Bar code symbology with integrated user-interface graphic pattern

• US 6,732,932 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Schuessler, Frederick, Hamilton, Alistair R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Diane I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koyama, Kumiko C.
• Application Number:
  US09/966,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20020125330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.03, 235/462.07, 235/462.16, 235/494, 235/462.15, 235/462.25
• US Class Current: 235/462.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06262 with target- or other orientation-indicating feature

Abstract

A bar code symbology comprises a set of symbols having characters and patterns of bars and spaces. Each character spans a distance of m module widths and is represented by n bars and p interleaved spaces. The largest single bar or space is limited to k modules in width. A human recognizable graphic element is included among the patterns of bars and spaces. At least a portion of the graphic element is machine readable and recognizable by a decoder as a portion of the symbol.

Claims

1. A bar code symbology, comprising:

a set of symbols including characters having patterns of bars and spaces, each character spanning a distance of m module widths and being represented by n bars and p interleaved spaces, the largest single bar or space being limited to k modules in width, each symbol having a human recognizable graphic element provided among, and visually distinguished in appearance from, the patterns of bars and spaces, at least a portion of the graphic element being machine readable and recognizable by a decoder as a portion of a respective symbol, the graphic element having an arrowhead shape pointing in a scan direction lengthwise of the respective symbol and constituting a graphical user interface that graphically conveys to a human operator a visual message that a known action will be initiated upon reading of the respective symbol.

2. The symbology as defined in claim 1, wherein the graphic element is a fixed width pattern of bars and spaces, with bars of different height.

3. The symbology as defined in claim 1, wherein the graphic element uses fixed ratios of bar/space combinations.

4. The symbology as defined in claim 1, wherein the graphic element includes an area of white space used by a decode algorithm.

5. The symbology as defined in claim 4, wherein the area of white space has a fixed width.

6. The symbology as defined in claim 4, further comprising a predetermined start pattern and a predetermined stop pattern.

7. The symbology as defined in claim 6, wherein the symbology excludes from valid patterns a pair of patterns that Code 128 uses as a stop pattern.

8. The symbology as defined in claim 7, wherein the symbology excludes from valid patterns three Code 128 start patterns except for check characters adjacent the predetermined stop pattern.

9. The symbology as defined in claim 1, wherein n is equal to p.

10. The symbology as defined in claim 9, wherein the largest single bar or space pattern is limited to four modules in width.

11. The symbology as defined in claim 10, wherein n is equal to three, and each character spans a distance of 11 modules.

12. An information-bearing machine-readable carrier, comprising:

a substrate; and

a symbol having characters and patterns of bars and spaces on the substrate, each character spanning a distance of m module widths and being represented by n bars and p interleaved spaces, the largest single bar or space in a character being limited to k modules in width, the symbol having a predetermined start pattern and a human recognizable graphic element provided among, and visually distinguished in appearance from, the patterns of bars and spaces, at least a portion of the graphic element being machine readable and recognizable by a decoder as a portion of a respective symbol, the graphic element having an arrowhead shape pointing in a scan direction lengthwise of the respective symbol and constituting a graphical user interface that graphically conveys to a human operator a visual message that a known action will be initiated upon reading of the respective symbol.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

an imager for obtaining image data of a target in an image field, the target including a symbol having characters and patterns of bars and spaces, each character spanning a distance of m module widths and being represented by n bars and p interleaved spaces, the largest single bar or space in a character being limited to k modules in width, the symbol having a predetermined start pattern, a predetermined stop pattern, and a human recognizable graphic element having an arrowhead share pointing in a scan direction lengthwise of the symbol and provided among the patterns of bars and spaces, at least a portion of the graphic element being machine readable; and

a decoder for recognizing the portion of the graphic element as a portion of the symbol, and for processing the image data to derive information contained in the symbol, the graphic element constituting a graphical user interface that graphically conveys to a human operator a visual message that a known action will be initiated upon reading of the respective symbol.

14. An apparatus for generating a signal representative of information encoded in a machine-readable symbol, the apparatus comprising:

a) a scanner for scanning a single row of encoded characters of the symbol with light for reflection therefrom, each character representing an item of data and being selected from a set of detectable mark/space patterns, each character spanning a distance of m module widths and being represented by n bars and p interleaved spaces, the largest single bar or space in each character being limited to k modules in width, the symbol having a human recognizable graphic element having an arrowhead shape pointing in a scan direction lengthwise of the symbol and provided among, and visually distinguished in appearance from, the patterns of bars and spaces, at least a portion of the graphic element being machine readable;

b) a detector for detecting at least a portion of light reflected from the symbol, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected light; and

c) a decoder for recognizing from the electrical signal the portion of the graphic element as a portion of the symbol, and for decoding the electrical signal to obtain a plurality of corresponding data values representative of the information contained in the symbol, the graphic element constituting a graphical user interface that graphically conveys to a human operator a visual message that a known action will be initiated upon reading of the respective symbol.

15. A method of decoding a bar code symbology that stores computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable medium, comprising the steps of:

acquiring data from an electro-optical scan of a bar code symbol having said symbology by scanning a single row of encoded characters of the symbol with light for reflection therefrom, each character representing an item of data and being selected from a set of detectable mark/space patterns, each character spanning a distance of m module widths and being represented by n bars and p interleaved spaces, the largest single bar or space in each character being limited to k modules in width, the symbol having a human recognizable graphic element having an arrowhead shape pointing in a scan direction lengthwise of the symbol and provided among, and visually distinguished in appearance from, the patterns of bars and spaces, at least a portion of the graphic element being machine readable; and

decoding the scanned characters according to a symbology definition by recognizing the portion of the graphic element as a portion of the symbol, the graphic element constituting a graphical user interface that graphically conveys to a human operator a visual message that a known action will be initiated upon reading of the respective symbol.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

means for producing a representation of a symbol having characters formed from patterns of bars and spaces, each character spanning a distance of m module widths and being represented by n bars and p interleaved spaces, the largest single bar or space in each character being limited to k modules in width, the symbol having a predetermined start pattern, a predetermined stop pattern, and a human recognizable graphic element having an arrowhead shape pointing in a scan direction lengthwise of the symbol and provided among, and visually distinguished in appearance from, the patterns of bars and spaces, at least a portion of the graphic element being machine readable and recognizable by a decoder as a portion of the symbol, the graphic element constituting a graphical user interface that graphically conveys to a human operator a visual message that a known action will be initiated upon reading of the respective symbol; and

means for printing the representation on a substrate.