Manual bar coder

Abstract

A manually set bar code generating device is easily attachable to a mail container such as an envelope. A housing rotatably mounts a series of concentric circular rings which are imprinted with bar code characters on one side and with alphanumeric characters on a diametrically opposite side. The housing includes diametrically opposed windows that expose a bar code character on one side while exposing its alphanumeric counterpart on the other side. Each single ring thus sets up a single character of a bar code sequence. The series of rings sets up the desired sequence of bar code characters in one window as the desired sequence of alphanumeric characters is dialed into place in the opposite window. The side-by-side rings are independently rotatable about a central axis of the housing. Rotation of the individual rings is accomplished by inserting a pointed instrument into one of a series of depressions in the ring. Protrusions on the bottom of the ring snap into recesses in the housing to accurately position the indicia in the windows. Tapered grooves in the housing mate with conical side walls of the rings to maintain precise ring-to-ring spacing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.