AUTOMATICALLY-ACTIVATED HAND-SUPPORTABLE MULTI-MODE LASER SCANNING BAR CODE SYMBOL READING SYSTEM

A multi-mode laser-based bar code symbol reading device having a hand-supportable housing with a light transmission aperture, wherethrough visible light can exit and enter the hand-supportable housing. A laser scanning engine, disposed within the hand-supportable housing, is controlled to selectively operate in either an omni-directional scanning mode or a single line scanning mode. In the omni-directional scanning mode, the laser scanning engine projects an omni-directional scanning pattern through the light transmission aperture, detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the omni-directional scanning pattern, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. In the rastered scanning mode, the laser scanning engine projects rastered scanning pattern through the light transmission aperture and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the single line scanning pattern, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. In the single-line scanning mode, the laser scanning engine projects a single line scanning pattern through the light transmission aperture and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the single line scanning pattern, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. A manually-actuatable data transmission switch, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, produces an activation signal in response to the manual-actuation of the data transmission switch. A data transmission subsystem, disposed in the hand-supportable housing, operates under control of control circuitry to communicate the symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine to a host device operably coupled to the bar code symbol reading device. The control circuitry enables communication of symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine in the single line or rastered scanning mode of operation to the host device in response to the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch, and the control circuitry enables communication of symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine in the omni-directional scanning mode of operation to the host device irrespective of the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch.