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The beginning.
20 or 30 years ago, each product had it's prices stuck and was the cashier who should put in the cash register hundred of prices, one by one. -
Who?
The curiosity to improve the market was born of the same people that administered the different markets, more than customers, to keep register of their inventories. -
Novelty.
The first approach was punch cards in United State : A business student named Wallace Flint did his master's thesis where he imagined a card where customers could drill their purchase choices.
Unfortunately the idea was too big and economically didn’t viable. -
The Silver-Woodland factor.
The Graduated student Bernard Silver allied with his friend Norman Joseph Woodland, and together developed a system Of ink patterns detectable under ultraviolet light, but this system failed. -
Linear barcode.
Woodland continued alone and after several months of work, achieved a linear bar code, based on Morse code and movie soundtracks. He extended the dots and stripes to make thin and thick bars. -
Change.
Woodland continued alone and after several months of work, he achieved a linear bar code, based on Morse code and movie soundtracks. He extended the dots and stripes to make thin and thick bars. -
Circles.
He decided to change the bars by concentric circles so that they and could be read in any position. Silver continued working on their investigation and together they filed a patent application on October 20, 1949. -
Patent.
The US patent was granted on October 7 -
David Collins.
On the other hand David Collins (who is often referred to as the “father of the barcode industry.”) created Computer Identics Corporation, which implemented helium-neon, and mirrors to locate the bar code at any point and at a considerable distance from the scanner. This made the system much simpler and more reliable, as well as allowing you to read damaged codes if there were still good parts. -
In Michigan.
Computer Identics successfully installed it’s system during the second half of at a General Motors factory in Michigan. -
Rivalry.
NAFC (National Association of Food Chains) created a committee to define and develop standardization guidelines for code development. They established one of 11 digits and opened a tender to develop the system of printing and reading of codes. Among those were called were RCA and IBM (International Business Machines). -
Printing problems.
RCA began testing with self-adhesive glued one by one on stuck on the products, but suffered serious printing problems because of the rounded shape, while the linear Woodland was working on IBM became much easier to print and 1973 the NAFC selected it as it's standard. -
The magic gum.
At 8:01 am, Clyde Dawson brought a packet of Wrigley's chewing gum that was scanned by cashier Sharon Buchanan. The package and the ticket today are in the Smithsonian as a reminder of the Universal Product Code first appearance. -
Economic problems.
There were economic problems and they once again asked if it was really necessary to use the machines, they were very expensive. -
Improvement.
There were 8,000 establishments that adopted the code annually, from there everything has improved. -
National Medal of Technology.
Woodland received the recognition of President Bush in 1992 with the National Medal of Technology. -
Nowadays.
Nowadays, each product already comes with its respective code, inclusive they bring different figures depending of the product Also each country have their respective code. -
G L O S S A R Y
*CASHIER: Person who operates cash register.*CUSTOMER: A person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer, client. *BUSINESS: Company.*PURCHASE: To get or obtain by the payment of money or it's equivalent;buy.*BAR: Counter in a pub, a line marking the division between two measures.*STUCK: Attach, thrust.*SHAPE: Physical form, figure.*ROUNDED: Curvy, balanced.*CODE: Number, password,laws, rules,standards,encrypt. *MANUFACTURER: Business, producer.*SELLER: Salesperson, merchant. -
O P I N I O N
I think people who invented those tools are very ingenious and creative, because they have done things that anybody has been thought. Also I think that it is important to recognize that they thought of a general welfare, I mean, things are always done to improve and make the world a more livable place. The barcode makes life easier for the seller and the customer, which makes the market somewhat more profitable. -
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P E R S O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Maria Ricarda Forero Quiroga
Code: 08
Course: 11A
