a work environment, the system including a device controller programmed to automatically detect when a wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located inside of a predetermined RF communication range based on measuring the strength of a detected reference signal, and thereupon to automatically transmit to a first RF-based transceiver, the symbol character data string produced while the wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located inside of the predetermined RF communication range. Also, the device controller is programmed to automatically detect when the wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located outside of the predetermined RF communication range based on measuring the strength of the detected reference signal, and thereupon to automatically collect and store in the data packet group buffer, the symbol character data string produced while the wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located outside of the predetermined RF communication range.

Automatically-activated wireless hand-supportable laser scanning bar code symbol reading system with automatic communication range dependent control

An improved bar code symbol reading methodology/device/system includes a bar code symbol reading engine that reads bar code symbols affixed to objects proximate thereto and 3roduces symbol character data representative of such bar code symbols. A data transmission subsystem, operably coupled to the bar code reading engine, communicates such symbol character data to the communication interface of a host system over a communication link there between. The data transmission subsystem implements a plurality of different communication interfaces.

Method of automatically establishing a data communication link between an optical code reading device and a host system having a data communication interface

An automatically-activated laser scanning 2-D bar code symbol reading system employing a visible linear-type laser scanning pattern and an audible feedback signal during scan data capturing and buffering operations. The system includes a laser scanning 2-D bar code symbol reading mechanism that automatically produces a visible linear-type laser scanning pattern for scanning a 2-D bar code symbol structure on an object as its hand-supportable housing is manually transported past a 2-D bar code symbol along a height-wise direction by an operator, automatically capturing lines of scan data from the scanned 2-D bar code symbol structure, decode processing the scan data, and generating a symbol character data string representative of the read 2-D bar code symbol.

Automatically-activated laser scanning 2D bar code symbol reading system employing a visible linear-type laser scanning pattern and an audible feedback signal during scan data capturing and buffering operations

A wireless automatically-activated bar code symbol reading system having a wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader in two-way RF communication with a base station, by way of an RF-based wireless data communication link having a predetermined RF communication range. A manually-operated data transmission activation switch is integrated with the hand-supportable housing, for generating a data transmission control activation signal in response to the activation of the data transmission switch within a first predetermined time period. A device controller is programmed to automatically detect when the wireless reader is located inside of the predetermined RF communication range, and thereuponautomatically transmit to a first RF-based transceiver, the symbol character data string produced at substantially the same time when the data transmission control activation signal is generated while the wireless reader is located inside of the predetermined RF communication range.

Wireless bar code symbol reading system having hand-supportable unit and remote base station

Disclosed is an automatically-activated wireless code symbol reading system comprising a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a hand-supportable housing having a manually-activatable 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 currently or 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.

Automatically-activated wireless laser scanning 2D bar code symbol reading system capable of automatically transmitting stored symbol character data when the hand-supportable unit is operated within its RF data communication range and automatically collecting and storing symbol character data when the hand-supportable unit is operated outside of its RF data communication range

Wireless automatic laser scanning bar code symbol reading system, wherein the RF-based transceiver chipsets within the wireless hand-supportable unit and base station thereof are automatically deactivated and said RF data communication link therebetween terminated when said system enters its power-saving sleep mode, and reactivated and re-established when re-entering its operational mode

Wireless laser scanning bar code symbol reading system employing a low-battery protection circuit, vibrational alarm and sleep mode of operation

A method of developing an application program for running on a wireless portable data terminal (PDT), comprising the steps of (a) during the development of an application program for running on a wireless PDT supported by a first operating system, generating user input and documents using development programs running on a developer computer system supported by a second operating system; (b) developing the application program on the developer computer system into a final application program expressed in the form of binary executable code designed for execution on the first operating system loaded onto the wireless PDT; (c) downloading the binary executable code of the final application program onto the wireless PDT; and (d) running the final application program in binary executable code upon the first operating system loaded onto the wireless PDT.

Method of developing an application program for running on a wireless portable data terminal (PDT)

An automatically-activated wireless code symbol reading system comprising a hand-supportable housing having a manually-activatable data transmission switch under automatic communication range dependent control. When a bar code symbol is read, the bar code reader is located inside the predetermined RF data communication range of the system, then the symbol character data string, produced at substantially the same time as the manual activation of the data transmission switch, is transmitted to the base station over the wireless RF communication link. If the device is outside the range, then an audible and/or visual indication is automatically generated, and the packaged symbol character data string is packaged and transmitted to a data storage buffer aboard the bar code reader. Then when the bar code symbol reader is moved within the communication range of the system, the buffered/packaged symbol character data is automatically transmitted to the base station by the RF-based data communication link.

Automatically-activated wireless hand-supportable laser scanning bar code symbol reading system with data transmission activation switch and automatic communication range dependent control

Wireless bar code symbol reading system employing a base station with a cradle having a hinged support hooks for enabling vertical and horizontal installations

A data transmission subsystem, operably coupled to the bar code reading engine, communicates such symbol character data to the communication interface of a host system over a communication link therebetween. The data transmission subsystem implements a plurality of different communication interfaces. During an interface configuration mode of operation, the data transmission subsystem is able to automatically configure itself such that its interface is suitable for communication to the communication interface of the host system. Moreover, the device is thus capable of interfacing to a variety of different host devices in an automatic and error free manner with minimal human involvement, thus providing significant advantages over the prior art bar code symbol reading devices.

Bar code symbol reading device having intelligent data communication interface to a host system

A wireless bar code symbol reading system for use in a work environment, comprising a wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader in two-way RF communication with a base station operably connected to a host system, by way of an RF-based wireless data communication link having a predetermined RF communication range over which two-way communication of data packets can occur in a reliable manner. When the wireless bar code symbol reader is located inside of the predetermined RF communication range based on measuring the strength of the detected reference signal, it automatically transmits to the base station, the symbol character data string produced while the reader is located inside of the predetermined RF communication range. When the wireless reader is located outside of the range, based on measuring the strength of said detected reference signal, the reader automatically collects and stores the symbol character data string produced during that time.

WIRELESS BAR CODE SYMBOL READING SYSTEM CAPABLE OF AUTOMATICALLY COLLECTING AND STORING SYMBOL CHARACTER DATA WHEN HAND-SUPPORTABLE UNIT IS OPERATED OUTSIDE OF ITS RF DATA COMMUNICATION RANGE, AND AUTOMATICALLY TRANSMITTING STORED SYMBOL CHARACTER DATA WHEN THE HAND-SUPPORTABLE UNIT IS OPERATED WITHIN ITS RF DATA COMMUNICATION RANGE

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Suzhou, China

Congwei Xu