Abstract: An electronic stylus, for use with a computer having a digitizer, has a light emitter for emitting light to illuminate optically encoded information. A photodetector senses light reflected from the illuminated optically encoded information and produced an electrical signal representative of the optically encoded information. Stylus electronics provide positional input data by contacting a digitizer tablet with the stylus. The stylus housing contains the light emitter, photodetector and stylus electronics. A tip at a fore end of the housing is adapted for contact with the digitizer tablet and the light is emitted from other than the fore end of the housing.

Abstract: An optical scanning module has a metal base, a first circuit board mounted across one end of the metal base and a second circuit board mounted orthogonal to the first circuit board. The metal base supports a light emitter for producing a scanning beam and serves as a heat sink for the emitter. A flexible support attached to the metal base supports a mirror for oscillating motion. The module includes a drive mechanism, typically in the form of a permanent magnet and electromagnet, for producing reciprocal motion of the mirror. A detector included in the module senses light reflected from an indicia scanned by the beam. A flexible electrical cable connects the circuitry on the first and second circuit boards so that circuitry operates together to produce all signals necessary for operation of the scanner module and to process the electrical signals from the detector. Preferred embodiments include a flexible support consisting of a planar spring located between the mirror and one of the magnets.

Abstract: A laser scanning head in which the range of the beam waist is varied independently of any measurement of the actual range of the symbol. The optical member is a condenser lens that is moved by energizing a magnetic coil; the lens is operated independently of the scanning movement of the laser beam, to produce a continuous, progressive variation (e.g., a continuous oscillation) in the range of the beam waist, so that at some point in the variation the spot size on the symbol will be of an appropriate size. The movement of the lens can be synchronized with the beam scan (e.g., so that the same spot size can be maintained for several scans). Spot size can be chosen adaptively, by varying the range of the beam waist until the contrast in the reflected light collected from the symbol exceeds a predetermined level.

Abstract: A scan pattern generator for use in a bar code reader which uses a single drive (one coil and one magnet) to produce movement of a reflective surface so as to produce an oscillating movement of the surface in two directions, thereby forming a raster-type scanning pattern when a light beam is reflected off the surface.

Abstract: A system for reading bar code symbols or the like, including one- or two-dimensional bar code symbols having a scanner for generating a laser beam directed toward a target and producing a narrow first raster scanning pattern that enables the user to manually aim and direct the beam to the location desired by the user and a second raster scanning pattern that increases in height which sweeps an entire symbol to be read, and a detector for receiving reflected light from such symbol to produce electrical signals corresponding to data represented by such symbol.

Abstract: High speed scanning arrangements in scanners for reading bar code symbols by oscillating a scanner component mounted on an arm of an asymmetrical U-shaped spring in single or multi-axis scan patterns.