Field of the Invention

The present application relates to the technical field of communication, and more particularly, to a method and a device for product ID conversion, and a product management system.

Background of the Invention

A product ID is a set of symbols, such as Arabic numerals, that may be used to identify a product. The product ID may be used for identification and statistics of information about each product, such as the type, name, and quantity. A product ID may be an European Article Number (EAN) or an Electronic Product Code (EPC).

Identical products are often identified by one product ID, for example, only one EAN is used to identify the product or only one EPC is used to identify a single type of product. However, if some of the identical products introduced by a merchant use an EAN for identification while others use an EPC for identification, there is a conflict and a clear chain of the product information will be blocked.

Summary of the Invention

To overcome, or at least ameliorate, the problem mentioned above, there is provided a method and a device for product ID conversion and a product management system, which may ensure the smooth flow of the product information chain, so as to solve the technical problem above.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a product ID conversion method, including the following steps:

recognizing the product ID to be converted, and determining the type of product ID to be converted;

determining if the product ID to be converted is an EAN, and if so, recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to a data structure template of the EAN; and

encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by an encoding method of EPC, and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC. ln an embodiment of the product ID conversion method, the step of recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN, includes:

comparing the data structure template of the EAN with the EAN to be converted, and recognizing the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EAN to be converted.

In another embodiment of the product ID conversion method, the step of encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by the encoding method of EPC and converting the EAN into a target EPC, includes:

converting the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EAN to be converted from decimal to binary, and obtaining a first code;

adding a header and a serial number to the first code according to the encoding method of EPC, and obtaining a second code; and

converting the second code into a target EPC by converting the second code from binary to hexadecimal.

In another embodiment, the product ID conversion method, further including:

determining if the product ID to be converted is an EPC, recognizing each segment of data in the EPC to be converted according to the data structure template of the EPC; and decoding each segment of data in the EPC to be converted by the encoding method of EAN, and converting the EPC to be converted into a target EAN.

In one embodiment of the product ID conversion method, the step of recognizing each segment of data in the EPC according to the data structure template of the EPC, includes: comparing the data structure template of the EPC with the EPC to be converted, and recognizing the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EPC to be converted.

In another embodiment of the product ID conversion method, the step of respectively decoding each segment of data in the EPC to be converted by the encoding method of EAN and converting the EPC to be converted into a target EAN, includes:

converting the EPC to be converted from hexadecimal to binary, and obtaining a third code;

extracting a manufacturer code and a product item code from the third code according to the encoding method of EAN, and respectively converting the extracted manufacturer code and product item code from binary to decimal, and obtaining a fourth code; and

adding a check digit to the fourth code according to check digit generation rules of the EAN, and converting the fourth code into a target EAN.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a product ID conversion device, including:

a determination module configured to recognize the product ID to be converted, and determine the type of product ID to be converted;

a recognition module configured to recognize each segment of data in an EAN to be converted according to a data structure template of the EAN, if the product ID to be converted is an EAN; and

an encoding module configured to encode each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by the encoding method of EPC, and convert the EAN to be converted into a target EPC.

A product management system, including:

a server, a QR code printing equipment and an EPC reading and writing equipment.

The server performs the following steps:

recognizing the product ID to be converted, and determining the type of product ID to be converted;

if the product ID to be converted is an EAN, recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN; and

encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by the encoding method of EPC, and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC.

The QR code printing equipment is configured to generate a QR code of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link corresponding to the EPC.

The EPC reading and writing equipment is configured to recognize the EPC and write the product information on the product package.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer apparatus including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and operable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executing the computer program, performs the following steps:

recognizing the product ID to be converted, and determining the type of product ID to be converted;

if the product ID to be converted is an EAN, recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN; and

encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by an encoding method of EPC, and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the following steps:

recognizing the product ID to be converted, and determining the type of product ID to be converted;

if the product ID to be converted is an EAN, recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN; and

encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by an encoding method of EPC, and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an European Article Number (EAN) product identifier to Electronic Product Code (EPC) product identifier conversion method including:

