Method and apparatus for locating and decoding a postnet forwarding bar code in a field of postnet bar codes
US5468945A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 25, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 21, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 25, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K7/1093
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for locating multiple bar codes in a field. The apparatus includes a microcomputer programmed to detect the existence of bar codes in location cells in the field and then apply a location score to each location cell. Based on the scores assigned to the location cells, a particular location cell is selected and the location cells surrounding the selected cell are analyzed to determine whether they might contain a bar code segment. A location cell that is determined to be sufficiently likely to contain a bar code segment will be appended to the first selected location cell. In this manner, a bar code in the field can be located. The determination of whether the located bar code is a primary or a secondary bar code is made by further analyzing the located bar code. The further analyses may be to determine the located bar code's length, whether it has a predetermined prefix, or whether it has a predetermined pattern of descenders from its constituent line segments. A preferred embodiment of the inventive method and apparatus analyzes the image recorded in the field to locate areas containing Postnet bar codes. The number of bars in each Postnet bar code found in …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.