Patents by Inventor Thomas Wulff

Thomas Wulff has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7522889
    Abstract: Systems and methods for a rugged hand held mobile terminal design are provided. The mobile terminal design includes a monocoque enclosure for housing electronic components. The electronic components are mounted on a rail system, which is positioned within an interior portion of the enclosure through an open end of the enclosure. The mobile terminal design also includes a display bezel. The display bezel and the rail system have mating parts for securing the assembly together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Wulff, Robert A. Spano, Azer Ilkhanov, Mitchell Maiman
  • Publication number: 20090051318
    Abstract: A battery comprises a housing, a plurality of contacts, and a pass around electrical contact. The housing includes a plurality of rechargeable cells. The plurality of contacts electrically couple to the rechargeable cells. The plurality of contacts are configured to couple to first corresponding contacts of an electronic device. The pass around electrical contact is electrically isolated on the battery from the plurality of contacts and is configured to couple to second corresponding contacts of the electronic device. The pass around electrical contact is further configured to be connected to at least one of an external power supply and a data source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: Christopher R. Paul, Thomas Wulff, William R. Bang, Carl Degiovine
  • Patent number: 7492123
    Abstract: Described is a system and method for battery removal in a mobile device. The system comprises a battery receiving chamber receiving a battery to power the device and a suspension mechanism holding the battery in the battery receiving chamber, the suspension mechanism releasing the battery after receiving a signal. The method comprises determining if a mobile device is shut down and releasing a power supply from a suspension mechanism after the mobile device is shut down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Wulff
  • Patent number: 7486243
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for insert-molding various electronic and mechanical parts as part of a housing of an electrical device. The insert molded components can comprise antennas, flex members and circuits, electronic, mechanical, and interface units that have been insert molded as part of a plastic housing that contains the electrical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Wulff, Ron Zancola
  • Patent number: 7481372
    Abstract: Described is an improved trigger assembly for use in an electronic device. The trigger assembly includes a pressure sensitive member and a trigger button. The pressure sensitive member includes two or more conductive lines. The pressure sensitive member is secured to a portion of the mobile terminal. The trigger button is secured to the mobile terminal in a manner such that a force applied to the trigger button causes a resultant force to be applied on the pressure sensitive member. The force applied on the pressure sensitive member causes a change in an electrical property between at least two of the conductive lines. A module measures the electrical property between the conductive lines. A function of the device is initiated depending on a comparison of the measured electrical property to a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Wulff, Azer Ilkhanov
  • Publication number: 20080293367
    Abstract: Described is a mobile device comprising a base unit and a keypad detachably coupled to the base unit. The keypad includes an input arrangement and a first wireless arrangement operating in accordance with a first wireless protocol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Inventors: Thomas Wulff, Carl Degiovine
  • Publication number: 20080224655
    Abstract: An inductive charging system including an inductive charger having an inductive charging surface and an alignment feature depicted on a surface of the inductive charger indicating a location of the inductive charging surface. A structural feature may extend substantially perpendicular to the alignment feature and provides a guide for positioning of a portable device to facilitate inductive changing of the portable device by the inductive charging surface. The inductive charger may include a plurality of inductive chargers positioned to facilitate charging of a portable device by two or more of the plurality of the inductive chargers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Inventors: Patrick Tilley, Thomas Wulff
  • Patent number: 7416129
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for employing a housing as part of a hand held scanner as to increase utility and add ruggedness. The housing comprises an upper top housing and lower bottom housing, with the top housing comprising a set of accessory rails adapted to accept accessories associated with the hand hold scanner, and the lower housing including an adjustable mass element for balancing a weight of the scanner. Also, top housing can be adapted to accept various key pad configurations via a transitional mounting frame, and the bottom housing can hold a stylus. A bar code scanner system employing such housing can incorporate displays located on various sides of the housing and/or key pads to facilitate a reading from the scanner at slanted angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sudhir Bhatia, Alistair Hamilton, Jaeho Choi, Curt Croley, Thomas Wulff
  • Patent number: 7409571
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for removing a power supply from a host unit running a computer program, without losing data or causing a cold boot. The present invention employs a retaining assembly for the power supply that delays removal of the power supply until shutting down of the computer program of the host unit. The system may further comprise a logic unit that estimates the period from initiating a power off for the unit, up to an actual shut down of the computer program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Wulff
  • Publication number: 20080174445
    Abstract: A memory for storing constraint data describing a constrained area, a location sensor, and a processor operationally coupled to the memory and location sensor for location tracking. In operation, the device acquires real-time location information from the location sensor and calculates a location within the constrained area utilizing the constraint data and the acquired real-time location information. The location sensor may include an accelerometer that produces signals corresponding to a change in speed and a gyroscope that produces signals corresponding to a direction traveled. The processor may calculate a distance traveled over time utilizing the signals from the accelerometer and calculate the location utilizing the calculated distance traveled over time and the direction traveled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Inventors: Russell Calvarese, Thomas Wulff
  • Publication number: 20080164318
