Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-01
2001-08-28
Lee, Michael G. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S494000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279828
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
Bar coding has become an integral part of routine commercial transaction since it was introduced in the seventies because the system allows users to process detailed information at the moment the bar code is read rather than simply storing information for later processing. Further, bar codes are visible, typically printed directly on an object or on labels that are affixed to the object. Bar code and bar code patterns are used interchangeably herein. One dimensional and sometimes, two dimensional bar codes are now used to track a vast range of information on products and services.
The bar coding technology has become reliable and mature. However, despite its technological advancement, present one dimensional bar codes are only capable of representing single byte character sets such as the English alphabet and the Arabic numbers because current bar code systems are not capable of unambiguously encoding the full 256 (2
8
) bar code patterns. For example, code system Code 128 encodes only 106 complete characters in the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) 8-bit format. A bar code system is a fixed definition of the mapping between a bar pattern and its corresponding numerical value, herein referred to as decimal. Currently, 128 ASCII characters have been found to be sufficient in encoding the English alphabet, usual punctuation, special characters and the Arabic numbers, however, this is not enough to encode other character sets such as the foreign language characters, which are multi-byte rather than single byte. This need to encode and represent foreign character sets are currently addressed by using a two dimensional bar code which are, however, not readable with most conventional bar code readers because these read only one dimensional bar code patterns. Conventional one dimensional bar code patterns typically comprise of a series of bars and spaces, referred collectively herein as images, the combination of these representing strings of binary ones and zeros. These patterns which are translated in machine readable language are used for entering data into a computer system for processing.
A bar code system implementation usually has a Bar Code Generator and a Bar Code Reader. A user inputs the data and a program within the Bar Code Generator sends and designates the bar code system for encoding the data to the appropriate encoder. Data as used herein encompass a full range of letters, English and Foreign, numbers, words, text, and symbol items one may desire to communicate. The encoder converts the data to a bar code and sends this to a generator which generates the black and white bar images or pattern for the bar code printer. Physically, the Bar Code Generator is usually made up of a computer and a printer. Depending on one's system configuration, the encoder and generator may be incorporated with the bar code printer or with the computer system. The generated bar code patterns are detected or read by a Bar Code Reader which comprise a scanner and a decoder. Examples of Bar Code Readers are scanning laser beams or handheld wands which electro-optically decode the bar code pattern to its corresponding decimal which by the use of a look up table, correlates this to a given character value, herein referred to as assigned value having an assigned function, resulting in a decoder output signal representative of the originally inputted data.
It is an object of this invention to provide a bar code system that can generate one dimensional bar code patterns for encoding both a single byte and a multi-byte character set.
It is an object of this invention to provide one dimensional bar code patterns for encoding multi-byte character sets such as the foreign language characters.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a method for decoding bar patterns representing multi-byte characters using conventional one dimensional bar code readers.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a bar code generator utilizing a bar code system capable of encoding multi-byte characters.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a method for using conventional one dimensional bar code reader for decoding bar code patterns generated by base numbers greater than two.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a one dimensional bar code structure of bars and spaces comprising a start, stop, command, checksum and data bar code patterns representing single byte and multi-byte character string, the bar code patterns within the bar code structure generated preferably from a base-4 number code system, however, any base code system greater than two can be adopted. However, a base number code system of 32 and greater would be too complex and impractical to use. A string is a single or multiple characters in a series. A bar code system implementation uses the generated one dimensional bar code patterns to encode both single and multi-byte characters, and decode these with any bar code reader that is capable of differentiating a space from a bar image. Not all generated bar code patterns are used. Certain rules are proposed and disclosed in selecting the set of bar code patterns. The proposed coding system herein codes foreign characters that meet the requirements of the uni-code standard.
The preferred base number coding system uses the base-4 numbers with designated base numbers 0,1,2 and 3, having a code length of 8. A code length herein is the number of digits of designated base numbers within a code system for encoding a data into a bar code pattern. In a given base number coding system of less than 32, the individual numbers within the chosen base number such as 0,1,2,3 in the base-4 number code system are herein referred to as designated base number or designated base numbers. The grouping or combination of these individual numbers or digits of designated base numbers in a chosen code length such as 8 in the example used herein, is referred to as designated number. A given designated number consisting of 8 digits of a base-4 number may also be specifically referred to herein as 8-digit base-4 number. Code lengths greater than eight may be used but code lengths greater than sixteen would generate bar code patterns that are too long and difficult to handle. On the coding system, any base number coding system of less than 32 may be used so long as the resulting bar codes have images with widths no greater than three units. The width of the individual bars and spaces or image is measured in units and correspond to the number of units of bars and spaces making up the image. For example, three units of bars will have a width of three. A unit is the width of the smallest image obtained by measuring and comparing the individual bar and space images within a reference bar code pattern. Although base-4 number code system having a code length of 8 is used as the example and demonstrated in detail for encoding single and multi-byte characters, the concept, teachings and processes shown for the base-4 number code system also apply to the other base number code systems with code lengths of eight to sixteen. Unique to this invention is the ability to utilize and unambiguously assign the full 256 bar code patterns needed to encode most foreign character sets by using base number code systems greater than two. The combination of these designated base numbers can generate all the possible bar image patterns desired for both single and multi-byte character sets. A base-4 numbering system with a code length of 8 theoretically can generate 65,536 (4
8
=65,536) possible patterns which is the same as a 16-bit binary system (2
16
). A method for generating one dimensional bar code patterns having images of bar and space derived from a base number code system of greater than two used for encoding single byte and multi-byte characters, the base number code system having designated base numbers, comprise the steps of: choosing the base number code system; picking a code length between eight and sixteen for the chosen base number code system; gene
Co Sarno Maria Erlinda
Lee Diane I.
Lee Michael G.
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