According to controller GS1 UK there are currently more than five million entity barcodes in use around the world. October 7 is the 60th birthday of the barcode patent, filed in the US in 1952. However the individual black-and-white stripes did not make their initial appearance in an American shop until 1974 - since the laser technology used to read them did not exist. GS1 said the QR code was not a risk to the conventional linear barcode.
According to Gary Lynch, chief executive of GS1 UK, They have different purposes - the barcode on the side of a tin of beans is for point-of-sale scanning. It ensures the customer is charged the right amount and updates stock records. The foremost item to be scanned by a barcode was a packet of chewing gum in an Ohio superstore. At the present it occasionally doubles as body art, with US singer Pink with those who sport a barcode tattoo.
