Patent Publication Number: US-2009218405-A1

Title: Imaging System for Reading Mobile Device Indicia

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an imaging system employing an imaging reader and, more particularly, to an illumination system employing an imaging reader having smart illumination for reading soft indicia, such as soft barcodes located on mobile devices such as cell phone displays. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Various electro-optical systems have been developed for reading optical indicia, such as barcodes. A barcode is a coded pattern of graphical indicia comprised of a series of bars and spaces of varying widths, the bars and spaces having differing light reflecting characteristics. Some of the more popular bar code symbologies include: Uniform Product Code (UPC), typically used in retail stores sales; Code 39, primarily used in inventory tracking; and Postnet, which is used for encoding zip codes for U.S. mail. Systems that read and decode bar codes employing charged coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) based imaging systems are typically referred to hereinafter as imaging systems, imaging-based bar code readers, imaging readers, or barcode scanners. 
     Imaging systems electro-optically transform the graphic indicia into electrical signals, which are decoded into alphanumerical characters that are intended to be descriptive of the article or some characteristic thereof. The characters are then typically represented in digital form and utilized as an input to a data processing system for various end-user applications such as point-of-sale processing, inventory control, and the like. 
     Imaging-based bar code reader systems that include CCD, CMOS, or other imaging configurations comprise a plurality of photosensitive elements (photosensors) or pixels typically aligned in an array pattern that could include a number of arrays. The imaging-based bar code reader systems typically employ light emitting diodes (LEDs) or other light sources for illuminating a target object, e.g., a target bar code. Light reflected from the target bar code is focused through a lens of the imaging system onto the pixel array. As a result, the focusing lens generates an image from its field-of-view (FOV) that is projected onto the pixel array. Periodically, the pixels of the array are sequentially read out, creating an analog signal representative of a captured image frame. The analog signal is amplified by a gain factor, by for example an operational amplifier or microprocessor. The amplified analog signal is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter. Decoding circuitry of the imaging system processes the digitized signals representative of the captured image frame and attempts to decode the imaged bar code. 
     It is becoming more common to use barcodes on mobile devices, including for example, cell phones, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), mini computers, and portable media players. The barcodes used on mobile devices include both dynamic (transient) barcodes or “soft” barcodes that are received and/or transmitted by the mobile device and static barcodes or “hard” barcodes that are permanently implanted by the manufacture in the mobile device. 
     Soft barcodes are transmitted and received by the mobile devices via conventional communication transmissions known by those skilled in the art. One implementation of dynamic soft barcodes includes purchasing tickets to a public event by an attendee&#39;s mobile device, such as a personal cell phone. Instead of obtaining physical tickets possessing hard barcodes for the event at a conventional will-call window or receiving the tickets in the mail, a soft barcode is transmitted to the cell phone from which the ticket was purchased. The soft barcode received by the cell phone can be scanned and provide the required information to allow its holder to gain entry to the event. 
     The required information provided by the soft barcode received in the cell phone in the above-implementation can include an unlimited amount of data, for example, authorization for a set number of attendees, seat assignments, time for entry to the event, and the like. It is also to be understood that the soft barcode in the above-implementation could be transferred from one mobile device to another. This would allow any number of individuals to receive the soft barcode, for example in personal media devices, which would provide entry to an event once the soft barcode on the personal media devices are scanned at the event gate. 
     SUMMARY 
     One example embodiment of the present disclosure includes an imaging assembly adapted for reading soft indicia on a mobile device. The imaging assembly comprises a scanning arrangement adapted for capturing images from the soft indicia. The scanning arrangement includes an optical axis with a symmetrically oriented field-of-view about the optical axis that is directed at the soft indicia during operation. The imaging assembly further comprises a housing for lodging the scanning arrangement and an illumination source positioned in the housing to provide smart illumination toward the soft indicia to be imaged. The construction of the smart illumination comprises positioning the illumination source in close proximity to the optical axis without allowing reflected illumination to enter into the scanning arrangement field-of-view. The smart illumination construct further comprises a narrow illumination field-of-view that is projected at the soft indicia during operation of the imaging assembly. 
