Printer system for removable machine readable code

• US 5,489,158 A
• Filed: 05/27/1994
• Issued: 02/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Ynjiun P., McGlynn, Daniel R., Swartz, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Eickholt, Eugene H.
• Application Number:
  US08/250,348
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 400/103, 400/104, 400/105, 400/106, 400/695, 400/696, 400/697.1, 346/74.2, 106/21 A, 235/320, 235/382.5, 235/380, 235/460, 235/462, 235/468, 395/146, 355/133, 178/18, 380/51
• US Class Current: 400/103
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/041 Optical element in the object space affecting the object beam, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• 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 1/126 by photographic or thermographic registration recording apparatus for measuring instruments G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0016 Selecting or retrieving of images by means of their associated code-marks, e.g. coded microfilm or microfiche microfilm reading G03B21/11; computers therefor G06F16/00; teaching devices G09B5/02; accessing record carriers G11B27/002; static digital stores using optical elements G11C13/04; intermediate storage of facsimile picture signals H04N1/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• 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 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1456 determining the orientation of the optical code with respect to the reader and correcting therefore
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1486 Setting the threshold-width for bar codes to be decoded
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

A numbering and reading system with record having two-dimensional erasable bar code or a removable label with a two-dimensional bar code is disclosed. The bar code can be PDF417.

Claims

1. A printer system for a record containing indicia on at least a portion thereof, the printer system comprising:

input means for receiving information to be placed on to the record;

encoding means, coupled to the input means, for encoding the received information in an error-correctable, machine readable, two-dimensional bar code format; and

output means, coupled to the encoding means, for printing the received information on the record, the output means including means for removing encoded information other than the received information from the record, means for drying an area of the record underlying the removed information, and means for removably printing the received information on the record after removal of the other encoded information.

2. The printer system of claim 1 wherein the two-dimensional bar code format includes a plurality of ordered, adjacent rows of codewords of bar-coded information from a set of codewords.

3. The printer system of claim 2 wherein the means for encoding the received information in the two-dimensional bar code format includes;

means for encoding the received information in PDF417 format.

4. The printer system of claim 1 wherein the output means includes;

means for printing the encoded information in erasable ink.

5. The printer system of claim 1 wherein the output means includes means for printing the encoded information on a label removably attached to the record.

6. The printer system of claim 1 wherein the record has rows with information words, and means for locating selected information words in accordance with the rows.

7. The printer system of claim 6 wherein each of the rows includes a field with a row number.

8. A printer system for a record containing indicia on at least a portion thereof, the printer system comprising:

input means for receiving information to be placed on to the record;

encoding means, coupled to the input means, for encoding the received information in an error-correctable, machine readable, two-dimensional bar code format; and

output means, coupled to the encoding means, for printing the received information on the record, the output means including means for removing encoded information other than the received information from the record, and means for removably printing the received information on the record after removal of the other encoded information;

wherein the output means further includes;

means for detecting the presence of the encoded information on the record; and

means responsive to said detection means for rendering said removing means inactive at times when the record is without encoded information.

9. The printer system of claim 8 wherein the two-dimensional bar code format includes a plurality of ordered, adjacent rows of codewords of bar-coded information from a set of codewords.

10. The printer system of claim 8 wherein the means for encoding the received information in a two-dimensional bar code format includes;

means for encoding the received information in PDF417 format.

11. The printer system of claim 8 wherein the output means includes;

means for printing the encoded information in erasable ink.

12. The printer system of claim 8 wherein the output means includes;

means for drying an area of the record underlying the erased encoded information.

13. The printer system of claim 8 wherein the output means includes means for printing the encoded information on a label removably attached to the record.

14. A printer system for a record containing indicia on at least a portion thereof, the printer system comprising:

input means for receiving information to be placed on to the record;

encoding means, coupled to the input means, for encoding the received information in an error-correctable, machine readable, two-dimensional bar code format; and

output means, coupled to the encoding means, for printing the received information on the record, the output means including means for removing encoded information other than the received information from the record, and means for removably printing the received information on the record after removal of the other encoded information;

the means for encoding the received information in a two-dimensional bar code format includes a plurality of ordered, adjacent rows of codewords of bar-coded information from a set of codewords;

the set of codewords is partitioned into at least three mutually exclusive clusters, each row in the two-dimensional bar code structure having at least one row indicator codeword and containing only codewords from a cluster different from the codewords in an adjacent row, and the row indicator codewords contain information regarding the number of rows in the two-dimensional bar code structure and the number of codewords in each row.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein each row of the two-dimensional bar code structure contains a start and a stop pattern of bar-coded information.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the two-dimensional bar code structure contains at least one error correction codeword and the row indicator codewords contain information regarding the number of rows in the two-dimensional bar code structure, the number of codewords in each row, and the number of error correction codewords.

17. The printer system of claim 14 wherein the means for encoding the received information in a two-dimensional bar code format includes;

means for encoding the received information in PDF417 format.

18. The printer system of claim 14 wherein the output means includes;

means for printing the encoded information in erasable ink.

19. The printer system of claim 14 wherein the output means includes;

means for drying an area of the record underlying the erased encoded information.

20. The printer system of claim 14 wherein the output means further includes;

means for detecting the presence of the encoded information on the record; and

means responsive to said detection means for rendering said erasing means inactive at times when the record is without encoded information.

21. The printer system of claim 14 wherein the output means includes means for printing the encoded information on a label removably attached to the record.

22. A printer system for a record containing machine readable indicia on at least a portion thereof, the printer system comprising:

input means for receiving information to be placed in machine readable format on the record;

output means for printing currently received information on the record, the output means including means for removing previously printed information other than the currently received information from the record, and means for removably printing the currently received information on the record after removal of the previously printed information.

23. The printer system of claim 22 wherein the output means comprises means for detecting the presence or absence on the record of the previously printed information.

24. The printer system of claim 22 further comprising means for encoding the received information in an error correctable, machine readable, bar code format.

25. The printer system of claim 22 wherein the output means includes;

means for printing the currently received information in erasable ink.

26. The printer system of claim 22 wherein the output means comprises means for printing the previously received and currently received information on a label removably attached to the record.

27. A printer system for a record containing indicia on at least a portion thereof, the printer system comprising:

input means for receiving encoded information to be placed on to the record; and

output means, for printing the received information on the record, the output means including means for removing encoded information other than the received encoded information from the record, and means for removable printing the received encoded information on the record after removal of the other encoded information;

wherein the output means further includes;

means for detecting the presence or absence of the other encoded information on the record; and

means responsive to said detection means for rendering said removing means inactive at times when the record is absent of said other encoded information.

28. The printer system of claim 27 wherein the output means includes;

means for printing the encoded information in erasable ink.

29. The printer system of claim 27 wherein the output means includes;

means for drying an area of the record underlying the erased encoded information.

30. The printer system of claim 27 wherein the output means includes means for printing the encoded information on a label removably attached to the record.