Patent ID: 7431215

Claim:
An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device comprising: a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a hand-supportable housing and capable of operating in two different bar code reading modes, namely: in a first bar code reading mode, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity for repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby; in a second bar code reading mode, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern having temporally varying intensity characteristics, against a single visible laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics for repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby; wherein said hand-supportable housing further comprises a manually-actuatable data transmission control activation switch that is capable of serving dual purposes, namely: (i) producing a control activation signal that enables communication of symbol character data produced by said bar code symbol reading mechanism to a host system in an automatic manner, as well as (ii) enabling the manual selection of the bar code mode reading modes supported by said device, in response to preprogrammed conditions determined by an automatic IR-enabled object detection subsystem embodied within said hand-supportable housing.