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Barcode patent turns 60
First design in 1952 looked like a circular bullseye
CBC News
Posted: Oct 8, 2012 12:30 PM ET
Last Updated: Oct 8, 2012 12:08 PM ET
The barcode — that small square of numbers and parallel lines that's on almost every product sold in a store — turns 60 this month.
The now-ubiquitous patch was first patented in 1952. The first design, invented by Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, resembled a circular bullseye.
CBC's Catherine Cullen looks at the history of the barcode and how companies are now adapting the technology for the future — including turning humans into living barcodes.
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