Weseethemeverywhere–onboxesoffoodonpackagesandonCDs.Theyofcoursearebarcodes.Theinventionofbarcodeshaschangedthewayweshopandhowcompanieslearnwheretheirproductsare.
Barcodesarequiteanewinvention.ItwastwoAmericanuniversitystudentsBernardSilverandNormanWoodlandwhofirstgottheideaofbarcodes.In1948theyheardthatthepresidentofafoodcompanywaslookingforawaytoeasilygetinformationaboutwhatwasbeingsoldtocustomers.Theytriedtohelpbyusingacodesystem.Tomaketheircodestheydrewcirclesonpaper.Theytheninventedalargeelectronicreadertoreadthecodes.Howevercomputersthenwerebigandslowsotheycouldn’teasilyrecordthedatathatwasread.
Theninthe1960sDavidCollinsmadeimportantdevelopmentsinbarcodes.Hedevelopedasystemforrecognizingtraincarriages.InordertodevelopthistechnologyforotherkindsofbusinessesCollinsstartedhisowncompany.In1969Collins’scompanyputabarcodereadingsysteminacarfactoryshowingthatbarcodescouldbeuseful.
ShortlyafterCollinsstartedhiscompanyanAmericanelectroniccompanycalledRCAalsosawthepotentialofbarcodestohelpbusinesses.RCA’ssystemwhichrecordedhowmuchofaproductwassoldwasnotperfect.Sincebarcodeswerenotcommonnotallproductshadthemanddifferentcompaniesuseddifferentcodes.ThenWoodlandhelpeddeveloptheUniversalProductCode(UPC)whichgaveeveryproductacodethatcontainedinformationaboutthemanufacturerandthekindofproductbeingsold.Thismadebarcodesmuchmorepractical.
Inadditiontoshopshospitalsusebarcodestoidentifypatientsbygivingthemcardswithbarcodesonthem.Librariesusebarcodestorecordwhichbookshavebeenlentandairportsusethemtodeterminewherebagsaregoing.Barcodeshavemadelifemucheasierandsimpler.
Title:BarCodes