From cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com Sat May 11 04:40:17 1996 Return-Path: cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com Received: from curry.epilogue.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by curry.epilogue.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id EAA12883 for ; Sat, 11 May 1996 04:40:16 -0400 Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com Date: Sat, 11 May 96 01:52:57 +0400 (EST) From: "Robert P. Munafo" Reply-To: "Robert P. Munafo" Message-Id: <7003%mrob.uucp@ursa-major.spdcc.com> To: cube-lovers@ai.mit.edu Subject: The barcode Dale Newfield wrote: > [...] > Charlottesville, VA 22901-2708 > |..|.|..|.||.|..||......||..|.||...|||...|..|.||....|.|..|..|| > (No, this barcode is not necessary, but I figured this would be a good > place to ask: "Has anyone figured out what information is encoded in > this, or how it is encoded?" :-) It's your zip code. The Post Office recognizes the zipcode with some sort of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) then prints a barcode on the envelope so that simpler machines can sort the mail later in its delivery path. Sometimes the sender prints the barcodes (if your mail is part of a large mailing, like junk mail, magazines, tax forms etc.). This is from the URL http://www.advanstar.com/autoidnews/barcofaq.txt > POSTNET symbols are different from other symbologies because the > individual bar height alternates rather than the bar width. Each > number is represented by a pattern of five bars. A single tall bar is > used for the start and stop bars. > > Each symbol includes a check digit defined as the single digit that > must be added to the sum of all the digits to make the total the next > multiple of 10. For example, 98116's check digit is 5 because: > 9+8+1+1+6=25 and 25 + 5 = 30. > > POSTNET can be used for 5-digit, 9-digit ZIP+4, and the new 11-digit > Delivery Point Barcode. They are often used in conjunction with one > of the three FIM bars (Facing Identification Marks) which are found > on the upper right corner of a mail piece like Business Reply Mail. The encoding is as follows: ||... ...|| ..|.| ..||. .|..| .|.|. .||.. |...| |..|. |.|.. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 -- Robert P. Munafo UUCP: ...!harvard!spdcc!mrob!cube CUBE-LOVERS Account Internet: cube%mrob.uucp@spdcc.com