Device for providing an article, more in particular a container, with a selectively adjustable code, and reading apparatus for recognizing such a code.

摘要

An encoding device for a container which is movable along a conveyor and through reading apparatus for sensing and recognizing a selected code perceivable on the encoding device. The encoding device includes first means (12, 25) having a strip shaped surface area (15, 16, 26, 27) of a contrasting reflectivity, and second means (3, 29) having an array of apertures (4-8, 30-34) therethrough; said first and second means being mounted for a relative sliding movement to each other, whereby the encoding device can be selectively set to represent any one of a number of distinct and different codes. The reading apparatus is adapted to count the number of light contrasting code elements included in a selected code and to translate the resulting count in response to a comparison between two concurrent signals derived during passage of the encoding device through the reading apparatus.