新工科大學英語3.IBM engineer who designed the universal product code dies at 94

IBMEngineerWhoDesignedTheUniversalProductCodeDiesAt94

GeorgeLaurerin2011attheUniversityofMaryland’sInnovationHallofFame.Hismanyinventions,includingtheUniversalProductCode,ledtohisinductionintothehallin1991.

OnaJunemorningin1974,aMarshSupermarketcashierinTroy,Ohio,

rangup

a67-centpackofJuicyFruitchewinggumusingsomethingnovel–theblackandwhitestripesofauniversalbarcode.

TheUniversalProductCodeisnowapackagingmainstayoneverythingfromcerealboxesandproducetoelectronicsandairplanetickets,butitmightnothaveworkedwithoutIBMengineerGeorgeLaurer.

Laurer,who

diedthismonth

at94inNorthCarolina,hadbeengivenanassignmentbyhismanager:WriteaproposalforgroceryexecutivesexplaininghowIBMwouldtakeapreviouslyinventedbarcodepattern,intheshapeofabull’s-eye,andmakeitworkinsupermarketsacrossthecountry.

Butwhenthatmanagerreturnedfromavacation,Laurerwas

theretomeethim

.“Ididn’tdowhatyouasked,”hesaid.

Instead,Laurerhadcreatedsomethingelse–thebull’s-eyewasgoneandinitsplacewasalinearbarcode.Laurerhaddeemedthebull’s-eyedesignunworkable.Thecircularcode,inspiredbyMorsecodeandpatentedby

N.JosephWoodlandandBernardSilverin1952

,wastoosmall,anditwouldsmearwhenrunthroughthepoor-qualityprintingpressesusedformostfoodlabelsatthetime.

“MynatureandmytrainingwouldnotallowmetosupportsomethingIdidn’tbelievein,”Laurersaidina

2010interview

.“Isimplywentagainstmymanager’sinstructionandsetouttodesignabettersystem.”

InarentedspaceinRaleigh,LaurerandateamofIBMcolleaguesrefinedandtestedthedesign.Woodland,whocreatedthatfirstbull’s-eyebarcodeandwhomLaurer

called

thefatherofthesupermarketscanningsystem,cameonboardtohelp.

Whenitcametimetopresenttotheteamofgroceryexecutives,Laurersaidhisboss“madeitclearthatifIwaswrongorIcouldnotselltheideatothebrass,itwouldendmycareer,nothis.Myargumentsmusthavebeenpersuasive.”

In1973,thegroceryindustrysettledonthebarcodepitchedbyLaurerandIBM.Between1976and1980,thenumberofstoresusingIBM’sbarcodejumpedfrom104to2,207.Thecodesevencausedacampaigntrailgaffein1992,whenPresidentGeorgeH.W.Bushwasreportedly

astounded

byabarcodescannerduringatourofagroceryconvention,playingintoanarrativethatBushwasoutoftouchwithregularpeople.(Itlaterturnedoutthescannerhewasconfrontedwithhadadvancedfeaturesnotyetavailable.)

TagswithbarcodeshangatafacilityinFlandreau,S.D.Introducedintheearly1970s,thelinearbarcoderemainsaretailstapleandisscannedmorethan6billiontimesperday.

Decadeslater,mostUPC’sstillemploythe12-digitnumberand30blackbarsLaurerdesigned.

GeorgeLaurerwas

borninNewYorkCity

,survivedpolioasateenagerandwasdraftedintotheArmyinWorldWarII.Afterhisdischarge,hewasunemployedwhenheenrolledinatelevisionandradiorepaircourse.Hisinstructorpersuadedhimtoquit,gethishighschoolequivalencydiplomaandgotocollege.In1951,hegraduatedfromtheUniversityofMarylandwithadegreeinelectricalengineering.LaurerworkedatIBMinNorthCarolina’sResearchTriangleParkuntil1987.

HissonCraigLaurertoldNPRthattheUPCcodeisanexampleofthewayLaureralwaysthought:“Gettothecoreofaproblemandfindtheonekeyelementthatpreventedagoodsolution.Andovercomeit.”

Laurersaidhisfatherwasalifelongtinkerer,upuntilhisfinaldays.WhenheboughtanRV,heimmediatelytookoutthebedoverthefrontcabandbuiltinaspecialstorageunit.Hewasalwaysrepairingcars,bothhisandotherpeople’s;hebuiltradiosandthefamily’sfirsttelevision.

“Hebasicallyneverownedanythinghedidn’tcustomizeortweaktobetterservehisneeds,”CraigLaurertoldNPR.“Hewasalwayscomingupwithsomething.Hewashumbleandreallygenerousandhejusthititoffwitheverybody.”

Overhislifetime,Laurerreceivedmorethantwodozenpatents.Buthenevergotrichfromhismostfamousbreakthrough.That’sbecauseIBMdidn’tpatenttheUPCandmostlygaveitawaytosellscanningequipment.Laurerdidn’tgetrecognitionforhisinnovationuntildecadeslater.

EvenoncestoreswidelyadoptedtheUPC,CraigLaurersaid,hisfatherdidn’tthinkitwouldhavethelongevityitultimatelyhas.“Heexpectedittobesupplantedwithsomeothertechnologywithinadecadeorso,”hesaid.“Instead,itgrewbeyondthegroceryindustryintoallretailandthenworldwide.”

Today,theUPCsLaurerdesignedare

scannedmorethan6billiontimes

aday,accordingtothenonprofitorganizationGS1,whichmanagesthecodes.

“Myfatheralwayssaidhewouldgotothesupermarket,andjuststandtherewhentheycheckedhimout,knowingthatitwashisinvention,”CraigLaurersaid.