Apparatus and methods for scanning documents including OMR, bar-code, and image data
US6357658B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 28, 1999 |
| Grant date | Mar 19, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 28, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K7/10574
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multifunctional scanner having a first processor, an image scanner, a laser scanner, and a host interface port is provided. The image scanner scans documents to detect the presence of images imprinted thereon, generates image data based on the detected images, generates mark-sense row/column data based on downloaded data masks, and forwards the image data to the first processor. The laser scanner scans documents to detect the presence of bar-code symbols imprinted thereon, decodes the bar code symbols, generates bar code information based on the decoded bar code symbols, and forwards the bar code information to the first processor. The host interface port electrically couples the first processor to an external host processor. The first processor receives the image data from the image scanner, converts the image data into a host datastream, and forwards the host datastream to the external host processor via the host interface port. The first processor also receives the bar code information from the laser scanner, and forwards the bar code information to the host processor via the host interface port.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.