Patent ID: 7314177

Claim:
A reading device for reading an interface surface provided on a product item, the interface surface having disposed thereon coded data indicative of an identity of the product item, the coded data being disposed on or in a substrate in accordance with at least one layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout, the coded data disposed in accordance with each sub--layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes the rotation of that sub-layout from the rotation of at least one other sub-layout within the layout, the reading device including: (a) a harness having a finger portion; (b) a housing coupled to the harness finger portion for mounting on at least one finger of the user in use, the housing including an aperture, wherein the housing is coupled to the harness finger portion such that the aperture is positioned on an underside of the user's finger in use; (c) a sensor provided in the housing for sensing at least some of the coded data through the aperture; and (d) a processor for determining, using at least some of the sensed coded data, product identity data indicative of the identity of the product item.