identifying segments of data in a recognized EAN according to a data structure template of the EAN; and

encoding each identified segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to an EPC encoding methodology so as to convert the EAN into a target EPC.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an Electronic Product Code (EPC) product identifier to European Article Number (EAN) product identifier conversion method including:

identifying segments of data in a recognized EPC according to a data structure template of the EPC; and

encoding each identified segment of data in the EPC to be converted according to an EAN encoding methodology so as to convert the EPC into a target EAN. According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a product identifier conversion method including:

identifying the original product identifier type;

selecting a target product identifier type;

when the target product identifier type is not the original product identifier type perform the following steps:

identifying segments of data in the identified original product identifier type according to a data structure template of the original product identifier type; and

encoding each identified segment of data in the identified original product identifier to be converted according to an encoding methodology of the target product identifier type so as to convert the identified original product identifier into a target product identifier.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer apparatus including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and operable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executing the computer program, performs the following steps of the European Article Number (EAN) product identifier to Electronic Product Code (EPC) product identifier conversion method defined above.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the following steps of the European Article Number (EAN) product identifier to Electronic Product Code (EPC) product identifier conversion method defined above.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer apparatus including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and operable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executing the computer program, performs the following steps of the Electronic Product Code (EPC) product identifier to European Article Number (EAN) product identifier conversion method defined above.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the following steps of the Electronic Product Code (EPC) product identifier to European Article Number (EAN) product identifier conversion method defined above.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer apparatus including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and operable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executing the computer program, performs the following steps of the product identifier conversion method defined above.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the following steps of the product identifier conversion method defined above.

By recognizing and determining the type of the product ID to be converted, recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN if the product ID to be converted is an EAN, and respectively encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by the encoding method of EPC and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC, the above product ID conversion method, device, computer apparatus, storage medium and product management system method, are capable of managing the product information corresponding to EANs and the product information corresponding to EPCs in a uniform manner, thereby ensuring the smooth flow of the product information chain.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG 1 is an application environment diagram of a product ID conversion method according to one embodiment;

FIG 2 is a schematic flowchart of a product ID conversion method according to one embodiment;

FIG 3 is a schematic flowchart of a product ID conversion method according to another embodiment;

FIG 4 is a structural block diagram of a product ID conversion device according to one embodiment; and

FIG 5 is an internal structure diagram of a computer apparatus according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments in order to better clarify the object, technical scheme and advantages of the present application. Flowever, it is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely exemplary of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. The product ID conversion method provided in the present application may be applied in the application environment as illustrated in FIG 1.

The application environment of FIG 1 provides a terminal 102 that communicates with the server 104 via a network. The terminal 102 may be, but is not limited to, various personal computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets, and portable wearable devices, and the server 104 may be implemented by a separate server or a server cluster including of a plurality of servers.

As illustrated in FIG 2, one embodiment provides a product ID conversion method, which is illustrated by applying in the server 104 in FIG 1 as an example, and includes the following steps:

S202: Recognizing the product ID to be converted, and determining the type of product ID to be converted.

For the above step (S202), a product ID may be an EAN or an EPC. An EAN may be used for bar code identification of retail goods, non-retail goods and logistics units. An EPC may be used to transmit information via the Internet and is widely used in industries involving retail goods.

S204: Recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN, if the product ID to be converted is an EAN.

The EAN is formulated by the International Article Numbering Association and used worldwide. The EAN is one of the most widely used bar codes types for commodities in the world. EANs should conform to a standard defining the format and composition of symbols, including EAN-13 and EAN-8. EAN-13 is a standard version of the EAN, composed of 13 decimal digits, and may consist of a manufacturer code, a product item code and a check digit. EAN-8 is a shortened version of the EAN, composed of 8 decimal digits, and may consist of a manufacturer code, a product item code and a check digit.

S206: Respectively encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by the encoding method of EPC, and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC. ln this step (S206), the EAN to be converted may be converted into a target EPC by encoding the relevant EAN. Each product may have one unique EAN, which may be converted into an EPC according to predetermined encoding rules. When a product is manufactured, the corresponding EPC label will be attached to its outer packaging. In the later operations upon completion of manufacturing such as packing and warehousing, one may use scanning equipment to scan the EPC label to record data, make enquiries and manage the corresponding products in the EPC management system.

