History of Barcode
In 1948, tired of the slow and often incorrect human input of data at the checkout counter, a US supermarket approached Drexal Institute of Technology, Philadelphia , to find a solution to read product information automatically. Though the university declined the project, Bob Silver, a graduate student overheard the conversation and together with his friend Norman Joseph Woodland, a mechanical engineering teacher, took up the project himself.
The pair came up with several solutions, including a linear barcode and a "bull's eye code" made up of concentric circles and worked on a prototype to read them. In 1952 Silver and Woodland were granted a patent for their ideas but after receiving offers, including one from IBM, Woodland's employer, they sold to the highest bidder, Philco Corporation, who later sold it to RCA Corporation.
In 1966 the National Association of Food Chains (NAFC) put out a call to equipment manufacturers for systems that would speed up the checkout process. A year later the RCA Corporation, installed the first automated check out counter, reading product-coded labels using the "bull's eye code".
There were however problems with the RCA code and it was recognised that the industry would have to agree on a standard coding scheme open to all equipment manufacturers. In response a consortium was established to set guidelines for barcode development.
Around the same time, IBM's George Laurer, based on the ideas of his colleague Woodland , invented a code of rectangular bars. As a result, an adhoc symbol selection committee was formed to hear representations from RCA Corporation and IBM and they found IBM's code to have less distortion and that its size could be reduced.
On 3rd April 1973 the adhoc committee unveiled the UNIVERSAL PRODUCT CODE to the world with few modifications to IBM's rectangular symbol. A year later, on June 26th 1974 , Wrigley's Gum became the first consumer item ever scanned.
Meanwhile industrial applications of automatic ID had also begun. In the 1950s the Association of American Railroad had researched into automated ways of identifying railcars. In 1967 the Association adopted an optical barcode, known as 2 of 5, and car labelling and scanner installation started on October 10 th 1967 . The system was abandoned in the late 1970s due to economic troubles.
Since then however the barcode technology has expanded and advanced. More symbologies have been developed and their use has grown into other industries.
SATO's Data Collection Systems have developed with the industry. Inventing the first barcode thermal printer in 1981, SATO printers have all been designed to print the best quality barcodes, text and graphics. They have also been developed to fit a wide range of industries and applications. Just as the barcode technology has advanced and expanded into new dimensions so has the SATO product range. SATO offer printers, software, labels, carbon ribbon and accessories, to ensure they have the complete DCS and labelling solution for you and your business.




BARCODE
A barcode (also bar code) is a machine-readable representation of information (usually dark ink on a light background to create high and low reflectance which is converted to 1s and 0s). Originally, barcodes stored data in the widths and spacings of printed parallel lines, but today they also come in patterns of dots, concentric circles, and text codes hidden within images. Barcodes can be read by optical scanners called barcode readers or scanned from an image by special software. Barcodes are widely used to implement Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) systems that improve the speed and accuracy of computer data entry. An advantage over other methods of AIDC is that it is less expensive to implement. It will cost about US$0.005 to implement a barcode compared to passive RFID which still costs about US$0.07 to US$0.30 per tag



BARCODE

DISCRETE SYMBOLOGY





CONTINUOUS SYMBOLOGY







BARCODE READER
A barcode reader, also called a price scanner or point-of-sale (POS) scanner, is a hand-held or stationary input device used to capture and read information contained in a bar code. A barcode reader consists of a scanner, a decoder (either built-in or external), and a cable used to connect the reader with a computer. Because a barcode reader merely captures and translates the barcode into numbers and/or letters, the data must be sent to a computer so that a software application can make sense of the data. Barcode scanners can be connected to a computer through a serial port, keyboard port, or an interface device called a wedge. A barcode reader works by directing a beam of light across the bar code and measuring the amount of light that is reflected back. (The dark bars on a barcode reflect less light than the white spaces between them.) The scanner converts the light energy into electrical energy, which is then converted into data by the decoder and forwarded to a computer.
There are five basic kinds of barcode readers -- pen wands, slot scanners, Charge-Couple Device (CCD) scanners, image scanners, and laser scanners.
A pen wand is the simplest barcode reader. It contains no moving parts and is known for its durability and low cost. A pen wand can present a challenge to the user, however, because it has to remain in direct contact with the bar code, must be held at a certain angle, and has to be moved over the bar code at a certain speed.
A slot scanner remains stationary and the item with the bar code on it is pulled by hand through the slot. Slot scanners are typically used to scan bar codes on identification cards.
A CCD scanner has a better read-range than the pen wand and is often used in retail sales. Typically, a CCD scanner has a "gun" type interface and has to be held no more than one inch from the bar code. Each time the bar code is scanned, several readings are taken to reduce the possibility of errors. A disadvantage of the CCD scanner is that it cannot read a bar code that is wider than its input face.
An image scanner, also called a camera reader, uses a small video camera to capture an image of the bar code and then uses sophisticated digital image processing techniques to decode the bar code. It can read a bar code from about 3 to 9 inches away and generally costs less than a laser scanner.
A laser scanner, either hand-held or stationary, does not have to be close to the bar code in order to do its job. It uses a system of mirrors and lenses to allow the scanner to read the bar code regardless of orientation, and can easily read a bar code up to 24 inches away. To reduce the possibility of errors, a laser scanning may perform up to 500 scans per second. Specialized long-range laser scanners are capable of reading a bar code up to 30 feet away.