     Another example embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method of imaging soft indicia located on a mobile device comprising projecting an imaging field-of-view having an optical axis at a first angle substantially orthogonal to a surface of a mobile device from a scanning arrangement located in a housing of an imaging assembly. The optical axis is symmetrically located about the imaging field-of-view. The method further comprises positioning an illumination source located in the housing at a second angle different than the first angle and at a location in as close of proximity to the optical axis as possible without allowing reflected illumination from the illumination source to enter into the scanning arrangement imaging field-of-view. The method also comprises projecting illumination from the illumination source located within the housing toward soft indicia to be imaged such that it forms a narrow illumination field-of-view at the soft indicia during the operation of the imaging assembly. 
     A further example embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method of imaging soft indicia located on a mobile device comprising projecting an imaging field-of-view having an optical axis at a first angle substantially orthogonal to a surface of a mobile device from a scanning means located in a housing means of an imaging assembly. The optical axis is symmetrically located about the imaging field-of-view. The method further comprises positioning an illumination means located in the housing means at a second angle different than the first angle and at a location in as close of proximity to the optical axis as possible without allowing reflected illumination from the illumination means to directly enter into the scanning means imaging field-of-view. The method also comprises projecting illumination from the illumination means located within the housing means toward soft indicia to be imaged such that it forms a narrow illumination field-of-view at the soft indicia during the operation of the imaging assembly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art to which the present invention relates upon consideration of the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the drawings and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an imaging reader constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure imaging a barcode located on a mobile device; 
         FIG. 2A  is a partial sectional-side view of the imaging reader of  FIG. 1 , imaging the barcode located on a partial sectional-side view of the mobile device in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2B  is a partial sectional-side view of an imaging reader constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure imaging a barcode located on a partial sectional-side view of a mobile device; 
         FIG. 3  is side view of an imaging stand constructed in accordance one embodiment of the disclosure supporting an imaging reader imaging a barcode located on a mobile device; 
         FIG. 4  is block diagram illustrating an illumination process for reading soft indicia on a mobile device in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating an illumination process for reading soft indicia on a mobile device in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to an imaging system  10  employing an imaging reader  11  and, more particularly, to an imaging system employing an imaging reader having smart illumination for reading soft indicia, such as soft barcodes located on mobile devices, such as cell phone displays. 
     It is becoming more common for mobile devices such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), mini computers, portable media players, and the like to include on their displays soft indicia. Examples of “soft” indicia include: soft barcodes; soft signatures; and soft images that possess non-physical or non-tangible forms of indicia (e.g., a conventional paper ticket having a barcode or “hard barcode”). Instead soft indicia are generated from a digital images on for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and other forms of trans-reflective displays typically having darkened symbologies over lit backgrounds that are visible even when backlighting in the mobile device is disabled. 
     When the backlighting on the mobile device is disabled, additional illumination is still required to read the soft indicia located on or inside the mobile device display. Because mobile devices typically include polarization on the display, the added illumination creates highlights and/or reflected light from the exterior of the display, making it difficult for the imaging reader to capture the target image. The present disclosure overcomes such constraints by providing smart illumination for reading soft indicia, such as soft barcodes located on or in mobile device displays. 
     The smart illumination of the present illumination system discloses how to achieve numerous narrow fields-of-view from illumination sources and how the smart illumination excludes reflected light from entering the imaging reader&#39;s field-of-view. As a result, the smart illumination substantially eliminates the highlighting and/or reflected light from the exterior displays of the mobile devices. 
     Referring now to the figures, and in particular to  FIG. 1  is one example embodiment of an illumination system  10  of the present disclosure depicting an elevated perspective view of the imaging reader  11 . The imaging reader  11  is a portable scanner, employing an internal power source such as a battery, but could just as easily be a reader having a wire connection from which power is supplied, or remotely powered through an induction system without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. In addition to imaging and decoding 1D and 2D soft barcodes, the imaging reader  11  is also capable of capturing soft images, soft signature imaging acquisition and identification systems, soft optical character recognition systems, soft fingerprint identification systems, and the like. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the imaging reader  11  illustrates one example application of a mobile device  12 , such as a cell phone possessing a target object  14  being in the example form of soft indicia, such as a soft barcode that is read by the imaging reader. The imaging reader  11  includes a handle  16  adapted for gripping by an operator during use and a housing  18  that supports a scanning arrangement  20  therein. The scanning arrangement  20  includes a camera  22  that has a field-of-view  24  to be directed toward the target object  14  (e.g., soft barcode) during operation. In the illustrated embodiment, the camera&#39;s field-of-view  24  is enabled for imaging the soft barcode  14  when the operator engages a trigger  26  located on the handle  16 . However, it is noted that in another example embodiment, the imaging reader  11  is automatically enabled without the need of operator intervention or activation of a trigger such as a presentation type imaging reader. 
