US20010050308A1 - Dual mode, dual information, document bar coding and reading system - Google Patents
Dual mode, dual information, document bar coding and reading system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010050308A1 US20010050308A1 US09/410,986 US41098699A US2001050308A1 US 20010050308 A1 US20010050308 A1 US 20010050308A1 US 41098699 A US41098699 A US 41098699A US 2001050308 A1 US2001050308 A1 US 2001050308A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- bar code
- pattern
- optically readable
- information
- indicia
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 13
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 24
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000003086 colorant Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000284 extract Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 13
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000012937 correction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003595 spectral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006467 substitution reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001629 suppression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012795 verification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037303 wrinkles Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
- G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
- G06K19/06009—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code with optically detectable marking
- G06K19/06018—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code with optically detectable marking one-dimensional coding
- G06K19/06028—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code with optically detectable marking one-dimensional coding using bar codes
Definitions
- the document is printed with an integrated encoding of conventional bar coding information with its first level of bar code pattern information for optical reading by a conventional bar code reader, and integrally printed within the bar code pattern is a much finer and higher level information indicia pattern which does not interfere with the conventional bar code reading, yet is optically readable by a second, much higher resolution, optical reading system, to provide a much higher level of information from that second, much finer information indicia pattern.
- a high data density channel is thereby provided while maintaining the backward compatibility of the dual symbology to legacy bar code readers that are already in fielded systems.
- bar code readers can read multiple bar code symbologies, including readers that can read both one dimensional and two dimensional bar codes. There does not exist, however, a symbology which can be read by different kinds of readers at different data density levels.
- the user may be directed by the highly visible and well-recognized bar code pattern to provide scanning in the correct area or location of the document in which the other, much higher data density, indicia also exists, containing far more embedded information than can be provided by the bar code indicia itself, yet without any incompatibility or interference between these two optical data encoding and data reading systems.
- bar codes and the “bars” of “bar codes”, as those terms are used in this particular application, that such “bars” can be circular as well as linear in shape.
- bar codes are highly visible, distinctive, and universally known and recognizable. Thus, they provide a clear visual pointer to what area of a document or object bearing a bar code needs to be scanned.
- the bar coding pattern on the document requires a precisely defined pattern of multiple bars with clear, defined, “white spaces” in between the bars, with sharp, clear, boundary definitions and high contrast.
- the underprinting or overprinting of the bar code pattern areas of documents with other indicia is not normally allowed or considered appropriate.
- “glyph” encoding also known under the proprietary names “DataGlyph” or “Smart Paper”) of various printed documents is also known in the art for various applications.
- “Glyphs” are an embedded digitally readable font, in particular a very fine pattern of machine readable indicia, preferably in very fine patterns of angled slash-mark appearing fonts like “/// ⁇ //// ⁇ // ⁇ // ”, etc., (only very much smaller than as shown here) to be printed on various hardcopy documents.
- the proposed substitution of glyphs for bar codes has been suggested in some glyph literature.
- “glyphs” are by their very nature typically intended to be optically invisible to the naked eye, not recognizable, not within a clearly defined or bounded area of a document, and are not well known to the public.
- a further broadly glyph-related patent is Xerox Corp. U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,940 by J. Daniele. Also noted is J. Daniele U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,779 issued Aug. 22, 1995 (D/93027).
- glyphs are effectively invisible to the naked human eye, and are not widely publicly understood, even if observed (unlike bar codes) and thus do not visually instruct a person wishing to scan a document as to where to scan the document in order to extract the imbedded (printed) information, i.e., which side and which area of the document to scan to extract the embedded glyph information.
- imbedded (printed) information i.e., which side and which area of the document to scan to extract the embedded glyph information.
- there is normally no particular identified place on a document to print glyph information much less a defined area of the document where the entire image background will normally (and very desirably for glyph information clarity and readability) be pure solid black and pure solid white areas.
- a specific feature of the specific embodiments disclosed herein is to provide an encoded document encoded with a plural mode, plural information level, integrated encoding system, wherein said document is printed with two separately readable but integrally printed first and second optically readable indicia patterns; said first indicia pattern comprising an otherwise conventional bar code pattern of spaced-apart optically readable bars encoded with a first set of encoded information readable by a conventional bar code reader, and said second optically readable indicia pattern comprising a second pattern encoded with a second set of encoded information which contains a higher level of information than said first set of encoded information, said second, pattern of optically readable indicia being integral said bar code pattern and not optically readable by a conventional bar code reader but optically readable by a fine pattern optical reader, said fine pattern of optically readable indicia integral said bar code pattern being several times smaller in dimension than said spacing between said optically readable bars of said bar code pattern or the width of said bars.
