Norand Corporation

Intermec IP Corporation

Hand Held Products, Inc.

Rickey George Austin

Arvin D Danielson

Darrell L Boatwright

Darald R Schultz

Dennis Silva

Daniel E Alt

Robert Arlan Kohtz

Steve Darren Friend

Paul F Beard

Steven E Koenck

Mark Howe

Steven Darren Friend

Ryan R White

Kraig Brody

Joseph Cook

Methods are provided for generating an estimated number of workflow cycles able to be executed with a remaining battery capacity of a battery in a device. A workflow cycle comprising a predefined series of tasks of a work application executed during a defined timeframe is defined. Beginning battery capacity is determined at start of work application execution. End battery capacity at completion of work application execution is determined. Battery usage estimate associated with work application is calculated from difference between beginning battery capacity and end battery capacity. The estimated number of workflow cycles able to be executed is based on the remaining battery capacity and the battery usage estimate.

Methods for estimating a number of workflow cycles able to be completed from a remaining battery capacity

A method for managing energy usage by a mobile device is described. An environmental characteristic is monitored over environments in which the mobile device is operable. A location of the mobile device is tracked in relation to the environments. The mobile device is informed with data relating to the environmental characteristic of the environment in which the mobile device location is tracked. A characteristic of the mobile device is sensed. The data, related to the environmental characteristic of the tracked location, is compared to the sensed mobile device characteristic. An action is determined related to the energy-using operation of the mobile device based on the comparison. The energy-using operation of the mobile device is controlled, based on the determined action.

Managing energy usage in mobile devices

A mobile computing device includes a processor and a trigger device operatively attached to the mobile computing device and configured to generate a mechanical vibration pattern for selectively actuating the mobile computing device. A trigger interface, illustratively an accelerometer, is configured to convert the mechanical vibration pattern into an electrical signal pattern. The processor is configured to actuate a mobile computing function depending on the mechanical vibration pattern generated by the trigger device. A table of properties stored in memory correlates the mechanical vibration generated by the trigger device with a specific mobile computing function. The trigger device may include a plurality of trigger parts; and the mechanical vibration pattern generated by the trigger device may include multiple bits of data generated by the plurality of trigger parts. The mobile computing device may be in a candy bar, clam shell, or other form factor and may include a removable handle.

Trigger device for mobile computing device

A method and apparatus for printing information. The printer including a paper feed motor, a carriage motor and a printer control system. The system causing the paper feed motor and the carriage motor to move at least partially simultaneously.

Portable electronic printer

Control system and method for a portable electronic printer

Numerous features and improvements currently related to a portable computing and data collection system are presented. It will be appreciated, however, that although the features disclosed herein are disclosed in connection with a small, portable hand-held system, these features can also be used singly or in combination with a variety of other computing or battery powered devices. Disclosed features include an improved battery pack containing a unique battery temperature-based sensing system, a modular radio system having an antenna board, a radio frame designed to accept any of a variety of different radio boards, a sealed hand-held personal computing system, a light transmissive window that also serves as a door providing access to the interior of the device, and a unique compact flash card implementation. Embodiments containing various combinations and relations of these features in a portable computing system are also disclosed.

Battery system including two temperature sensors

A control system for a portable electronic printer is disclosed. The control system implements a method for performing a self-test of the hardware of a portable electronic printer, a method for monitoring the hardware of a portable electronic printer for a failure, a method for diagnosing a portable electronic printer, a method for booting a portable electronic printer having both volatile and non-volatile memory, a method for controlling the printing of data received from a serial transmission line whereby printing may be canceled, a method for controlling a printing system such that code or data in the printing system may be updated, a method of verifying a downloaded file in a printing system, a method for determining a communications protocol in a printing system, and a method for controlling communications in a printing system during a diagnostic routine.

A hand-held data input system having an input stylus and a data receiving pad is disclosed. The data input system can include a recessed stylus holder. The recessed stylus holder can receive the input stylus such that it does not protrude from the system's housing. The data input system can alternatively include a grip facilitator. The grip facilitator can be located proximate the data receiving pad to make contact with a finger of a hand gripping a side of the hand-held unit. Other embodiments include features such as an active stylus, a radio frequency receiver, input keys, handwriting recognition capability, an indicia reader and a handstrap.

