Optical code reader with devices to locate a code in a reading window

An optical code reader which is held in a hand of an operator and which is brought near an article having a 2-dimensional code affixed thereto at a time of reading of the code, said 2-dimensional code occupying an area, the optical code reader comprising:

• a read window;
• an illumination light source which emits an illumination light to simultaneously illuminate at least all of said area on the article via said read window;
• a guide beam light source, separate and independent of said illumination light source, for emitting guide beams independently of said illumination light source, said guide beam light source including a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged along a frame of said read window, which light-emitting elements respectively emit parallel guide beams through said read window independently of a light intensity of said illumination light;
• and
• a detector arranged to receive light reflected by the article via said read window and to detect the 2-dimensional code from an image corresponding to the reflected light;
• and
• wherein said guide beams are perpendicular to a read window plane, said guide beams indicating a read range corresponding to a size of said read window on a plane substantially parallel to the read window plane, and wherein said illumination light source is located inside the frame of said read window, and the plurality of light-emitting elements of said guide beam light source are located between said illumination light source and the frame of said read window.