ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014

Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Unique identification — Part 3: Common rules

ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014 specifies the common rules applicable for unique identification that are required to ensure full compatibility across different identities.

Technologies de l'information — Identification automatique et techniques de capture de données — Identification unique — Partie 3: Règles communes

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 11-Nov-2014
• ICS: 35.040 - Information coding
• ICS: 35.040.50 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31/WG 2 - Data and structure
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Completion Date: 23-Apr-2020

Relations

• Revises: ISO/IEC 15459-3:2006 - Information technology — Unique identifiers — Part 3: Common rules for unique identifiers
• Effective Date: 11-Jul-2009

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 15459-3
Second edition
2014-11-15
Corrected version
2016-12-15
Information technology — Automatic
identification and data capture
techniques — Unique identification —
Part 3:
Common rules
Technologies de l’information — Identification automatique et
techniques de capture de données — Identification unique —
Partie 3: Règles communes
Reference number
ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2014

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ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO/IEC 2014, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.iso.org
ii © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

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ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms . 2
5 Distinguishing between identities . 2
6 Identities . 3
6.1 General . 3
6.2 Common rule for the length of an identity. 3
6.3 Common rule for the character set of an identity . 4
6.4 Compliance with ISO/IEC 15459 . 4
Annex A (informative) Invariant Character Set of ISO/IEC 646 . 5
Annex B (informative) Unique identities overview . 6
Annex C (informative) Identity constructs . 7
Annex D (informative) Identities on different levels .10
Bibliography .12
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved iii

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ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
Technical Corrigendum 1 was prepared by ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee SC 31,
Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014), which has been
technically revised.
This corrected version of ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014 incorporates the following corrections plus other
editorial modifications. Clause 6.2 (Clause 6.3 in this edition) has been modified as follows:
6.3 Common rule for the character set of an identity
“The common rule for an identity is that it shall use alphabetic, numeric and special characters from the
invariant character set ISO/IEC 646 (see Annex A).
Any data processing system shall be capable of processing identities using the full repertoire of
characters permitted by ISO/IEC 646.”
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 15459 series can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

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ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014(E)

Introduction
Unique identification can occur at many different levels, at item level, on the transport unit, on the
returnable transport item, at grouping levels, and elsewhere. Such entities are often handled by several
parties, both public and private, throughout their lifecycle. Each of these parties must be able to identify
and trace such distinct entities so that reference can be made to associated information such as quality
inspection data, the chemical substance contained, the batch or lot number of parts, components or raw
materials, etc.
The associated information is typically held in some kind of database. The information can be accessed
using EDI exchange or another appropriate access protocol, e.g. a directory access protocol.
There are considerable benefits if the identity of the entity is represented as a bar code or other AIDC
(Automatic Identification and Data Capture) media and attached to, or made a constituent part of, that
which is being uniquely identified so that:
— it can be read electronically, thus minimizing errors;
— one identity can be used by all parties;
— each party can use the identity to look up its computer files to find the data associated with the entity.
All AIDC technologies have the potential to encode an identity. It is expected that application standards,
using various automatic identification technologies, will be developed based upon the identity as a prime
key. These application standards, which can include additional rules for which level of identification
should be used, are often made available from the publisher.
The common rules for how to construct an identity to achieve unique identification of an entity are
defined in this part of ISO/IEC 15459.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved v

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014(E)
Information technology — Automatic identification and
data capture techniques — Unique identification —
Part 3:
Common rules
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 15459 specifies the common rules applicable for unique identification that are
required to ensure full compatibility across different identities.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 646, Information technology — ISO 7-bit coded character set for information interchange
ISO/IEC 15459-2, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 2: Registration procedures
ISO/IEC 19762-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)
techniques — Harmonized vocabulary — Part 1: General terms relating to AIDC
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762-1 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
entity
anything (physical or non physical) having a distinct existence
Note 1 to entry: In the context of supply chain management it often refers to an item (product or service) which
can be individually considered and identified.
3.2
string
characters assigned to an entity constructed using the specific rules of the Issuing Agency to create an
unambiguous number within the context of the specific parts of ISO/IEC 15459
Note 1 to entry: The structure of the string is specified in ISO/IEC 15459-3 and begins with the IAC component in
the ISO/IEC 15459 Register.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved 1