- Another disclosed feature of the embodiment is a dual encryption method for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible bar code pattern on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in said bar code, comprising integrally embedding a second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia within said bar code pattern, containing a higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within a conventional bar code pattern, and scanning said bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader to extract conventional bar coded information embedded in said bar code pattern, and also scanning said same bar code pattern with a different, higher resolution, optical scanner to extract said second optically readable indicia pattern therefrom; and/or wherein said second and much finer optical indicia pattern is a thin glyph code pattern; and/or wherein said second pattern comprises optical indicia at least 20 times smaller than said bar code pattern.
- FIG. 1 is an example of a conventional, highly-visible bar code pattern area for document, which bar code has integral effectively invisible (to the naked eye) fine glyph patterns of high-density information, in accordance with the present invention.
- This integrally dual encrypted document is shown with that bar coded area of the document being moved (illustrated solid movement arrows) past a conventional bar code reader and also past a separate, special, glyph code reader (both are shown schematically), or alternatively (as shown by their respective dashed line arrows) the document may be stationary and be separately scanned by the bar code reader and/or the special glyph code reader;
- FIG. 2 shows a highly magnified small area portion of one of the bars of the bar code shown in FIG. 1, showing one example of the subject glyph data which may be integrally embedded therein, here, as glyph-shaped white spaces, which are invisible to the conventional bar code reader and do not interfere with its operation;
- FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 except that in this case the fine glyph pattern is shown printed in black and embedded into a small area of a white space in between adjacent bars of the bar code of FIG. 1 (shown to the same enlargement and showing the same portion of a glyph code data stream); and
- FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one example of a dual mode, dual data density system for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 or other dual (low and high density) encoding and reading systems.
- the particular bar code pattern and the particular glyphs illustrated therein are merely exemplary, and others are known, including those noted in the references cited above, and/or including those in distinctive colors (which, of course, cannot be shown in patent drawings).
- the illustrated bar code pattern is one very well known to those skilled in the art as well as members of the public at large. It should also be noted that the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3 can be alternatives, or they can both be used in the same bar code pattern.
- the generation, printing, reading and interpretation of both bar codes and glyphs is well known in the art and need not be re-described herein.
- FIG. 1 an example of an otherwise conventional bar code pattern 10 is illustrated on a broken-away minor portion of a document 12 .
- the bars themselves are 10 A, and the “white spaces” between the bars are 10 B.
- a bar code footprint or area also typically includes a “quiet zone” of white space preceding the first solid black line and following the last solid black line of the bar code pattern.
- This “quiet zone” is typically 6.4 mm (0.25 inches), and may (or may not) be specified by the ANS3.182 standard.
- a “quiet zone” of white space at the ends on the bar code lines (at the “top” and the “bottom” of the bar code) is also normally defined. It is important to note that both of those standard border regions of the bar code can be part of the bar code footprint, pattern, or area as described or claimed herein. For example, where we indicate that the glyphs or other higher data density indicia should preferably not extend beyond the bar code footprint.
- either the document 12 can be moved relative to a conventional bar code reader (exemplified here schematically at 50 ) or vice versa. This is respectively illustrated by the solid line movement arrow 11 on the document 12 and the alternative dashed line movement arrow 52 associated with the conventional bar code reader 50 .
- the conventional bar code reader 50 may of course have the usual, simple, low-resolution, conventional optical sensor 54 , which may be conventionally connected to any various alternative information processors 100 in a known manner.
- FIG. 1 also shown schematically in FIG. 1 is a known type of high-resolution scanner or glyph reader 60 , with an associated illustrative dashed line movement arrow 62 , for separately or simultaneously scanning the bar code pattern 10 .
- the glyph reader 60 may have a much finer pattern of multiple, optical sensors 64 .
- These respective embedded information readers 50 and 60 may be either separate or combined scanning units or, alternatively, be stationary mounted for separate or integrated sequential movement of the document 12 bar code area 10 past the glyph sensor 60 and/or the bar code reader 50 .