BAR CODE SCANNERS
l A device used to extract information optically from a Bar Code
l Bar Code symbol consists of series of vertical dark bars separated by light spaces
l When illuminated reflected light is detected by electro optical sensor

BAR CODE APPLICATIONS
l INVENTORY CONTROL
– Portable readers
l WORK-IN PROCESS TRACKING (WIP) COMPANY INVENTORY
– Raw materials
– WIP (Components, Assemblies, Semi finished Products)
– Finished Products
l SHIPPING
l ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)
– Direct communication between computers of two companies (Manufacturer & Vendor)
– Industry-wide EDI standards
– Reduces cost and saRETAIL APPLICATIONS
– Super markets
– Counter-mounted Bar Code scanners
– Universal Product Code (UPC)
– Price and description information
– WARE HOUSING
– HEALTH CARE APPLICATIONS
– Drugs, devices, instruments
– Identification of expiry date
– Blood banking
– Blood group
– Expiry date
– Donor traceability
– ves time of business transaction









WORKING
Each barcode has specific symbols defined as a series of bars in a barcode. The way to differentiate the barcode is by the height and width as well as the bar spacing. Each strip of bar can represent a number, character or alphanumeric character depending on which type of barcode symbology set is used.
Usually a barcode contains a start and end bar to denote the starting and ending point of the barcode. Sometimes, there is an additional bar called the checksum bar. The purpose of the checksum bar is used to determine whether the barcode is correct after calculation and ensures the accuracy of the barcode.
The barcode scanner’s photosensors can then read the barcodes and convert them to electrical pulses. Since each strip of bar is equivalent to a character, the barcode software can easily convert these electrical pulses into readable text that can be displayed on a monitor. This process is actually very fast and only takes a few milliseconds.
Nowadays there are many varieties of barcode scanners models. Their usage depends a lot on the type of industry and the work environment. Examples are desktop models, handheld and portable models.
One of the most popular type is the wireless barcode scanner. They connect to the base station or workstations wirelessly and can transmit data back to the terminal as long as they are within the wireless range radius.
Wireless barcode scanner are often used in the warehouse industry where workers can easily scan a barcode that can be placed in awkward positions or angles. It is also used in industries where goods are often moving from one location to another. Using a wireless barcode scanner allows freedom of movement and thus more efficient.

Benefits of using barcodes
In point-of-sale management, the use of barcodes can provide very detailed up-to-date information on key aspects of the business, enabling decisions to be made much more quickly and with more confidence. For example:
Fast-selling items can be identified quickly and automatically reordered to meet consumer demand,
Slow-selling items can be identified, preventing a build-up of unwanted stock,
The effects of repositioning a given product within a store can be monitored, allowing fast-moving more profitable items to occupy the best space,
Historical data can be used to predict seasonal fluctuations very accurately.
Items may be repriced on the shelf to reflect both sale prices and price increases.
Besides sales and inventory tracking, barcodes are very useful in shipping/receiving/tracking.
When a manufacturer packs a box with any given item, a Unique Indentifying Number (UID) can be assigned to the box.
A relational database can be created to relate the UID to relevant information about the box; such as order number, items packed, qty packed, final destination, etc…
The information can be transmitted through a communication system such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) so the retailer has the information about a shipment before it arrives.
Tracking results when shipments are sent to a Distribution Center (DC) before being forwarded to the final destination.
When the shipment gets to the final destination, the UID gets scanned, and the store knows where the order came from, what's inside the box, and how much to pay the manufacturer.
The reason bar codes are business friendly is that bar code scanners are relatively low cost and extremely accurate – only about 1/100,000 entries will be wrong.

ADVANTAGES OF BARCODE READER IN LIBRARIES
n Quick and error free entry of access and membership codes
n Ensures total integrity of collected data
n No queuing up at check out/check in counters
n Avoids piling up of data entry work for counter staff
n Aids generation of suitable reminders to delinquent borrowers
n Stock verification made easy