Barcode systems are used to automate the data recording and processing system. The system itself is a complex, networked architecture of computers, scanners, readers and software which runs on these machines.

The invention is the brain child of Bernard Silver of Drexel Institute of Technology, Philadelphia. A local commercial food chain approached his university and asked them to research a system where an automatic processing can be done to items being checked out. Bernard along with fellow researcher Norman Joseph Woodland began on the project and using UV light made the first prototype.

It was much later in the late 60s when commercial readers began appearing in the market.