Multiside coverage optical scanner

A scanner for optically reading a bar code on a multisided item comprising:

• a housing including a substantially horizontal first window having front, back, third, and fourth edges, and a second window extending vertically upwardly from said front edge, and over which windows said item is swiped for defining in said item leading and trailing sides, a bottom side facing said first window, a front side facing said second window, and a back side facing away from said second window;
• a laser disposed in said housing for producing a laser beam;
• a spinner rotatably mounted in said housing in optical alignment with said laser, and including a plurality of circumferentially adjoining mirrored facets for sequentially reflecting said laser beam along an arcuate path to effect a scan beam;
• means for rotating said spinner;
• a plurality of pattern mirrors optically aligned with said spinner for reflecting said scan beam through said first and second windows to effect for each revolution of said spinner a collective plurality of individual scan lines 1-8 arranged in first and second patterns corresponding with said first and second windows, respectively;
• and
• means for steering a portion of said scan lines from said second window to said first window.

A method of scanning a bar code on a multisided item comprising:

• generating a plurality of individual scan lines arranged in first and second patterns through corresponding first and second obliquely adjoining windows;
• swiping said item with a bottom side facing downwardly toward said first window, and with a front side facing said second window for illuminating thereon said scan lines;
• and
• said first pattern including ladder scan lines projecting vertically on said item from a back side thereof for reading a ladder bar code thereon.