     The scanning arrangement  20 , including the camera  22  comprises a conventional scan engine, having CCD or CMOS imaging configuration. The scan engine&#39;s imaging configuration typically comprises a plurality of photosensitive elements (photosensors) or pixels typically aligned in an array pattern that could include a number of arrays. Light reflected from the soft barcode  14  is focused through a focusing lens internal to the scanning arrangement&#39;s  20  camera  22  onto an internal pixel array (not shown). The focusing lens as a result, generates an image from its field-of-view  24  that is projected onto the pixel array. Periodically, the pixels of the array of the camera  22  are sequentially read out, creating an analog signal representative of a captured image frame. The analog signal is amplified by a gain factor, by for example, an operational amplifier or microprocessor that can be either internal or external to the scanning arrangement  20 . The amplified analog signal is digitized by an analog-to-digital (“A/D”) converter. Decoding circuitry and the A/D converter can also be internal or external to the scanning arrangement  20  and accordingly process the digitized signals representative of the captured image frame and attempt to decode the imaged soft barcode  14 . 
       FIG. 2A  is a partial sectional-side view of the imaging reader  11  and a partial sectional-side view of the mobile device  12  in  FIG. 1 . The mobile device  12  includes a display cover  28 , typically having polarization properties and made from transparent plastic or glass for protecting a liquid crystal display (“LCD”)  30  located along an interior  32  of the mobile device. The soft barcode  14  is generated on the surface of the LCD  30  behind the display cover  28 . 
     Surrounding the perimeter of the housing  18  are illumination sources  34  that provide smart illumination  36  to the imaging system  10  and particularly to the imaging reader  11 . The illumination sources  34  can include a single light emitting diode (“LED”) or could include a plurality of LEDs or a bank of LEDs for projecting illumination toward the target object  14 . The camera&#39;s field-of-view  24  is symmetrically located about the camera&#39;s optical axis (“OA”) and is expanded to include the area represented by the dimension (“TF”) to form the camera&#39;s full field-of-view and capable of capturing and imaging objects therein, and in particular, target objects  14 . 
     The illumination source  34  of the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 2A  is one of several, individual LEDs elliptically positioned around the perimeter of the imaging reader  11  as better seen in  FIG. 1 . Each illumination source  34  includes an illumination axis (“IA”) that is symmetrically located about the center of the smart illumination  36  as it is projected from the illumination source. 
     Smart illumination  36  substantially eliminates the highlighting and reflection from the display cover  28  surface and provides sufficient illumination to the target object  14  by fixing the illumination sources  34  so that reflection therefrom is excluded from the field-of-view  24  of the camera  22 . In particular, the illumination sources  34  are positioned such that the reflection of the smart illumination  36  from the surface of the display cover  28  of the mobile device  12  is not in the field-of-view  24  of the camera  22 . 
     The smart illumination  36  further substantially eliminates the highlighting and reflection from the display cover  28  and provides sufficient illumination to the target object  14  by projecting a narrow illumination field-of-view  38  that is achieved by positioning the illumination sources  34  at an angle alpha (“α”) other than normal or ninety (90°) degrees to the surface of the mobile device  12  display cover  28 . Stated another way, the illumination sources  34  are oriented to produce the narrow illumination field-of-view  38  such that the reflection from the illumination sources does not reflect into the camera&#39;s field-of-view  24 , represented by reflected ray tracings  40 . At the same time, a portion of the smart illumination  36  from the illumination source  34  passes through the surface of the display cover  28 , illuminating the target object  14  for the imaging reader  11 , as illustrated by illuminating ray tracings  42 . In the illustrated example embodiment of  FIG. 2A , the angle α is substantially equal to forty-five (45°) degrees to a normal line (“NL”) being substantially orthogonal to the surface of the display cover  28 . 