Hand-held data collection system with stylus input

A portable data collection terminal has an elongate housing with a hand grip conforming rear surface. A front surface features a numerical keyboard adjacent a lower end of the housing and an LCD screen adjacent the keyboard toward an upper end of the housing. The display screen is of elongate rectangular shape, its length extending longitudinally of the housing of the data terminal. The active area of the display screen is covered by a touch sensitive overlay screen which is configured in one mode of operation of the data terminal into an alphabetical keyboard. The orientation of the display is switchable between orientations in which the line direction of the displayed data extends across or longitudinally of the data terminal. The keys of the numerical keyboard are identified by indicia disposed on a template. The orientation of the template may be sensed to switch the orientation of the displayed data and touch sensitive key identifiers to correspond to the orientation of the indicia on the template. As a further embodiment an electromagnetic activation by a pen may be used to enter data into a data terminal. Power saving shutdown extends the battery life of the data terminal. A shutdown mode permits resumption of operations by depression of a key. During operations power consumption is reduced by efficient distribution of operations control between microprocessors. The microprocessors have shared access to and control of system operations.

Hand-held data collection computer terminal having power management

A portable data collection terminal has an elongate housing with a hand grip conforming rear surface. A front surface features a numerical keyboard adjacent a lower end of the housing and an LCD screen adjacent the keyboard toward an upper end of the housing. The display screen is of elongate rectangular shape, its length extending longitudinally of the housing of the data terminal. The active area of the display screen is covered by a touch sensitive overlay screen which is configured in one mode of operation of the data terminal into an alphabetical keyboard. The orientation of the display is switchable between orientations in which the line direction of the displayed data extends across or longitudinally of the data terminal. The keys of the numerical keyboard are identified by indicia disposed on a template. The orientation of the template may be sensed to switch the orientation of the displayed data and touch sensitive key identifiers to correspond to the orientation of the indicia on the template. As a further embodiment an electromagnetic activation by a pen may be used to enter data into a data terminal. The system includes terminals in the form of wireless transceivers in communication with base stations.

Portable work station-type data collection system

A portable data collection terminal has an elongate housing with a hand grip conforming rear surface. A front surface features a numerical keyboard adjacent a lower end of the housing and an LCD screen adjacent the keyboard toward an upper end of the housing. The display screen is of elongate rectangular shape, its length extending longitudinally of the housing of the data terminal. The active area of the display screen is covered by a touch sensitive overlay screen which is configured in one mode of operation of the data terminal into an alphabetical keyboard. The orientation of the display is switchable between orientations in which the line direction of the displayed data extends across or longitudinally of the data terminal. The keys of the numerical keyboard are identified by indicia disposed on a template. The orientation of the template may be sensed to switch the orientation of the displayed data and touch sensitive key identifiers to correspond to the orientation of the indicia on the template. As a further embodiment an electromagnetic activation by a pen may be used to enter data into a data terminal. Power saving shutdown extends the battery life of the data terminal. A shutdown mode permits resumption of operations by depression of a key.

Portable work station and data collection terminal including switchable

A portable data collection terminal system has a housing having a display screen with coincident graphic data input and a keyboard on the frontal side thereof. An accessory pod, having a width less than the width of the display screen and a handgrip extension adapted to hold a selected accessory device, such as a laser scanner, is disposed on the housing, opposite said frontal side. The accessory pod has one or two activation, diaphragm-type switches disposed in a pod wall disposed transversely to the handgrip extension and extending outwardly from, opposite the frontal side, the housing. The switch or switches are connected in parallel, if more than one, and are disposed near an end of the pod wall such that they are operable by either a user's thumb or finger.

Portable work station type-data collection system having an improved

A battery powered device having a plurality of PCMCIA (or other) type slots uses monitoring circuitry to detect the onset of battery power depletion. In response to the onset detection, control circuitry attempts to selectively remove power from ones of the plurality of slots. With the battery load thus lessened, the battery powered device has a greater opportunity to execute emergency procedures such as alert the user and save operational data. A processing circuit selectively overrides the control circuit in the attempt to prevent the removal of power. The processing circuit may also enable a presently disabled slots at and for any time period after the detection of depletion onset. Further, the processing circuit selectively coordinates power down if need be based on the consideration of characteristics of certain installed cards. The processing circuit may also calculate and adjust (through power down) loading after onset detect based on estimates of remaining battery life.

Growing community of inventors

Lisbon, IA, United States of America

Rickey George Austin