Abstract: A printhead having multiple print lines of conventional design and a printhead control system for using the multiple print lines in a variety of operations. In one embodiment, the printhead control system prints an image by superimposing the printing from multiple print lines. In another embodiment, the image is printed by alternating the energization of one print line so that each print line is used to print only 1/3 of the image lines. As a result, the print lines are allowed a relatively long time to cool, thus allowing the printhead to be operated at a faster speed. In another embodiment, the printing elements of each print line print with a different image density, and images printed by superimposing the printing elements in the print lines with a variety of combinations depending upon the desired magnitude of the image density.

Abstract: A method and apparatus efficiently encodes a stream of character codes corresponding to the data characters from a first set of data characters, a number of the data characters also being contained in a second set of data characters which is a subset of the first set of data characters. The method and apparatus according to one exemplary embodiment parses the data stream to remove therefrom all character codes corresponding to data character contained in the second set of data characters. Each of the character codes in the parsed data stream is converted according to a first translation into a first defined number of symbol values and each of the character codes parsed from the data stream is converted according to a second translation into a second number of symbol values. Each of the symbol values corresponds to a symbol element. A method and apparatus also decodes a stream of symbol values, corresponding to a set of efficiently encoded symbol characters, to produce a string of character codes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for maximizing print quality in a thermal printer uses a ribbon condition monitor to detect the condition of a multipass thermal ribbon. Data related to the condition of the thermal ribbon at each individual pixel is used to determine a custom energization signal for each thermal print element. In one embodiment, the system utilizes a history memory to track the prior heating history of each thermal print element and an ink memory to track the prior use of each location on the thermal print ribbon corresponding to the thermal print elements. The data from the history memory and the ink memory are combined to form an index to a table memory containing data corresponding to a plurality of energization signal levels for a particular print medium. The data in the table memory provides the custom energization signal for each of the thermal print elements. In an alternative embodiment, a light source and detector are used to determine the thickness of ink remaining on the thermal ribbon.

Abstract: A method and apparatus employs a production system-like rule based routine to process signals, such as reflectance signals produced from machine-readable symbols (e.g., bar code symbols). Relevant features data is extracted from each peak or valley in the signal, such as width, height, and relative size. The routine then uses the extracted data for each peak and valley with a set of rules to refine the reflectance signals. Under one or more iterations, the routine selects and resolves conflicting rules and applies resulting rules to process the signal. The processed signal can then be more readily decoded. The routine preferably processes a reflectance signal in portions, such as on a codeword-by-codeword basis.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for resizing digital or stored images initially retrieves a one-dimensional sample of the image, such as a line of pixels. A final image size D is determined so that the absolute value of the original sample size M-2.sup.N *D is a minimum, and where N is an integer greater than or equal to 0. The discrete series of pixels in the line are then converted to a continuous function under a cubic convolution interpolation technique. From the continuous function, intermediate pixel values are determined. Pyramid filtering is employed to filter the intermediate pixel values to a final series of pixel values D. The routine is performed along the opposite dimension so as to alter the size of a two-dimensional stored image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus employs a production system-like rule based routine to process signals, such as reflectance signals produced from machine-readable symbols (e.g., bar code symbols). Relevant features data is extracted from each peak or valley in the signal, such as width, height, and relative size. The routine then uses the extracted data for each peak and valley with a set of rules to refine the reflectance signals. Under one or more iterations, the routine selects and resolves conflicting rules and applies resulting rules to process the signal. The processed signal can then be more readily decoded. The routine preferably processes a reflectance signal in portions, such as on a codeword-by-codeword basis. Under an alternative embodiment, a fuzzy inference engine provides sets of values for height, width and relative size. Therefrom rules are applied to determine a size of each peak and valley in the signal.

