BARCODE SCANNER FOR SMART PHONE BY MAGNETIC CONNECTION

Abstract

A barcode scanner magnetically attachable to a smart phone includes a circuitry adaptor and a barcode-scanning device. The circuitry adaptor is plugged into a USB connector of the smart phone. The barcode-scanning device is magnetically and detachably connected to the circuitry adaptor, so that electricity and signals from the smart phone are transmitted to the barcode-scanning device, and barcode signals picked up by the barcode-scanning device are transmitted to the smart phone. When the barcode-scanning device undergoes external impact, the circuitry adaptor and the barcode-scanning device are detached from each other without damaging the USB connectors.

Claims

1. A barcode scanner for a smart phone by magnetic connection, comprising a circuitry adaptor and a barcode-scanning device, wherein the circuitry adaptor comprises a USB male connector, and on opposite side, comprises a magnet with a plurality of contacts which are electrically connected to its USB male connector; the barcode-scanning device comprises a plurality of pogo pins for establishing electrical connection with the contacts, and is magnetically and detachably attached to the circuitry adaptor; and electricity and signals from the smart phone are transmitted to the barcode-scanning device, and barcode signals picked up by the barcode-scanning device are transmitted to the smart phone, both through the pogo pins and contacts.

2. The barcode scanner according to claim 1, wherein the USB male connector of circuitry adaptor is for connecting to the USB female connector of the smart phone; and the barcode-scanning device has a magnetic part for magnetically and detachably attached to the magnet of circuitry adaptor.

3. The barcode scanner according to claim 1, wherein the pogo pins has their tips extruding out of a front side of the magnetic part; and the pogo pins are electrically connected to a circuit of the barcode-scanning device.

4. The barcode scanner according to claim 2, wherein a front part of the barcode-scanning device is separated into an independent second circuitry adaptor; the second circuitry adaptor has a USB female connector on a back side; and the barcode-scanning device has a USB male connector for plugging into the USB female connector of the second circuitry adaptor, thereby forming the barcode scanner.

5. The barcode scanner according to claim 1, wherein a barcode decoding software is stored in the barcode-scanning device or in the smart phone.

6. The barcode scanner according to claim 2, wherein the magnet of the circuitry adaptor has a polarity opposite to that of the magnetic part of the barcode-scanning device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram showing a conventional mobile computer.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective diagram showing another conventional mobile computer.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram from Taiwan Patent No. M486100.

[0021] FIG. 4 is another perspective diagram from Taiwan Patent No. M486100.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a perspective breakdown diagram showing a barcode scanner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a perspective diagram showing the barcode scanner of FIG. 5.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a schematic top view diagram showing the barcode scanner of FIG. 5.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a perspective breakdown diagram showing how a smart phone is charged through the circuitry adaptor of FIG. 5.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a perspective breakdown diagram showing a barcode scanner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, a barcode scanner according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a circuitry adaptor 1 and a barcode-scanning device 2. The circuitry adaptor 1 includes a USB male connector 11, and a number of contacts 12 configured on a side of the circuitry adaptor 1 opposite to the USB male connector 11. The USB male connector 11 is electrically connected to the contacts 12. In the present embodiment, the circuitry adaptor 1 includes a magnet.

[0029] The barcode-scanning device 2 includes a magnetic part 21 on a front end, and the magnetic part 21 has a number of chambers 211 respectively housing an equal number of pogo pins 22 where the pogo pins 22 have their tips extruding out of the magnetic part 21's front side, and the pogo pins 22 are electrically connected to a circuit 23 inside the barcode-scanning device 2. The magnetic part 21 is magnetized, and has a polarity opposite to that of the magnet inside the circuitry adaptor 1. The two therefore attract each other.

[0030] To use the barcode scanner, the USB male connector 11 of the circuitry adaptor 1 is first plugged into a USB female connector 31 of a smart phone 3. Then, the barcode-scanning device 2 is placed adjacent to the circuitry adaptor 1, where the two are joined together by the mutual magnetic attraction between the circuitry adaptor 1 and the magnetic part 21. The pogo pins 22 as such are contacted with and conducted to the contacts 12. In addition, due to the elasticity of pogo pins 22, they are pressed against the contacts 12 by their elasticity, thereby securing the electrical connection. Electricity and signals from the smart phone 3 are transmitted to the barcode-scanning device 2 through the pogo pins 22, while barcode signals picked up by the barcode-scanning device 2 are transmitted to the smart phone 3 also via the pogo pins 22. The decoding software may reside in the barcode-scanning device 2 or in the smart phone 3. When the barcode-scanning device 2 undergoes external impact, circuitry adaptor 1 and the magnetic part 21 are detached, without damaging the USB male connector 11 of the circuitry adaptor 1 or the USB female connector 31 of the smart phone 3. By placing the barcode-scanning device 2 again around the circuitry adaptor 1, the barcode-scanning device 2 restores its connection with the circuitry adaptor 1 automatically, resolving the problem suffered by prior arts such as the one discloses in Taiwan Patent No. M486100.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 8, to charge the smart phone 3 equipped with the circuitry adaptor 1, a charging adaptor 4 is magnetically attached to the circuitry adaptor 1 and a cable 41 of the charging adaptor 4 is connected to a power source (not shown) so as to charge the smart phone 3. Of course, it is also possible to remove the circuitry adaptor 1 from the smart phone 3 and the smart phone 3 may be charge through conventional means.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 9, a barcode scanner according to a second embodiment of the present invention further includes a second circuitry adaptor 2a. The second circuitry adaptor 2a includes the pogo pins 22 as in the previous embodiment and has a USB female connector 25 on a back side while the barcode-scanning device 2 of the present embodiment has a USB male connector 24 on a front side. The barcode-scanning device 2 and the second circuitry adaptor 2a are coupled together by plugging the USB male connector 24 into the USB female connector 25, thereby forming an integrated barcode-scanning device 2 as shown in FIG. 5. The advantage of the present embodiment is that it is easier to manufacture, but the disadvantage is that more material is involved.

[0033] While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the claims of the present invention.