Happy Holidays from Bar Code Direct

If we get at least 1,000 likes between now and January 1st , we’ll send the American Red Cross a check for up to $1,000 to continue the great work they do all year long.

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Between the Lines

Welcome to ‘Between the Lines’ where we will breakdown some of the words and acronyms that are unique to our industry.

Symbology: Representation or expression by means of a symbol. In bar coding symbology is a protocol for arranging the bars and spaces that make up a particular kind of bar code.
Different symbologies are used in different industries. Two easily recognizable symbologies are Code 39 used for UPC bar codes and PDF417 a 2D symbology often seen on driver’s licenses.

This day in Bar Code History:

On October 7, 1952 Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver received the first patent for a bar code product. Their device was the size of a desk and included a 500 Watt incandescent light bulb. We’ve come a long way! Check out the patent here.

Sources:
http://www.cs.iusb.edu/internship/papers/laslo/Bar_Code.html
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbar_code.htm

Welcome! Reverend Goodscan

In support of one of our customer’s headquartered in the North East, The BCD help desk received a panicked call from a sales associate who’s car had been broken into resulting in the loss of his issued Motorola MC75 hand held terminal. Not knowing how to report a stolen unit the sales associate identified himself to the BCD help desk. Through the use of remote management software our SE was able to determine that the MC75 was still powered on and connected to AT&T’s 3G network. After a brief collaboration of minds the SE pushed out a GPS pilot application to the device and was able to determine the location of the device. The SE then called back the sales associate and the New Bedford Police department! The SE was able to give turn by turn directions to both parties directing them to the area that the device was reporting. The police were able to locate the sales associate’s personal belongings in a dumpster 3 yards from the location provided to them by our SE. Unfortunately, the MC75 was not in the dumpster (where we expected it to be found). Undeterred, the SE tried calling the device repeatedly to no avail... After another brief collaboration of minds the SE logged into the device via remote management software and raised the ringer volume on the MC75. He then began calling the MC75 with the police and sales associate on the line. New Bedford police were amazed to hear the MC75 ringing some 50 feet from where they were standing! The device was located in a wooded area to the left of the dumpster. Finger prints were recovered from the scene but the incident still remains open although most of sales associate’s possessions were recovered!