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History of Barcodes

Bar codes are an important part of the world as we know it today. The history of barcodes is one that may not interest many, but without barcodes, several industries would have more work to do. Learn about how barcodes have evolved.

Barcodes are everywhere these days, but they have not been around long. In response to a local storeowner's inquiry about a method to track and read product information, graduate students at the Drexel Institute of Technology teamed together in 1948 to find a solution.

The first idea was to use an ultraviolet light and ink to print and read the barcodes, though the discovery of ink incompatibilities and the costs of lamps would prove expensive and too much of a hassle. Determined to keep moving toward a better solution, graduate students Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver worked to find something to work for everyone.

The idea behind barcodes is a series of lines on a white background. The first line is called a datum line, and the remaining lines are placed according to the placement of the first line. Early barcodes allowed for up to seven different classifications to be coded. The more lines in the code, the more classifications can be coded. Ten different lines can house up to 1023 different classification codes. The idea behind the lines and their patterns extends from Morse code.

The first barcode was patented in 1952, though the application was originally filed in 1949. This barcode was circular and noted for its bull's-eye design. The first circularcode was meant to allow the scanner to read the barcode from any direction, though the line pattern proved to be more beneficial in the end. By 1958, another patent was granted to Woodland and Silver for the barcode scanner technology required to read the barcodes.

Barcodes were first used in commercial purposes in 1966. Soon after, people began to realize there would have to be a standard set for the use of barcodes. This led to the creation of the Universal Grocery Products Identification Code, or UGPIC, in 1970. Several companies began producing equipment for barcodes that same year. American company, Monarch Marking, used barcode equipment for retail use and Plessey Telecommunications for industrial use. The UGPIC eventually evolved into the Universal Product Code, more commonly known as the UPC, which is still being used in the United States. Sometimes the UPC is referred to as the Uniform Product Code, which was invented by George Laurer in 1973.

The very first UPC scanner was installed in a store located in Troy, Ohio in 1974. The first product to carry a UPC was Wrigley's Gum. Since then, the majority of products carry some form of UPC in order to assist with inventory.

Neither Woodland nor Silver profited much off their idea despite the fact that their invention was, and still is, widely used and has stimulated billions of dollars for the economy. Silver passed away before seeing his invention used on a product, but Woodland was awarded the 1992 National Medal of Technology by President George W. Bush. The barcode, related equipment, and software continue to evolve and become more efficient for the retail and shipping industries. Aside from keeping track of inventory, it may also help keep track of files and clients in other industries.