# US 7,743,994 B2 · Continuous virtual scan line pattern generation

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- Number: US 7,743,994 B2
- Document ID: US7743994B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/724,592
- Filed: 2007-03-15
- Published: 2007-09-20
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2006-03-16
- Assignees: Datalogic Scanning, Inc.
- Inventors: Robert J. Actis
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7743994B2

## CPC

- G06K 7/10544: {by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum}
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS

## Abstract

Disclosed are embodiments of methods, systems, and apparatus for generating a continuous virtual scan line pattern from a raster line input. In certain preferred embodiments, a continuous, omni-directional virtual scan line pattern may be generated from a continuous, one-dimensional raster line input. In some embodiments, such a pattern may be generated for one or more families of shallow virtual scan lines and for one or more families of steep virtual scan lines. Some of the virtual scan line families may be configured to generate overlapping data.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for storing data to form a virtual scan line pattern, comprising the steps of:
defining at least one shallow virtual scan line family made up of a plurality of shallow virtual scan lines, wherein the shallow virtual scan lines in a given family are each defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of a raster line input, wherein the virtual scan lines within the shallow virtual scan line family are spaced apart by a fixed number of pixels, and wherein each of the virtual scan lines defined by the shallow virtual scan line family repeats indefinitely throughout the pattern;
defining at least one steep virtual scan line family made up of a plurality of steep virtual scan lines, wherein the steep virtual scan lines in a given family are each defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of the raster line input that is greater than the angle with which the shallow virtual scan lines extend from the raster line input, and wherein at least one virtual scan line within the steep virtual scan line family comprises an overlapping portion; and
storing data received from the raster input corresponding to pixels defined by the virtual scan line pattern.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one shallow virtual scan line family comprises a plurality of shallow virtual scan line families.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein each of the shallow virtual scan line families are started on a different raster line.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the virtual scan line families comprises virtual scan lines that each started on a different raster line.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein each of the shallow virtual scan line families is defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of the raster line input, wherein each of the plurality of scan lines within a given shallow virtual scan line family are spaced apart by a fixed number of pixels, and wherein the virtual scan lines defined by each of the shallow virtual scan line families extend between two borders of the pattern.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one steep virtual scan line family comprises a plurality of steep virtual scan line families.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein each of the steep virtual scan line families is defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of the raster line input and wherein each virtual scan line within a given steep virtual scan line family comprises an overlapping portion.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein one of the steep virtual scan line families is made up of virtual scan lines extending from the raster line input at an angle of approximately 90 degrees.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the steep virtual scan line family is made up of virtual scan lines extending from the raster line input at an angle greater than about 45 degrees.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the steep virtual scan line family is made up of virtual scan lines extending from the raster line input at an angle of approximately 90 degrees.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual scan lines defined by the shallow virtual scan line family extend between two borders of the virtual scan line pattern.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each shallow virtual scan line in the virtual scan line pattern contains a number of pixels equal to the number of pixels on the raster line.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein each steep virtual scan line in the virtual scan line pattern contains a number of pixels equal to the number of pixels on the raster line.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein each steep virtual scan line in the virtual scan line pattern contains a number of pixels fewer than the number of pixels on the raster line.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each of the virtual scan line families are defined by an algorithm.

### Claim 16

A method for reading data from encoded symbols, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving optical data from a raster line input; and
storing selected optical data from the raster line input, wherein the selected optical data corresponds with a virtual scan line pattern, the virtual scan line pattern defined by
at least one shallow virtual scan line family made up of a plurality of shallow virtual scan lines, wherein the shallow virtual scan lines in each family are defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of a raster line input, wherein the shallow virtual scan lines within the shallow virtual scan line family are spaced apart by a fixed number of pixels, and wherein each of the shallow virtual scan lines defined by the shallow virtual scan line family repeats indefinitely throughout the pattern, and
at least one steep virtual scan line family made up of a plurality of steep virtual scan lines, wherein each of the steep virtual scan lines in a given family are defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of the raster line input that is greater than the angle with which the shallow virtual scan lines extend from the raster line input and wherein at least one virtual scan line within the steep virtual scan line family comprises an overlapping portion.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising decoding an encoded symbol from the selected optical data.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the encoded symbol comprises a barcode symbol.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the encoded symbol is decoded using data from two overlapping virtual scan lines.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one shallow virtual scan line family comprises a plurality of shallow virtual scan line families.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein each of the shallow virtual scan line families is defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of the raster line input, wherein each of the plurality of scan lines within a given shallow virtual scan line family are spaced apart by a fixed number of pixels, and wherein the virtual scan lines defined by each of the shallow virtual scan line families extend between two borders of the pattern.

### Claim 22 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one steep virtual scan line family comprises a plurality of steep virtual scan line families.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein each of the steep virtual scan line families is defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of the raster line input and wherein each virtual scan line within a given steep virtual scan line family comprises an overlapping portion.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein at least one steep virtual scan line family repeatedly skips raster lines.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one steep virtual scan line family captures pixels for storage from every other raster line.

### Claim 26

A system for reading data from encoded symbols, comprising:
an optical sensor;
a virtual scan line pattern generator for defining a virtual scan line pattern, the virtual scan line pattern comprising at least one shallow virtual scan line family and at least one steep virtual scan line family,
wherein the shallow virtual scan line family is made up of a plurality of shallow virtual scan lines, each defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of a raster line input from the optical sensor, wherein the virtual scan lines within the shallow virtual scan line family are spaced apart by a fixed number of pixels, and wherein each of the shallow virtual scan lines repeats indefinitely throughout the pattern, and
wherein the steep virtual scan line family is made up of a plurality of steep virtual scan lines, each defined at a distinct angle relative to the direction of travel of the raster line input that is greater than the angle with which the shallow virtual scan lines extend from the raster line input and wherein at least one virtual scan line within the steep virtual scan line family comprises an overlapping portion; and
a storage device for storing raster line data received from the optical sensor according to the pixels from the raster line data that overlap with the virtual scan line pattern.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The system of claim 26, wherein the virtual scan line pattern comprises a plurality of shallow virtual scan line families and a plurality of steep virtual scan line families.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27, wherein the virtual scan line pattern generator is configured to begin each virtual scan line family on a different raster line.

### Claim 29 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27, wherein at least one steep virtual scan line family is configured to repeatedly skip raster lines.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The system of claim 29, wherein the at least one steep virtual scan line family is configured to capture pixels for storage from every other raster line.

### Claim 31 (depends on 29)

The system of claim 29, wherein a plurality of steep virtual scan line families are each configured to repeatedly skip raster lines, and wherein each of the plurality of steep virtual scan line families has a different rate with which raster lines are skipped.

### Claim 32 (depends on 26)

The system of claim 26, wherein each shallow virtual scan line in the virtual scan line pattern contains a number of pixels equal to the number of pixels on the raster line.

### Claim 33 (depends on 26)

The system of claim 26, wherein the virtual scan line pattern generator is configurable to allow for modification of the virtual scan line pattern.