# US 10,372,954 B2 · Method for reading indicia off a display of a mobile device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,372,954 B2 - Document ID: US10372954B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/237,975 - Filed: 2016-08-16 - Published: 2018-02-22 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-16 - Assignees: Hand Held Products, Inc. - Applicants: Hand Held Products, Inc. - Inventors: Erik Todeschini - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10372954B2 ## CPC - G06K 7/10841: {Particularities of the light-sensitive elements (semiconductor devices H10)} - G06K 7/10: by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation - G06K 7/10732: {Light sources} - G06K 7/1095: {the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like} - G06K 7/1413: {1D bar codes} - G06K 7/1417: {2D bar codes} - G06K 7/1447: {extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code} - G06K 19/06: characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code - G06K 19/06028: {using bar codes} - G06K 19/06037: {multi-dimensional coding} - G06Q 20/3274: {using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device} - G06Q 20/3276: {using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device} - G09G 5/36: characterised by the display of a graphic pattern, e.g. using an all-points-addressable [APA] memory - G09G 2380/04: Electronic labels - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) ## Abstract A method of scanning and reading indicia off a display is disclosed. The method may utilize a light sensor of a mobile device to improve the quality of reading indicia, such as a barcode, off a display. A scanner illuminates the mobile device in order to increase the backlight intensity and obtain a high contrast image on the display and then ceases illumination in order to scan the high contrast image without specular reflection caused by the scanner illumination. In one embodiment, the scanner illuminates the mobile device for a period of time to achieve the maximum level of brightness that the mobile device is capable of emitting on the display in the period of time before ceasing the illumination. In another embodiment, the scanner detects whether the change in brightness is greater than predefined level before ceasing the illumination. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: initiating a scan mode of a scanner to capture images presented on a display of a mobile device; illuminating, with the scanner, the mobile device for a period of time causing a light sensor of the mobile device to increase a backlight intensity of the display; when the period of time ends, ceasing illuminating the mobile device and then capturing, with the scanner, images of the display when the display has the increased backlight intensity; and attempting to decode the captured images. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone and the display is a screen of the smartphone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, a barcode is presented on the display. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, the captured images comprise one or more frames of data scanned off the display. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, the illuminating of the mobile device causes the light sensor of the mobile device to increase the backlight intensity of the display to a maximum level of brightness that the mobile device is capable of producing in the period of time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the scan mode is initiated in response to: receiving a command from a host application; decoding a programming barcode; activation of hardware on the scanner; receiving a signal from an inertial sensor on the scanner; and/or processing an image captured by the scanner; wherein when the scan mode is enabled, the scanner performs the steps of illuminating, ceasing illuminating, capturing images, and attempting to decode the captured images. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, comprising: performing image processing on a sensor video stream of the scanner in order to decode the captured images. ### Claim 8 A scanner comprising: an illumination system; a sensor; and a decoder, wherein the scanner is configured for: in a scan mode, capturing images presented on a display of a mobile device; attempting to decode a first set of captured images for a time period, when the scanner is not illuminating the mobile device; if decoding the first set of captured images in the time period is not successful: illuminating the mobile device; attempting to decode a second set of captured images, detecting whether backlight intensity of the display has increased by more than a predetermined level as compared with a previous measurement, if decoding the second set of captured images is not successful, ceasing illuminating the mobile device, if the backlight intensity has increased more than the predetermined level and then capturing a third set of captured images when the backlight intensity having increased more than the predetermined level; and attempting to decode the third set of captured images. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The scanner according to claim 8, wherein the scanner is further configured for: illuminating the mobile device if the attempting to decode the third set of captured images is not successful; attempting to decode another second set of captured images; detecting whether backlight intensity of the display has increased by more than the predetermined level as compared with another previous measurement, if decoding the another second set of captured images is not successful, ceasing illuminating the mobile device, if the backlight intensity has increased more than the predetermined level and then capturing the third set of captured images; and attempting to decode the third set of captured images. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The scanner according to claim 8, wherein the scanner is further configured for terminating scanning at end of a timeout period. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The scanner according to claim 8, comprising, if the decoding of the first set, second set or third set of captured images is successful, the scanner is further configured for transferring a decoded image to a computer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The scanner according to claim 8, wherein the scanner is further configured for continuing to illuminate the mobile device until the backlight intensity is greater than the predetermined level as compared with another previous measurement, if the backlight intensity of the display has not increased by more than the predetermined level as compared with another previous measurement. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The scanner according to claim 8, wherein image processing is performed on a sensor video stream of the scanner in order to detect a change in backlight intensity of the display. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The scanner according to claim 13, wherein, the image processing determines the change in backlight intensity. ### Claim 15 A scanner system comprising: a mobile device; an illumination system; a sensor; and a decoder; wherein the scanner is configured for: in a scan mode, capturing images presented on a display of the mobile device; illuminating the mobile device for a period of time causing a light sensor of the mobile device to increase a backlight intensity of the display; when the period of time ends, ceasing illuminating the mobile device and then capturing images of the display when the display has the increased backlight intensity; and attempting to decode the captured images. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The scanner system according to claim 15, wherein the illuminating of the mobile device increases the backlight intensity of the display to a maximum level of brightness that the mobile device is capable of producing in the period of time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The scanner system according to claim 15, wherein the captured images comprise one or more frames of data scanned off the display. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The scanner system according to claim 15, wherein the scan mode is initiated in response to: receiving a command from a host application; decoding a programming barcode; activation of hardware on the scanner; receiving a signal from the sensor on the scanner; and/or processing an image captured by the scanner. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The scanner system according to claim 15, wherein image processing is performed on a sensor video stream of the scanner in order to detect a change in backlight intensity of the display. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The scanner system according to claim 19, wherein the image processing determines the change in backlight intensity.