Automatically-activated hand-supportable omni-directional laser scanning bar code symbol reader having a user-selectable linear scanning menu-reading mode supported by a omni-directional laser scanning pattern having temporally varying intensity characteristics for improved bar code symbol navigation and alignment during menu-reading operations

1. 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.

2. The automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device of claim 1 , wherein said control activation signal enables communication of symbol character data produced by said bar code symbol reading system, to said host system in an automatic manner.

3. The automatically-activated laser scanning bar code symbol reading device of claim 1 , which further comprises a control subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing for enabling the transmission of produced symbol character data to said host system or data storage device, only when said manually-actuatable data transmission control activation switch is manually actuated by the user during a bar code symbol reading cycle.

4. The automatically-activated laser scanning bar code symbol reading device of claim 3 , wherein the bar code symbol reading cycle is visually signaled to the user by a bar code symbol reading state indicator provided on said hand-supportable housing.

5. An automatically-activated bar code reading system comprising:

a visible laser light source, scanning element and a plurality of stationary mirrors arranged in a first configuration and cooperating to produce a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern with multiple laser scanning lines having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to a scanning window within a working distance of said system; and

wherein said visible laser light source, said scanning element and said plurality of stationary mirrors are arranged in a second configuration and cooperate to produce 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, at a given scanning plane parallel to said scanning window within the working distance of said system.

6. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 5 , wherein a pulse frequency and width of a visible laser light source is dynamically-controlled to selectively enable the visible laser light source to produce said visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern having temporally varying intensity characteristics, against said single visible laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to the scanning window within the working distance of said system, only when the light produced therefrom is directed by said scanning element onto a predetermined subset of said plurality of stationary mirrors, to thereby support a uni-directional bar code reading mode of operation.

7. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 5 , wherein said scanning element is realized as a rotating light directing element, and wherein timing signals are derived and synchronized to a particular interval in a rotation cycle of said rotating light directing element, when the rotating light directing element directs light produced from the visible laser light source onto the predetermined subset of said plurality of stationary mirrors.

8. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 7 , wherein said timing signals are derived from a position sensor integrated into a rotating portion of said rotating light directing element.

9. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 8 , wherein said timing signals are derived using a position indicating optical element mounted adjacent or near the perimeter of one of said stationary mirrors, such that said position indicating optical element is illuminated by light produced from said visible laser light source when said rotating light directing element reaches a predetermined point in its rotation.