Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding bar codes with primary and secondary information and method of using such bar codes
First Claim
1. A method of reading a single bar code, wherein said single bar code is comprised of a plurality of elements, each element having a variable width defining a first direction, the width encoding primary information, and each element having a length defining a linear or curvilinear second direction, at least one of said elements having secondary information encoded within said length, comprising the acts of:
- scanning the single bar code area in a first direction to decode the primary information encoded in the widths of the bars, andscanning the single bar code in a second direction to decode the secondary information, wherein said second direction is neither the same as nor parallel to said first direction.
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Abstract
A bar code (10) has primary information (46, 48, 50, 51) encoded in one direction (e.g., horizontally) and secondary information (13,21,36) encoded in another direction (e.g., vertically) in single (11) or multiple tracks (35) in selected ones of the vertical bars (11) of a bar code (10). Using a non-linear, variable amplitude scanner, all of the primary bars are scanned in the one direction to obtain all of the primary information and all of those vertical bars having secondary information are scanned in the other direction to obtain all of the secondary information. The one direction which is perpendicular to the vertical primary bars (11), is determined by first rotating the scan path axis (86,87) until both start (46) and end (48) code bars are read thereby placing the scan path entirely within the total bar code, and, then, further rotating the scan path (88,89) to determine the direction of the minimum crossing width (Lsc 80) of the total bar code (10). Secondary information is scanned in planes orthogonal to the one direction after those vertical bars (11) having such information are first identified and selected. In a preferred embodiment, the decoded secondary information may be used to control selected station process operations for selected products in a continuous manufacturing assembly line.
228 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method of reading a single bar code, wherein said single bar code is comprised of a plurality of elements, each element having a variable width defining a first direction, the width encoding primary information, and each element having a length defining a linear or curvilinear second direction, at least one of said elements having secondary information encoded within said length, comprising the acts of:
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scanning the single bar code area in a first direction to decode the primary information encoded in the widths of the bars, and scanning the single bar code in a second direction to decode the secondary information, wherein said second direction is neither the same as nor parallel to said first direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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14. A method of reading a single bar code having a plurality of spaced apart bars, the bar code having primary and secondary information encoded in the single bar code, comprising the acts of:
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scanning the single bar code area in a first direction to decode the primary information; determining a direction perpendicular to the bars, identifying each bar with secondary information encoded therein; and scanning selected ones of the bars in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction to decode the secondary information. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification