Point-of-sale (POS) based laser scanning system providing six-sided 360 degree omni-directional bar code symbol scanning coverage at a POS station

A point-of-sale (POS) based laser scanning system providing six-sided 360-degree omni-directional bar code symbol scanning coverage at a POS station, said POS-based laser scanning system comprising:

• a housing mounted in or supported on a countertop at said POS station;
• a horizontal-scanning window formed in said housing, and a vertical-scanning window formed in said housing;
• a laser scanning plane generation mechanism disposed within a housing, for generating first and second pluralities of laser scanning planes which (i) intersect within predetermined scan regions contained within a 3-D scanning volume defined outside of said housing, and (ii) generate a plurality of groups of intersecting laser scanning planes within said 3-D scanning volume;
• wherein said laser scanning plane generation mechanism includes a first laser beam production module for producing a first laser beam, and a first polygonal scanning element having multiple reflective surfaces and rotating about a first axis of rotation, for scanning said first laser beam, so as to produce a first laser scanning beam that reflects off a first plurality of laser beam folding mirrors to generate and project said first plurality of laser scanning planes through said horizontal-scanning window;
• wherein said laser scanning plane generation mechanism includes a second laser beam production module for producing a second laser beam, and a second polygonal scanning element having multiple reflective surfaces and rotating about a second axis of rotation, for scanning said second laser beam, so as to produce a second laser scanning beam that reflects off a second plurality of laser beam folding mirrors to generate and project said second plurality of laser scanning planes through said vertical-scanning window;
• wherein said plurality of groups of intersecting laser scanning planes form a complex omni-directional 3-D laser scanning pattern within said 3-D scanning volume capable of scanning a bar code symbol located on the surface of any object including a six-sided rectangular box-shaped object, presented within said 3-D scanning volume at any orientation and from any direction at said POS station so as to provide six-sided 360-degree omni-directional bar code symbol scanning coverage at said POS station;
• and
• wherein at least one of said plurality of groups of intersecting laser scanning planes are projected onto each of the six sides of a six-sided rectangular box-shaped object as said six-sided rectangular box-shaped object is passed through said 3-D scanning volume.