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ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014(E)

3.3
qualifier
one or more characters referring to an entity, providing the meaning of the string data
Note 1 to entry: Examples of qualifiers are DIs, AIs and OIDs.
3.4
identity
combination of qualifier and string which distinguishes an entity from other entities
Note 1 to entry: Some parts of this standard allow for multiple qualifier/string combinations as an identity.
Note 2 to entry: In other standards or documents the UII is referring to the identity.
3.5
Issuing Agency
organization entrusted by the Registration Authority to assign company identifying numbers in line
with the requirements of ISO/IEC 15459-2
3.6
Issuing Agency Code
one or more characters assigned by the Registration Authority to an Issuing Agency making it
recognizable and distinct from other issuing agencies
3.7
Company Identifying Number
one or more characters assigned by the Issuing Agency to an identity issuer making the issuer
recognizable and distinct from other issuers
3.8
identification
process (act) of assigning an identity to an entity
3.9
identifying
process of recognizing an entity by accessing its identity
4 Abbreviated terms
AI Application Identifier
AIDC Automatic Identification and Data Capture
CIN Company Identifying Number
DI Data Identifier
IA Issuing Agency
IAC Issuing Agency Code
OID Object Identifier
RA Registration Authority
5 Distinguishing between identities
ISO/IEC 15459 recognizes types of identities, each type being used to identify a specific level, meaning,
handling, role, etc. An organization may adopt the usage of one or more such types.
ISO/IEC 15459-2 requires Issuing Agencies to define rules that ensure that no identity issuer can
allocate a duplicate identity within a given type. Organisations making use of an identity should ensure
that identities for different types are treated as distinct references.
2 © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

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ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014(E)

Mechanisms exist that distingu
...

FINAL
INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
DRAFT
STANDARD FDIS
15459-3
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31
Information technology — Automatic
Secretariat: ANSI
identification and data capture
Voting begins on:
2014-06-03 techniques — Unique identification —
Voting terminates on:
Part 3:
2014-08-03
Common rules
Technologies de l’information — Identification automatique et
techniques de capture de données — Identification unique —
Partie 3: Règles communes
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO
SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION
OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING
DOCUMENTATION.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
Reference number
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO-
ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-3:2014(E)
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON
OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE
LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME STAN-
DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
©
NATIONAL REGULATIONS. ISO/IEC 2014

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ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-3:2014(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO/IEC 2014
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

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ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-3:2014(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms . 2
5 Distinguishing between identities . 2
6 Identities . 3
6.1 Common rule for the length of an identity. 3
6.2 Common rule for the character set of an identity . 3
6.3 Compliance with ISO/IEC 15459 . 4
Annex A (informative) Invariant Character Set of ISO/IEC 646 . 5
Annex B (informative) Unique identities overview . 6
Annex C (informative) Identity constructs . 7
Annex D (informative) Identities on different levels .10
Bibliography .12
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved iii

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ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-3:2014(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction
and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee
SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 15459-3:2006), which has been
technically revised.
ISO/IEC 15459 consists of the following parts (as a result of the reconstruction of previously published
parts 1 to 8), under the general title Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture
techniques— Unique identification:
— Part 1: Individual transport units
— Part 2: Registration procedures
— Part 3: Common rules
— Part 4: Individual products and product packages
— Part 5: Individual returnable transport items (RTIs)
— Part 6: Groupings
iv © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

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ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-3:2014(E)

