Methods and arrangements for reconciling data from disparate data carriers
In an illustrative system, a point-of-sale scanner is equipped to respond to multiple different symbologies printed on a single product. The scanner captures many frames per second, as products are swiped through a viewing volume. Each frame is decoded, yielding one or more payloads. A reconciliation module compares each newly-decoded payload against a list of payloads previously output by the module, to determine if the current payload is semantically-equivalent to a previously-output payload. If so, the previously-output payload is output again, in lieu of the just-decoded payload. If no equivalent is found, the current payload is output and added to the list for comparison against future payloads. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
1. A system comprising:
first means for decoding first and second optical codes found on an item, the first optical code conveying a first payload and the second optical code conveying a second payload different than the first payload; and
second means for determining that the first and second payloads are semantically-equivalent, despite the second payload being different than the first payload;
wherein, based on said determining, the system can take different actions in response to said first and second payloads.
2. The system of claim 1 in which the first optical code is a machine- readable code comprising plural parallel lines or a 2D array of binary square elements, and the second optical code is a machine readable holographic code.
3. The system of claim 1 in which the second optical code comprises plural spaced-apart dots.
4. The system of claim 1 including a processing system configured to send the first payload to an associated system, and to not send the second payload to the associated system.
5. The system of claim 4 is which the associated system is a point of sale system.
6. The system of claim 1 in which the first and second payloads comprise different numbers of symbols.
7. The system of claim 1 including a timer to determine a time interval elapsed between decoding the first optical code and decoding the second optical code.
8. The system of claim 1 in which the second means includes means for determining that a first numeric value, encoded in the first payload, is related by a ratio of 1:2.20462 or 2.20462:1 to a second numeric value, encoded in the second payload.
9. The system of claim 1 in which the second means includes means for determining that a first numeric value, encoded in the first payload, is related by a ratio of 10:1 or 1:10 to a second numeric value, encoded in the second payload.
10. A method comprising the acts:
capturing imagery depicting a label, the label including first and second machine-readable indicia of first and second different types, the second indicia encoding a plural-symbol payload different than the first indicia;
decoding both the first and second indicia from said imagery, yielding first and second different payloads; and
providing the first payload, but not the second, to an associated point of sale terminal.
11. The method of claim 10 that includes thermally-printing said label.
12. The method of claim 10 in which the first machine-readable indicia is a code comprising plural parallel lines or a 2D array of binary square elements, and the second machine-readable indicia is a holographic code.
13. The method of claim 10 in which the second machine-readable indicia comprises plural spaced-apart dots.
14. The method of claim 10 in which the first and second payloads comprise different numbers of symbols.
15. The method of claim 10 that includes determining a time interval elapsed between decoding the first machine-readable indicia and decoding the second machine-readable indicia.
16. The method of claim 10 that includes determining that a first numeric value, encoded in the first payload, is related by a ratio of 1:2.20462 or 2.20462:1 to a second numeric value, encoded in the second payload.
17. The method of claim 10 that includes determining that a first numeric value, encoded in the first payload, is related by a ratio of 10:1 or 1:10 to a second numeric value, encoded in the second payload.
18. A method comprising the acts:
receiving data including at least an item identifier and an item sell-by date;
printing, on a thermal label, a DataBar symbology encoding a first payload that represents the received data; and
printing, on said thermal label, a sparse dot symbology that holographically encodes a second payload that represents the received data;
wherein the data printed on the label is functional descriptive material enabling a compliant point-of-sale terminal to discount an item price based on a difference between the sell-by date and a current date, despite damage to one of said symbologies that makes it unreadable; and
wherein the first and second payloads are different.
19. The method of claim 18 that further includes applying said printed thermal label to a packaged food item.
20. A label produced by the method of claim 18 .