Automatic laser scanning system and method of reading bar code symbols using same

A bar code symbol scanning system comprising:

• (A) a hand-supportable laser scanning device including:
• (1) a hand-supportable housing having a handle portion and a head portion operably connected to said handle portion at an obtuse angle in the range of about 135.degree. to 180.degree., said handle portion having a longitudinal extent and dimensions permitting said handle portion to be easily grasped in a user's hand, said head portion having a light transmissive window through which visible light can exit and enter said head portion;
• (2) an activatable laser beam source in said head portion for producing, when activated, a visible laser beam directed through said light transmissive window, and into a scan field defined external to said housing;
• (3) an activatable scanning mechanism in said head portion for repeatedly scanning, when activated, said visible laser beam across said scan field;
• (4) light detection means in said head portion for detecting the intensity of laser light reflected off a bar code symbol as said visible laser beam is repeatedly scanned across said scan field and said bar code symbol therein, and for automatically producing scan data indicative of the detected intensity of said reflected laser light;
• and
• (5) flexible scanner cable operably associated with said light detection means and extending from said handle portion and terminating in a scanner connector;
• (B) a stand for receiving and supporting said hand-supportable laser scanning device in a selected position without user support, said stand including a support frame comprising,
• (1) a base portion having a longitudinal extent and being adapted for selected positioning with respect to a support surface;
• (2) a head portion support means operably associated with said base portion, for receiving and supporting the head portion of said hand-supportable housing;
• (3) a handle portion support means operably associated with said base portion, for receiving and supporting the handle portion of said hand-supportable housing;
• and
• (4) a finger accommodating recess disposed between said head portion support means and said handle portion support means above said base portion and being laterally accessible so that when the head and handle portions of said hand-supportable housing are received within and supported by said head portion support means and said handle portion support means, respectively, the fingers of a user's hand can be inserted through said finger accommodating recess and completely encircle the handle portion of said hand-supportable housing, thereby permitting said handle portion to be completely grasped prior to removing said hand-supportable housing off and away from said support frame.

An automatic bar code symbol reading system, comprising:

• a hand-supportable housing having a light transmission aperture through which visible light can exit and enter into said hand-supportable housing;
• object detection means in said hand-holdable housing, for detecting an object located in an object detection field defined external to said hand-supportable housing, said object detection means including,
• an infrared light emitting diode disposed in said hand-supportable housing for transmitting pulsed infrared light into said scan field,
• an aperture formed in said hand-supportable housing,
• an infrared light photodiode disposed in said hand-supportable housing for transmitting pulsed infrared light into said scan field,
• an aperture formed in said hand-supportable housing,
• an infrared light photodiode disposed in said hand-supportable housing immediately adjacent to said aperture in order to directly determine the geometrical characteristics and dimensions of said object detection field, and for detecting said pulsed infrared light reflected off said object located in said object detection field, and
• means for automatically generating an activation signal in response to the detection of pulsed infrared light reflected off said object in said object detection field by said infrared light photodiode;
• activatable scan data producing means in said hand-supportable housing, for producing scan data from a detected object located in a scan field defined external to said hand-supportable housing, scan field being characterized as having at least one laser beam scanning plane and being spatially encompassed by said object detection field along at least a portion of said scan field, said scan data producing means including,
• a laser diode for generating a visible laser beam,
• means for directing said visible laser beam through said light transmission aperture and into said scan field,
• laser beam scanning means for repeatedly scanning said visible laser beam across said scan field and a bar code symbol on said detected object,
• laser light detecting means for detecting the intensity of laser light reflected off said bar code symbol and passing through said light transmission aperture as said visible laser beam is repeatedly scanned across said scan field and said bar code symbol on said detected object, and
• means for automatically producing scan data indicative of said detected intensity;
• activatable scan data processing means for processing produced scan data in order to detect and decode said bar code symbol on said detected object, and automatically producing symbol character data representative of said decoded bar code symbol;
• and
• control means for controlling the operation of said bar code symbol reading system, said control means including,
• means for automatically activating said activatable data producing means and said activatable scan data processing means for up to a predetermined time period in response to the generation of said activation signal, and
• means for automatically deactivating said activatable scan data producing means and said activatable scan data processing means in response to the failure of said scan data processing means to detect and decode said bar code symbol on said detected object within said predetermined time period.

