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Posts Tagged ‘bar code scanners’

If you have observed full-grown businesses, chances are you’ll notice that most of them, particularly those in the retail industry, are taking advantage of the barcode technology. I can remember years back, whenever we go to a grocery store, long queues are formed during checkout primarily because of the manual billing made at the counter. Nowadays, the usual 15 minute transaction with the cashier is reduced to a minute or two – thanks to the barcode scanner.

There are many types of barcode scanners available, and one of them is the cordless barcode scanner. The use of this device deviates from the typical system of carrying the goods and presenting them at the counter during checkout. In the latter model, flatbed and wired scanners are the more popular tools used.

The use of the cordless barcode scanner is accepted in some places because of its convenience, although a majority of the countries haven’t adapted to this system yet. When shopping, buyers only need to carry the cordless barcode scanner and start “shooting” at goods and retail items. Information is kept within the gadget. This concept has been shown in some movies such as Bridal Wars.

Some facts:

A barcode scanner is an electronic device for reading printed barcodes, which are widely-used means of identification. Its primary purpose is tracking and several industries deeply rely on this technology. Such businesses include manufacturing, wholesale and retail shops, airlines, entertainment and a lot more.

The onset of this technology was traced back in 1932 when a project at Harvard University was initiated to support and automate customer purchasing. This project was started by Wallace Flint and was envisioned to use the punch card systems. However, due to the Great Depression, the project never materialized but Flint’s works have been credited.

In the late 1940’s, the first official barcode images were produced by Bernard Silver, Norman Joseph Woodland and Jordin Johanson. This was inspired by the Morse code – converting dots and dashes to extended narrow and wide lines. They applied for a patent it was issued on 1952.