US5744788A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Voice-activated optical scanning system
Assignee: Symbol Technologies LLC
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Filing: 1997-02-27
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Granted: 1998-04-28
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Expires: 2017-02-27
Abstract
Abstract A hands-free scanning system for reading indicia having parts of different light reflectivity, including a housing having a window and an actuatable electro-optical scanner in the housing for projecting a light beam through the window to indicia to be read, for scanning the indicia. The system further detects light of variable intensity that is reflected off the indicia to generate an electrical signal representative of the indicia. The housing is mounted on an arm of an operator and the scanner initiates reading of the indicia upon an audio command (i.e., voice activation) from a user.
Inventors
- 👤 Boris Metlitsky
- 👤 Mark Krichever
- 👤 Edward Barkan
- 👤 Howard M. Shepard
- 👤 Jerome Swartz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 12:10
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/02; G06; G06K; G06K7/00; G06K7/10; G06K7/10544; G06K7/10554; G06K7/10564; G06K7/10584; G06K7/10594; G06K7/10603; G06K7/10633; G06K7/10643; G06K7/10653; G06K7/10821; G06K7/10861; G06K7/10871; G06K7/10881; G06K7/10891; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/30; G06Q20/34; G06Q20/343; G07G; G07G1/00; G07G1/0036; G07G1/0045; G06F; G06F2203/00; G06F2203/033; G06F2203/0331; G06K2007/10524; G06K2007/10534; G06K2207/00; G06K2207/1016
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
76 words
An optical scanning system for reading indicia having parts of differing light reflectivity, comprising: an optical scanner including a light emitter for emitting light directed at said indicia, and a light detector for detecting light reflected from said indicia and for generating therefrom a first signal; means for receiving an audio command from a user and for generating therefrom a second signal; and control circuitry for controlling the optical scanner in dependence upon said second signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
76 words
An optical scanning system for reading indicia having parts of differing light reflectivity, comprising: an optical scanner including a light emitter for emitting light directed at said indicia, and a light detector for detecting light reflected from said indicia and for generating therefrom a first signal; means for receiving an audio command from a user and for generating therefrom a second signal; and control circuitry for controlling the optical scanner in dependence upon said second signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
88 words
An optical scanning system for reading indicia having parts of differing light reflectivity, comprising: an optical scanner including a light emitter for emitting, light directed at said indicia, and a light detector for detecting light reflected from said indicia and for generating therefrom a first signal indicative of the intensity of the detected light; an audio input circuit for receiving an audio command from a user and for generating therefrom a second signal; and a control circuit for controlling the optical scanner in dependence upon said second signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
88 words
An optical scanning system for reading indicia having parts of differing light reflectivity, comprising: an optical scanner including a light emitter for emitting, light directed at said indicia, and a light detector for detecting light reflected from said indicia and for generating therefrom a first signal indicative of the intensity of the detected light; an audio input circuit for receiving an audio command from a user and for generating therefrom a second signal; and a control circuit for controlling the optical scanner in dependence upon said second signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system according to claim 2, wherein the audio input circuit includes a transducer for converting the audio command uttered by the user into an electrical audio signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit processes the electrical audio signal, and generates a control signal for initiating operation of the optical scanner.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system according to claim 2, wherein the light emitter is a laser diode.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system according to claim 2, wherein the light detector is a photosensor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system according to claim 2, wherein the scanner includes a drive for moving the emitted light across said indicia.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system according to claim 7, wherein the detector has a field of view on said indicia, and wherein the scanner includes a drive for moving at least one of said emitted light and said field of view.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system according to claim 2, and further comprising a keyboard for manually entering, data and a display for displaying information, and wherein the keyboard, the display and the scanner together constitute a data terminal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system according to claim 2, and further comprising a body mount for mounting the scanner on the user's body.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system according to claim 10, wherein the body mount constitutes a wrist strap.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
72 words
A method of controlling a system for electro-optically reading indicia having parts of differing light reflectivity, comprising the steps of: scanning the indicia by emitting light at the indicia, by detecting light reflected from the indicia, and by generating a first signal indicative of the intensity of the detected light; receiving an audio command from a user and generating a second signal; and controlling the scanning in dependence upon the second signal.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
72 words
A method of controlling a system for electro-optically reading indicia having parts of differing light reflectivity, comprising the steps of: scanning the indicia by emitting light at the indicia, by detecting light reflected from the indicia, and by generating a first signal indicative of the intensity of the detected light; receiving an audio command from a user and generating a second signal; and controlling the scanning in dependence upon the second signal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 12, wherein the receiving step is performed by converting the audio command uttered by the user into an electrical analog signal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 13, wherein the controlling step is performed by processing the electrical analog signal, and by generating a control signal for initiating the scanning step.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method according to claim 12, wherein the emitting step is performed by a laser diode.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method according to claim 12, wherein the detecting step is performed by a photodetector.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 12, wherein the scanning step is performed by moving the emitted light across the indicia.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 12, wherein the scanning step is perfomed by moving at least one of the emitted light and a field of view across the indicia.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 12, and further comprising the steps of manually entering data and displaying information.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method according to claim 12, and further comrpising the step of wearing the system on the user's body.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-04-27 | 2001-10-27 | 2002-04-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-04-27 | 2005-10-27 | 2006-04-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-04-27 | 2009-10-27 | 2010-04-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |