Archive for May, 2010

Understanding MIL-STD-130 for UID Compliance

The DOD oversees the MIL-STD-130, a standard that explains how to be compliant with UID, which stands for Unique Identification. The military is very serious about controlling and preventing fraud, waste and abuse. All Department of Defense (DOD) assets must be specially marked and meet numerous specifications when designing a contract.

Items like cars that already have an identification number are excluded from this UID marking standard. Included in the standard of marking items is anything “produced, stocked, stored, or issued by the Department of Defense.” There are extensive rules involved in properly marking items that are under the DOD’s control.

UID Specific Marking Specifications

The most important rule to follow is making sure the identification tag, band, label or plastic identification plate is securely attached to the item. The UID marking can be fixed onto the surface of the item if it is visible, easily read, and permanent. The marking must be able to handle environmental turmoil and conditions.

Machine Readable Information or MRI is the preferred method of marking and should be used whenever practicable. If that method of UID is not possible, then the item must be marked in a way that will endure for the life cycle of the item.

For items that are too small to handle proper UID, the most important identification information should be marked. The Enterprise Identifier or EID (organization and activity distinguisher), PIN or Part Identifying Number, LOT or batch number of the marked item should be identified.

If there is not enough space on the item to properly mark the item, the package should identify the unit, following the guidelines of the UID standards.

Industry Specific Protocols

The marking standard has specific requirements for many different industries. Air transport, automotive, consumer electronics, manufactures using GS1 standards, and NASA should adhere to the protocols specific to their industry. Any MRI protocols that are different than the UID standards should request protocol inclusion from the Asset Visibility Division of the DOD.

The MRI explained

There are specifications and minimum requirements in place for how much information the UID mark includes. The EID, serial number, and PIN number as applicable. Duplicate items are often given a Unique Item Identifier or UII, “a numbered prefix given to items in the event of a duplicate part number assignments on behalf of an enterprise so that each individual part can be easily identified.”

Commercial Off the Shelf or COTS items are exempt from UID marking and additional requirements if the item is clearly identifiable with commercial identification information. Obviously, the DOD does not expect parts within an assembly to be identified so long as it is not expected to be repaired and replaced. However, it can be required if included in a specific contract.

Sometimes there are legacy items that need UID markings. The EID that is used to create a UII must be from the organization that ensures uniqueness as opposed to previous markings.

UID Marking Arrangements and Quality

Of course, there are further specifications regarding MRI marking quality. There is specific protocol for linear bar code and data matrix symbols. If the manufacturer is also the Original Design Activity or ODA there are additional protocols to follow. This subject is complicated and you should refer to the experts at ID-Integration for more information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIL_STD_130
http://www.id-integration.com/dodmilspec.htm
http://www.bergstrom-seo.com/clients/ID-integration/Articles/Summary_MIL-STD-130N_Spec.pdf

GBmobile Mobile Inventory Management: Transfers In

Transfer in shipments and orders by carton or by item.

Fitting a Credit Card Processor to Your Business

Credit Card processing is an essential part of any business. In 2008 alone there were 22.40 billion debit card transactions made and billions more in credit cards processed. Of the top 50 issuers in 2008, debit card purchases totaled $917.43 billion, according to industry newsletter The Nilson Report. Nilson also reported that more than 272.0 million debit cards were in use in 2008 with an average amount of $3,373.0 in purchases per card.

Decades ago, the US was first testing the waters of card culture. Now, it’s deeply entrenched in every day life. People with cards are more loyal shoppers and more likely to spend. Instead of emptying their pockets for change or spending a few dollars, card holders are more likely to fill up or stock up. Because of this new terminal technology for credit card processing is a must. Whether you have a retail storefront, hotel, restaurant, a MOTO business or offer other services, your customers will expect your business to accept their preferred method of payment. When it comes to card processors, there is no lack of qualified equipment to choose from. But with so many choices, it can be hard to know what’s best for your business. Card acceptance will increase any company’s bottom line, but which type of processor is right for your business?

The Point of Sale (POS) system is designed to replace the cash register. But unlike the traditional cash register, a POS can help manage inventory, control costs, track sales and improve customer service. A POS system can eliminated paper-based tracking by e-tracking a customer’s purchase history. Most POS terminals include a touch-screen, a traditional cash drawer, a barcode scanner, a receipt printer and a magnetic stripe reader. Contrary to some industry myths, POS systems do not lock businesses into any specific brand or required configuration. POS clients can run Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X.

A space saving alternative to the POS system is a stand-alone terminal. These can be added quickly and easily to any purchase station. These terminals are often compact and great space-savers. Whether a simple, tried-and-true pin pad or a state-of-the-art processor, stand-alone terminals are a solid addition to any business. Another option to the traditional stand-alone is a wireless terminal. Wireless, stand-alone terminals offer speed, portability, security, mobility, changeability and universal connectivity. Wireless terminals offer instant online account access, which can help eliminated lost credit cards, chargebacks and can make funds available faster.

With a Veritrans Merchant Account, you can accept American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, JCB (Japan’s Credit Card), Pin-based debit cards and EBT (Food Stamps) cards. Veritrans can also set up your company with the correct equipment for your business, so you can accept cards with confidence, eliminate fees and improve cash flow. Veritrans has a card processing services to fit every business’s needs. Veritrans also offers a variety of processing terminals from POS to wireless stand-alones. Downtime can be costly, so a provider that offers 24/7/365 service and support is a must. Veritrans offers these services to clients for all questions, anytime of day.

Retail Barcode Packages

“Do I need to buy a Barcode Package?”  This is a common question, so we thought we would provide some simple answers.

Most people asking this question are wanting to obtain a barcode number for a retail product they have created. They are usually being asked by a retailer to put a retail barcode number on to their product, and they’re not sure where to start.

Most independent barcode companies, such as Barcode Limited in New Zealand, offer retail barcode numbers in a variety of forms, including as a barcode package. A barcode package usually contains a unique retail barcode number, a guarantee certificate and barcode images in a variety of formats. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can order a barcode package like this online, and it will be emailed to you, usually within a few hours.

The barcode images you receive are the actual barcode picture, consisting of vertical black lines and spaces, with the barcode number written underneath. These barcode images are usually emailed to you in several different formats, such as .eps, .bmp, .pdf, .jpg or .tiff. Of these formats, the most accurate, and hence the best to use, are .eps and .pdf.  When printing your barcode, it is important to have the edges of the lines as clean and sharp as possible. Hence, it is advisable to use a very accurate image format, such as .eps which is vector based. However, some graphics packages, which you might be using to produce your packaging artwork incorporating this barcode image, have specific image format requirements or limitations. Hence you will need to choose the format that works best for you, when you are inserting the barcode picture into the artwork for your packaging. If your packaging has already been printed, you can print the barcode picture onto sticky labels instead.

Companies like Barcodes Limited NZ  will send the images to you in the standard size of  25mm x 37mm. Officially you can safely reduce them to 80% of this size (ie to 20mm x 30mm) when putting them onto your packaging. If you make them smaller than this, it makes them difficult for barcode scanners to read. If you like large barcodes, you can officially increase them to 200% of the standard size.

If you buy a barcode from a reputed Barcode Reseller, you will receive a unique number that will not expire, and that only you have the legal right to use. You can use your barcode worldwide. It is a one-off purchase & there are no future fees.

“Can I just get a Barcode number without images?” is another common question.  Some people do not need barcode images, they only need a unique barcode number. If you are selling on Amazon, a barcode number is all you need. If you purchase your barcode from Barcodes Limited, then yes, you can just purchase the number without any images, saving yourself some unnecessary expense. And, if you buy just a barcode number and then later find out that you need images, it is easy to go back to the barcode company and order images.

The IUID Marking Requirements for the DoD

Normally, an IUID marking is required for the items at the US Department of Defense for their easy classification and serialization. The IUID marking include an encoded data string etched with 2 dimensional data matrix symbols.

The machine readable information (2D Data Matrix) of the IUID marking is required to match the standard of MIL-STD-130. The contractors or the suppliers need to specify some of the essential data in the proposal for IUID marking of parts. The data includes construct, marking methodology, syntax, and quality methodology that are selected for IUID marking of the parts.

IUID Marking requirements

According to the IUID part marking requirements

The nameplates and the labels for IUID marking of the parts are preferred over the direct part marking. Direct part marking is preferred only when the environment and size of the parts are not suitable for labels The nameplates and labels should be designed with a metallic or white background with black letters or high contrast black background with metallic or white letters.

There are some other IUID Marking Requirements for the Contractors

The instructions defined for the vendors and contractors mentions that the IUID of the parts are essential for their submission to UID Registry. The instruction provides information about the application of a 2D data matrix symbol, encoded data and the submission of required data to UID Registry. The main purpose of the Vendor Instruction is to educate the contractors and subcontractors about the generic IUID marking requirements for delivery of materials to the DoD customers.

The IUID of each part should be unique and clear. The selected contractors use a third party to provide IUID marking and it should be mentioned in the contract. The parts registered with duplicate IUID marking shall be rejected by the authority. The contractors need to identify the place of IUID marking for each affected part number. If the IUID is placed on the nameplate that contains the current part number, the nameplates should be able to contain the original IUID. The contractors are also required to place the IUID marking outside the existing nameplate, on a permanent nameplate. The principal aim is to make the IUID viewable. The applied IUID marking are required to be permanent under normal service conditions for the life of the part.

The contractors should also ensure that the DoD recognized IUID marking on the part use one of the following data qualifiers:

Data identifiers Application Identifiers Text Element Identifiers

All the delivered items whose unit acquisition cost is more that $5000 requires DoD recognized IUID marking. The DoD policy has determined that the contractors should identify the sub line, contract line or exhibit line item number along with the item description for each item that costs below $5000 or that requires unique identification.

With all these policies and instruction for the contractors about the IUID marking, the DoD intends to achieve lower cost of item management. The DoD also plans to provide reliable asset visibility and accountability of the property. However, the IUID marking system has improved the operational readiness of the items and reduced the burden of the workforce.

The long life of your cell phone battery

One of the most effective methods to increase the uninterrupted period of a telephone work is to replace the source of energy. It is possible to buy higher capacity cell phone batteries that provide more talk time and stand by time between calls. High capacity batteries do weigh a little more, so they might not be the best choice for those wanting a featherweight cell phone. If there is no such battery for a certain model of the phone one can purchase another standard battery in case the basic has discharged.

So, Replace your original battery or keep an extra battery on hand as a backup for you.

Type and capacity characteristics must be taken into consideration when selecting a battery. Nowadays different types of batteries are available in the market.

Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) is the least expensive of rechargeable batteries, but suffers from inherent shortcomings like memory effect. Here, if the battery is not fully drained before recharging, the unused portion crystallizes hence the complete capacity of the battery is not fully used.

The Ni-Cd battery, which originated in the generation of black and white display mobile phones, is loosing its position in the market. The NI-MH battery also has little demand nowadays.

The colour display generation leads to wide application of Li-ion battery (Li-ion). The prime advantage of these batteries over NiMH is that they hold more energy for same weight and volume. Therefore, Li-ion batteries are much smaller and thinner in comparison. Also, they don’t have any inherent memory effect. The only disadvantage is that they cost more than others.

Li-Po battery is the most new type available for your mobile phone. Li-Po batteries have evolved technologically from Li-ion batteries. A significant advantage of these batteries is that manufacturers can shape the battery almost however they please, which is very important to mobile phone manufacturers constantly working on smaller, thinner, and lighter phones. Many latest phones use these types of batteries. Their limitation is lower energy density and decreased cycle count compared to Li-ion. They are also expensive to manufacture – once mass-produced, the Li-ion polymer has the potential for lower cost.

Capacity of a battery is another index of a telephone quality. 600-800 mAch is an average index for ordinary phones. More modern models like smart phones and pocket pc are applied with batteries capacity reaching 1500 mAch.

Mobile phones manufactured by different companies support differently designed and developed batteries. But frankly speaking not many manufacturers at present time supply batteries with high capacity. Motorola company offers a few variants of High Capacity ion-lithium Battery for the popular series of V300/v500/v600/v620/v80/ E398, capacity ranging- from 750 to 1100 mA*ch.

You can significantly increase your talk time with Nextel i760 cell phone batteries. With Nextel i760 cell phone extended battery you can chat with friends and family longer than with a standard cell phone battery. Motorola also boasts Maximum Capacity Battery for Nextel i870 i875. It’s up to 420 Minutes Of Talk Time Or up to 150 hours of standby time in digital mode.

Also Siemens famous lately for the small terms of continuous work of its telephones, at the beginning of 2006 made users happy, producing the model of Me75, with a battery on 1000 mA*ch.

BlackBerry Company comes with a great battery. The BlackBerry 1000mAh Battery (C-S2) used in many BlackBerry devices is reliable. On the 8700c it usually keeps going for 4 to 5 days. For those of you who speak hours and hours on the phone everyday, you will definitely want to consider the Extended Batteries. Instead of the regular 1000mAh, you can get up to 1800mAh providing anywhere from 60% to 80% more talk time.

If the term of non-stop work for you is critical, you should pay attention to Nokia 6310i and 1100 (a week without charge) or the Philips Xenium that boasts best-in-class battery performance. It’s almost 2 weeks without charge!

So its possible to choose long lasting battery although you must be aware that it will cost and weigh more than average.

The question of continuous mobile phone work stands as never sharply today. By 2006, the colour display phone dominated the market. Along with the frequent appearance of camera phones and multimedia phones, functions of photo shooting, receiving and sending multimedia messages, and downloading high-capacity games are used more and more often. However, facing the more powerful 3G mobile phones, battery capacity is obviously insufficient. Mobile phone batteries tend to be lighter, thinner and higher capacity. Various new battery types such as fuel cell, Zinc-air and solar cell are in the R & D process.

