Are there any Cove folks familiar with UID "Unique Identification" which is sort of like the next generation barcode?

Our company will have to start providing these type labels (which will be made by a label company, but we need to buy readers). Any advice as to what machines to buy as far as readers or other UID advice would be appreciated.

Are there any Cove folks familiar with UID "Unique Identification" which is sort of like the next generation barcode?

Our company will have to start providing these type labels (which will be made by a label company, but we need to buy readers). Any advice as to what machines to buy as far as readers or other UID advice would be appreciated.


We had the same issue at my previous company. Our customer required UID Labeling but we got it waived because it wasn't in the original quote. The requirement came out in Revisions.

Run a search for UID and I know there are companies that have readers, and I also know it is an expensive piece of equipment.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful on this.

Are there any Cove folks familiar with UID "Unique Identification" which is sort of like the next generation barcode?

Our company will have to start providing these type labels (which will be made by a label company, but we need to buy readers). Any advice as to what machines to buy as far as readers or other UID advice would be appreciated.
Back in 2001, I wrote
Two-dimensional code systems have become more feasible with the increased use of moving beam laser scanners, and Charge Coupled Device (CCD) scanners. The 2-D symbol can be read with hand held moving beam scanners by sweeping the horizontal beam down the symbol. However, this way of reading such a symbol brings us full circle back to the way 1D bar code was read -- by sweeping a contact wand across the symbol. The speed of sweep, resolution of the scanner, and symbol/reader distance take on the same criticality as with contact readers and one-dimensional bar code.

Initially, two-dimensional symbologies were developed for applications where only a small amount of space was available for an automatic ID symbol. The first application for such symbols was unit-dose packages in the healthcare industry. These packages were small and had little room to place a bar code. The electronics industry also showed an early interest in very high density bar codes, and two-dimensional symbologies since free space on electronics assemblies was scarce.

More recently, the ability to encode a portable database has made two-dimensional symbologies attractive in applications where space is not at a premium. One example is storing name, address, and demographic information on direct mail business reply cards. A good direct mail response is often less that two percent. If the return card is only coded with a "licence plate", the few replies much be checked against a very large database, perhaps millions of names. This can be quite expensive in computer time. If all the important information is printed in two-dimensional code at the time the mailing label is printed, there is very little additional cost, and a potential for great savings when the cards are returned. Similar savings can occur in field service applications where servicing data is stored in a 2-D symbol on equipment. The field engineer uses a portable reader to get the information rather than dialing up the home office's computer.

There are well over 20 different 2-D symbologies available today.

So, simply, the best source for information on a reader is the company supplying the bar code and that will be tempered by how many labels you have to read in a time period.

Questions to consider:

Can I use a fixed station?
Should I have portable readers so I can move around and read labels at different locations?
Should I have one radio-connected (WI-FI) to my computers or can I just store info in the reader and download data by wire later?
How many readers will I need?Many hospitals have gone to 1D (like UPC on grocery products) bar codes for positive patient ID (on wrist bands) when dispensing care and drugs. A few have escalated to 2D for the greater amount of data which can be stored in the same footprint.

What else do you need to know? (Remember, I do not recommend by product name or model in a public forum because the data constantly changes and a recommendation today might not be valid as early as tomorrow and certainly it will no longer be valid in one year.)

Thanks Wes. What else do I need to know? Probably more than I yet realize!

In part I was hoping someone with experience using different readers could perhaps recommend a particular make/model or technology/type.

Luckily my job is not to find the reader, but I figured I might be able to help a co-worker. I just gotta write the compliance docs for the customer and an internal procedure. Lucky me...

Well, I now have a UID reader. And some UID labels. Yippeeee!

Does anyone know of a place that will do verification, and provide a grading report, for the quality of the UID matrix (for a reasonable fee of course)? I always like to work off of personal recommendations if I can.

Thanks!