Optical scanner with mounting/conveying mechanism and system control circuitry

A bar code scanner, comprising:

• a mounting/conveying mechanism for:
• (a) affixing the scanner to the body of a user, and/or (b) permitting conveyance of the scanner from place to place;
• a housing having an aperture through which optical energy can exit and enter the housing, and being operably connected to the mounting/conveying mechanism so that the aperture is orientable in a scanning direction;
• an object detection mechanism for detection of an object located within at least a portion of a scan field defined external to the housing and extending along the scanning direction, and automatically generating a first activation signal indicative of the detection of the object in at least a portion of the scan field;
• a scan data producing mechanism, for producing scan data from the detected object located in the scan field, the scan data producing mechanism including
• an optical energy producing mechanism for producing and projecting an optical beam through the aperture, and repeatedly scanning the optical beam across the scan field and across a bar code symbol on the detected object, and
• an optical detector for detecting optical energy reflected off the bar code symbol and passing through the aperture, and for automatically producing scan data indicative of the detected optical energy;
• a bar code symbol detection circuit for processing produced scan data so as to detect a bar code on the detected object, and for automatically generating a second activation signal in response to the detection of the bar code symbol;
• a programmed microprocessor operably associated with the bar code symbol detection circuit, for processing produced scan data, when activated, so as to decode the detected bar code symbol, and to automatically produce symbol character data representative of the decoded bar code symbol;
• and
• system control circuitry for automatically activating the programmed microprocessor in response to the generation of the second activation signal, and automatically deactivating the programmed microprocessor in response to the programmed microprocessor failing to produce symbol character data within a predetermined time period.