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