Automatically-activated hand-supportable 2-d bar code symbol reading system employing a linear laser scanning pattern generator, an automatic bar code symbol data detector, audible data capture feedback generator, and a manually-activated data transmission activation switch

An automatically-activated laser scanning 2D bar code symbol reading system for use in a work environment, said automatically-activated laser scanning 2D bar code symbol reading system comprising:

• (A) a hand-supportable 2D bar code symbol reader in two-way communication with a base station operably connected to a host system, and having a bar code reading mode of operation and a data transmission mode of operation, said hand-supportable 2D bar code symbol reader including
• (1) a hand-supportable housing;
• (2) an automatically-activated laser scanning 2-D bar code symbol reading mechanism, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for automatically (a) producing, during said bar code reading mode of operation, a visible linear-type laser scanning pattern for scanning a 2D bar code symbol structure on an object as said hand-supportable housing is manually transported past said 2D bar code symbol along a height-wise direction by an operator, (b) capturing lines of scan data from said scanned 2D bar code symbol, (c) decode processing said scan data, and (d) generating a symbol character data string representative of said read 2-D bar code symbol;
• wherein said laser scanning 2-D bar code symbol reading mechanism includes
• (i) a bar code symbol data detector for automatically detecting each line of said 2-D bar code symbol during said bar code reading mode of operation, and producing a line of scan data for buffering in a buffer memory, and
• (ii) an audible data capture buffering indicator for automatically generating audible sounds as each line of bar code symbol data is captured and buffered in said buffer memory, and
• (iii) a decode processor for automatically decode processing an entire set of scan data collected in said buffer memory and corresponding to a scanned 2-D bar code symbol, and generating a symbol character data string representative of said read 2-D bar code symbol;
• (3) a data transmission circuit, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for transmitting said produced symbol character data string to said host system during said data transmission mode of operation;
• (4) a manually-operated data transmission activation switch, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for generating a data transmission control activation signal in response to the actuation of said manually-operated data transmission switch during said bar code reading mode of operation;
• and
• (5) a device controller, disposed within said hand-supportable housing, for controlling said automatically-activated laser scanning 2-D bar code symbol reading mechanism and said data transmission circuit so that the symbol character data string, produced during the bar code reading mode of operation when said data transmission control activation signal is generated, is transmitted to said host system.