QR Code Scanner description

QR for 'Quick Response'.Although it may seem simple,QR codes can store a lot of data

What are QR codes and how do they work?
You have probably seen QR codes. It's everywhere, from websites to ads. They look a bit like barcodes, but instead of vertical stripes they consist of square patterns. As more and more businesses start using it, they become more and more recognizable, and many smartphones now have built-in QR readers.

A QR code that links to kaspersky.com
But what exactly are these so-called QR codes, and how do they work? Here's everything you need to know.

What does QR stand for?
QR stands for 'Quick Response'.

Although it may seem simple, QR codes can store a lot of data. No matter how much it contains, when the QR code is scanned, the user must have immediate access to information - hence it is called a quick response code.

A brief history of the QR code

The first QR code system was invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave, a Toyota subsidiary. They needed a way to more accurately locate vehicles and parts during manufacture. To achieve this, they tried to develop a kind of barcode that can encode kanji, kana and alphanumeric characters.

But a QR code is read in two directions (hence it is sometimes also called 'two-dimensional bar code') - from top to bottom and from right to left. It allows to contain more information.

The development team behind the QR code wanted the code to be easily scanned so that employees would not waste time getting it at the right angle. They wanted it to have a distinctive design to easily identify it. This led them to choose the iconic square shape that is still used today.

The QR code is open source

After the QR code was released, it was quickly adopted by the automotive industry. This was especially important at the time, as many consumers in Japan demanded more transparency from large enterprises. They wanted to know exactly where their products came from - and not just cars, but also food, pharmaceuticals and other products. The QR code is thus gradually being integrated into the manufacturing industry.

Denso Wave was kind enough to make their QR code publicly available - while declaring that they would not exercise their patent rights. This means that anyone can create and use QR codes (even to this day).

However, the initial review of the idea was slow, and although QR codes themselves could be easily produced, QR readers were not widely available to the public. It was until ...

Around this time, the first iPhone came on the market and placed QR readers in the hands of a larger number of consumers worldwide. Realizing the potential of QR codes for sales and marketing, brands and organizations began to create their own.

At the time, the QR code was spreading all over the world - it was visible everywhere from billboards, magazines, pamphlets and other places.

Even today, in 2020, Denso Wave is improving their original design. Their new QR codes have integrated solutions such as traceability, trademark protection and anti-counterfeiting measures. There are also many new uses for the QR code, from the transfer of payments to the determination of objects' positions within augmented reality.

How do QR codes work?

The patterns within QR codes represent binary codes that can be interpreted to reveal the code's data.

A QR reader can identify a standard QR code based on the three large squares outside the QR code. After identifying the three shapes, he knows that everything in the square is a QR code.

The QR reader then analyzes the QR code by breaking down the whole thing on a grid. It looks at the individual diamond squares and assigns a value to each one, whether it is black or white. It then groups diamond squares to create larger patterns