System associating sets of data into one barcode

• US 20050029354A1
• Filed: 07/08/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Scanbuy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Scanbuy Incorporated
• Inventors: Muni, Ashish, Frantz, Didier, Attia, Olivier
• Application Number:
  US10/885,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20050029354A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for encoding and decoding combination barcodes which contain two or more items of data. Generally, the device encodes a combination barcode by assembling a string of codes associated with each item of data. A barcode is then created from the string of codes by feeding it into a barcode generator. Both one and two-dimensional barcode symbologies may be utilized to create the combination barcode. To decode a combination barcode, a user first scans and uploads the combination barcode to a computer application. The application then identifies the uploaded combination barcodes utilizing a metric and separates the combination barcodes into their constituent parts.

Claims

1. A method of encoding a combination barcode comprising the steps of:

selecting an item associated with an item code;

selecting a quantity associated with a quantity code;

loading said item code and quantity code into a software application;

appending said quantity code to said item code to create a combination code; and

encoding said combination code utilizing a barcode encoder.

2. A method of encoding a combination barcode according to claim 1 wherein the quantity code is of the form QTYXXX where XXX refers to the represented quantity.

3. A method of encoding a combination barcode according to claim 1 wherein said combination barcode is encoded from a barcode symbology library including, but not limited to, UPC-A, UPC-E, ISBN, RSS-14, RSS-14E, RSS-14L, Interleaved 2 of 5, EAN/JAN-8, EAN/JAN-13, Code 38, Code 39 Full ASCII, Code 128, PDF417, QR Code, and Data Matrix.

4. A method of decoding a combination barcode comprising the steps of:

scanning a combination barcode with a barcode scanner;

uploading said scanned combination barcode utilizing a software application;

identifying said combination barcodes; and

separating said combination barcode into its constituent parts.

5. A method of decoding a combination barcode according to claim 4 wherein the barcode scanner is a laser-based barcode scanner.

6. A method of decoding a combination barcode according to claim 4 wherein the barcode scanner utilizes optical decoding techniques.