The History of Barcodes

By: Richard Romando
Submitted: 2007-01-17 15:15:02
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Wallace Flint was the first person to suggest an automated checkout system in 1932. But the history of modern barcode begun only in 1948, when Bernard Silver, a graduate student of Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, asked his friend Norman Woodland to develop a system to automatically read product information during checkout.

The first coding system was developed by Woodland, a twenty-seven-year-old graduate of the same institute. On October 7, 1952, Woodland and his friend Silver were awarded a patent for this invention named "Classifying Apparatus and Method." Woodland's first idea was to use patterns of ink that would glow under ultraviolet light. The barcode Woodland and Silver developed was a "bull's eye" symbol, made up of a series of concentric circles. Later, the barcode was made up of a pattern of four white lines on a dark background. Information was coded and classified in these lines.

The barcode was first commercialized in 1967, when RCA installed the first scanning systems at a Kroger store in Cincinnati. In 1969, NAFC asked Logicon. Inc. to develop an industry-wide barcode system. They developed Part 1 and 2 of the UGPIC (Universal Grocery Products Identification Code) in 1970. Based on this, a Uniform Grocery Product Code was formed. In 1973, the U.S. Supermarket Ad Hoc Committee recommended the adoption of the UPC symbol set, which is still in use. This was developed by George Laurer of IBM. In June 1974, the first UPC scanner was installed at Marsh's supermarket in Troy, Ohio. It was developed by NCR Corp. The first product scanned was ten-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

The industrial application of barcodes began in late 1950s, and in 1967, the Association of American Railroad adopted an optical barcode, but it was abandoned in 1970. In September 1981, the United States Department of Defense adopted the use of Code 39 for marking all products sold by the United States military, called LOGMARS. This was the event that popularized barcodes. Today, this is a billion dollar business. In 1962, Silver died, and in 1992, Woodland was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Bush.

Bar Codes provides detailed information on bar codes, bar code printers, bar code scanners, bar code labels and more. Bar Codes is affiliated with Bar Code Label Software.

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Business category

  • Be Your Own Boss - Make Your own Decisions - By: Michiel Van Kets
    If you are considering working from home, then you will be joining thousands of other independently minded entrepreneurs. People seek work they can do at home for a number of reasons, some are just looking to make a bit of extra income, whilst others want to change their way their life for the better and are looking to escape the regular 9-5 daily routing.
  • The Role of Creative Financing in Subject-To Investing - By: Peter V
    When it comes to subject-to investing, a legitimate argument can certainly be made that the whole thing, from start to finish, could be considered creative financing.
  • Kansas City Storage Units - A Convenient Storage Option - By: Ren Colo
    People usually fantasize about owning their dream car or home. But, if you dream about a convenient and secure storage unit for your valuables, then you need look no further than a Kansas City storage unit.
  • The Subject-To Investing Pitfall that Many Real Estate Investors Miss - By: Peter V
    Imagine that you have located an available property that is just perfect for your requirements. You have a motivated seller who is willing to work with you in order to get the property off their hands. You also have a buyer who is interested in the property, and they are eager to get their hands on it.
  • Kansas City Storage - By: Ker Ner
    There are more than half a million people living in Kansas City. With its position as the largest city in the state of Missouri, Kansas City accounts for most of the major commercial, financial, and industrial canters of the Midwest.
  • Making Subject-To Investing Work in Any Economy - By: Peter V
    Many people think that subject-to investing and other types of "creative" real estate are only good when the economy is also good. They may believe that they need easy credit or lots of available money for down payments in order to insure that they will be able to make money on subject-to properties.
  • Explore Various Options for Your Storing Needs - By: Scott Lley
    Storing needs may arise due to various reasons. Some of the reasons could be relocation, excessive furniture at home, security threat, office paperwork, excessive inventory and so on.
  • San Antonio Storage - 2009 - By: Raphael Martin
    In recent years, the city of San Antonio, Texas has been witness to significant growth in the number and types of safekeeping facilities.
  • How to Deal with Creative Lending and the Lenders Behind It - By: Peter V
    When it comes to creative lending, you are likely most familiar with the "conventional" forms of non-conventional real estate investing: the subject-to deal, the lease-option deal and owner financing.
  • Business Management Tips - By: Laura Smith
    business advice