- the exemplary type of glyph information indicia encoding shown herein has a narrow and slanted strokes font, which is orientation insensitive and uncritical.
- the relative position or movement of the bar code pattern 10 relative to the glyph reader 60 can vary considerably from that illustrated in FIG. 1 and still provide accurate reading out of the embedded glyph symbols.
- FIG. 2 this is a greatly enlarged (by several orders of magnitude) minor portion of one of the black bars 10 A of FIG. 1, showing a normally optically invisible (to the naked eye) exemplary pattern of white or colored (non-black) glyphs 16 which can be buried integrally within a minor portion of one bar 10 A of the bar code pattern 10 . Extrapolating also doing this over any desired amount of the rest of the entire bar or bar code footprint or area demonstrates the very high information level which can be embedded in this manner within the bar code area.
- the individual glyph strokes or binary characters may be greatly smaller than the area of a narrow standard bar code line 10 A, in the range 10-500 or more times smaller in area, and preferably more than 20 times smaller in area, than any bar 10 A, and also preferably substantially spaced apart from one another.
- the result is that none of the glyphs 16 are optically visible or detectable by a conventional low-resolution bar code sensor 50 , nor do they change the macro optical characteristics of the bar code, and thus they do not effect the reading out of the bar coded information in any respect.
- FIG. 3 shows a similar glyph high-density information encoding 18 in a similarly highly magnified view of a very minor portion of the bar code pattern 10 of FIG. 1.
- the information is shown being glyph encoded in one of the white spaces 10 B in between the dark bars 10 A of the bar code pattern 10 by printing (conventionally) the glyph pattern therein (with the same or other dark printing ink or toner, or a different material).
- the dark (or colored) printed glyphs 18 are so small in individual areas and so well spaced as compared to the area of underlying unprinted white or other light background, that they are optically invisible to the conventional bar code reader 50 .
- glyph patterns are detectable even with their lines being generated by only a few printed pixels.
- the glyphs can be of only a single pixel line in width and still be detectable by the known glyph recognition software, which can be programmed into the information processor 100 from the signals detected by the glyph reader 60 .
- the glyphs can be conventionally generated as high-resolution, binary amplitude modulated pixels in standard printing systems.
- the glyphs reader thresholding and/or background suppression settings may be different for reading white or colored glyphs on a black bar background area as compared to reading dark or colored glyphs on a white or light colored inter-bar space.
- Multi-color printing and scanning can be used to enhance the distinction and readability of the second and higher level of information buried in the bar code.
- multi-color printing can be used to provide increased data density. For example, by using a very specific limited spectrum color for the glyphs in contrast to the typical black of the bar code pattern.
- the use of color for more precisely spectral signature distinction can be utilized in glyphs of a glyph code providing either a bistate or polystate characteristics, as suggested in, for example, the paragraph bridging columns 5-6 of the above-cited EPO Publication Number 0 549 315 A1.
- different colors should not be necessary for the low-resolution of the standard bar code reader to reject interference from a glyph code which can be 1 or 2 orders of magnitude or more finer than the bar code pattern.
- Another alternative is to modify the glyph pattern by introducing an extra space or spaces between the glyph strokes or characters so as to have even less effect on the solid black or solid white background on which they are printed.
- the glyph pattern may be printed either along the axis of the bar code lines 10 A, or transverse thereto. In any case, it is desirable that the glyphs not extend beyond the perimeters defined by the bar code pattern and its surrounding “quiet zone”.
- the symbology has the property that an optical low pass filter operation (which is what the low resolution bar code reader does when it reads) can “blur” the fine symbols (such as glyphs) together to form a readable bar code signal. That is, the high density information itself may be printed densely enough, and in the right areas, to itself provide “bars” as seen by the bar code reader, (as opposed to printing otherwise solid bars with voids in the space of glyphs). That is, a “blurred” version of the combined printed high density indicia can provide the bar code “bars”. For that embodiment, for glyph symbology, wider glyphs comprised of “slashes” made up of two or three pixels per row may be needed.
- various invented symbology may be used where a “blurred” high density symbology results in a readable bar code. Since a bar code reader has low optical resolution, it only reads a “blurred” version of the composite symbology which results in a readable bar code.
