Multilevel bar code reader
First Claim
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1. An electronic apparatus to be used in conjunction with a bar code target, said electronic apparatus comprising:
- a. means for generating electronic signals in response to a selected portion of said bar code target;
b. means for generating a selected value level from a hierarchical set of at least three value levels in response to said electronic signals; and
c. means for generating a binary data string corresponding to the difference in hierarchical level between said selected value level and the previous selected value level.
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Abstract
A bar code reader is sensitive to at least three levels of darkness. At least three levels of darkness are utilized in the bar code so that, a higher density of data is thereby achieved. In the preferred embodiment, the bar code is encoded so that a transitional change from one level of darkness to another level of darkness is indicative of the data bits encoded. The bar code reader is passed over the multilevel bar code and through the use of a linear conversion such as by an analog to digital converter, the level of darkness of the bar is communicated to a decipher so as to be translated into a binary sequence.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An electronic apparatus to be used in conjunction with a bar code target, said electronic apparatus comprising:
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a. means for generating electronic signals in response to a selected portion of said bar code target; b. means for generating a selected value level from a hierarchical set of at least three value levels in response to said electronic signals; and c. means for generating a binary data string corresponding to the difference in hierarchical level between said selected value level and the previous selected value level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19)
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8. A bar code reader to be used in conjunction with a bar code target having at least three levels of darkness, said bar code reader comprising:
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a. means for generating a sequence of sets of electronic signals in response to selected portions of said bar code target; b. means for generating a sequence of values in response to said sequence of sets of electronic signals, each value indicating the darkness level of a corresponding bar of said bar code target; and c. means for generating a sequence of binary data strings in response to said sequence of values, each binary data string corresponding to the difference in level of consecutive values of said sequence of values. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A combination comprising:
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a bar code target having a plurality of bars therein, each of said bars having a predetermined darkness chosen from a set of darkness levels having at least three levels of darkness therein; and a bar code reader having, a. means for generating a sequence of sets of electronic signals, in response to selected portions of said bar code target, b. means for generating a sequence of values in response to said sequence of sets of electronic signals, each value indicating the darkness level of a corresponding bar of said bar code target, and c. means for generating a sequence of binary data strings in response to said sequence of values, each binary data string corresponding to the difference in level of consecutive values of said sequence of values. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification