Abstract: A credit and access control card and reader system comprising: a magnetically encodable card comprising a body having upper and lower surfaces and side and end edges, the body being formed of plastic material having magnetic particles uniformly dispersed throughout the plastic material; and a reader having a magneto resistive (MR) head for reading the magnetically encodable card as it is moved past the MR head.

Abstract: A portable data collection device includes an imaging assembly including a two dimensional (2D) photosensor array overlied by a RGB color filter. The imaging assembly is selectively actuatable with a first trigger for reading a dataform in the imaging assembly's target area and actuatable with a second trigger for capturing a color image of the target area. The imaging assembly includes compensation circuitry to compensate for illumination transmittivity differences between the red, green and blue colors of the color filter. The compensation circuitry is invoked when the imaging assembly is actuated to read a bar code dataform. The imaging assembly further includes compression circuitry for compressing digital data representative of the target area when the imaging assembly is actuated to capture a color image of the target area.

Abstract: A dielectric filter includes a dielectric block on which an external conductor is formed except for areas surrounding input and output terminals, a plurality of resonator holes of the same axial length, and input and output external coupling bores. The resonator holes and input and output external coupling bores are formed substantially in parallel with each other between a pair of opposing end faces of the dielectric block. The resonator holes are provided with internal conductors except for dielectric bases in the vicinity of openings thereof. The internal conductors are connected to the external conductor at the pair of end faces so that resonators having specific resonator lengths are constituted by the positions of open ends thereof formed by the dielectric bases. The input and output external coupling bores are provided with internal conductors.

Abstract: A scanner for reading bar codes minimizes electrical power consumption and operator fatigue by using stored mechanical energy in a wound-up coil spring to impart oscillations in one of the scanner components.

Abstract: A multi-element directional antenna and process for making same are described. The antenna comprises a lightweight dielectric substrate having an array of parasitic elements disposed on the substrate. A printed circuit board having a ground plane on one side thereof, and a driven element and phasing means comprising a hybrid (magic-or-twin) tee junction on the other side thereof, disposed coplanar with the parasitic elements and the substrate. The multi-element directional antenna, may be formed using low labor cost manufacturing process such as stamping and laminating, and additive and/or subtractive (i.e. etching) techniques.

Abstract: A card body of an IC card is composed of first and second halves connected by a self hinge portion so as to be foldable into halves in such a manner that the surface where a contact is provided comes inside. The first and second halves are provided with a magnet and a magnetic body to hold the IC card folded by magnetic attractive force. When folded, a control section provided in the first half 1a is connected to transmitting-receiving means and a communication control section that are provided in the second half, by the contact and the transmission-reception contact, so that the IC card can function as a non-contact type IC card.

Abstract: An antenna is described having a generally elongate radiating part (10) and a reflective plane (11)juxtaposed and generally parallel to the elongate radiating part. The radiating part has a free end (15), a ground connection (13) remote from the free end and a feed connection (16) between the free end and the ground connection. The ground connection is mounted on the reflective plane (11), giving electrical ground connection and mechanical support. A method of manufacture of an antenna is also described involving breaking off an extension portion to suit the required frequency of operation.

Abstract: A printing and reading system prints records having two-dimensional erasable bar codes. The bar code is printed on the record in erasable ink and can be implemented in PDF417 format. The system reads the two-dimensional erasable bar code located on the record, erases it using erasing fluid, dries it, and prints a new two-dimensional erasable bar code in place of the previous two-dimensional erasable bar code.

Abstract: A plurality of the areas of differing light reflectivity of a bar code symbol or the like are simultaneously illuminated using, for example, a beam of light that has an elongate cross-section. The light beam is swept over the symbol to be read in a direction transverse to the elongated dimension of the illuminated region so that a two-dimensional area of the symbol is illuminated over time. The reflected light is sensed by a 1D CCD array. A microprocessor within the scanner provides visual feedback to aid a user in aligning the device, and also provides for a selectable aspect ratio for the image, a selectable image resolution and size, a selectable aspect ratio of the illumination, and a selectable pixel size. All of these options may be programmed within the microprocessor, enabling the device to read a large variety of two-dimensional symbols.

Abstract: A price verifier which is smaller in size than existing price verifiers and which includes additional features which provide enhanced functionality and ease of use. The price verifier includes a bar code reader for reading a bar code label on an item whose price is to be verified. Control circuitry obtains the price of the scanned item from a host terminal. A display displays the price of the item. The price verifier supports multiple communications protocols, including wireless RF. Additionally, the price verifier may be programmed by reading programming bar code labels or by downloading program commands from the host terminal.

Abstract: A double helix antenna comprised of orthogonally-wound helix conductors is disclosed. The double helix antenna system includes a first helix conductor wound in a first direction about a vertical axis of the double helix antenna. A second helix conductor is wound in a second direction about the longitudinal axis. In a specific implementation, the first and second helix conductors are of different lengths, respectively corresponding to first and second frequency bands. Additionally, the first and second helix conductors are wound so as to be orthogonal at those horizontal planes within which the first and second helix conductors intersect or are otherwise minimally separated in the horizontal dimension. This orthogonal winding relationship between the helix conductors substantially reduces mutual coupling, thus enabling operation of separate helical antennas in close physical proximity. In a particular application, the double helix antenna system is incorporated within a portable communications device.

