Bar code reading device having image processing mode

A portable bar code reading device of the type which may be moved between various distances, orientations, and angles with respect to a substrate that carries a bar code symbol, said portable bar code reading device comprising:

• an imaging assembly, said imaging assembly having a two dimensional solid state image sensor and an optical assembly focusing an image onto said two dimensional solid state image sensor, wherein said portable bar code reading device is configured to operate in a first bar code reading mode and in a second user-selected picture output mode in which said portable bar code reading device outputs an area electronic representation for visual observation on a display;
• wherein said portable bar code reading device in said first bar code reading mode
• (a) obtains an area electronic representation of said substrate carrying said bar code symbol, said area electronic representation having a first pixel resolution;
• (b) processes said area electronic representation obtained in step (a) to decode a decodable bar code symbol represented in said area electronic representation;
• and
• (c) outputs decoded bar code data resulting from said execution of processing function (b);
• and
• wherein said portable bar code reading device in said second picture output mode
• (i) processes an area electronic representation obtained by said bar code reading device having said first pixel resolution into such form that a processed area electronic representation is produced having a second pixel resolution that is different from said first pixel resolution;
• and
• (ii) outputs for visual display on a display said processed area electronic representation produced by execution of processing function (i) including said second pixel resolution different from said first pixel resolution.

A device comprising:

• an imaging assembly, the imaging assembly having an image sensor and imaging optics, the image sensor being a two dimensional image sensor;
• a portable housing incorporating the imaging assembly;
• wherein the device is operative to capture an image corresponding to a scene including paper substrate;
• wherein the device is further operative for examining a text character representation of the image to determine a distortion characteristic of the text character representation;
• wherein the device is further operative to utilize the determined distortion characteristic for output of distortion corrected image data corresponding to the scene;
• and
• wherein the device is operative for attempting to decode a bar code symbol by processing a bar code symbol representation of the image.