Patent ID: 8474724

Claim:
A reader module comprising: a housing structure that includes a barrel portion and a handle portion, the handle portion having a bottom end that is distal to the barrel portion and a to end that is proximate to the barrel portion, the handle portion forming a cavity opening at the bottom end of the handle portion and extending up into the handle portion toward the top end of the handle portion; a reader connector residing at a top end of the cavity proximate the to end of the handle portion; a removable power/communication module that is configured to be inserted through the opening at the bottom end of the cavity into the cavity, the removable module comprising: a power/communication module connector for releasable connection to the reader connector; a power supply linked to the module connector for providing power to the reader module via the reader connector; a communication component for communicating with an external computing device; an interface controller linked between the module connector and the communication component and programmed to translate data between the communication component and the reader module; and a module support structure securable to the reader housing and configured to support all of the module connector, power supply, communication component and interface controller such that the module support structure and components supported thereby are removable from the reader module as a single assembly.