Method and apparatus for applying bar code information to products during production

• US 20050082376A1
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allen Lubow, Ron Barenburg
• Original Assignee: Allen Lubow, Ron Barenburg
• Inventors: Lubow, Allen, Barenburg, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 7,182,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06056 the marking comprising a further embedded marking, e.g. a 1D bar code with the black bars containing a smaller sized coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1434 Barcodes with supplemental or add-on codes

Abstract

Bar code information is printed on a printable surface associated with a product, such as a label or container of the product, or the product itself, during a production run under the control of a printer computer. The bar code information may include two components of a composite bar code symbol, where the first component is either pre-printed or printed during a production run, and the second component is printed during the production run. The first component may identify a product that is carried in the containers, while the second component identifies a lot, batch, expiration date or commodity number. In another aspect, check data is used to confirm the accuracy of information that is used by a printer computer to control a printer. In another aspect, first and second bar code symbols portions are read to recover information, and a database is accessed to determine if the recovered information is consistent.

Claims

1. A method for applying bar code information to a product on a production line, comprising:

printing, on a printable surface associated with the product, and during a production run, bar code information that supplements bar code information associated with the product;

wherein the supplemental bar code information provides information associated with the production run.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the bar code information associated with the product is pre-printed on the printable surface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplemental bar code information identifies at least one of a lot, batch, expiration date and commodity number associated with the production run.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the bar code information associated with the product identifies at least one of the product and information for using the product.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplemental bar code information and the bar code information associated with the product form a composite bar code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the printable surface comprises a label.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the printing occurs before the label is applied to a container of the product.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the printing occurs after the label is applied to a container of the product.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the printable surface comprises a container of the product.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the printable surface comprises a tab associated with the product.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the printing comprises printing using at least one of ink jet printing, laser marking, laser printing, electrographic printing, flexographic printing, thermal transfer printing, thermal printing and electrographic printing.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplemental bar code information is concatenated horizontally with the bar code information associated with the product.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplemental bar code information is concatenated vertically with the bar code information associated with the product.

14. An apparatus for applying bar code information to a product on a production line, comprising:

means for printing, on a printable surface associated with the product, and during a production run, bar code information that supplements bar code information associated with the product;

wherein the supplemental bar code information provides information associated with the production run.

15. A method for applying bar codes on a production line, comprising:

programming a computer with information associated with a production run;

printing, responsive to the programming, during the production run, and on a printable surface associated with a product on the production line, bar code indicia that carries the information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the information carried by the bar code indicia identifies at least one of a lot, batch, expiration date and commodity number associated with the production run.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the programming comprises scanning a bar code to provide the computer with the information.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the programming comprises receiving a manual user input to provide the computer with the information.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the programming comprises receiving an electronic transmission to provide the computer with the information.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the printing comprises printing using at least one of ink jet printing, laser marking, laser printing, electrographic printing, flexographic printing, thermal transfer printing, thermal printing and electrographic printing.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the printable surface comprises a label.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the printable surface comprises a container of the product.

23. An apparatus for applying bar codes on a production line, comprising:

means for programming a computer with information associated with a production run;

means for printing, responsive to the programming means, during the production run, and on a printable surface associated with a product on the production line, bar code indicia that carries the information.

24. An error detection method for use in a production line in which bar codes are applied to products:

receiving first check data at a printer computer that controls a printer on the production line;

wherein the first check data is calculated at another computer based on information associated, at least in part, with a production run on the production line;

receiving the information at the printer computer;

computing second check data at the printer computer based on the received information; and

determining whether the first and second check data agree.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

instructing the printer to print, during the production run, on a printable surface associated with a product, and when the first and second check data agree, bar code indicia that carries the received information.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

setting an error message if the first and second check data do not agree.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the first check data is received at the printer computer via an electronic transmission from the another computer.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the information is received at the printer computer via an electronic transmission from the another computer.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the information is received at the printer computer via a manual user entry.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the information is received at the printer computer by scanning a bar code.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the information comprises a product identifier and at least one of a lot, batch, expiration date and commodity number associated with the production run.

32. An error detection apparatus for use in a production line in which bar codes are applied to products:

means at a printer computer for receiving first check data;

wherein the printer computer controls a printer on the production line, and the first check data is calculated at another computer based on information associated, at least in part, with a production run on the production line;

means at the printer computer for receiving the information;

means at the printer computer for computing second check data based on the received information; and

means for determining whether the first and second check data agree.

33. An error detection method for use in a production line in which bar codes are applied to products:

reading first bar code indicia from at least one product during a production run on the production line to recover first information therefrom;

reading second bar code indicia from the at least one product during the production run to recover second information therefrom; and

determining if the first and second information are consistent.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein:

the first bar code indicia is provided pre-printed; and

the second bar code indicia is printed during the production run.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein:

the first and second bar code indicia form a composite bar code symbol.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein:

at least one of the first and second bar code indicia includes information relating to the production run.

37. An error detection apparatus for use in a production line in which bar codes are applied to products:

means for reading first bar code indicia from at least one product during a production run on the production line to recover first information therefrom;

means for reading second bar code indicia from the at least one product during the production run to recover second information therefrom; and

means for determining if the first and second information are consistent.