Bar code for measuring distance and position

Abstract

A bar code able to measure distance or position having an encoded index point and additive and subtractive delineation bars to adjust the value of the index point. The numeric code has 10 characters in its set, each character having two dark bars in nine modules or a “Two of Nine Code”. All bars or gaps of this code are a minimum of two modules in width. Each Numeric Digit may have and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) digit embedded into the barcode digit to make it human and machine readable. A bar code reader would read an index block and both an additive and a subtractive block. The value of the additive block is added and the subtractive block subtracted from the index block to give a true value of the position or distance.

1 . A 2 of 9 bar code system for representing 10 characters, each character comprising; 
 a set of barcode digits comprising two bars and one space;    the total width of the bars and spaces shall be 9x; and,    each bar and space having a width that is at least 2x and no greater than 5x.    
   
   
       2 . A bar code system according to  claim 1  where the 2 of 9 bar code system represents numbers having one or more digits.  
   
   
       3 . A bar code system according to  claim 2  where each of the one or more digits is separated from an adjacent digit by a space at least 1x wide.  
   
   
       4 . A bar code system according to  claim 1  where a machine readable character is associated with each character represented by the bar code system.  
   
   
       5 . A bar code system according to  claim 4  where the machine readable characters are read by optical character recognition software.  
   
   
       6 . A bar code system according to  claim 1  where the bars are magnetic media.  
   
   
       7 . A positioning and measuring system comprising: 
 a bar code array including a first reference point, the first reference point having an additive side and a subtractive side;    a plurality of additive bar code symbols on the additive side of the first reference point;    a plurality of subtractive bar code symbols on the subtractive side of the first reference point;    a reader defining a measuring field with first and second field edges; and    the reader adapted to detect additive bar code symbols between a first edge of the measuring field and the first reference point, and to detect subtractive bar code symbols between a second edge of the measuring field and the first reference point, and to identify a point of measurement along the bar code array therefrom.    
   
   
       8 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7  further comprising a machine readable position indicator associated with the first reference point.  
   
   
       9 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 8  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with the first reference point includes a 2 of 9 bar code position indicator, the 2 of 9 bar code position indicator comprising a system for representing 10 characters, each character comprising; a set of barcode digits comprising two bars and one space; 
 the total width of the bars and spaces shall be 9x; and, each bar and space having a width that is at least 2x and no greater than 5x.    
   
   
       10 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 8  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with the first reference point includes an alpha-numeric, machine readable position indicator.  
   
   
       11 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 8  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with the first reference point includes an alpha-numeric, machine readable position indicator and the 2 of 9 bar code position indicator.  
   
   
       12 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7  wherein the plurality of additive bar code symbols comprise a series of regularly spaced edges separating light and dark regions.  
   
   
       13 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7  wherein the plurality of additive bar code symbols comprise a series of bar code blocks.  
   
   
       14 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7  wherein the plurality of subtractive bar code symbols comprise a series of edges separating light and dark regions.  
   
   
       15 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7  wherein the plurality of subtractive bar code symbols comprise a series of bar code blocks.  
   
   
       16 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7  wherein the bar code symbols are magnetic and non magnetic media.  
   
   
       17 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7  wherein the bar code bars are magnetic media and the bar code spaces are non magnetic media.  
   
   
       18 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7  wherein the reader adapted to read the number of additive bar code symbols between a first edge of the measuring field and the first reference point, and to read the number of subtractive bar code symbols between a second edge of the measuring field and the first reference point; and, 
 the reader adapted to subtract the number of subtractive bar code symbols from the number of additive bar code symbols to identify a point of measurement along the bar code array.    
   
   
       19 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 7 , the bar code array further including a plurality of spaced-apart reference points, each reference point having an additive side and a subtractive side; 
 a plurality of additive bar code symbols on the additive side of each reference point;    a plurality of subtractive bar code symbols on the subtractive side of each reference point;    the reader adapted to read the number of additive bar code symbols between a first edge of the measuring field and one or more of the plurality of reference points, and to read the number of subtractive bar code symbols between a second edge of the measuring field and one or more of the plurality of reference points; and,    the reader adapted to subtract the number of subtractive bar code symbols from the number of additive bar code symbols to identify a point of measurement along the bar code array.    
   
   
       20 . A positioning and measuring system comprising: 
 a bar code array including a first reference point and a second reference point;    a plurality of bar code symbols between the first and second reference points;    a reader defining a target point;    the reader adapted to detect a first number of bar code symbols between the first reference point and the target point and to determine a position of the target therefrom; and,    the reader adapted to detect a second portion of bar code symbols between the second reference point and the target point and to determine a position of the target therefrom.    
   
