What was once considered “futuristic” or cutting edge is now ubiquitous. You see them now on virtually everything – food, clothing, all manner of appliances whether for entertainment or communication, library books, baby clothes…you get the picture; they’re everywhere and they help in maintaining order in relation to any type of inventory imaginable. As a method of tracking and inventory barcodes are firmly established and entrenched in the fabric of day to day living.
In simple terms, a barcode is a linear code that is read by a machine. It is made up of a series of bars and spaces that are defined and then printed in different ratios. In other words, some bars and spaces are thicker or thinner than others. The bars together in different combinations form what is referred to as a symbology. Because there are many different combinations of bars and spaces available as options, there are therefore many different possible symbologies. These can be created as different codes or by using different aspects of it as the base. For example a code 39, a codebar, or interleaved 2 of 5 combination.
Essentially these codes are a simplified way of storing most product and pricing information of a product. When the scanner reads the code of a particular product, it decodes that information into computer-compatible information. For example, as you scan a loaf of bread at the supermarket, you will see the information that is then called up. On your receipt, you can clearly see the item description and price.
The barcode’s origins can be traced to David Collins in the early 1960s who, while working at Pennsylvania Railroad, became aware of the need to automatically identify train carriages. He developed a system using blue and yellow reflective stripes, encoding a six-digit company identifier and a four-digit carriage number. Ever since, they have been helping businesses manage their inventories, streamline product processing and generally making businesses more efficient. Granted, initially the technology was quite expensive and for this reason, it took some time for it to catch on. However, as more and more businesses realized the cost efficiencies offered by these systems, they saw that it was technology worth investing in.
Recently, barcodes have begun to evolve into a means of quickly and easily sharing and transfering information about yourself (or whatever you may be scanning) with others, in the form of mobile barcodes, also known as QR codes. A mobile bar code, or QR Code, is a matrix code (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with camera, and smartphones. The code consisting of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.
Mobile barcodes are currently being used in advertising campaigns across the globe (they have been using them in China since the mid-90s). From billboards to print advertisements, QR codes are showing up in a number of traditional advertising mediums. This concept also has great potential as a networking tool. Imagine walking into a conference or trade show where each person’s name tag displays a mobile bar code that when scanned links to their virtual business card or company landing page. Take that a step further and each booth could have a mobile barcode that links to a PDF about their products or more information about their company in general. Although this is not new technology, it is just beginning to show up in the US as a mainstream form of information exchange. Mobile barcodes are a very interesting concept, but only time will tell how useful this technology will prove to be in the world of marketing and advertising.
Another potential evolutionary step is the development of a new type of barcode that could potentially replace the existing systems. They are called “Bokodes”, and it can store thousands of times more information than the traditional black thick and thin lines of current codes and they can be read by a camera or a mobile phone. While only three millimeters in diameter, these tags might contain codified information about nutrition, food expiration or even serve to create new video games. The “Bokodes” consists of a LED ( light emitting diode), covered with a minuscule layer and a lens. The information is codified thanks to the light that shines across the layer, which changes its intensity depending on the angle from which it is seen. They can potentially be used in industries not to lose of sight objects and items. For example, it would be useful in libraries to locate a book with ease among thousands or to find a specific item in a large retail style outlet.
Whatever developments occur in the future it seems that these technologies are likely to co-exist for some time.
All Barcode Systems manufactures self-adhesive labels, tags and distributes barcode label printers. We are a value-added data collection distributor and have the experience to get the right technology that will exceed your expectations. For more information about our barcode label software, visit us online today!