By recognizing and determining the type of the product ID to be converted; recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN if the product ID to be converted is an EAN; and respectively encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by the encoding method of EPC and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC, the above system described in this embodiment is capable of managing the product information corresponding to EANs and the product information corresponding to EPCs in a uniform manner, thereby ensuring the flow of the product information in a supply chain. This may lead to improvements in the production efficiency of the handling of products.

In another embodiment, each segment of data in the EAN to be converted may be recognized by the following steps:

comparing the data structure template of the EAN with the EAN to be converted, and recognizing the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EAN to be converted.

In such an embodiment, the data structure template of the EAN may be: a manufacturer code represented by the first 7 digits, a product item code represented by the middle 5 digits, and a check digit represented by the last digit. A portion of the EAN, such as the first 12 digits of the EAN, including the 7-digit manufacturer code and the 5-digit product item code, may be respectively extracted according to the data structure template of the EAN.

In another embodiment, the EAN to be converted may be converted into a target EPC as follows: respectively converting the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EAN to be converted from decimal to binary and obtaining a first code; adding a specific (binary) header and a (binary) serial number to the first code according to the encoding method of EPC so as to obtain a second code; and converting the second code into a target EPC by converting the second code from binary to hexadecimal. In another embodiment, the first 12 digits of the EAN to be converted may be extracted to respectively convert the manufacturer code (digits 1 through 7) and the product item code (digits 8 through 12) from decimal to binary, to obtain a first code. In this embodiment, the manufacturer code may be converted into a 24-bit binary number, and the product item code may be converted into a 20-bit binary number. A specific header and a serial number, together with a filter value and a partition, may be added to the first code according to the encoding method of EPC, to constitute a 96-bit binary code, i.e. the second code. Following this, each 4 bits of this 96-bit binary code is converted into hexadecimal to generate a 24-bit hexadecimal code, which forms the EPC.

In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG3, after the step of converting the EAN into a target EPC, the product ID conversion method further includes:

S208: Recognizing each segment of data in the EPC to be converted according to the data structure template of the EPC, if the product ID to be converted is an EPC.

In an embodiment of S208, the EPC is carried by a carrier such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) electronic tag, which preferably adopts a Serialized Global Trade Identification Number (SGTIN) encoding structure. The encoding type of the EPC is SGTIN- 96, which may include 96 binary digits and consist of 6 fields, namely, Pleader, Filter Value, Partition, Company Prefix Index, Item Reference, and Serial Number.

S210: Respectively decoding each segment of data in the EPC to be converted by the EPC encoding method, and converting the EPC to be converted into a target EAN.

In this step (S210), an EPC may be converted into an EAN by decoding the EPC to be converted for example as described below.

In this embodiment the mutual conversion between EAN and EPC, and is capable of managing the product information corresponding to EANs and the product information corresponding to the EPCs in a uniform manner, thereby ensuring the flow of the product information in the supply chain and improving the production efficiency of products, which may enable the product management to be standardized, and the tracing of dynamic conditions and movement of goods to be more efficient and more convenient. In another embodiment, each segment of data in an EPC may be recognized by the following steps: comparing the data structure template of the EPC with the EPC to be converted, and recognizing the Company Prefix Index and the Item Reference in the EPC to be converted.

In this above embodiment, the data structure template of the EPC may be: a Company Prefix Index represented by the 15th-44th digits, and an Item Reference represented by the 45th-58th digits. The hexadecimal EPC may be first converted into a 96-bit binary code. According to the data structure template of the EAN, the 15th-58th digits in the 96-bit binary code may be extracted; wherein, the 15th-44th digits constitute the manufacturer code, and the 45th-58th digits constitute the product item code.