AugustaM Sourcing LLC is a leading manufacturer and distributor of premium quality battery technology products. While worldwide customers require a partner who can reliably meet their demands for high-quality batteries at very competitive prices AugustaM Sourcing LLC provides high-quality, high-performance battery products at the lowest possible cost that could be delivered at the required time. You can take advantage of services from this internet shop if you want to buy new battery – AugustaMBattery is a useful address for you.

The company produces Wireless Phone Batteries including Motorola-iDen Batteries, Nextel-iDen Batteries, RIM-Blackberry Batteries and Spectralink and Nortel Batteries.

Its product range includes aftermarket replacement battery packs and charging solutions for portable devices such as Two Way Radios, Speciality Phones, Barcode Scanners, Barcode Printers, and Laptop Computers. All batteries are precision-engineered and rigorously tested for voltage, capacity, compatibility and safety to meet or exceed OEM specifications.

GBmobile Mobile Inventory Management: Physical Counts

Conduct Physical Counts by location or by bin, with the flexibility of requiring a manager’s approval to complete a count.

An Overview Of The Uid Imager For Dod Uid Labels

UID or the Unique Item Identifier labeling was introduced by the Department of Defense (DoD), as a way of submitting UID data of items to the UID registry. The UID registry acts as a storehouse for information about items belonging to DoD and the item’s UID data. The submission of data using UID imager to the registry enhances data maintenance and enables personnel at DoD to easily monitor the items. Currently, the UID label is applied to all Department of Defense identification requirements and for SNT’s or serialization tracking programs. It is important to select the correct UID imager so as to achieve UID compliance. For any UID imager to become UID compliant, it has to pass the MIL-STD-130 standard. This standard allows the marking or printing of this UID symbol with the same methods that are used in the production of nameplates or labels. This UID is engraved on items in form of 2D data matrix barcode symbol that is imprinted in a square grid. The markings on the item can be either affixed or engraved using nameplates or labels. To guarantee longevity, the markings affixed must be permanent for the entire duration of the item. In order to identify or decode the engravings on the nameplate or label, an UID imager is used. These UID imagers make it easier for users to understand the coding. While the UID is being derived from the data elements, the imager identifies each data element on the label and decodes the Unique Item identifier. The UID Imager uses the latest Automated Identification Technology in decoding and encoding the code and is able to read data included in the UID labels. Such data may include item number, marking method, part number and the agency code among others. In order for the data to be read using the UID Imager, the labels need to be made using either the construct #1 or construct #2. Data elements written in formats other than the above might not be read correctly by the imager. To get more understanding on benefits of the UID Imager seek expert advice from ID-Integration who will provide additional information.

Security for Citizens : Techfor

EVA, Face Barcode, Antiterrorism Robot, COGITO and Container Scanner are just some of the examples of technological innovation to ensure security for citizens in the future. These will be presented during the First International Exhibition on Technologies for Law Enforcement Agencies (TechFOr) to protect individual rights and the citizens. TechFOr is part of the ForumPA, the greatest event of and about the Public Administration taking place in Rome, Italy from 12 to 15 May 2008.

In an area of more than 53,000 sq.ft., 72 international exhibitors will present more than 400 innovative solutions to support security.

Italian institutions will be proudly represented by the Carabinieri, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Police, the Prison Service Police (namely Polizia Penitenziaria) the High Commissioner for Anti-Forgery and the National Operational Plan for Security.

Among the products with high technological content, the following deserve special mention:

- Anti-terrorism Robot: a remote-controlled robot capable of relaying high-definition imaging of packages, vehicles and inspected sewage systems;

- Face Barcode: a highly technological system that couples boarding cards barcodes with the face of the passenger as recorded during routine checks, thus making the swapping of boarding cards impossible;

- VACIS mobile: a scanner for containers mounted on a truck and capable of checking both parked and moving vehicles from both sides. It can scan 40 ft. containers in less than 6 seconds with average cycle time of 1 to 3 minutes;

- COGITO: a multilingual platform to understand and analyse information. It is also suitable for use with Arabic.

Security is a social issue having a crucial importance in Italy and abroad.

Following the 9/11 tragedy, security has turned into the first and most debated issue, something shared at the international level.

A few weeks ago, for example, a new device produced in China has been taken to the market. It is an e-tag for containers, i.e. an electronic tag that communicates via radio frequency and web with control centres and sends information about actions perpetrated on/against containers.

Manufacturing and sale of new and used containers

How can I use a barcode scanner to input text directly?

I’m using a welch alynn it3800 with a USB input adapter. I want to be able to scan barcodes and have them go in directly as Text (as if it was typed)
Right now when I scan a barcode, it beeps regularly but nothing shows up. Do I need a driver?