Reduced Spaced Symbology (RSS)

The EAN.UCC Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) family comprises three linear symbologies — RSS-14, RSS Limited, and RSS Expanded — designed to encode EAN.UCC item identification and supplementary data in a compact space.

The EAN.UCC Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) family contains three linear symbologies for use with the EAN.UCC system. Use of the symbology is restricted and subject to compliance with the rules and registration procedures of EAN International (EAN) and the Uniform Code Council, Inc. (UCC).

RSS-14 encodes the full 14-digit EAN.UCC item identification in a linear symbol that can be scanned omnidirectionally by suitably programmed point-of-sale scanners. RSS Limited encodes a 14-digit EAN.UCC item identification with an indicator digit of zero or one, in a linear symbol intended for small items that will not be scanned at the point of sale. RSS Expanded encodes an EAN.UCC item identification plus supplementary AI element strings, such as weight and "best before" date, in a linear symbol that can also be scanned omnidirectionally.

EAN.UCC RSS barcode symbols are reserved exclusively for encoding identification numbers and data supplementary to that identification. Administration of the numbering system by EAN and UCC ensures that identification codes assigned to particular items are unique worldwide, and that the associated supplementary data are defined consistently. The major benefit for users of the EAN.UCC system is access to uniquely defined identification codes and supplementary data formats for their trading transactions.

RSS-14 Stacked is a variation of RSS-14 that is stacked in two rows, used when the standard symbol would be too wide for the application. It comes in two versions: a truncated version for small-item marking, and a taller omnidirectional version designed to be read by omnidirectional scanners. RSS Expanded can also be printed in multiple rows as a stacked symbol.

Any member of the RSS family can be printed as a stand-alone linear symbol or as a Composite symbol with an accompanying 2D Composite Component printed directly above the RSS linear component.

The characteristics of the RSS family are as follows:

• Encodable character set: RSS-14 and RSS Limited: 0 through 9. RSS Expanded: a subset of ISO 646, consisting of uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, and 20 selected punctuation characters, in addition to the special UCC/EAN function character FNC1
• Symbol character structure: different (n,k) symbol characters are used for each member of the family
• Code type: continuous, linear barcode symbology
• Maximum numeric data capacity (including implied application identifiers where appropriate, but not including any encoded FNC1 characters): RSS-14 and RSS Limited: application identifier "01" plus a 14-digit numeric item identification. RSS Expanded: 74 numeric or 41 alphabetic characters
• Error detection: RSS-14: mod 79 checksum. RSS Limited: mod 89 checksum. RSS Expanded: mod 211 checksum
• Character self-checking: Yes
• Bi-directionally decodable: Yes

Summary of additional RSS features

The following is a summary of additional EAN.UCC RSS family features:

• Data compaction: Each member of the family has data compaction methods optimized for the data strings it will encode. RSS Expanded is optimized for specific combinations of application identifiers that are commonly used.
• Component linkage: Each RSS symbol contains a linkage flag which, if set, indicates to the reader that a 2D Composite Component is adjacent to the RSS family linear component.
• UCC/EAN-128 emulation: Readers set to UCC/EAN-128 emulation mode transmit the data encoded within the RSS family symbol as if it were encoded in one or more UCC/EAN-128 symbols.

Each RSS symbol contains outside guard patterns, symbol characters, and finder patterns. Every symbol includes error detection.

The guard patterns consist of two one-module-wide elements forming either a bar/space or space/bar pair at each end of the symbol. RSS-14 Stacked and RSS Expanded Stacked symbols have guard patterns at the ends of each row of the symbol.

Every symbol has two or more data characters, each with an (n,k) structure, where n is the number of modules and k is both the number of bars and the number of spaces comprising the data character. The data character values are combined mathematically to form the explicitly encoded data.

The finder pattern is a set of elements selected to be identifiable by the decoder so the symbol can be recognized and the relative position of its elements determined. Each symbol contains one or more finder patterns, which also function as the check character and/or segment identifiers.

RSS-14 symbol representing 20012345678909 and a linkage flag of 0

RSS-14 Truncated symbol representing 00012345678905

RSS-14 Stacked symbol representing 00012345678905

RSS Expanded symbol representing (01)98898765432106(3202)012345(15)991231

RSS Expanded Stacked symbol representing (01)98898765432106(3202)012345(15)991231

Information taken from www.aimglobal.org.