- FIG. 39 Another embodiment is where an invented symbology with spectrally limited high density symbology results in a readable bar code.
- bar code readers use red light emitting diodes (LEDs) (or other spectrally limited sources, or sensors) to read the bar codes.
- LEDs red light emitting diodes
- the bar code reader can only “see” red, red “looks” white and green “looks” black to the bar code reader.
- the above-described system allows encoding and decoding in a machine-readable format of both high-density and low-density data, within the same area of a conventional bar coded document.
- the low-density (bar code) symbols may be decoded with a conventional low-density bar code reader, while the high-density data can be read with an advanced reader using a higher optical resolution power to download a much larger amount of information from the same document area, yet without interfering with correct reading of the bar coded data.
- the very small area and the spacing of the glyphs will not effect luminance and uniformity over the bars 10 A or the white spaces 10 B to any significant extent.
- the optical appearance of the bar code to the naked eye and the bar code reader will be essentially the same as a solid black and white bar code pattern, even though many thousands of glyph characters may be buried therein.
- standard one-dimensional bar code readers and the requisite one-dimensional bar code symbology, are designed to be very robust to distortions and reading errors, such as bar codes printed on curved or odd-shaped surfaces, wrinkles, contamination, etc..
- This robustness or insensitivity is actually taken advantage of in the subject embedding of the high-density data therein, by making the latter undetectable to the bar code reader.
- the high-density data of the glyph encoding is, in effect, optically invisible or hidden from the standard bar code reader.
- the high-density data itself can be designed to be more robust by including error correction codes etc.. Data glyph-like symbols with error correction codes have been shown to be very robust to distortions, as discussed in various of the above-cited patent references.
- the present system by maintaining complete backward compatibility to existing conventional bar code readers, does not require the modification or purchase of different equipment for bar code reading, yet allows for additional high-data density information to be encoded without any impact on the existing bar code system.
- One example would be special added tracking control data for inventory control over documents, which would only need to be read by a limited number of people with glyph readers capable of reading those glyph codes or other high-density indicia within the bar code.
- a print shop operator who wishes to include an additional document verification system would not have to replace existing bar-code-based finisher or other controls for the print shop, but could have such additional information glyph encoded on the documents within the existing bar code information.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- Disclosed is an embodiment of a plural-mode, plural information level, document encoding system and document. The document is printed with an integrated encoding of conventional bar coding information with its first level of bar code pattern information for optical reading by a conventional bar code reader, and integrally printed within the bar code pattern is a much finer and higher level information indicia pattern which does not interfere with the conventional bar code reading, yet is optically readable by a second, much higher resolution, optical reading system, to provide a much higher level of information from that second, much finer information indicia pattern. A high data density channel is thereby provided while maintaining the backward compatibility of the dual symbology to legacy bar code readers that are already in fielded systems.
- It will be noted that many bar code readers can read multiple bar code symbologies, including readers that can read both one dimensional and two dimensional bar codes. There does not exist, however, a symbology which can be read by different kinds of readers at different data density levels.
- Also in this manner, the user may be directed by the highly visible and well-recognized bar code pattern to provide scanning in the correct area or location of the document in which the other, much higher data density, indicia also exists, containing far more embedded information than can be provided by the bar code indicia itself, yet without any incompatibility or interference between these two optical data encoding and data reading systems.
- The widespread prior art uses of digitally readable bar codes or their equivalents on almost any object or document is so ubiquitous as not to require discussion herein. They include common 1D and 2D bar codes, “checkerboard” codes, the UPS or “bulls eye” codes, etc.. Thus, it will be appreciated as to the terms “bar codes” and the “bars” of “bar codes”, as those terms are used in this particular application, that such “bars” can be circular as well as linear in shape.
- An important advantage of bar codes is that they are highly visible, distinctive, and universally known and recognizable. Thus, they provide a clear visual pointer to what area of a document or object bearing a bar code needs to be scanned.
- However, for bar codes to be correctly read by any of various conventional bar code readers, which are typically simple low-resolution optical scanners with very limited image processing or enhancement, the bar coding pattern on the document requires a precisely defined pattern of multiple bars with clear, defined, “white spaces” in between the bars, with sharp, clear, boundary definitions and high contrast. Thus, the underprinting or overprinting of the bar code pattern areas of documents with other indicia is not normally allowed or considered appropriate.
