Get name from UPC number in barcode scanner

Question

I want to implement barcode scanner in my iOS app, i followed this tutorial and integrated into my app http://zbar.sourceforge.net/iphone/sdkdoc/tutorial.html

My app scans barcode properly, after scanning i gets one UPC number e.g.: 843163043544

How can i get name of the product from this UPC number ?? is there any way in which i can find name of the product ?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

That depends on the product type being scanned. If you know for sure it's a UPC number, you'll need to connect to a database (via a web service) that gives you the product associated with the UPC number. But a barcode can also be an EAN number (the European registry of products) or a postal delivery service's tracking number. So these would be found in different databases.

If for example you build an app spefically for scanning a certain type of bar code, connect to that specific database. Otherwise you'll need to connect to as many databases as possible to cover most bar codes. Most of them don't provide free access.

For example, http://www.upc-search.org does UPC and EAN translation on a web page, I don't know if they provide an API and they mention a fair use policy (i.e. will block you if you send too many requests).