A method for converting a standard, consumer, hand held, cellular telephone into a hand held point of sale (POS) credit card terminal, utilizing an attachment module which plugs into the data port on the bottom or external RS-232 port of the cellular phone is described herein. The Module is comprised of: a reinforced plastic enclosure molded to the contour of the cellular phone; an internal printed circuit board containing a micro-processor unit, a memory chip, an I/R interface chip, I/R diodes; a credit card reader head that has been modified to reduce the size of the reader head thickness; a barcode reader; an electronic fingerprint reader interface and an encryption module chip.

Plug in credit card reader module for wireless cellular phone verifications

A system for accepting and storing items for subsequent pickup by a commercial carrier includes a storage area which is defined by an outer housing, and a customer interface area that includes a weighing unit and a unit, such as a magnetic card reader, for accepting payment from a customer. The system may also include a control system that accepts address information from the customer through a key pad, and then instructs a printer to print an address label for the item. The system includes safeguards which prevent unauthorized access to the storage area, and will not provide a receipt to the customer until internal sensors verify deposit of the item. A manifest printer may also be provided for the benefit of the commercial carriers who service the system, to print out a summary of the transactions that pertain to each carrier. Alternatively, no storage area is provided. Instead, the item is given to a human attendant, such as a check out clerk of a grocery or hardware store and the like, with the appropriate mailing label for validation of receipt of the item by the attendant.

Automated package shipping machine

A method and system for determining the dimensional volume of a package by moving the package on a conveyor belt system over a horizontally disposed strip containing machine-readable indicia indicating units of incremental length along said strip starting from a zero point and by a vertically disposed strip containing machine-readable indicia indicating units of incremental length along said strip starting from a zero point, with a horizontally disposed reader above the horizontally disposed strip to read the uncovered indicia on the horizontally disposed strip and a vertically disposed reader able to read the uncovered indicia on the vertically disposed strip with a computer to determine the lowest uncovered incremental length measurement of the indicia on tile horizontally disposed strip, such measurement being tile width of tile package and the lowest uncovered incremental length measurement of tile indicia on tile vertically disposed strip, such measurement being tile height of tile package, and a device to measure tile package's length as it moves on the conveyor belt system such that the computer calculates tile package's dimensional volume by taking tile product of tile measurements for the length, tile height and tile width of the package. A weigh-in-motion scale is utilized on the conveyor belt system, the output of which is also directed to the computer to calculate tile package's dimensional weight.

Package dimensional volume and weight determination system for conveyors

A method and apparatus for measuring the length, width, and height of rectangular solid objects moving on a conveyor. The apparatus includes a light curtain, two laser triangulation range finders, and a pulse tachometer mounted on a frame around a conveyor. As an object is conveyed through the frame, measurements from each of the sensors are correlated by a digital computer to estimate the length, width and height of the object. The method and apparatus does not require a break in the surface of the conveyor, and is insensitive to object placement and orientation on the conveyor.

Method and apparatus for measuring dimensions of objects on a conveyor

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for determining the dimension of an object. The apparatus of the present invention includes a transmitter that is positioned at a first point of interest on an object. The transmitter transmits a scanning light beam rotated at a predetermined angular velocity. Located at a second point of interest on the object is a target. At least a portion of the target defines a first plane that reflects the scanning light beam as the scanning light beam traverses across the target. To receive the reflected signal from the target, the apparatus of the present invention further includes a receiver positioned at the first point of interest. Additionally, the apparatus of the present invention includes a processor for processing the reflected signal and determining the dimensions of the object. In operation, the scanning light beam scans the target, where the radius of the arc that the light beam traverses across the target defines the dimension of the object. To determine the radius of the arc, the apparatus of the present invention uses the known width of the target, the angular velocity of the scanning light beam, and the time required for the scanning light beam to traverse the target. In addition to determining a dimension of an object, the present invention also provides apparatus and method for calibrating the measurement system and determining when the system is in steady state operation.

Portable measurement apparatus for determinging the dimensions of an object and associated method

A method for three dimensional measurement of objects (1) being conveyed through or moved relative to a measurement frame (4) for, by incremental measurements of height, width and length of the object to calculate cubical and circumscribed volume of the object. Each transmitter/receiver element pair of the measurement frame (4) is calibrated by controlling the amount of the light emitted from the transmitter and the threshold level of the receiver, such that the signal/noise ratio of the receiver lies above a specific limit, simultaneously with the illumination time being kept the shortest possible. By incremental measurements at least one pair consisting of transmitter element and directly opposite receiver element in the measurement frame (4) is activated at time, and an external signal being a function of the movement of the object relative to the measurement frame is compared with the registered signals from the receiver elements for calculation of the said volumes. The measurement frame is constructed in the form of horizontal and vertical transmitter- and receiver modules (6.1, 6.2; 8.1, 8.2; 7.1, 7.2; 9.1, 9.2) consisting of said transmitter elements and receiver elements, respectively. A computer is connected to the measurement frame for calibration of the respective transmitter- and receiver elements of the measurement frame (4) and for calculation of said volumes being derived as a result of shadow images of the object on the receiver elements. A display (22) is associated with the computer for display of the volume magnitude of the object. Utilization for e.g. calculation of freight charges of objects.

Einar Oslo No Sorensen

Papers

A method relating to three dimensional measurement of objects

Three-dimensional object measurement