Bar Code

By
VIKAS.T
1MS09MCA57

November 2010

M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology

(Autonomous Institute Affiliated to VTU)
Bangalore – 54
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Department of Master of Computer Application

M. S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology

(Autonomous Institute Affiliated to VTU)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Seminar entitled Bar-Code

has been presented by VIKAS.T in 3rd semester of the degree of
MCA –2010 Examination, under our supervision and guidance.

DR T.V.SURESH KUMAR K.SAILAJA KUMAR NIRANJAN MURTHY

(PROFESSOR & HOD) (LECTURER) (LECTURER)
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Date: 01 Dec 2010

Acknowledgement

It gives me immense pleasure to present my

seminar on
‘Bar-code’.
The able guidance of my teaching staff department
made this study possible. They have been a
constant source of encouragement throughout the
completion of this seminar.

I would sincerely like to thank Mam. Silaja

Kumar & Sir.Niranjanmurthy for their help

& support during the making of this seminar report.
This report would not have been successful without
the immense guidance from my guide & the
valuable time that they have spent with me during
my report development stages.
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VIKAS.T
1MS09MCA57

CONTENTS
1. Introduction.
2. First Commercial Use.
3. How does BC works?
4. Universal Product Code.
5. Anatomy of Bar Code.
6. Breaking the code.
7. Advantages.
8. Disadvantages.
9. Bar Code Scanner.
10. Types of Scanners
11. Applications.
12. Conclusion.
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Introduction.
A bar code (also barcode) is an optical machine-
readable representation of data.
Bar codes represented data in the widths (lines)
and the spacings of parallel lines and may be
referred to as linear or 1D (1 dimensional)
barcodes or symbologies.
The first use of barcodes was to automate
grocery checkout systems, a task where they
have become almost universal today.
generically referred to as Auto ID Data Capture
(AIDC).
Barcodes can be read by optical scanners called
barcode readers or scanned from an image by
special software
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First Commercial Use

• Bar coding was first used commercially in 1966,

(but to make the system acceptable to the
industry as a whole there would have to be
some sort of industry standard).
• By 1970, Logicon Inc. had developed the
Universal Grocery Products Identification Code
(UGPIC).
• The first company to produce barcode
equipment for retail trade using was the
American company Monarch Making (1970), and
for industrial use, the British company Plessey
Telecommunications (1970).
• In June of 1974, the first UPC scanner was
installed at a Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
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• June 16, 1974 – customer Clyde Dawson

purchased the first item to be scanned, 10 packs
of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Gum.

How does a Barcode work?

Each character is represented by a pattern of

wide and narrow bars. A barcode reader uses a
photo sensor to convert the barcode into an
electrical signal as it moves across a barcode.
The scanner then measures the relative widths
of the bars and spaces,
translates the different patterns back into
regular characters, and sends them on to a
computer or portable terminal.
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Universal Product Code

(UPC)

• UPC is a 12 digit, numeric symbology used in

retail applications. UPC symbols consist of 11
data digits and one check digit. The first digit is
a number system digit that normally represents
the type of product being identified. The
following 5 digits are a manufacturers code and
the next 5 digits are used to identify a specific
product.
• UPC bar codes were originally created to help
grocery stores speed up the checkout process
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and keep better track of inventory, but the

system quickly spread to all other retail products
because it was so successful.
• The machine-readable bar code
• The human-readable 12-digit UPC number
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Breaking the code

Since the lines and spaces appear in four

different widths,
we could use the words thin, medium, wide, and
very wide to represent them.
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We can also use numbers, though, with 1

representing thin, 2 representing medium, 3
representing wide,
and 4 representing very wide. That plan allows
us to represent each number this way:

0 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of

width 3-2-1-1
1 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of
width 2-2-2-1
2 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of
width 2-1-2-2
3 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of
width 1-4-1-1
4 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of
width 1-1-3-2
5 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of
width 1-2-3-1
6 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of
width 1-1-1-4
7 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of
width 1-3-1-2
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8 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of

width 1-2-1-3
9 is formed by alternating bars and spaces of
width 3-1-1-2
An end guard bar is formed by two bars and a
space 1-1-1
A middle guard bar is formed by two bars and
three spaces 1-1-1-1-1
Putting it all together

