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Universal Product Code, UPC:
On April 3, 1973, Woodland at IBM developed the linear barcode, which
was adopted
as the Universal Product Code, or UPC. UPC is the original barcodes used
for items
sold in the United States and Canada stores. The first item being a pack
of Wrigley's
Juicy Fruit chewing gum on June 26, 1974. They are probably the most
recognizable
code, seen on most items at the local supermarket.
UPC is a numeric-only barcode where every digit is represented by a
seven-bit sequence
and is encoded with a series of alternating bars and spaces. The green
guard bar
separates the two groups. Each group contains six numbers. The UPC-A
code includes
an automatic checksum, which verifies whether errors occurred during
transmission
or storage of the data. The positioning and the value of the digits have
been standardized
by a grocery industry committee.
The UPC or EAN.UCC-12 is an alpha code that uses no letters or
characters. The
code has twelve figures, SLLLLLLMRRRRRRE. S stands for start and E for
end, both
are 101 bit pattern. The middle digits are for the guard bars and are
01010 bit
pattern. Each of the digits on the left and right of the guard bard are
seven bits
long for a total of 95 bits. For ordinary products the first number is
0, for pharmaceuticals
its 3, 2 is used for random-weight items and the number 5 is used for
coupons.
The rest of the digits on the left side are the manufacturer code. The
first 5
digits on the right are the product code, which is issued by the
manufacturer.
The last number on the right is called a check digit, which detects
errors that
are scanned or manually entered.
For U.S. pharmaceuticals, the rest of the UPC is the National Drug
Control (NDC)
number. Meat, fresh fruits, and vegetables, which are called
random-weight items,
are given UPC codes by the store.
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