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Barcode

The barcode was invented in 1952 by Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver as an automatic method to identify railway cars. It took until the 1960s for barcodes to begin commercial use, becoming widely successful in the 1980s. A barcode contains bars and spaces that are read by an optical scanner and transmitted to a computer. Common linear barcodes include EAN, Code 128, and Code 39, while 2D codes like PDF417 and QR codes store more data vertically and horizontally. Barcodes provide benefits like speeding checkout times, easy inventory tracking, and low error rates.

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63 views4 pages

Barcode

The barcode was invented in 1952 by Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver as an automatic method to identify railway cars. It took until the 1960s for barcodes to begin commercial use, becoming widely successful in the 1980s. A barcode contains bars and spaces that are read by an optical scanner and transmitted to a computer. Common linear barcodes include EAN, Code 128, and Code 39, while 2D codes like PDF417 and QR codes store more data vertically and horizontally. Barcodes provide benefits like speeding checkout times, easy inventory tracking, and low error rates.

Uploaded by

7327 Abcdfg
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BARCODE HISTORY

what is the barcode?

Combination of lines and numbers that is printed on the packaging of consumer products
so that it can be read and deciphered by an optical reader that transmits the data to a
machine or computer; It usually contains information such as the date of packaging, the
batch number, the origin and other data

When was the barcode first used?

October 7, 1952
Until October 7, 1952, two Americans patented the now ubiquitous barcode, and entered
history. However, it would not be until two decades later that his invention would
become suitable for global commercialization.
their creators

The first barcode patent was granted on October 7, 1952 (US Patent #2,612,994) by
inventors Joseph Woodland, Jordin Johanson and Bernard Silver in the United States.
The implementation was possible thanks to the work of engineers Raymond Alexander
and Frank Stietz. The result of his work was a method of identifying railway cars using
an automatic system. However, it was not until 1966 that the barcode began to be used
commercially and it did not become commercially successful until 1980 .

basic nomenclature

Module: is the minimum or basic unit of a code. The bars and spaces are formed by a set
of modules.
Bar: the dark element within the code. It is mapped to the binary value 1.
Space: the clear element within the code. It is mapped to the binary value 0.
Character: made up of bars and spaces. Usually corresponds to an alphanumeric
character .

situation in the product


Barcodes are printed on product containers, packaging or labels. Among its basic
requirements are visibility and easy legibility, which is why adequate color contrast is
essential. In this sense, black on a white background is the most common, also finding
blue on white or black on brown in corrugated cardboard boxes. The barcode is printed
by manufacturers (or, more commonly, by packaging and label manufacturers on behalf
of the former) and sometimes by distributors.

In order not to obscure the image of the product and its promotional messages, it is
recommended to print the barcode in inconspicuous places such as the sides or the back
of the package. However, in cases of small products that are distributed individually, it
cannot be avoided that they occupy a large part of their surface: markers, glue sticks,
among others.

Barcode Types

Barcodes are divided into two main groups: linear (or one-dimensional) barcodes and
two-dimensional barcodes.

Linear barcodes
Some of the most common linear or one-dimensional barcodes are:

EAN
Code 128
Code 39
Code 93
code bar
CPU

Matrix barcodes

The matrix or two-dimensional codes, in which it is read both horizontally and


vertically, were born as a logical evolution of the one-dimensional ones to increase the
capacity to represent content.2

Some of the most common two-dimensional barcodes are:


PDF417
data matrix
QR
BIDI

Advantages of the barcode

Among all the first justifications for the implementation of the bar code were the need to
speed up the reading of the items in the boxes and the need to avoid typing errors. Other
advantages of this system that can be highlighted are:

Agility in labeling prices, since it is not necessary to do it on the item, but simply on the
shelf.
Quick control of the stock of goods.
Trade statistics. The bar code allows knowing the references sold at any given time,
being able to draw marketing conclusions.
The consumer obtains a list of items on the purchase receipt, which allows their
verification and eventual claim.
It is printed at low cost.
It has very low error rates.
It allows to quickly capture the data.
The barcode reading and printing equipment is flexible and easy to connect and install.
It allows to automate the registration and follow-up of the products.

The information is processed and stored based on a binary digital system where
everything is summarized in successions of ones and zeros. The memory and
logical decision center is an electronic computer of the universal type, already
available in many commercial companies and generally compatible with the
different makes and models preferred in each country. These equipments also
allow different branches or distributors to interconnect with each other,
centralizing all the information. Now the distributor can better understand the
dynamic parameters of his commercial circuits, allowing him to improve
performance and decision-making, since he will know exactly and instantly all
the information coming from the outlets, whether or not they are at his
headquarters. It knows the deposit permanence times of each product and the
days and hours in which consumers carry out their shopping routines, thus
being able to decide when to present offers, for what products and at what
prices.

Among the few disadvantages attributed to it is the impossibility of remembering


the price of the product once it is removed from the shelf. It should also be
clarified that the QR code is not a barcode itself, its reading methods differ and
clearly QRs are not bars. They are included here because they are used for the
same purpose as bar codes.

Applications example

inventory control
Access control
Point of sale
QA
Control of shipments and receipts
Control of documents and their tracking
Accurate activity tracking
Accurate tracking of transported goods
Billing
library service

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