Barcode. What is barcode?

What are barcodes? Decoding barcode. 

Few ordinary people could read barcodes placed on manufacturers of products purchased in store. And the more determined in an encrypted barcode information on the country of manufacture and some of the most important parameters of the production. Let's talk about it.

First, what is a barcode? Barcode - is a graphic representation of numbers in the form of bars and spaces intended to be read by automatic devices embedded in their information. A man is in the symbolism of the barcode takes only he understands the numbers, placed under the graphic image.

Bar coding was invented and patented in 1949 in the United States, Joe Woodland and Bernie Silver. This invention facilitate accounting and control of assets from the producer to the consumer, ie for all their progress. The most common today are considered - the American Universal Product Code UPC and the European coding system EAN. The most popular today is 13-bit European code EAN-13, introduced into circulation in 1977.

In USA there are two types of barcodes:

• 13-bit encoding system for Europe EAN, which came into force in 1986;
• Barcode Systems - Coding settlement and payment documents payer.

About what can tell a barcode to those who know how to properly read or decipher? Decoding the barcode is quite simple. Barcode symbol consists of a series of lines and intervals of different thickness. They are divided into groups of lines and gaps, which are recognized by human characters. 

1.13-digit EAN barcode system is as shown in the example that follows: 

The figures placed under the graphic image in the above barcode, carry the following information: 

• two digits (sometimes three digits) - refers to the code of the country of origin, ie country code of the manufacturer or seller of the product. As a rule, the country code assigned to EAN International and consists of a single digit; 
• five digits - means the code of the company - the manufacturer or seller's products; 
• five digits - a product code, in which: 1 figure - the name of the product, 2 figure - the consumer characteristics, 3 figure - size, weight, 4 figure - Ingredients, 5 figures - the color; 
• one digit - check digit used to verify the correctness of bar scanner.
• Sometimes it indicates yet another figure, which means the sign of the goods manufactured under license. 

Customers are always interested in country producers. And to make it easier to navigate in the country of origin, we present some of the codes of countries:

• 1 - Country code.
• 2 - Code of the manufacturer.
• 3 - code.
• 4 - Check digit.
• 5 - Sign of the goods manufactured under license.

00, 01, 03, 04, 06	USA, Canada	73	Sweden
30-37	France	750	Mexico
383	Slovenia	76	Switzerland
400-440	Germany	773	Uruguay
471	Taiwan	779	Argentina
49	Japan	786	Ecuador
520	Greece	80-83	Italy
535	Malta	850	Cuba
54	Belgium and Luxembourg	860	Yugoslavia
569	Iceland	87	Netherlands
590	Poland	885	Thailand
600-601	South Africa	90-91	Austria
64	Spain	94	New Zealand
70	Norway	976-979	books

Barcode allows a computer network to daily records for the remnants of the goods in the warehouse, the trading floor shops, and a daily volume of realization in the context of all types of products. In addition, by installing special readers at the exit from the shop floor shop, you can control and removal of the unpaid goods.

2. Barcodes, which are placed in the payment documents (payment orders), provide the possibility of accelerated computing contained in the document of payment data. Bar coding systems of payments speeded up by banks, tax authorities, enterprises, energy and water supply, etc.

Introducing bar coding, banks offer their customers programs that are designed for printing barcode on the payment document. Equipped with the barcode and decorated in the prescribed manner of client payment documents to the bank for payment. Operating bank employee reads the barcode scanner document, instead of entering payments data manually. This technology accelerates the passage of payment documents and saves time as the client and the bank.

Consider one example of the barcodes of payment documents. This 28-digit barcode contained in the ENP (single payment document). It is necessary to enable the computer processing contained in the document of payment data and read information by electronic data entry form with the ENP. Barcode affixed to the payment instruments for payment of utility bills, electricity and taxes of natural persons (transport, land, property).

It contains a graphic representation of 28 digits:

• 10 digits code of the payer;
• 4 digits - the period for which payment is made;
• 7 digits - the amount of payment, subject to voluntary insurance;
• 7 digits - the amount of payment, excluding voluntary insurance.

To ensure the functioning of the system in the ENP includes the following details:

• through the collection of payments for housing and utilities services;
• details of the bank to accept payments;
• surname, first name, middle name of the payer;
• address of the payer;
• period for which payment is made;
• code of the payer, which is formed by the following algorithm:

  EEELLLLLLK,

  • where E - area code (EIRTS)
  • L - a unique code that identifies the payer (personal account)
  • K - control number, the formation of which is carried out electronically;
• total amount payable (with and without voluntary insurance of housing - at the option of the payer).

Barcode is outside the field of payments. In addition, the Bank is sufficient to bar-code was done only on the first, (signed) copy of the payment document.