Patent ID: 7607581

Claim:
A digital imaging-based code symbol reading system having a set of standard features and functions, and a set of custom features and functionalities that satisfy customized end-user application requirements, said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system comprising: a housing having a light transmission window, a digital camera subsystem, disposed in said housing, for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said light transmission window and upon an object to be imaged in said FOV, and detecting imaged light reflected off the object during illumination operations in an image capture mode in which one or more digital images of the object are formed and detected by said digital camera subsystem; a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said housing, for processing said one or more digital images and producing raw or processed data, or recognizing or acquiring information graphically represented therein, and producing output data representative of said recognized information; an input/output subsystem, disposed in said housing, for transmitting said output data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device; a system control subsystem, disposed in said housing, for controlling and/or coordinating the operation of said subsystems above; and a computing platform, disposed in said housing, for supporting the implementation of one or more of said subsystems above, and the features and functions of said digital image-based code symbol reading system; said computing platform including (i) memory for storing pieces of original product code written by the original designers of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system, and (ii) a microprocessor for running one or more applications by calling and executing pieces of said original product code in a particular sequence, so as to support a set of standard features and functions which characterize a standard behavior of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system; wherein said one or more pieces of original product code have a set of place holders into which a third-party product code can be inserted or plugged in by third parties, including value-added resellers (VARs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and also end-users of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system; and wherein one or more pieces of said third-party product code that have been plugged into said set of place holders, operate to extend the features and functions of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system, and modify the standard behavior of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system into a custom behavior for said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system.