Abstract: An antenna apparatus for a hand-held symbology reader device having a housing and an elongated one-quarter wavelength antenna. A rotatable coupling member has an L-shaped conductor fixedly and electrically coupled to the antenna by a first end thereof. A second end of the L-shaped conductor is rotatably received by the housing. A ground plane of an electrically conductive material, having a plastic film coated thereon, is positioned within the housing. A washer of an electrically conductive material is electrically coupled to the second end of the L-shaped conductor, and is positioned in face-to-face juxtaposition with a portion of the ground plane. The washer and the portion of the ground plane form a parallel plate capacitor, with the plastic film forming a dielectric therebetween to capacitively couple the ground plane to the antenna.

Abstract: An apparatus for reading a bar code symbol with an illumination beam of light. The apparatus includes an integrally formed lens with a first lens surface for transmitting the beam of light toward the bar code symbol along an optical axis and second and third lens surfaces for receiving any of the beam of light that is reflected from the bar code symbol and transmitting the received light along two distinct optical paths to two photodiodes. The two distinct optical paths are separated from each other and not aligned with the optical axis. The configuration of lenses provides an improved depth of field.

Abstract: A connector for connecting internal circuitry of a bar code scanner to a connector plug. One end of a contact assembly is used together with a scanner chassis to form a receptacle for receiving the plug. The other end of the contact assembly connects with the internal circuitry. The contact assembly includes a plurality of wires with a ground wire that is bent to contact a scanner casing upon insertion of the contact assembly into the scanner casing. Two or more of the wires have lateral protrusions extending toward each other to provide points at which arcing is most likely in the event of an increased surge of current. One of the wires with the protrusions is also the wire that is bent outward so that any arcing is grounded to the scanner casing.

Abstract: A tip assembly for a bar code scanner having a concentric design which prevents rotational, axial and tilting movement among the components of the tip assembly. A tip housing with an internal detent is snap fitted over a scanner housing having multiple cantilevered, flexible beams, each with a circumferential groove adapted to receive the detent therein. An optical assembly housing containing optics is received within the scanner housing, between the flexible beams thereof. The optical assembly housing has tabs extending outwardly to mate with corresponding recesses in the beams to prevent rotation of the optical assembly relative to the scanner housing. The tip housing is sized to frictionally engage and press the beams inward so they frictionally engage the optical assembly housing. A scanner barrel is positioned about the scanner housing and extends to a position outward of the lip portion of the tip housing to prevent outward travel of the beams, thus locking the tip assembly components securely together.