Apparatus for reading a bar code

• US 5,128,527 A
• Filed: 03/29/1990
• Issued: 07/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Shinichi, Kawai, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Stuart S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RHOA, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US07/501,987
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462, 235/463, 235/466, 235/470, 235/494, 235/472, 250/566, 250/568
• US Class Current: 235/462.07
• 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 7/0166 by means of clock-signals derived from the code marks, e.g. self-clocking code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1434 Barcodes with supplemental or add-on codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1491 the method including a reconstruction step, e.g. stitching two pieces of bar code together to derive the full bar code

Abstract

A second bar code such as an add-on code which comprises only a character bar and is added to the side of the first bar code such as UPC, EAN and JAN which has a center bar and guard bar can be correctly read out. When the scanning is made from the first bar code side to the second bar code side, a write address produced when the right guard bar of the first bar code is recognized is used to access the data of the second bar code. Conversely, where the scanning is made from the second bar code side to the first bar code side, the write address produced when the center bar of the first bar code is recognized is used to access the second bar code after an arithmetic operation. Therefore, the first bar code can be clearly distinguished from the second bar code which is different in bar code system and the second bar code can be correctly read out.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reading bar code data comprising:

a memory apparatus,

a data input circuit means for inputting scanned bar code data in said memory apparatus,

a write address generator means for sequentially generating an address for writing said bar code data in said memory apparatus in response to a signal outputted when a transition occurs between a white bar and a black bar, in accordance with a scan of said bar code data, and

a detecting circuit means for reading a guard bar on the right edge of a right bar code block in a first bar code so that, when the data of the scanned bar code read from the first bar code side to a second bar code side is provided, an address output from said write address generator means in response to an output of said detecting circuit is used for an access of data of a second bar code stored in said memory apparatus.

2. The apparatus for reading bar code data according to claim 1,

further comprising a counter means for counting a signal output when a transition occurs between a white bar and a black bar in accordance with a scanning of the second bar code and producing a signal for completing the reading of the bar code when the number in the counter reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the total number of white bars and black bars of the second bar code.

3. The apparatus for reading a bar code according to claim 1, wherein

said second bar code does not have a center bar or a guard bar and comprises only a character bar.

4. An apparatus for reading bar code data comprising:

a bar code label comprising

a first bar code having a center bar between left and right bar code blocks and having a guard bar on the left edge of said left bar code black and on the right edge of said right bar code block, and

a second bar code provided next to a guard bar attached to the right edge of said right bar code block and different from the bar code system of said first bar code,

means for scanning the bar code label from the first bar code side to the second bar code side,

means for sequentially storing the data of the bar code which is read out upon scanning,

means for recognizing the guard bar on the right edge of said right bar code block during storing of the data read from said bar code, and

means for using one address for storing the right edge guard bar of said right bar code block for access to stored data of said second bar code.

5. The apparatus for reading a bar code according to claim 4, wherein

said second bar code does not have a center bar or a guard bar and comprises only a character bar.

6. An apparatus for reading bar code data comprising:

a memory apparatus,

a data input circuit for inputting scanned bar code data in the memory apparatus,

a write address generator means for sequentially generating an address for writing said bar code data in said memory apparatus in response to a signal outputted when a transition occurs between a white bar and a black bar, in accordance with a scan of said bar code data,

first detecting circuit means for detecting a reading of a center bar of a first bar code when said scanned data red from a second bar code side to a first bar code side is provided, and

a second detecting circuit means for reading a guard bar on the right edge of a right bar code block in said first bar code so that, when the bar code data read from the first bar code side to with second bar code side is provided, an address output from said write address generator means in response to the output of said second detecting circuit means is used for an access of data of the second bar code stored in said memory apparatus.

7. The apparatus for reading bar code data according to claim 6,

further comprising means for obtaining an address by subtracting an address value of the right code block of the first bar code from the address output from the write address generator means in response to the output of the detecting circuit, said obtained address being used for the final address.

8. An apparatus for reading bar code data comprising:

a bar code label comprising

a first bar code having a center bar between left and right bar code blocks and having a guard bar on the left edge of said left bar code block and on the right edge of said right bar code block,

a second bar code provided next to a guard bar attached to the right edge of said right bar code block and different from the bar code of said first bar code,

means for scanning the bar code label from said second bar code side to said first bar code side,

means for sequentially storing the data of said bar code read out by the scanning,

means for recognizing a center bar appearing during storing of the data of said bar code, and

means for using an address for storing the data of the center bar upon recognition as an access to stored data of said second bar code.

9. An apparatus for reading bar code data comprising:

a memory apparatus,

a data input circuit means for inputting scanned bar code data in said memory apparatus,

a write address generator means for sequentially generating an address for writing said bar code data in said memory apparatus in response to a signal outputted when a transition occurs between a white bar and a black bar, in accordance with a scan of said bar code data, and

a detecting circuit means for detecting a reading of a guard bar on the right edge of a right bar code block within a first bar code so that, when data of the bar code read from the first bar code side to a second bar code side is provided on the right side of the first bar code and is different from the first bar code in bar code system, an address output from said write generator means in response to an output of said detecting circuit means signal is used to access the data of a second bar code stored in said memory apparatus.

10. An apparatus for reading bar code data comprising:

a memory apparatus,

a data input circuit means for inputting scanned bar code data in said memory apparatus,

a write address generator means for sequentially generating an address for writing said bar code data in said memory apparatus in response to a signal outputted when a transition occurs between a white bar and a black bar, in accordance with a scan of said bar code data, and

a detecting circuit means for judging whether the scanning upon reading of said bar code data is performed from a first bar code side to a second bar code side, which second bar code is provided on the right side of the first bar code and is different from the first bar code in bar code system, or the scanning upon reading of said bar code data is performed from the second bar code side to the first bar code side, detecting the reading of a guard bar on the right side of a right bar code block within the first bar code to output a guard bar recognition signal in the former case and detecting the reading of the center bar of the first bar code to output a center bar recognition signal in the latter case, wherein the address output from said write address generator means in response to the output of said detecting circuit means is used to access data of a second bar code stored in said memory apparatus.

11. An apparatus for reading bar code data comprising:

a memory apparatus,

a data input circuit means for inputting scanned bar code data in said memory apparatus,

a write address generator means for sequentially generating an address for writing said bar code data in said memory apparatus in response to a signal outputted when a transition occurs between a white bar and a black bar, in accordance with a scan of said bar code data,

a detecting circuit means for judging whether the scanning upon the reading of the bar code data is performed from a first bar code side to a second bar code side, which second bar code is provided on the right side of the first bar code and is different from the first bar code in bar code system, or scanning upon reading the bar code data is performed from the second bar code side to the first bar code side, detecting the reading of a guard bar on the right side of a right bar code block within the first bar code and to output a guard bar recognition signal in the former case, and detecting of the reading of a center bar of the first bar code to output a center bar recognition signal in the latter case, wherein the address output from said write address generator means in response to an output of said detecting circuit means is used to access data of a second bar code stored in said memory apparatus, and

a latch circuit means for latching the address output from said write address generator means in response to the output of said detecting circuit, wherein the address latched in said latch circuit is used to access the second bar code data stored in the memory apparatus.