David Allais
Encyclopedia
Dr. David Allais is an internationally recognized expert and inventor in the fields of bar coding and automatic identification and data capture. As vice president and later president and chief executive officer
of Everett, Washington
-based Intermec
Inc. (NYSE:IN), he built the company from a small startup into the leading manufacturer of bar code and printing
equipment. Prior to Allais' role at Intermec, he served as a manager for IBM
. Most recently, Allais founded PathGuide Technologies, a Mukilteo, Washington
-based developer of warehouse management system
s for distributors.
degree in mechanical engineering in 1954. He received a master of science
degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona
in 1958 and a master of science degree in electrical engineering
from Stanford University
in 1962. In 1965, Allais received a doctor of philosophy
degree from Stanford University. In 1988, Allais was awarded the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM) Richard R. Dilling Award as a preeminent contributor to bar code technology and on October 16, 2009, Allais received the University of Arizona College of Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award.
, Interleaved 2 of 5
(ITF), Code 11
, Code 93
and Code 49. He is also named inventor on the following seven U.S. patents:
shipping containers and identifying casino
tickets.
industry and manufacturing
.
, a stacked linear bar code symbol that is widely used.
and New York
state from 1958 to 1968.
In 1968, Allais was hired as the vice president of engineering by then Interface Mechanisms, now Intermec. From 1968 to 1988, he served in a number of executive management roles at Intermec as executive vice president, president & chief executive officer, chairman & chief executive officer, and chief scientist. 14 of those years at Intermec were spent as chief executive officer.
In 1989, Allais founded PathGuide Technologies and served as its president until 2006. PathGuide, formerly Applied Tactical Systems of Washington, develops, markets, and implements real time warehouse management systems and time and attendance systems. PathGuide’s warehouse management systems make extensive use of bar code scanning and RF data communications. Allais currently serves as chairman of PathGuide.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
-based Intermec
Intermec
Intermec Inc. is a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of Automated identification and data capture equipment, including barcode scanners, barcode printers, mobile computers and RFID systems....
Inc. (NYSE:IN), he built the company from a small startup into the leading manufacturer of bar code and printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
equipment. Prior to Allais' role at Intermec, he served as a manager for IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. Most recently, Allais founded PathGuide Technologies, a Mukilteo, Washington
Mukilteo, Washington
Mukilteo , which means "good camping ground", is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 20,254 at the 2010 census. It is on the shore of the Puget Sound, and is the site of a Washington State Ferries terminal linking it to Clinton, on Whidbey Island.Mukilteo is...
-based developer of warehouse management system
Warehouse management system
A warehouse management system, or WMS, is a key part of the supply chain and primarily aims to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse and process the associated transactions, including shipping, receiving, putaway and picking...
s for distributors.
Education and Accolades
Allais received a bachelor of scienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in mechanical engineering in 1954. He received a master of science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in 1958 and a master of science degree in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1962. In 1965, Allais received a doctor of philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree from Stanford University. In 1988, Allais was awarded the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM) Richard R. Dilling Award as a preeminent contributor to bar code technology and on October 16, 2009, Allais received the University of Arizona College of Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award.
Inventions and Patents
Allais is credited with creating five bar code symbologies: Code 39Code 39
__FORCETOC__Code 39 is a variable length, discrete barcode symbology....
, Interleaved 2 of 5
Interleaved 2 of 5
Interleaved 2 of 5 is a continuous two-width barcode symbology encoding digits. It is used commercially on 135 film and on cartons of some products, while the products inside are labeled with UPC or EAN....
(ITF), Code 11
Code 11
Code 11 is a barcode symbology developed by Intermec in 1977. It is used primarily in telecommunications. The symbol can encode any length string consisting of the digits 0-9 and the dash character . One or more modulo-11 check digit can be included....
, Code 93
Code 93
Code 93 is a barcode symbology designed in 1982 by Intermec to provide a higher density and data security enhancement to Code 39. It is an alphanumeric, variable length symbology. Code 93 is used primarily by Canada Post to encode supplementary delivery information...
and Code 49. He is also named inventor on the following seven U.S. patents:
- Patent # 3,001,369, Hydraulic System for Driving Several Actuators, 1962, Assigned to IBM.
