Importance

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Abstract

The invention is a universal input device for a computer which can be either used as a point-and-click bar code reader, a bar code scanner, mouse, handwriting input, or text scanner, all from an off-screen medium. The universal input device can be used to read both arbitrary user-defined bar code or standardized bar code. In either case, the bar code may symbolize any alphanumeric character or macro instruction for an operating system which is programmed on the computer. The universal input device uses a single line of linear CCD detectors. In the static mode, the single linear array is used as a point-and-click input device for bar code, provided that the optical length of the bar code is equal to or less than the length of the single linear array. In the linear mode, the bar code may exceed the optical length of the single linear array and the array then moved or scanned over the bar code. In the two-dimensional mode, a grid is used in combination with the single linear array to detect vertical and horizontal motion of the array. Alternatively, a scanning ruler with diagnonal timing bars may be used to guide the array across the line of text which then processed for character recognition. Still further, the array can be used in the two-dimensional mode to provide a bit map of handwriting. Used to read bar codes or as a mouse, the input device can be used to simulate an ASCII keyboard to input ASCII codes corresponding to the alphanumeric characters.

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First Claim