     The narrow illumination field-of-view  38  of the smart illumination  36  is also achieved by narrowing the focus of the illumination source to an angle (“β”) being less than one hundred and eighty (180°) degrees. In one example embodiment, the focused field-of-view represented by β are LEDs having a range between ten (10°) and twenty (20°) degrees, and in the exemplary embodiment β is approximately equal to fifteen (15°) degrees. 
     In constructing the narrow illumination field-of-view  38 , it is desirable to position the illumination sources  34  as close to the camera  22  optical axis OA as possible without violating the above-mentioned construct of the smart illumination  36 . In the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 2A , numerous illumination sources  34  obeying the above-mentioned construct of the smart illumination  36  are positioned around the imaging reader  11  or camera  22  in order to provide a piecewise continuous illumination for the entire target object  14 . While the example embodiment of  FIG. 1  illustrates the illumination sources  34  having an elliptical pattern, many other patterns, such as linear patterns, circular patterns, and the like or even a single illumination source could be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. The LEDs of the illumination sources  34  provide direct lighting that is superior over diffuse lighting applications because of the smart illumination  36  construct disclosed herein. 
       FIG. 2B  is a partial sectional-side view of an imaging reader  11  constructed in accordance with another example embodiment of the present disclosure and a partial sectional-side view of the mobile device  12  in  FIG. 1 . Surrounding the perimeter of the housing  18  are illumination sources  35  that provide smart illumination  36  to the imaging system  10  and particularly to the imaging reader  11 . The illumination sources  35  in the example embodiment of  FIG. 2B  are frontlight assemblies that emit an extended beam of parallel or columnated light toward the target object  14 . The construct of the frontlight assemblies  35  are further described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,587 that issued on Nov. 7, 2006 to He et al. and assigned to the assignee of this disclosure and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ILLUMINATING AND READING OPTICAL CODES IMPRINTED OR DISPLAYED ON REFECTIVE SURFACES, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 
     The illumination source  35  of the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 2B  is one of several, individual frontlight assemblies elliptically positioned around the perimeter of the imaging reader  11 . Each illumination source  35  includes an illumination axis (“IA”) that is symmetrically located about the center of the smart illumination  36  as it is projected from the illumination source. 
     Smart illumination  36  substantially eliminates the highlighting and reflection from the display cover  28  surface and provides sufficient illumination to the target object  14  by fixing the illumination sources  35  so that reflection therefrom is excluded from the field-of-view  24  of the camera  22 . In particular, the illumination sources  35  are positioned such that the reflection of the smart illumination  36  from the surface of the display cover  28  of the mobile device  12  is not in the field-of-view  24  of the camera  22 . 
     The smart illumination  36  further substantially eliminates the highlighting and reflection from the display cover  28  and provides sufficient illumination to the target object  14  by projecting a narrow illumination field-of-view  38  that is achieved by positioning the illumination sources  35  at an angle alpha (“α”) other than normal or ninety (90°) degrees to the surface of the mobile device  12  display cover  28 . Stated another way, the illumination sources  35  are oriented to produce the narrow illumination field-of-view  38  such that the reflection from the illumination sources does not reflect into the camera&#39;s field-of-view  24 , represented by reflected ray tracings  40 . At the same time, a portion of the smart illumination  36  from the illumination source  35  passes through the surface of the display cover  28 , illuminating the target object  14  for the imaging reader  11 , as illustrated by illuminating ray tracings  42 . In the illustrated example embodiment of  FIG. 2B , the angle α is substantially equal to forty-five (45°) degrees to a normal line (“NL”) being substantially orthogonal to the surface of the display cover  28 . The narrow illumination field-of-view  38  of the smart illumination  36  is also achieved by a narrow parallel or columnated continuous light beam projected from the frontlight assembly illumination source  35 . 
