US 8,146,817 B2Granted

Reading apparatus having partial frame operating mode

AssigneeHand Held Products, Inc.

InventorsCharles P. Barber, Carl W. Gerst, III, George S. Smith, II, Robert M. Hussey, Robert C. Gardiner, Matthew W. Pankow

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Abstract

A method for decoding a decodable symbol using an optical reader having a 2D image sensor that is configured to operate in a partial frame capture operating mode. In a partial frame operating mode, the reader clocks out and captures at least one partial frame of image data having image data corresponding to less than all of the pixels of an image sensor pixel array. In one embodiment, the reader operating in a partial frame operating mode captures image data corresponding to a linear pattern of pixels of the image sensor, reads the image data, and attempts to decode for a decodable bar code symbol which may be represented in the image data.

Claims24

Dependent claims

An apparatus for decoding information from a decodable symbol, the apparatus comprising:

an imaging assembly having a 2D image sensor and optics focusing an image onto said 2D image sensor;
a housing adapted to be grasped by a human hand;
wherein said apparatus is configured to operate in a first operating mode in which said apparatus operates the 2D image sensor to capture a partial frame of image data representing at least a portion of the decodable symbol and corresponding to a first set of pixels of said 2D image sensor, wherein said apparatus when operating in said first operating mode avoids obtaining electrical signals representing light intensity at each pixel of said image sensor;
wherein said apparatus is configured for processing of the partial frame of image data corresponding to said first set of pixels for attempting to decode said decodable symbol;
and
wherein said apparatus is further configured to operate in a second operating mode in which said apparatus operates the 2D image sensor to capture a frame of image data representing at least a portion of the decodable symbol and corresponding to a second set of pixels of said 2D image sensor, the second set of pixels being different from said first set;
and
wherein said apparatus is capable of switching out of said first operating mode and into said second operating mode responsively to a processing of said partial frame of image data corresponding to said first set of pixels for attempting to decode said decodable symbol.

5 more elements

An apparatus for decoding information from a decodable symbol, the apparatus comprising:

an imaging assembly having a 2D image sensor and optics focusing an image onto said 2D image sensor;
a housing adapted to be grasped by a human hand;
wherein said apparatus is configured to operate in a first operating mode in which said apparatus operates the 2D image sensor to capture a partial frame of image data representing at least a portion of the decodable symbol and corresponding to a first set of pixels of said 2D image sensor, wherein said apparatus when operating in said first operating mode avoids obtaining electrical signals representing light intensity at each pixel of said image sensor;
wherein said apparatus is configured for processing of the partial frame of image data corresponding to said first set of pixels for attempting to decode said decodable symbol;
and
wherein said apparatus is further configured to operate in a second operating mode in which said apparatus operates the 2D image sensor to capture a frame of image data representing at least a portion of the decodable symbol and corresponding to a second set of pixels of said 2D image sensor, the second set of pixels being different from said first set;
and
wherein said apparatus is configured for processing of the frame of image data corresponding to said second set of pixels for attempting to decode said decodable symbol;
and
wherein said apparatus is capable of switching out of said first operating mode and into said second operating mode.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/249,742Filed 10 Oct 2008 · continuation
Priority: 22 Jan 2001
Published: US 2009/0032597 A15 Feb 2009
Granted: 3 Apr 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification0 codes

Family

Application09/766,806Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 22 Jan 2001
Application09/766,922Parent of this division · filed 22 Jan 2001
Application10/651,298Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Aug 2003
Application11/637,231Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Dec 2006
Application11/895,803Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 Aug 2007
US 2009/0032597 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Feb 2009
US 7,434,733 B2Parent of this continuation
US 7,270,273 B2Parent of this continuation
US 6,637,658 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application10/651,298Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,492,493 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,268,924 B2Parent of this division
Application11/895,803Parent of this division
US 2002/0125317 A1Published application
US 2003/0062418 A1Published application
US 2004/0195332 A1Published application
US 2007/0181693 A1Published application
US 2008/0170275 A1Published application
US 8,439,264 B2Related patent
US 8,146,817 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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