- Further by way of background, “glyph” encoding (also known under the proprietary names “DataGlyph” or “Smart Paper”) of various printed documents is also known in the art for various applications. “Glyphs” are an embedded digitally readable font, in particular a very fine pattern of machine readable indicia, preferably in very fine patterns of angled slash-mark appearing fonts like “///\\////\\//\// ”, etc., (only very much smaller than as shown here) to be printed on various hardcopy documents. The proposed substitution of glyphs for bar codes has been suggested in some glyph literature. However, “glyphs” are by their very nature typically intended to be optically invisible to the naked eye, not recognizable, not within a clearly defined or bounded area of a document, and are not well known to the public.
- Xerox Corp. U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,243 issued Mar. 1, 1994 (D/92224) to Dean A. Heckman, et al, discloses a system of integrated two color security patterns for checks or other security document printing, to prevent forgery. That patent specifically discusses providing buried glyph copies of any of the desired check data in the check background pattern image [e.g., Col. 12 line 58 to Col. 13 line 38], and specifically cites and incorporates by reference several of the below-cited patents. This and other references provide teachings for those skilled in the art of how to combine a fine, high-density, pattern of glyph encoded information into other patterns, backgrounds, text, or pictures, which glyph patterns are deliberately, effectively invisible to the naked eye, but machine-readable with surprising accuracy by known special glyph readers scanning the document or analyzing the electronic image thereof and readily separating the glyph pattern from its image background pattern.
- Also particularly noted by way of background descriptions of Glyphs is Xerox Corp. European patent Application No. 92311676.8 published Jun. 30, 1993 as Publication No. 0 549 315 A1 by David L. Hecht, et al. (D/91764). The paragraph bridging Cols. 5-6 suggests the use of distinctly colored glyphs. Some additional examples of prior art on Glyphs in general includes an EPO Glyphs application Publication No. 459 792 published Dec. 4, 1991 (D/89190), which lists several glyph utilities and applications. Its parent U.S. application continuation issued in the U.S. on Jan. 23, 1996 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,686.
- Other issued Xerox Corp. Glyph patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,091,966, 5,128,525; 5,168,147; 4,716,438; 4,728,984; 4,757,348; 4,970,554, 5,060,980, 5,157,726, 5,221,833; 5,245,165; 5,278,400; 5,315,098; 5,317,646, 5,448,375, 5,449,895; 5,449,896, 5,453,605, 5,489,763, 5,521,372; 5,537,223; 5,572,010; 5,576,532; 5,611,575; 5,684,885; 5,706,099; 5,717,197; 5,761,686 and 5,771,245.
- A further broadly glyph-related patent is Xerox Corp. U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,940 by J. Daniele. Also noted is J. Daniele U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,779 issued Aug. 22, 1995 (D/93027).
- However, as noted, glyphs are effectively invisible to the naked human eye, and are not widely publicly understood, even if observed (unlike bar codes) and thus do not visually instruct a person wishing to scan a document as to where to scan the document in order to extract the imbedded (printed) information, i.e., which side and which area of the document to scan to extract the embedded glyph information. Likewise, there is normally no particular identified place on a document to print glyph information, much less a defined area of the document where the entire image background will normally (and very desirably for glyph information clarity and readability) be pure solid black and pure solid white areas.
- It will be appreciated that the term “document” as used herein in reference to the printing of bar codes and glyphs thereon is not limited to conventional sheets of paper or plastic. In this application it also broadly encompasses packaging, labels, and various other printable image substrates.
- A specific feature of the specific embodiments disclosed herein is to provide an encoded document encoded with a plural mode, plural information level, integrated encoding system, wherein said document is printed with two separately readable but integrally printed first and second optically readable indicia patterns; said first indicia pattern comprising an otherwise conventional bar code pattern of spaced-apart optically readable bars encoded with a first set of encoded information readable by a conventional bar code reader, and said second optically readable indicia pattern comprising a second pattern encoded with a second set of encoded information which contains a higher level of information than said first set of encoded information, said second, pattern of optically readable indicia being integral said bar code pattern and not optically readable by a conventional bar code reader but optically readable by a fine pattern optical reader, said fine pattern of optically readable indicia integral said bar code pattern being several times smaller in dimension than said spacing between said optically readable bars of said bar code pattern or the width of said bars.