Abstract: A new bar code symbology in an exemplary embodiment employs three bars (and spaces) within nine modules, similar to Code 93. Fifty-three data characters are defined, including several special mode characters. By employing these special mode characters, together with certain routines, three symbol characters can represent two 8-bit bytes, or one 16-bit word. As a result, the symbology can efficiently encode 8-bit bytes for use in computer processing, or encode 16-bit character sets such as Unicode. Symbology encodes extended channel interpretation (ECI) numbers, provides multiple numeric compression modes, provides a structured append using a single mode character, as well as other features. Additionally, the symbology includes error correction, with a Special Features Flag character indicating use of error correction in a symbol.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for resizing or processing images initially retrieves a one-dimensional sample of the image, such as a line of pixels. The image can be of a machine-readable symbol, or other data. A moving window having, for example, five pixels, includes a center "hard core" and four surrounding pixels. Two or more structural sets or multisets are applied to the window to produce a set of pixels greater than the set of pixels in the original image. For example, the center pixel is repeated three times, while immediately adjacent left and right pixels are repeated twice. Thus, a series of nine pixels results. The resulting nine pixels are then sorted based on descending gray scale levels. The n-th largest pixels is selected, such as the third largest. The image is updated, the window moved, and the method repeats again. Pyramid filtering, cubic convolution interpolation, or other techniques can be used to reduce the size of an image, and more complex windows and structural sets can be employed.

Abstract: A snap-on antenna and connector mounting assembly for a hand-held electronic device, such as a hand-held computer. The hand-held electronic device has a housing with a sidewall and a jack-receiving aperture therein, an antenna jack extending through the jack-receiving aperture, and a flexible bushing positioned in the jack-receiving aperture between the antenna jack and the sidewall. The bushing isolates the antenna jack from the sidewall, so the antenna jack is deflectable relative to the sidewall without being damaged. The snap-on antenna has a substantially rigid base having an interior area therein and having a housing-attachment portion with an aperture communicating with the interior area. A plug connector contained within the interior area has a jack-connecting portion positioned to removably receive the antenna jack such that the antenna can be snapped into and off of the hand-held electronic device between installed and removed positions, respectively.

Abstract: The new bar code symbology under the present invention directly encodes one symbol character for each human readable character in known 16-bit data character encoding standards such as Unicode. The symbology employs six bars and six spaces for each symbol, and has a total width of 21 modules for each symbol character, and thus is a (21,6) symbology. Bars and spaces in symbol characters having greater than six modules in width are eliminated, as are bounding strings of more than six adjacent one-wide elements. As a result, the symbology is wand scannable, readily printable, and can be read when out-of-focus. Parity codes are employed, to enable Hamming distances between symbol characters to be maximized, and thereby improve data security of the symbology (e.g, the total width of all bars in each symbol character is equal to an even number). As a result, the present symbology preferably encodes 80,077 data characters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reading data collection symbols initially samples and preferably stores an image of light reflected from the symbol. An initial portion of the symbol in the stored image is located and multiple reading techniques are performed based on the stored symbol image and the located portion. Several output signals are produced from the multiple reading techniques, and one of the output signals is selected as a decoded signal that represents the data encoded in the symbol. The multiple reading techniques can be multiple reading methods performed substantially simultaneously with each other (on one or more processors), a single method performed multiple times and at multiple locations within the stored symbol image, or each reading method can be broken down into constituent modules, and like modules grouped into sets.

Abstract: A tag for concealing in an object for providing antitheft protection and identification, and a system for incorporating the tag, include in one embodiment a magnetic antitheft element, and an identification code including a pattern of first and second segments of wires of high thermal conductivity situated at right angles to the antitheft element and in intimate thermal contact with the antitheft element. The length of the first segments is longer than the length of the second segments.

Abstract: A method and apparatus locates edges of patterns in a stored image, such as edges of bars or finder patterns of machine-readable symbols. The present invention first selects an edge point or pixel within a stored image. A dominant direction is determined therefrom by examining a region surrounding the selected point. A smaller window is then examined around the edge point to derive a hexadecimal code based on binary values of pixels which surround the edge point. The hexadecimal code is compared to a table of codes, where each code maps to a similar window and identifies a next edge point. The process continues in the dominant direction until the entire edge is located. Circuitry for rapidly performing the its location of patterns in a stored image, such as ages of bars of finder patterns of machine-readable symbols.

Abstract: A symbology reader employing an area detector and LEDs mounted at various angular orientations on a printed circuit board for illuminating a target object in an object plane. Each of the LEDs is oriented according to a desired beam vector to illuminate a particular area of the object plane so that the sum of the beams produces a desired illumination pattern. In one embodiment, the illumination pattern is selected to be inversely proportional to the sensitivity of the area detector to provide an even response over an entire image area. The individual LEDs are angularly aligned by an alignment board having an alignment aperture for each LED. The LEDs are mounted onto the printed circuit board with their body portions spaced apart from the board and supported by semi-rigid wire leads soldered to the board. Each of the alignment holes of the alignment board is laterally offset slightly from the mounting position of the LED.