    Abstract: Described is an improved trigger assembly for use in an electronic device. The trigger assembly includes a pressure sensitive member and a trigger button. The pressure sensitive member includes two or more conductive lines. The pressure sensitive member is secured to a portion of the mobile terminal. The trigger button is secured to the mobile terminal in a manner such that a force applied to the trigger button causes a resultant force to be applied on the pressure sensitive member. The force applied on the pressure sensitive member causes a change in an electrical property between at least two of the conductive lines. A module measures the electrical property between the conductive lines. A function of the device is initiated depending on a comparison of the measured electrical property to a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Publication date: July 10, 2008
    Applicant: SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Wulff, Azer Ilkhanov
  • Publication number: 20080136662
    Abstract: A mobile device (e.g., a wearable device) may include a function module and a triggering arrangement. The triggering arrangement generates a signal in response to detecting a triggering condition. The signal activates the function module. The triggering condition includes at least one of (i) a change in proximity of the device relative to an object on which the mobile device performs an operation, (ii) an amount of force applied to the object by a user and (iii) an amount of force applied to at least a portion of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2006
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: David Bellows, Thomas Wulff
  • Publication number: 20080121713
    Abstract: A stop motion sensor supported by a mobile electro-optical reader is operative for sensing when the mobile reader is supported in a steady state by the operator for a predetermined time period, and for automatically actuating the mobile reader in response to sensing the steady state to initiate reading of indicia while the mobile reader is supported in the steady state by the operator for the predetermined time period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2006
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Inventors: Michael Steele, Thomas Wulff
  • Publication number: 20080100451
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for communicating with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags using an RFID reader are provided. A first communication signal configured to communicate with at least one RFID tag is generated. The first communication signal is transmitted from a first antenna of the reader. The reader is docked with a docking station, the docking station including a contact member coupled to at least one additional antenna, enabling the reader to couple a second communication signal through the contact member to the at least one additional antenna.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Applicant: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Wulff
  • Patent number: 7354001
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for insert-molding various electronic and mechanical parts as part of a housing of an electrical device. The insert molded components can comprise antennas, flex members and circuits, electronic, mechanical, and interface units that have been insert molded as part of a plastic housing that contains the electrical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Wulff, Ron Zancola
  • Patent number: 7353051
    Abstract: A hand held mobile terminal includes at least one torque cell for facilitating a torsionally stiff housing structure. The torque cell includes a plurality of first locking members located around a perimeter of a first housing and a plurality of second locking members located around a perimeter of a second housing. The first and second locking members are slidably engageable with each other so as to create a plurality of interlocking joints around the perimeter of the torque cell. Accordingly, the torque cell structure provides several advantages over the conventional mobile terminal housing, such as: better torsional rigidity, simplified assembly, improved volumetric efficiency, reduced need for shock absorbing materials, lighter overall weight, decoupling of impact loads, and mitigation of stress concentrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Wulff
  • Publication number: 20080054039
    Abstract: A system having a mobile device and a wearable mount configured to couple to the mobile device, the coupling making the mobile device wearable at a worn location, wherein a set of functionalities of the mobile device corresponds to the worn location. The wearable mount having a coupler configured to couples to a mount coupling of a mobile device and a fastener that fastens the wearable mount to a location, the location, a set of functionalities of the mobile device being based on the location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventors: Thomas Wulff, Mark Duron, Russell Calvarese, Shane MacGregor, David Bellows, Robert Sandler, Daniella Strat, Rehan Jaffri
  • Publication number: 20080007209
    Abstract: Described is a system and method for battery removal in a mobile device. The system comprises a battery receiving chamber receiving a battery to power the device and a suspension mechanism holding the battery in the battery receiving chamber, the suspension mechanism releasing the battery after receiving a signal. The method comprises determining if a mobile device is shut down and releasing a power supply from a suspension mechanism after the mobile device is shut down.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventor: Thomas Wulff
  • Publication number: 20080004003
    Abstract: A device comprises a base unit including a first wireless communication arrangement. The device further comprises an accessory device mechanically coupled to the base unit and including a second wireless communication arrangement, the base unit and the accessory device communicating via the wireless communication arrangements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Inventors: Thomas Wulff, Taheer Khazi
  • Publication number: 20080001929
    Abstract: Described is a system and method for actuating an infrared touch panel. The mobile device may include an infrared touch panel and a housing having a window opening which provides an access to at least a portion of a surface of the touch panel. The system may also include a plurality of light sources disposed along a perimeter of the touch panel so that light beams emitted by the light sources traverse the surface of the touch panel and at least one sensor that detects first data. The first data includes spatial orientation data and motion data of at least one of the touch panel and the device. In addition, the system may also include a processor which compares the first data to second data to determine an occurrence of an event related to at least one of the touch panel and the device. The second data includes predetermined threshold ranges of changes in the spatial orientation data and the motion data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Inventor: Thomas Wulff