- Further specific features disclosed in the embodiment herein, individually or in combination, include those wherein said indicia of said second pattern of optically readable indicia integral said bar code pattern is at least 20 times smaller in area than the area of said spacing between said optically readable bars of said bar code pattern; and/or wherein said second optically readable indicia pattern is printed in thin glyphs integrally printed within said bar code pattern and/or wherein said second optically readable indicia pattern is a pattern of fine optically readable indicia which is within said optically readable bars of said bar code pattern; and/or wherein said second optically readable indicia pattern comprises a multiple fine spaced optically readable indicia pattern printed in between said spaced-apart optically readable bars of said bar pattern; and/or wherein at least one of said optically readable bars of said bar code pattern is formed by a dense pattern of said second optically readable indicia; and/or wherein said second optically readable indicia pattern is a different color than said bar code pattern.
- Another disclosed feature of the embodiment is a dual encryption method for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible bar code pattern on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in said bar code, comprising integrally embedding a second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia within said bar code pattern, containing a higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within a conventional bar code pattern, and scanning said bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader to extract conventional bar coded information embedded in said bar code pattern, and also scanning said same bar code pattern with a different, higher resolution, optical scanner to extract said second optically readable indicia pattern therefrom; and/or wherein said second and much finer optical indicia pattern is a thin glyph code pattern; and/or wherein said second pattern comprises optical indicia at least 20 times smaller than said bar code pattern.
- As to specific components of the subject apparatus, or alternatives therefor, it will be appreciated that, as is normally the case, some such components are known per se in other apparatus or applications which may be additionally or alternatively used herein, including those from art cited herein. All references cited in this specification, and their references, are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features, and/or technical background. What is well known to those skilled in the art need not be described here.
- Various of the above-mentioned and further features and advantages will be apparent from the specific apparatus and its operation described in the examples below, and from the claims. Thus, the present invention will be better understood from this description of specific embodiments, including the drawing figures wherein:
- FIG. 1 is an example of a conventional, highly-visible bar code pattern area for document, which bar code has integral effectively invisible (to the naked eye) fine glyph patterns of high-density information, in accordance with the present invention. This integrally dual encrypted document is shown with that bar coded area of the document being moved (illustrated solid movement arrows) past a conventional bar code reader and also past a separate, special, glyph code reader (both are shown schematically), or alternatively (as shown by their respective dashed line arrows) the document may be stationary and be separately scanned by the bar code reader and/or the special glyph code reader;
- FIG. 2 shows a highly magnified small area portion of one of the bars of the bar code shown in FIG. 1, showing one example of the subject glyph data which may be integrally embedded therein, here, as glyph-shaped white spaces, which are invisible to the conventional bar code reader and do not interfere with its operation;
- FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 except that in this case the fine glyph pattern is shown printed in black and embedded into a small area of a white space in between adjacent bars of the bar code of FIG. 1 (shown to the same enlargement and showing the same portion of a glyph code data stream); and
- FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one example of a dual mode, dual data density system for the embodiment of FIGS.1-3 or other dual (low and high density) encoding and reading systems.
- Referring to FIGS.1-4, as noted, the particular bar code pattern and the particular glyphs illustrated therein are merely exemplary, and others are known, including those noted in the references cited above, and/or including those in distinctive colors (which, of course, cannot be shown in patent drawings). The illustrated bar code pattern is one very well known to those skilled in the art as well as members of the public at large. It should also be noted that the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3 can be alternatives, or they can both be used in the same bar code pattern. As also noted above, the generation, printing, reading and interpretation of both bar codes and glyphs is well known in the art and need not be re-described herein.
- Referring to FIG. 1, as described above, an example of an otherwise conventional
bar code pattern 10 is illustrated on a broken-away minor portion of adocument 12. The bars themselves are 10A, and the “white spaces” between the bars are 10B. - Note that a bar code footprint or area also typically includes a “quiet zone” of white space preceding the first solid black line and following the last solid black line of the bar code pattern. This “quiet zone” is typically 6.4 mm (0.25 inches), and may (or may not) be specified by the ANS3.182 standard. In addition, a “quiet zone” of white space at the ends on the bar code lines (at the “top” and the “bottom” of the bar code) is also normally defined. It is important to note that both of those standard border regions of the bar code can be part of the bar code footprint, pattern, or area as described or claimed herein. For example, where we indicate that the glyphs or other higher data density indicia should preferably not extend beyond the bar code footprint.
