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

• US 20060118631A1
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Allen Lubow, Ron Barenburg
• Original Assignee: Allen Lubow, Ron Barenburg
• Inventors: Lubow, Allen, Barenburg, Ron
• Application Number:
  US10/496,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20060118631A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1234 Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting G06F3/1261 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• 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 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Bar code infomiation (310, 330) is printed on a printable surface (300) of a product (125), such as a label (300) or container of the product, or the product itself, during a production run. A first component (310) of a composite bar code symbol, which may identify a product carried in the containers, is either pre-printed or printed during a production run, and a second component (330), which may identify a lot, batch, expiration date or commodity number, is printed during the production run. Check data may be used to confirm the accuracy of information that is used by a printer computer (120). A database (188) may be accessed to determine if recovered information from first and second bar code symbols portions (610, 620) is consistent. A standalone printer (146) may supply labels (147) to one or more production lines (100) on an as-needed basis.

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, comprising:

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, comprising:

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, comprising:

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, comprising:

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.

38. A method for producing bar code labels to be applied to products on at least one production line, comprising:

printing, on the labels, bar code information that supplements bar code information associated with the products to provide printed labels;

wherein the supplemental bar code information provides information associated with a production run of the at least one production line; and

supplying the at least one production line with the printed labels on an as needed basis.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein:

the printed labels obtained from one printer are supplied to a plurality of production lines on an as needed basis.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein:

the printing occurs on a printer that is proximate to the at least one production line.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein:

the printing occurs on a standalone printer.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein:

the standalone printer is provided in a reel-to-reel label transport system.

43. The method of claim 38, wherein:

the printed labels are provided at a rate that exceeds a production rate of the at least one production line.

44. The method of claim 38, wherein:

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

45. The method of claim 38, wherein:

the bar code information associated with the products identifies at least one of;

(a) the products and (b) information for using the products.

46. The method of claim 38, wherein:

the bar code information associated with the products is pre-printed on the labels.

47. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

printing the bar code information associated with the products on the labels using a printer on which the printing of the supplemental bar code information also occurs.

48. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

printing the bar code information associated with the products on different labels than the labels on which the supplemental bar code information is printed; and

supplying the at least one production line with the different labels on an as needed basis.

49. The method of claim 38, wherein:

the printing occurs, at least in part, during the production run.

50. An apparatus for producing bar code labels to be applied to products on at least one production line, comprising:

means for printing, on the labels, bar code information that supplements bar code information associated with the products to provide printed labels;

wherein the supplemental bar code information provides information associated with a production run of the at least one production line, and the at least one production line is supplied with the printed labels on an as needed basis.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein:

the printing means are proximate to the at least one production line.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein:

the printing means comprises a standalone printer.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, further comprising:

a reel-to-reel label transport system in which the standalone printer is provided.