Abstract: A hybrid antenna including a dielectric lens-antenna in the shape of an extended hemispherical dielectric lens than is operated in the diffraction limited regime. The dielectric lens-antenna is fed by a planar-structure antenna. The planar antenna is mounted on the flat side of the dielectric lens-antenna, using it as a substrate. An optimum extension distance is found experimentally and numerically for which excellent beam patterns and simultaneously high aperture efficiencies can be achieved. The hybrid antenna is diffraction limited, space efficient in an array due to its high aperture efficiency, and is easily mass produced, thus being well suited for focal place receiver arrays.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a system and method of performing financial transactions which include a financial card that stores pre-selected transaction instructions corresponding to one or more financial transactions, such as cash withdrawal, or bill payment, or the like. These cards are used with one or more terminals which read the instructions on the card, interpret those instructions and execute the interpreted instructions to conduct one or more of said financial transactions. Preferably, the terminal--after determining from the instructions on the card what functions, i.e., financial transactions, are available to the card user--displays those options. The user then selects one of the financial transactions; the terminal based on the selection and the instructions corresponding to the selected function, executes the transaction.

Abstract: A scanner determines whether a target is a bar code symbol and, if so, whether that symbol is one-dimensional or two-dimensional. For two-dimensional symbols, the scanner aligns a scanning pattern with the symbol and expands the scanning pattern to reach only to the top and bottom edges of the symbol, not beyond. The scanner also has a microprocessor-control scanning engine that uses a coil to drive a scanning element and pick up feed back signals from the scanning element. A pulse-width-modulated regulator also provides fast and efficient operation for driving the coil. The scanning engine can also be designed to generate a pattern that precesses across the target, and a powerful interface to the scanning engine allows decoding and control logic to work efficiently with and independently of the scan engine.

Abstract: An optical scanning assembly turns an optical element in opposite circumferential directions about a longitudinal axis along which a light beam from a light source is emitted. The optical element and the light source are mounted on individual supports between which torsion elements are connected. An electrical coil arrangement interacts with a permanent magnet to effect the turning movement.

Abstract: A monopole antenna (1) is constructed with a ground plane disc (2), a top loaded antenna disc (3), and a length of coaxial cable (4) having an outer conductor (5) connected to the ground plane disc (2), an inner conductor (7) of the cable (4) being connected to the antenna disc (3), and a loading disc (6) between the ground plane disc (2) and the antenna disc (3), the loading disc (6) being connected to an outer conductor (5) of the cable (4).

Abstract: Strips (220) of thin metallic material forming pairs of arms on an elongated dielectric tube (110) form a radiator portion of an antenna assembly. A first radiator plate (310) and a second radiator plate (320) are capacitively coupled to respective hot capacitive plate (270) and ground capacitive plate (280) on opposite sides of the dielectric tube and formed in a single etching step to improve manufacturability, reliability and cost of a radio.

Abstract: An interface selection and configuration system for a computer peripheral in which configuration for the peripheral and/or the host interface is at least in part accomplished by the interface connector cable. In a preferred embodiment, the computer peripheral is equipped with one or more hardware interfaces. The interface connector cable has a first end connector for attaching to the computer peripheral. The first end connector of the interface connector cable is typically a multiple pin connector constructed and arranged to be properly physically and electrically connectable only to a specific computer peripheral or class of computer peripherals, the first end connector including at least one electrical connection between two pins for completing a circuit within the computer peripheral thereby enabling the computer peripheral.

Abstract: A portable data collection device is disclosed. The device includes a two dimensional (2D) photosensor array imaging assembly selectively actuatable for reading bar code dataforms and recording an image of an item in the imaging assembly's target area or field. The portable data collection device includes two triggers, a first trigger actuatable for reading a bar code dataform and a second trigger actuatable for recording an image of an item in the target area. In one embodiment of the portable data collection device of the present invention, a radio module is provided for transmitting an output signal to a remote device. In another embodiment of the portable data collection device of the present invention, an output signal is coupled to a terminal processing board for further processing and storage.

Abstract: Integrated circuits embedded in cards are known in the industry as "Smart Cards". The present invention discloses a novel design for housing an integrated circuit(IC) within a card unit. The integrated circuit is first made thin and placed in the midplane of the card. This lessens the tensile stress in the IC when the Smart Card is subjected to bending. In addition, it is suggested that the IC chip is then placed in a relatively long and wide enclosure. This second measure reduces the stress on the IC by compromising between the competing objectives of making a rigid cavity for IC protection, versus making a more compliant cavity for overall card strength. Lastly, the cavity is made out of a material that typically has a Young's modulus that is higher than the Young's modulus of the card but lower than Young's modulus of the integrated circuit. This once again increases Smart Card reliability by utilizing a harder cavity material to protect the IC.