A bar code symbol reading system comprising:

• (A) a hand-supportable laser scanning device including:
• (1) a hand-supportable housing having a handle portion and a head portion operably connected to said handle portion at an obtuse angle, said handle portion having a longitudinal extent and dimensions permitting said handle portion to be grasped in a user's hand, said head portion having a light transmissive window through which visible light can exit and enter said head portion;
• (2) an activatable laser beam source in said head portion for producing, when activated, a visible laser beam directed through said light transmissive window and into a scan field defined external to said housing, said scan field being characterized as having at least one laser beam scanning plane;
• (3) an activatable scanning mechanism in said head portion for repeatedly scanning, when activated, said visible laser beam across said scan field;
• (4) light detection means in said head portion for detecting the intensity of laser light reflected off a bar code symbol on an object in said scan field as said visible laser beam is repeatedly scanned across said scan field and said bar code symbol, and for automatically producing scan data indicative of the detected intensity of said reflected laser light;
• (5) object detection means in said head portion for detecting the presence of an object within an object detection field defined external to said head portion, said object detection means including means for transmitting energy into said scan field and means for receiving at least a portion of said transmitted energy within said object detection field so as to detect transmitted energy reflected off an object in said object detection field and produce in response thereto an activation signal, said object detection field being characterized as having a substantially volumetric extent and spatially encompassing at least a portion of said scan field within said operative scanning range;
• and
• (6) flexible scanner cable operably connected to said light detection means and extending from said handle portion and terminating in a scanner connector;
• and
• (B) processing means for processing produced scan data in order to detect and decode said bar code symbol on the detected object, and upon detecting and decoding said bar code symbol on said detected object, automatically producing symbol character data representative of the decoded bar code symbol;
• (C) control means for controlling the operation of said bar code symbol reading system, said control means including
• means for automatically activating said activatable laser beam source and said activatable scanning mechanism for up to a predetermined time period in response to the generation of said activation signal, and
• means for automatically deactivating said activatable laser beam source and said activatable scanning mechanism in response to said processing means failing to detect and decode said bar code symbol on said detected object within said predetermined time period.

A bar code symbol reading system comprising:

• (A) a hand-supportable laser scanning device including
• (1) a hand-supportable housing having a head portion with a light transmissive window through which visible light can exit and enter said head portion;
• (2) object detection means in said head portion for detecting the presence of an object within an object detection field defined external to said head portion, said object detection means including means for receiving energy from said object detection field, and means to automatically generate an activation signal in response to the detection of energy reflected off an object located in said object detection field, said object detection field being characterized by having a three-dimensional geometry of volumetric expanse extending forwardly of said light transmissive window, said object detection means further having at least a short-range and a long-range mode of object detection,
• wherein, when said object detection means is induced in said short-range mode of object detection, said object detection means is only capable of detecting the presence of an object located within a short-range portion of said object detection field, and
• wherein, when said object detection means is induced in said long-range mode of object detection, said object detection means is capable of detecting the presence of an object located anywhere within a long-range portion of said object detection field;
• (3) an activatable laser beam source in said head portion for producing, when activated, a visible laser beam directed through said light transmissive window into a scan field defined external to said housing, said scan field being characterized as having at least one laser beam scanning plane and being spatially encompassed by said object detection field along at least said long and short portions of said object detection field;
• (4) an activatable scanning mechanism in said head portion for repeatedly scanning, when activated, said visible laser beam across said scan field;
• (5) light detection means in said head portion for detecting the intensity of laser light reflected off a bar code symbol on said detected object as said visible laser beam is repeatedly scanned across said scan field and said bar code symbol, and for automatically producing scan data indicative of the detected intensity of said reflected laser light;
• (B) processing means for processing produced scan data in order to detect and decode said bar code symbol on said detected object, and upon detecting and decoding said bar code symbol on said detected object, automatically producing symbol character data representative of said decoded bar code symbol;
• (C) control means for controlling the operation of said bar code symbol reading system, said control means including
• means for automatically activating said activatable laser beam source and said activatable scanning mechanism for up to a predetermined time period in response to the generation of said activation signal so as to provide and repeatedly scan said visible laser beam across said scan field, and
• means for automatically deactivating said activatable laser beam source and said activatable scanning mechanism in response to said processing means failing to detect and decode said bar code symbol on said detected object within said predetermined time period so as to cease production and repeated scanning said visible laser beam across said scan field.