Importance

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Abstract

A bar code (14) on an object (12) is read a distance from the object by a television camera. The output signal of the camera is thresholded to obtain a binary signal indicative of the image information associated with at least one scan line. This binary signal is written into a FIFO storage device (28) at a rate corresponding to the rate at which the camera images the bar code. Once the binary signal is fully written into the FIFO storage device, the binary signal is read from the FIFO at a second, much slower rate for decoding by a bar code decoder (36). In this way, the image of the bar code can be obtained by a television camera which is capable of imaging the bar code at a distance, while the image information can be decoded by a bar code decoder that operates to perform decoding at a rate much slower than the rate at which the camera acquires information.

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First Claim