     In constructing the narrow illumination field-of-view  38 , it is desirable to position the illumination sources  35  as close to the camera  22  optical axis OA as possible without violating the above-mentioned construct of the smart illumination  36 . In the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 2B , numerous illumination sources  35  obeying the above-mentioned construct of the smart illumination  36  are positioned around the imaging reader  11  or camera  22  in order to provide a piecewise continuous illumination for the entire target object  14 . While the example embodiment of  FIG. 1  illustrates the illumination sources  34  having an elliptical pattern, many other patterns, such as linear patterns, circular patterns, and the like or even a single illumination source could be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3  is another example embodiment of an imaging system  100 . The imaging system  100  includes both an imaging reader  102  and imaging stand  104 . The imaging stand  104  includes a cross-section of a housing enclosure  106  and support fixture  108 . The housing enclosure  106  can be any geometrical shape, for example a circular enclosure located about a reading end  109  of the imaging stand  104 . The imaging stand further includes at an end opposite the reading end  109  an opening  110  for receiving an imaging end  112  of the imaging reader  102 . The imaging reader  102  can be fixedly positioned within the opening  110  of the housing  106  by fasteners (not shown), by support from a mounting plate  114 , or freely oriented and supported by gravity, having a substantially equal weight distribution between the imaging reader&#39;s housing and handle positioned in a state of equilibrium over a pendulum (not shown), or any combination thereof. 
     The imaging reader  102  includes a scanning arrangement  116  and camera  118  of similar construction and operation of the scanning arrangement  20  and camera  22  of the example embodiments associated with  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A, and  2 B. Referring again to  FIG. 3 , the imaging system  100  illustrates a sectional view of one example application of a mobile device  120 , such as a cell phone possessing a target object  122  being in the example a form of soft indicia, such as a soft barcode that is read by the imaging reader  102 . The imaging reader  102  includes a handle  123  adapted for gripping by an operator during use and a housing  124  that supports the scanning arrangement  116  therein. The camera  118  has a field-of-view  126  that is directed toward the target object  122  (e.g., soft barcode) during operation. In the illustrated embodiment, the camera&#39;s field-of-view  126  is enabled for imaging the soft barcode  122  when the operator engages a trigger  128  located on the handle  123 . However, it is noted that in another example embodiment, the imaging reader  102  is automatically enabled without the need of operator intervention or activation of a trigger, such as a presentation type imaging reader. 
     The mobile device  120  includes a display cover  130 , typically having polarization properties and made from transparent plastic or glass for protecting a liquid crystal display LCD  132  located along an interior  134  of the mobile device. The soft indicia  122  are generated on the surface of the LCD  132  behind the display cover  130 . 
     Surrounding the perimeter of the housing enclosure  106  are illumination sources  140  that provide smart illumination  142  to the imaging system  100  and particularly to the imaging reader  102 . The illumination sources  140  can include a single light emitting diode LED, a plurality of LEDs, a bank of LEDs, a frontlight assembly, or plurality of frontlight assemblies as in  FIG. 2B  for projecting illumination toward the target object  122 . The camera&#39;s field-of-view  126  is symmetrically located about the camera&#39;s optical axis OA and is expanded to include the area represented by the dimension TF to form the camera&#39;s full field-of-view and capable of capturing and imaging objects therein, and in particular, target objects  122 . 
     The illumination source  140  of the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 3  is one of several, individual LEDs elliptically positioned around the perimeter of the imaging stand  104 . Each illumination source  140  includes an illumination axis IA that is symmetrically located about the center of the smart illumination  142  as it is projected from the illumination source. 
     The imaging stand  104  is constructed to provide smart illumination  142 , allowing standard imaging readers  102  of various configurations to be adapted for reading soft indicia  122  located on a mobile device  120 . The imaging stand  104  in another example embodiment allows any standard reader to be used where the application specific needs can be adapted to the imaging stand  104  while the imaging reader  102  remains generic. In yet another example embodiment, the housing enclosure  106  is adapted with baffles to protect against strong ambient light during imaging by the imaging reader  102 . Advantageously, the imaging stand  104  is less expensive to design and build than a full imaging reader. This lowers the risk associated with new imaging products. The imaging stand  104  further provides a low cost fixed station solution that could be desirable for many venue access applications. 
     The imaging reader  102  in one example embodiment is a portable reader and as such can be removed from the imaging stand  104  and used outside of the imaging stand for other more traditional track and trace barcode reading applications. In yet another embodiment, the imaging stand  104  is powered directly, and in an alternative embodiment, the imaging stand derives its power from the imaging reader  102 . 
