Patent ID: 8025232

Claim:
A hand held indicia reading apparatus for reading a decodable indicia on a substrate, the apparatus comprising: an integrated circuit comprising an image sensing and processing circuit, the image sensing and processing circuit including an image sensor array having a plurality of pixels formed in a plurality of rows and columns, wherein the image sensing and processing circuit includes a buffer circuit for buffering image data corresponding to a plurality of pixels of the image sensor array; a microprocessor addressable image frame memory being configured to retain a frame of image data, the frame of image data including a plurality of pixel values which together represent a two dimensional area of said substrate; a microprocessor being configured to address image data retained in said microprocessor addressable image frame memory for attempting to decode the decodable indicia, the indicia reading apparatus being configured to capture into said image frame memory a frame of image data comprising pixel values and corresponding to light incident on a group of pixels of said image sensor array and representing a two dimensional area of said substrate; said image sensing and processing circuit being in communication with said microprocessor addressable image frame memory and being capable of processing image data buffered by said buffer circuit so that the frame of image data retained in said microprocessor addressable image frame memory can include image data that has been subject to processing by said image sensing and processing circuit; a user interface allowing a user to activate a first configuration; wherein the indicia reading apparatus is configured so that the image sensing and processing circuit is enabled to perform a certain processing utilizing image data buffered by said buffer circuit when said first configuration is active; wherein the indicia reading apparatus is configured so that the image sensing and processing circuit is not enabled to perform the certain processing utilizing image data buffered by said buffer circuit when said first configuration is not active.