Introduction to the invention and application of bar code

Bar code is a coding system widely used in commodity, logistics and inventory management. Its invention and application can be traced back to the early 1970s.

The invention of the bar code is credited to American engineers Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver. They patented the bar code in 1949 and began to use it widely in the early 1970s.

A bar code is a pattern of black and white vertical lines that represent information such as numbers and letters. It can be read and decoded quickly by optical scanning devices such as barcode scanning guns.

The application range of bar codes is very wide. First, it is widely used in the retail industry for commodity identification and price management. Each item can be assigned a unique barcode for quick and accurate identification and pricing. In addition, the bar code can also be used for inventory management, by scanning the bar code of goods, you can automatically update the inventory information, improve logistics efficiency.

In addition to retail, bar codes are also widely used in logistics and transportation. Shipping companies can use barcodes to track and manage the movement of goods to ensure they are accurately delivered to their destination. In addition, barcodes are also used in library management, healthcare, production process control and other fields.

As technology continues to advance, the form of barcodes continues to evolve. In addition to the common one-dimensional barcodes, there are two-dimensional barcodes (such as QR codes), which can store more information, including web addresses, text, contact details, and so on. This provides more possibilities for the application of bar codes.

In general, the invention and application of barcodes has dramatically changed the way commodities, logistics and inventory are managed. It improves operational efficiency, reduces errors, and facilitates the rapid transfer and processing of information, becoming an indispensable tool in modern business and logistics.