The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 20, 1996
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1993
Walt Moldskred, Seattle, WA (US);
Jon R Ramberg, Lynnwood, WA (US);
Intermec Corporation, Everett, WA (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for processing the information in a sequence of bar code symbols. The information contained in one symbol can be decoded and processed while the information in the next symbol is being gathered. A pulse width counter, under control of a microprocessor, accumulates counts representing the widths of the elements of a bar code symbol and the accumulated counts are latched into a separate latch buffer which is then transferred into the microprocessor memory by a direct memory access controller. A program in the microprocessor operates on the information stored in the microprocessor memory to decode, process and output the data and/or commands contained within a given symbol as the pulse width counter is accumulating the counts that represent the next symbol to be read. If the input device is an automated scanner, the scanner's Start-of-Scan signal is used by the microprocessor to specify the beginning and end of each scan. If the input device is a wand, the microprocessor interprets an overflow of the pulse width counter as signifying the end of the wand scan.