     Smart illumination  142  substantially eliminates the highlighting and reflection from the display cover  130  surface and provides sufficient illumination to the target object  122  by fixing the illumination sources  140  so that reflection therefrom is excluded from the field-of-view  126  of the camera  118 . In particular, the illumination sources  140  are positioned such that the reflection from the smart illumination  142  from the surface of the display cover  130  of the mobile device  120  is not in the field-of-view  126  of the camera  118 . 
     The smart illumination  142  further substantially eliminates the highlighting and reflection from the display cover  130  and provides sufficient illumination to the target object  122  by projecting a narrow illumination field-of-view  144  that is achieved by positioning the illumination sources  140  at an angle alpha (“α”) other than normal or ninety (90°) degrees to the surface of the mobile device  120  display cover  130 . Stated another way, the illumination sources  140  are oriented to produce the narrow illumination field-of-view  144  such that the reflection from the illumination sources does not appear in the camera&#39;s field-of-view  126 , represented by reflected ray tracings  146 . At the same time, a portion of the smart illumination  142  from the illumination source  140  passes through the surface of the display cover  130 , illuminating the target object  122  for the imaging reader  102 , as illustrated by illuminating ray tracings  148 . In the illustrated example embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the angle α is substantially equal to forty-five (45°) degrees to a normal line (“NL”) being substantially orthogonal to the surface of the display cover  130 . 
     The narrow illumination field-of-view  144  of the smart illumination  142  is also achieved through either employing the parallel or columnated light approach of using frontlight illumination  35  taught in  FIG. 2B  adapted to the housing enclosure  106  (not shown) or by narrowing the focus of the illumination source  140  to an angle (“β”) being less than one hundred and eighty (180°) degrees, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . In one example embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the focused field-of-view represented by β are LEDs having a range between ten (10°) and twenty (20°) degrees, and in the exemplary embodiment β is approximately equal to fifteen (15°) degrees. 
     In constructing the narrow illumination field-of-view  144 , it is desirable to position the illumination sources  140  as close to the camera  118  optical axis OA as possible without violating the above-mentioned construct of the smart illumination  142 . In the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 3 , numerous illumination sources  140  obeying the above-mentioned construct of the smart illumination  142  are positioned around the imaging stand  104  in order to provide a piecewise continuous illumination for the entire target object  122 . It is intended for the illumination sources  142  to have and elliptical pattern in the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 3 , however many other patterns, such as linear patterns, circular patterns, and the like or even a single illumination source  140  could be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. The LEDs of the illumination sources  140  provide direct lighting that is superior over diffuse lighting applications because of the smart illumination  142  construct disclosed herein. 
     Illustrated in  FIG. 4  is block diagram illustrating an illumination process  200  for reading soft indicia on a mobile device in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. At  210 , an illumination source is positioned outside a field-of-view of a scanning arrangement associated with an imaging reader. At  220 , the illumination source is oriented to have a narrow field of view projected at the targeted soft indicia or indicium. At  230 , the target object being soft indicia or indicium is illuminated by the illumination source. At  240 , the target object is imaged by the imaging reader. In yet another example embodiment, the illumination source of the process of  FIG. 4  comprises a plurality of LEDs oriented about the surface of the imaging reader. While in another example embodiment, the illumination source of the process of  FIG. 4  comprises a plurality of frontlight assemblies oriented about the surface of the imaging reader. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating an illumination process  300  for reading soft indicia on a mobile device in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. At  310 , an imaging reader is removably positioned in a designated imaging stand constructed for reading soft indicia, such as soft barcodes. At  320 , at least one soft barcode is illuminated by the designated imaging stand. At  330 , at least one soft barcode is imaged with the removably positioned imaging reader. In yet another example embodiment, the illumination source of the process of  FIG. 5  comprises a plurality of LEDs oriented about the perimeter of the designated imaging stand. While in another example embodiment, the illumination source of the process of  FIG. 5  comprises a plurality of frontlight assemblies oriented about the perimeter of the designated imaging stand. 
     What have been described above are examples of the present invention. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.