Patent · US Expired

Decoding bar code symbols by determining the best alignment of partial scans

US5278398A · kind A · utility

59Cited by
18References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 28, 1991
Grant dateJan 11, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 28, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06K7/14
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for decoding bar code symbols in which a bar code reader and associated components scan a bar code symbol, produce a representation of the symbol, and attempt to decode that representation in order to produce a character message. The method consists of the steps of storing a first representation of the bar code symbol corresponding to a first scan path through a first portion of said symbol smaller than the entire symbol, and storing a second representation of the bar code symbol corresponding to a second scan path through the symbol. The method then processes said representations in the event a successful decode has not taken place by utilizing the signal from a first scan with the signal from a subsequent scan to determine the best alignment at which successive scans can be concatenated to form a combined signal. The process is repeated with different subsequent scans until successful decoding of the combined signal.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.