Patent ID: 7347376

Claim:
A self-aligning structure for use in measuring the quality of an encoded indicium, comprising: a hollow chamber comprising: a first surface defining a first aperture, the first aperture representing a viewing area of an imager used to obtain an image of the encoded indicium; a second surface defining a second aperture, the second aperture configured to support the imager in a position to obtain the image of the encoded indicium; at least one source of illumination situated within the hollow chamber, the at least one source of illumination configured to illuminate the encoded indicium; and an illumination control operatively coupled to control the at least one source of illumination; the hollow chamber configured to be positioned adjacent the encoded indicium such that, when the encoded indicium is positioned within the viewing area, when an imager is supported in the second aperture, and when the at least one illumination source is properly controlled, the structure is self-aligned and the imager can obtain at least one image of the encoded indicium from which image the quality of the encoded indicium can be measured, wherein the hollow chamber is constructed in a plurality of mating sections, a first section comprising the first surface defining the first aperture representing the viewing area of the imager of the encoded indicium, and a second section comprising the second surface defining the second aperture configured to support the imager in the position to obtain the image of the encoded indicium.