In another embodiment, the EPC to be converted may be converted into a target EAN as follows: converting the EPC to be converted from hexadecimal to binary, and obtaining a third code; extracting the manufacturer code and the product item code from the third code according to the EPC encoding method, and respectively converting the extracted manufacturer code and product item code from binary to decimal, and obtaining a fourth code; and adding a check digit to the fourth code according to the check digit generation rules of the EAN and converting the fourth code into a target EAN.

In another embodiment, the 24-bit hexadecimal EPC may be divided into two parts of 12 bits each, and then each part is respectively converted from hexadecimal to binary, and concatenated to form a 96-bit binary EPC, i.e. the third code. The Company Prefix Index (15th-44th digits) in the third code is extracted and to converted into decimal, and the Item Reference (45th-58th digits) in the third code is extracted and converted into decimal, and the decimal Company Prefix and the decimal Item Reference are concatenated to form a fourth code. A check digit is added to the end of the fourth code according to the check digit generation rules of the EAN, to form the target EAN.

In an embodiment the check digit generation rules are as follows: adding the sum of the odd-numbered codes in the fourth code to 3 times of the sum of the even-numbered codes in the fourth code, and then taking the single-digit number of the obtained result as the check digit of the target EAN. For example, the fourth code is: Ni NsNs^NsNeNyNsNgNioNi _! N ₁₂ , and the value resulting from adding the sum of the odd- numbered codes in the fourth code to 3 times of the sum of the even-numbered codes in the fourth code is C: C = (Ni+Ns+Ns+Ny+Ng+Nn) + (N ₂ +N ₄ +Ng+Ng+Nio+Ni ₂ ) ^x 3.

The single unit digit of C may be taken as the check digit.

It should be understood that, all steps in the flowcharts of FIGs 2-3 are sequentially displayed as indicated by the arrows, however, these steps are not necessarily performed in the sequence indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the performance of these steps is not limited by a strict sequence, and these steps may be performed in other sequences. At least some of the steps in FIGs 2-3 may include a plurality of sub-steps or stages, which are not necessarily performed and completed at the same time and may be performed at different times, and which are not necessarily performed in sequence, and may be performed in turn or alternatively with at least some of other steps or sub-steps or stages of other steps.

In an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG 4, there is provided a product ID conversion device, including:

a determination module 402 configured to recognize the product ID (original product ID) to be converted, and determine the type of product ID to be converted;

a recognition module 404 configured to recognize each segment of data in the products ID to be converted according to the data structure template of the type of product ID; and

an encoding module 406 configured to encode each segment of data in the product ID to be converted by the encoding method of target type of product ID and convert the original product ID to be converted into a target product ID.

In an embodiment, the original product ID type is EAN. In an embodiment the target product ID type is EPC.

In an embodiment, the original product ID type is EPC. In an embodiment the target product ID type is EAN.

In an embodiment, in the event that the recognized original product ID type is EAN, then the target product ID type is EPC, and vice versa.

In an embodiment, the target product ID type is selectable. In an embodiment when the recognized original product ID type is the same as the target product ID type, so conversion occurs. In an embodiment, the recognition module and the encoding module are configured to do nothing when no conversion occurs.

The specific restrictions on the product ID conversion device, and references to the restrictions on the product ID conversion method, details are not described herein. Modules in the above product ID conversion device may be wholly or partially implemented in software, hardware, or combination thereof. Such modules may be embedded in, or independent of a processor in the computer equipment in the form of hardware, or alternatively, stored in a memory in the computer equipment in the form of software, so as to facilitate the processor to invoke the corresponding operation to execute the modules described.

In an embodiment, there is provided a computer apparatus which may be a server and the internal structure diagram of which is illustrated in FIG 5. The computer apparatus includes a processor, a memory, a network interface and a database connected via a system bus. In this embodiment, the processor of the computer apparatus is configured to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer apparatus includes a non volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system, computer program and database. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. Database of the computer apparatus is configured to store product information. Network interface of the computer apparatus is configured to communicate with external terminal via network. When executed by the processor, the computer program will control the computer apparatus to implement a product ID conversion method.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure illustrated in FIG 5 is merely a block diagram of a part of the structure related to the solution of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation of the computer apparatus to which the solution of the present application is applied. The specific computer apparatus may include more or fewer members than those illustrated in the figure, or combine some members, or have different arrangement of members.