   
       21 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 20  wherein the reader adapted to detect a first number of bar code symbols between the first reference point and the target point and to add the first number to a value associated with the first reference point to determine a position of the target point; and, 
 the reader adapted to detect a second portion of bar code symbols between the second reference point and the target point and to subtract the second number from a value associated with the second reference point to determine a position of the target point.    
   
   
       22 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 20  wherein the reader is adapted to detect the number of additive bar code symbols between the first reference point and the target point and calculate the number of additive bar code symbols as a percentage of the total number of bar code symbols between the a first reference point and the second reference point to determine a position of the target point.  
   
   
       23 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 20  wherein the reader is adapted to detect the number of subtractive bar code symbols between the second reference point and the target point and calculate the number of subtractive bar code symbols as a percentage of the total number of bar code symbols between the a first reference point and the second reference point to determine a position of the target point.  
   
   
       24 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 20  further comprising a machine readable position indicator associated with the first and second reference points.  
   
   
       25 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 24  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with the first and second reference points includes a 2 of 9 bar code position indicator, the 2 of 9 bar code position indicator comprising a system for representing 10 characters, each character comprising; a set of barcode digits comprising two bars and one space; the total width of the bars and spaces shall be 9x; and, each bar and space having a width that is at least 2x and no greater than 5x.  
   
   
       26 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 24  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with the first and second reference points includes an alpha-numeric, machine readable position indicator.  
   
   
       27 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 24  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with the first and second reference points includes an alpha-numeric, machine readable position indicator and a 2 of 9 bar code position indicator.  
   
   
       28 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 20  wherein the plurality of bar code symbols comprise a series of regularly spaced edges separating light and dark regions.  
   
   
       29 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 20  wherein the plurality of bar code symbols comprise a series of bar code blocks.  
   
   
       30 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 20  wherein the bar code symbols are magnetic and non magnetic media.  
   
   
       31 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 20  wherein the bar code bars are magnetic media and the bar code spaces are non magnetic media.  
   
   
       32 . A positioning and measuring system comprising: 
 a bar code array including a plurality of spaced-apart reference points, each reference point having an additive side and a subtractive side;    a plurality of bar code symbols between the reference points, the bar code symbols shall be additive to the additive side of each reference point and subtractive to the subtractive side of each reference point;    a reader defining a target point;    the reader adapted to detect a number of subtractive bar code symbols between the target point and a reference point having a subtractive side nearest to the target point and to determine a position of the target point therefrom; and,    the reader adapted to detect a number of additive bar code symbols between the target point and a reference point having a additive side nearest to the target point and to determine a position of the target point therefrom.    
   
   
       33 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 32  wherein the reader adapted to detect a number of subtractive bar code symbols between the target point and a reference point having a subtractive side nearest to the target point and to subtract the number of subtractive bar code symbols from a predetermined value assigned to the reference point to 
 determine a position of the target point; and    the reader adapted to detect a number of additive bar code symbols between the target point and a reference point having a additive side nearest to the target point and to add the number of additive bar code symbols to a predetermined value assigned to the reference point to determine a position of the target point.    
   
   
       34 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 32  wherein the reader adapted to detect a number of subtractive bar code symbols between the target point and a reference point having a subtractive side nearest to the target point as a percentage of the total bar code symbols between the reference points on each side of the target point to determine a position of the target point; and 
 the reader adapted to detect a number of additive bar code symbols between the target point and a reference point having a additive side nearest to the target point as a percentage of the total bar code symbols between the reference points on each side of the target point to determine a position of the target point.    
   
   
       35 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 32  further comprising a machine readable position indicator associated with each reference point.  
   
   
       36 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 35  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with each reference point includes a 2 of 9 bar code position indicator, the 2 of 9 bar code position indicator comprising a system for representing 10 characters, each character comprising; a set of barcode digits comprising two bars and one space; the total width of the bars and spaces shall be 9x; and, each bar and space having a width that is at least 2x and no greater than 5x.  
   
   
       37 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 35  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with each of the plurality of reference points includes an alpha-numeric, machine readable position indicator.  
   
   
       38 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 35  wherein the machine readable position indicator associated with each reference point includes an alpha-numeric, machine readable position indicator and a 2 of 9 bar code position indicator.  
   
   
       39 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 32  wherein the plurality of incremental bar code symbols comprise a series of regularly spaced edges separating light and dark regions.  
   
   
       40 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 32  wherein the plurality of incremental bar code symbols comprise a series of bar code blocks.  
   
   
       41 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 32  wherein the bar code symbols are magnetic and non magnetic media.  
   
   
       42 . A positioning and measuring system according to  claim 32  wherein the bar code bars are magnetic media and the bar code spaces are non magnetic media.