Combination mouse and scanner for reading optically encoded indicia

An apparatus comprising:

• a housing adapted for manual movement across a surface;
• means for engaging the surface, said means for engaging being mounted in the housing and extending from a bottom surface of the housing;
• movement detection electronics associated with said means for engaging for generating a housing movement signal proportional to movement of the housing across the surface;
• a light emitter for emitting light through the bottom surface of the housing;
• optical scanning means for automatically causing the light from the emitter to scan across an object surface;
• a photodetector for sensing light reflected from an object surface and producing an electrical signal representative of any optically encoded information formed on the object surface;
• a digitizer circuit for converting analog signals from the photodetector to a digital pulse signal corresponding to optically encoded information formed on the object surface;
• a decoder for determining pulse widths and spacings of the converted analog signals from the digitizer and for analyzing the determined pulse widths and spacings to find and decode a bar code message;
• and
• means for selectively transmitting said housing movement signal and said decoded bar code message to an associated computer.

An apparatus comprising:

• a housing adapted for manual movement across a surface;
• means for engaging the surface, said means for engaging being mounted in the housing and extending from a bottom surface of the housing;
• movement detection electronics associated with said means for engaging for generating a housing movement signal proportional to movement of the housing across the surface;
• bar code reading means for reading a bar code located on the surface and providing a bar code message signal;
• and
• means for selectively transmitting said housing movement signal and said bar code message signal to an associated computer.