Real-time adjustable window feature for barcode scanning and process of scanning barcode with adjustable window feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9830488-B2
Application number	US-201514982426-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A mobile bar code scanning device with a pinch-to-window feature includes an embedded camera and a user interface system having a visual display. The user interface system enables the user to access features of the mobile barcode scanning device with touch gestures. The mobile barcode scanning device also includes a barcode scanning application initialized by a user of the mobile barcode scanning device. The mobile barcode scanning device also includes an operating system communicatively coupled to the embedded camera, the barcode scanning application, and the user interface system. The visual display provides a viewfinder for the embedded camera in the barcode scanning application. The user-defined pinch-to-window feature is real-time adjustable in size, orientation, and position by at least a two-point touch gesture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A barcode scanning device, the device comprising:
an embedded camera;
a user interface system, comprising a visual display, the user interface system being configured to allow a user to access features of the barcode scanning device with touch gestures on the visual display;
a barcode scanning application, the barcode scanning application being initialized by an act of a user of the barcode scanning device; and
an operating system, the operating system communicatively coupled to the embedded camera, the barcode scanning application, and the user interface system;
wherein the visual display provides a viewfinder for the embedded camera and an adjustable barcode scanning window overlaid on the viewfinder, the adjustable barcode scanning window being adjustable in size, orientation, and/or location in real-time by a touch gesture on the visual display by the user of the mobile barcode scanning device, such that a barcode to be scanned and decoded can be defined and selected by the user in real-time from among a plurality of barcodes located within the viewfinder based at least in part on the touch gesture resizing, reorienting, and/or relocating the adjustable barcode scanning window so as to at least partially encompass the barcode to be scanned and decoded, the barcode scanning device being configured to scan and decode any barcode within the adjustable barcode scanning window.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the touch gesture on the visual display is a pinch gesture with two fingers of the user.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the touch gesture is a touch gesture with a pair of styli.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the touch gesture is a two-point touch gesture or a multi-touch gesture.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the embedded camera comprises a front-facing camera, and wherein the device further comprises image processing software comprising an eye-tracking capability, and wherein the operating system is communicatively coupled to the front-facing camera and the image processing software; and
wherein the adjustable barcode scanning window can be repositioned by the eye-tracking capability, the eye-tracking capability being carried out by a cooperation between the front-facing camera and image processing software.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is a smartphone.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is a smartwatch.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein device is a tablet computer.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the act of the user to initialize the barcode scanning application includes a voice command, a swiping motion of a stylus on the visual display, a touch gesture on the visual display, and/or a physical motion of the device.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the barcode scanning application is configured so that a barcode can be successfully decoded if the barcode is partially encompassed by the adjustable barcode scanning window.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the barcode scanning application is configured so that a barcode can be successfully decoded if the barcode is fully encompassed by the adjustable barcode scanning window.

12. A method of scanning a barcode, the method comprising:
providing a barcode scanning device, the barcode scanning device having an embedded camera and a user interface system comprising a barcode scanning application and a visual display, the user interface system being configured to allow a user to access features of the barcode scanning device with touch gestures on the visual display, wherein the visual display comprises a viewfinder for the embedded camera and an adjustable barcode scanning window overlaid on the viewfinder;
causing a plurality of barcodes to come into view in the viewfinder;
adjusting in real-time, the size, orientation, and/or location of the adjustable barcode scanning window by a touch gesture on the visual display, thereby defining and selecting a barcode to be scanned and decoded in real-time from among the plurality of barcodes based at least in part on the touch gesture resizing, reorienting, and/or relocating the adjustable barcode scanning window so as to at least partially encompass the barcode to be scanned and decoded; and
scanning and decoding any barcode within the adjustable barcode scanning window.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting step is accomplished by resizing, reorienting, and relocating the graphical window in real-time by a two-point touch gesture to a size, orientation, and location of the two points, such that the barcode to be scanned can be defined in the adjustable graphical window by the user in real-time.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the touch gesture is a two-finger pinch gesture.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the embedded camera comprises a front-facing camera, and wherein the barcode scanning device comprises image processing software with an eye tracking capability, and wherein the adjusting step is accomplished at least in part by repositioning the adjustable barcode scanning window with the eye-tracking capability, the operating system is communicatively coupled to the front-facing camera and the image processing software, and the eye-tracking capability is carried out by a cooperation between the front-facing camera and image processing software.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the adjusting step is accomplished by relocating the adjustable barcode scanning window via the eye-tracking capability such that the adjustable barcode scanning window fully encompasses a barcode to be scanned.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the barcode scanning device is configured so that a barcode to be scanned and successfully decoded must be fully encompassed in the adjustable barcode scanning window in the viewfinder.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the barcode scanning device is a smartphone, a smartwatch, or a tablet computer.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the method is initialized by a physical act of the user, the physical act comprising a voice command, a swiping motion of a stylus on the visual display, a touch gesture on the visual display, or a physical motion of the barcode scanning device.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the barcode scanning device is provided with application logic, the application logic performing required data processing of the barcode scanning device, and wherein the initializing step is accomplished by the application logic.

Assignees

• Hand Held Prod Inc

Inventors

• Todeschini Erik
• Anderson Donald

Classifications

• G06K7/1095

  the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like · CPC title

• G06K7/1439

  including a method step for retrieval of the optical code · CPC title

• G06K7/1443

  locating of the code in an image · CPC title

• G06K7/1465

  using several successive scans of the optical code · CPC title

• G06K7/10722 Primary

  Photodetector array or CCD scanning · CPC title