Introduction
Unique identification can occur at many different levels, at item level, on the transport unit, on the
returnable transport item, at grouping levels, and elsewhere. Such entities are often handled by several
parties, both public and private, throughout their lifecycle. Each of these parties must be able to identify
and trace such distinct entities so that reference can be made to associated information such as quality
inspection data, the chemical substance contained, the batch or lot number of parts, components or raw
materials, etc.
The associated information is typically held in some kind of database. The information can be accessed
using EDI exchange or another appropriate access protocol, e.g. a directory access protocol.
There are considerable benefits if the identity of the entity is represented as a bar code or other AIDC
(Automatic Identification and Data Capture) media and attached to, or made a constituent part of, that
which is being uniquely identified so that:
— it can be read electronically, thus minimizing errors;
— one identity can be used by all parties;
— each party can use the identity to look up its computer files to find the data associated with the
entity.
All AIDC technologies have the potential to encode an identity. It is expected that application standards,
using various automatic identification technologies, will be developed based upon the identity as a prime
key. These application standards, which can include additional rules for which level of identification
should be used, are often made available from the publisher.
The common rules for how to construct an identity to achieve unique identification of an entity are
defined in this part of ISO/IEC 15459.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved v

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
FINAL DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-3:2014(E)
Information technology — Automatic identification and
data capture techniques — Unique identification —
Part 3:
Common rules
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 15459 specifies the common rules applicable for unique identification that are
required to ensure full compatibility across different identities.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 646, Information technology — ISO 7-bit coded character set for information interchange
ISO/IEC 15459-2, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 2: Registration procedures
ISO/IEC 19762-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) techniques —
Harmonized vocabulary — Part 1: General terms relating to AIDC
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762-1 and the following
apply.
3.1
entity
anything (physical or non physical) having a distinct existence
Note 1 to entry: In the context of supply chain management it often refers to an item (product or service) which
can be individually considered and identified.
3.2
string
characters assigned to an entity constructed using the specific rules of the Issuing Agency to create an
unambiguous number within the context of the specific parts of ISO/IEC 15459
Note 1 to entry: The structure of the string is specified in ISO/IEC 15459-3 and begins with the IAC component in
the ISO/IEC 15459 Register.
3.3
qualifier
one or more characters referring to an entity, providing the meaning of the string data
Note 1 to entry: Examples of qualifiers are DIs, AIs and OIDs.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved 1

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ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-3:2014(E)

3.4
identity
combination of qualifier and string which distinguishes an entity from other entities
Note 1 to entry: Some parts of this standard allow for multiple qualifier/string combinations as an identity.
Note 2 to entry: In other standards or documents the UII is referring to the identity.
3.5
Issuing Agency
organization entrusted by the Registration Authority to assign company identifying numbers in line
with the requirements of ISO/IEC 15459-2
3.6
Issuing Agency Code
one or more characters assigned by the Registration Authority to an Issuing Agency making it
recognizable and distinct from other issuing agencies
3.7
Company Identifying Number
one or more characters assigned by the Issuing Agency to an identity issuer making the issuer
recognizable and distinct from other issuers
3.8
identification
process (act) of assigning an identity to an entity
3.9
identifying
process of recognizing an entity by accessing its identity
4 Abbreviated terms
AI Application Identifier
AIDC Automatic Identification and Data Capture
CIN Company Identifying Number
DI Data Identifier
IA Issuing Agency
IAC Issuing Agency Code
OID Object Identifier
RA Registration Authority
5 Distinguishing between identities
ISO/IEC 15459 recognizes types of identities, each type being used to identify a specific level, meaning,
handling, role, etc. An organization may adopt the usage of one or more such types.
ISO/IEC 15459-2 requires Issuing Agencies to define rules that ensure that no identity issuer can allocate
a duplicate identity within a given type. Organisations making use of an identity should ensure that
identities for different types are treated as distinct references.
Mechanisms exist that distinguish between identities. The qualifier component of an identity may use
any data format supported by ISO/IEC 15434 or ISO/IEC 9834-1. What formats to be used are to be
2 © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved
...