- Patent # 3,067,333, Motion Control Apparatus, Assigned to IBM.
- Patent # 3,670,145, Tape Feed System, 1972, Assigned to Intermec Corporation.
- Patent # 3,784,794, Electro-Optical Reader for Bar Codes, 1974, Assigned to National Bank Of Commerce of Seattle.
- Patent # 3,844,210, Multi-Color (bar code) Printer, 1974, Assigned to Intermec Corporation.
- Patent # 3,909,594, Circuit for Establishing a Reference Voltage in Bar Code Readers, 1975, Assigned to Intermec Corporation.
- Patent # 4,794,239, Multi-Track Bar Code (Code 49), 1988, Assigned to Intermec Corporation.
Interleaved 2 of 5
Allais developed Interleaved 2 of 5 in 1972 while at Intermec. It is a numeric only barcode used to encode pairs of numbers into a self-checking, high-density barcode format. The first digit is encoded in the five bars (or black lines), while the second digit is encoded in the five spaces (or white lines) interleaved with them. Two out of every five bars or spaces are wide (therefore 2 of 5). Applications include labeling corrugatedCorrugated
The term corrugated, describing a series of parallel ridges and furrows, may refer to the following:*Corrugated fiberboard also called corrugated cardboard*Corrugated galvanised iron*Corrugated plastic*Corrugated Frog...
shipping containers and identifying casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
tickets.
Code 39
In 1974, Allais and Ray Stevens, both at Intermec at the time, developed Code 39. Code 39 is a barcode symbology that can encode uppercase letters (A through Z), digits (0 through 9) and a handful of special characters like the $ sign. Code 39 is broadly used particularly in the automobileAutomobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
industry and manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
.
Code 11
Code 11 is a barcode symbology developed by Allais while at Intermec in 1977. It is used primarily in telecommunications. The symbol can encode any length string consisting of the digits 0-9 and the dash character (-).Code 93
Code 93 is a barcode symbology developed by Allais in 1982 while at Intermec to provide a higher density and data security enhancement to Code 39. It is an alphanumeric, variable length symbology. Code 93 is designed to encode 26 upper case letters, 10 digits and 7 special characters:-
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z -
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 -
-, ., $, /, +, %, SPACE.
Code 49
In 1987 Allais, while at Intermec, developed Code 49 as the next evolution in bar code symbology to solve scanning large amounts of data on small objects. Although the practical uses of Code 49 would be limited, it set the stage for the later development of PDF417PDF417
PDF417 is a stacked linear barcode symbol format used in a variety of applications, primarily transport, identification cards, and inventory management. PDF stands for Portable Data File. The 417 signifies that each pattern in the code consists of 4 bars and spaces, and that each pattern is 17...
, a stacked linear bar code symbol that is widely used.
Corporate Life
After receiving his master of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona in 1958, Allais went on to serve in various engineering and engineering management positions at IBM in both CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state from 1958 to 1968.
In 1968, Allais was hired as the vice president of engineering by then Interface Mechanisms, now Intermec. From 1968 to 1988, he served in a number of executive management roles at Intermec as executive vice president, president & chief executive officer, chairman & chief executive officer, and chief scientist. 14 of those years at Intermec were spent as chief executive officer.
In 1989, Allais founded PathGuide Technologies and served as its president until 2006. PathGuide, formerly Applied Tactical Systems of Washington, develops, markets, and implements real time warehouse management systems and time and attendance systems. PathGuide’s warehouse management systems make extensive use of bar code scanning and RF data communications. Allais currently serves as chairman of PathGuide.
Associations
- GS1GS1Founded in 1977, GS1 is an international not-for-profit association dedicated to the development and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains globally and across multiple sectors...
consultant member since 1974 - AIDC 100 charter member and president
- WERC (Warehouseing Education and Research Council) member
Further reading
- “Bar Code History: The People Behind Its Success” Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility, 2009-08-19
- “AIDC Memoirs” – AIDC 100, 2006-09-14