In an embodiment, there is provided a product management system, including: a server, a QR code printing equipment and an EPC reading and writing equipment. In this embodiment the server is used for recognizing the product ID to be converted, and determining the type of product ID to be converted;

if the product ID to be converted is an EAN, recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN; and

encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by the encoding method of EPC, and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC.

The QR code printing equipment is configured to generate a QR code of the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link corresponding to the EPC; and

The EPC reading and writing equipment is configured to recognize the EPC and write the product information on the product package.

After the products are manufactured, the EPC information may be written on the product package by an EPC reading and writing equipment, and a traceable QR code may be printed by a specific QR code printing equipment.

A product management system for tracing of products according to the EPC on the products may be established. For example: the manufacturing, packing, inbound, outbound, return and other operations associated with finished products may be tracked. At each location, a corresponding operation may be completed by placing products on the EPC reading and writing equipment for scanning. The scanning of a single product is sufficient, and in case of a whole boxes or cartons, the box or carton would include a corresponding code, and the corresponding operations may be completed by the scanning of an EPC reading and writing equipment. The management of products is able to be systematized reducing the possibility of error, enhancing the overall efficiency associated with product handling. It is anticipated that the result of these enhancements lead to overall costs diminishing, and the efficiencies being increased.

Upon the products manufacture the corresponding EPC label is attached at the final packaging stage, and the scanned data is uploaded to the server for storage. Information on products may be added by scanning the EPC, for example, the corresponding information may be obtained during the packing, inbound or during other operations. Obtaining this information allows for increased convenience, enhancements in efficiency, reduces error rate and traces products in a more convenient manner. For each product, the corresponding EPC may be acquired by scanning the QR code, in which case, the user will be redirected to a corresponding system which may retrieve the product information stored therein (e.g. origin, source, materials, date of manufacture, warranty period and other parameters). This allows for knowledge about the product at any time by the product producer or supplier, wholesaler and the like; and the customer may obtain the product information in an efficient manner.

Such a product management system standardizes product management, and provides for a more efficient tracing in dynamic conditions and on the movement of goods. Standardized production may improve the production efficiency, streamlines and adjusts the process links, making product management work increasingly efficient. The smart operations reduce links which are to be completed by manpower, and adopt mechanized procedural production, which allows for improvements in production efficiency and may reduce labor costs. This also affords increased speed in problem handling and problems that occur may be rapidly handled via the management platform.

In another embodiment, there is provided a computer apparatus including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and operable on the processor, characterized in that the processor, when executing the computer program, performs the following steps:

recognizing the product ID to be converted, and determining the type of product ID to be converted;

if the product ID to be converted is an EAN, recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN; and

encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by an encoding method of EPC, and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC.

In a further embodiment, the processor, when executing the computer program, further performs the following steps: comparing the data structure template of the EAN with the EAN to be converted; and recognizing the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EAN to be converted.

In a further embodiment, the processor, when executing the computer program, further performs the following steps: respectively converting the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EAN to be converted from decimal to binary; and obtaining a first code; adding a specific header and a serial number to the first code according to the encoding method of EPC; and obtaining a second code; and converting the second code into a target EPC by converting the second code from binary to hexadecimal.

In another embodiment, the processor, when executing the computer program, further performs the following steps: if the product ID to be converted is an EPC, recognizing each segment of data in the EPC to be converted according to the data structure template of the EPC; and, respectively decoding each segment of data in the EPC to be converted by the encoding method of EAN, and converting the EPC to be converted into a target EAN.

In a further embodiment, the processor, when executing the computer program, further performs the following steps: comparing the data structure template of the EPC with the EPC to be converted; and recognizing the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EPC to be converted.

In a further embodiment, the processor, when executing the computer program, further performs the following steps: converting the EPC to be converted from hexadecimal to binary; and obtaining a third code; extracting the manufacturer code and the product item code from the third code according to the encoding method of EPC; and respectively converting the extracted manufacturer code and product item code from binary to decimal; and obtaining a fourth code; and adding a check digit to the fourth code according to check digit generation rules of the EAN; and converting the fourth code into a target EAN.