Let's return to the padlock barcode, enlarged

and detailed here. Note that the barcode
contains two sixes,
one on each side of the middle guard bars. As
mentioned above, you can see the difference in
representation
of the same 1-1-1-4 code for a left-hand six,
where the very wide segment is a bar instead of
a space,
and the right hand six, where the very wide
segment is a space rather than a bar. Yet you
are looking at the
same number.
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Five advantages of
Barcodes
Speed
• A bar code label of twelve characters can be
wended in approximately the time it takes a
keyboard operator to make two keystrokes.
Accuracy
• For every 1,000 characters typed by a keyboard
operator, there are an average of ten keying
errors. For an Optical Character Reader (OCR),
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there is one error in every 10,000 reads. With

wands, barcode systems approach one error in
every 3,000,000 characters, and with laser
technology, they approach one error in 70
million entries.
Data Integrity
• Probable number of substitution errors per
3,400,000 characters
• Data Entry Method
Ease of Implementation
• Operators of bar code scanners can learn to use
the equipment effectively in less than 15
minutes. System costs

are lower than other means of data entry

because of the existence of interfacing hardware
and software. Barcode labels can cost less than
a penny apiece, are easily read by thousands of
commonly available devices, and can be printed
universally.
Cost Effectiveness
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• Barcode systems have a demonstrated payback

period of six to eighteen months, and they
provide the highest level of reliability in a wide
variety of data collection applications. Barcode
systems create value not only by saving time,
but also by preventing costly errors

Disadvantages of Bar
Codes
Pricing Issues
Pricing discrepancies can result if store employees
forget to code in discount prices. Customers and
clerks at the check-out then have to deal with
correcting the situation.

Damaged Labels
Bar code readers cannot read labels that are wrinkled,
dirty or smudged.
Training
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Another disadvantage when beginning to use bar codes

is having to train employees, which can be a significant
issue if the business is large

Advantages of Bar-coding
over RFID
Cheaper Production
Bar codes are printed directly onto paper or plastic
objects.
The only cost involved in producing a bar code is
extra ink; this is a negligible cost.
RFID technology requires the assembly and insertion
of a computerized chip, which is more costly.

Universal Technology
Bar codes are the norm for retail products across the
world. Any store with a bar code reader can
process product bar codes from anywhere else in
the world. As of 2010, RFID technology still has two

separate chips (read only and readable/writable),

which cannot be read by the same machine.
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A product is in development that would make this

possible, but it is not yet available.

Fewer Restrictions
In RFID tests, it has been found that readers have a
difficult time passing through metal and liquid to
pick up the information. Bar codes function with the
same accuracy no matter what material they are
placed
on

Bar code scanners

• A device used to extract information optically
from a Bar Code
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• Bar Code symbol consists of series of vertical

dark bars separated by light spaces
• When illuminated reflected light is detected by
electro optical sensor
• The intensity of reflected light from the dark
bars is less than that of spaces
• Reflected light is converted into electrical
voltage signals
• Analog voltages are digitized into raw data
• The decoder converts this data into the
character data representation of the symbol’s
code

Bar code Application

INVENTORY CONTROL
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• Portable readers
WORK-IN PROCESS TRACKING (WIP) COMPANY
INVENTORY
• Raw materials
• WIP (Components, Assemblies, Semi finished
Products)
• Finished Products
SHIPPING

ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)

• Direct communication between computers of
two companies (Manufacturer & Vendor)
• Industry-wide EDI standards
• Reduces cost and saves time of business
transaction
RETAIL APPLICATIONS
• Super markets
• Counter-mounted Bar Code scanners
• Universal Product Code (UPC)
• Price and description information
HEALTH CARE APPLICATIONS
• Drugs, devices, instruments
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• Identification of expiry date

• Blood banking
• Blood group
• Expiry date
• Donor traceability

BAR CODE IN LIBRARIES

• No queuing up at check out/check in counters
• Avoids piling up of data entry work for counter
staff
• Stock verification made easy
• Quick and error free entry of access and
membership codes
• Ensures total integrity of collected data
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Conclusion

Barcodes are an important tool that

can improve productivity, decrease
costs, and improve accuracy.
The key is to apply them in the most
advantageous situation. Barcodes are
not the answer to all your
Indexing problems but they can be an
important part of your overall capture
strategy.