Scanning system for decoding two-dimensional barcode symbologies with a one-dimensional general purpose scanner
US6446868B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 23, 1998 |
| Grant date | Sep 10, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 23, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K7/1417
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for decoding two-dimensional barcode symbols from a data stream generated by scanning a two-dimensional barcode with a one-dimensional scanner. A decoding process according to one embodiment of the invention involves coupling the one-dimensional scanner to a serial or other port of a host computer in order to provide a data stream to a software decoder resident in the host computer. The software decoder performs a series of iterative steps in which the data stream is sampled at regular intervals to convert the data stream to a series of elements (e.g., bars and spaces). Barcode symbol data characters are then derived from the elements. A symbol matrix is next constructed, the matrix being representative of the two-dimensional barcode symbol.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.