In a further embodiment, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the following steps:

recognizing the product ID to be converted, and determining the type of product ID to be converted;

if the product ID to be converted is an EAN, recognizing each segment of data in the EAN to be converted according to the data structure template of the EAN; and

encoding each segment of data in the EAN to be converted by the encoding method of EPC, and converting the EAN to be converted into a target EPC.

In a further embodiment, the computer program, when executed by a processor, further performs the following steps: comparing the data structure template of the EAN with the EAN to be converted; and recognizing the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EAN to be converted. In a further embodiment, the computer program, when executed by a processor, further performs the following steps: respectively converting the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EAN to be converted from decimal to binary; and obtaining a first code; adding a specific header and a serial number to the first code according to the encoding method of EPC; and obtaining a second code; and converting the second code into a target EPC by converting the second code from binary to hexadecimal.

In a further embodiment, the computer program, when executed by a processor, further performs the following steps: if the product ID to be converted is an EPC; recognizing each segment of data in the EPC to be converted according to the data structure template of the EPC; and respectively decoding each segment of data in the EPC to be converted by the encoding method of EPC, and converting the EPC to be converted into a target EAN.

In a further embodiment, the computer program, when executed by a processor, further performs the following steps: comparing the data structure template of the EPC with the EPC to be converted; and recognizing the manufacturer code and the product item code in the EPC to be converted.

In a further embodiment, the computer program, when executed by a processor, further performs the following steps: converting the EPC to be converted from hexadecimal to binary; and obtaining a third code; extracting the manufacturer code and the product item code from the third code according to the encoding method of EAN; and respectively converting the extracted manufacturer code and product item code from binary to decimal; and obtaining a fourth code; and adding a check digit to the fourth code according to check digit generation rules of the EAN; and converting the fourth code into a target EAN.

Persons having ordinary skill in the art will understand that all or a part of procedures for implementation of the methods described in embodiments above can be accomplished by using a computer program to instruct related hardware. The computer program may be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium and may when executed include the flow mentioned in the embodiments of the above methods. Wherein, any reference to a memory, storage, database or other medium used in all embodiments provided herein may include non-volatile memory and/or volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may include a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory may include a random access memory (RAM) or an external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms including but not limited to, as static random access memory (Static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (Dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (Synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM), direct Rambus dynamic Random Access Memory (DRDRAM), and Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.

The technical features of the embodiments described above may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combinations of the technical features are not contradictory, the combinations should be considered as falling within the scope of the specification.

The above embodiments merely express several implementations of the present application, and the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but cannot be thus understood as limitations to the patent scope of the present invention. It should be indicated that those of ordinary skill in the art may also make several transformations and improvements without departing from the concept of the present application, and the transformations and improvements all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the present application should be based on the appended claims.

It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present invention, the terms“first”, “second” and “third” are intended to distinguish between similar objects but do not necessarily indicate a specific order or sequence. It may be understood that the terms “first”, “second” and “third” are interchangeable in a specific order or sequence under appropriate circumstances. It should be understood that terms used in such a way are interchangeable in proper circumstances so that the embodiments described herein may be implemented in other orders than the order illustrated or described herein.

As used herein, the terms“comprises,”“comprising”,“includes”,“incl uding”,“has”,“having”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that includes a list of steps or (modules) units is not necessarily limited to only those steps or units but may include other steps or units not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, product, or apparatus. “An embodiment” mentioned in the specification indicates that a particular characteristic, structure or property that is related to the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The phrase at various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to a same embodiment, or an independent or alternate embodiment exclusive of another embodiment. Persons skilled in the art understand, in explicit and implicit manners, that an embodiment described in this application may be combined with another embodiment.

The term“multiple” or“plurality” as used herein means two or more. The term“and/or” describes an association relationship for describing associated objects and represents that three relationships may exist. For example, A and/or B may represent the following three cases: Only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists. The character 7” generally indicates an“or” relationship between the associated objects.