- It will also be appreciated, as well as known, that bar codes are normally printed with completely solid black bar code lines, with a pattern of wide black lines and narrower solid black lines separated by “white spaces” therebetween. However, since the U.S. Patent Office does not allow the use of solid black lines of such width in patent drawings, the solid black bar code lines throughout the drawings here are illustrated with the U.S. Patent Office approved crosshatching symbol for black.
- As described above, either the
document 12 can be moved relative to a conventional bar code reader (exemplified here schematically at 50) or vice versa. This is respectively illustrated by the solidline movement arrow 11 on thedocument 12 and the alternative dashedline movement arrow 52 associated with the conventionalbar code reader 50. The conventionalbar code reader 50 may of course have the usual, simple, low-resolution, conventionaloptical sensor 54, which may be conventionally connected to any variousalternative information processors 100 in a known manner. - However, also shown schematically in FIG. 1 is a known type of high-resolution scanner or
glyph reader 60, with an associated illustrative dashedline movement arrow 62, for separately or simultaneously scanning thebar code pattern 10. Theglyph reader 60 may have a much finer pattern of multiple,optical sensors 64. These respective embeddedinformation readers document 12bar code area 10 past theglyph sensor 60 and/or thebar code reader 50. - As explained in the above-cited references, the exemplary type of glyph information indicia encoding shown herein has a narrow and slanted strokes font, which is orientation insensitive and uncritical. Thus, the relative position or movement of the
bar code pattern 10 relative to theglyph reader 60 can vary considerably from that illustrated in FIG. 1 and still provide accurate reading out of the embedded glyph symbols. - Turning now to FIG. 2, this is a greatly enlarged (by several orders of magnitude) minor portion of one of the
black bars 10A of FIG. 1, showing a normally optically invisible (to the naked eye) exemplary pattern of white or colored (non-black) glyphs 16 which can be buried integrally within a minor portion of onebar 10A of thebar code pattern 10. Extrapolating also doing this over any desired amount of the rest of the entire bar or bar code footprint or area demonstrates the very high information level which can be embedded in this manner within the bar code area. It will be seen that the individual glyph strokes or binary characters may be greatly smaller than the area of a narrow standardbar code line 10A, in the range 10-500 or more times smaller in area, and preferably more than 20 times smaller in area, than anybar 10A, and also preferably substantially spaced apart from one another. The result is that none of theglyphs 16 are optically visible or detectable by a conventional low-resolutionbar code sensor 50, nor do they change the macro optical characteristics of the bar code, and thus they do not effect the reading out of the bar coded information in any respect. - FIG. 3 shows a similar glyph high-density information encoding18 in a similarly highly magnified view of a very minor portion of the
bar code pattern 10 of FIG. 1. However, in this case the information is shown being glyph encoded in one of thewhite spaces 10B in between thedark bars 10A of thebar code pattern 10 by printing (conventionally) the glyph pattern therein (with the same or other dark printing ink or toner, or a different material). - Again, in this FIG. 3 embodiment, (which may be in addition to, or an alternative to, the FIG. 2 encryption of glyph patterns), the dark (or colored) printed
glyphs 18 are so small in individual areas and so well spaced as compared to the area of underlying unprinted white or other light background, that they are optically invisible to the conventionalbar code reader 50. - As is well known, glyph patterns are detectable even with their lines being generated by only a few printed pixels. The glyphs can be of only a single pixel line in width and still be detectable by the known glyph recognition software, which can be programmed into the
information processor 100 from the signals detected by theglyph reader 60. The glyphs can be conventionally generated as high-resolution, binary amplitude modulated pixels in standard printing systems. - It is of course, desirable, and readily accomplished with the present invention, to simultaneously print the first or bar code pattern and the integral second or glyph pattern simultaneously in the same printing process with the same (or different) printing ink or toner by electronically superimposing the two images before electronic printing. As shown by the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,243, and other patents above, this can be accomplished in a known manner by electronically merging the two images before they are printed.
- It will be appreciated that the glyphs reader thresholding and/or background suppression settings may be different for reading white or colored glyphs on a black bar background area as compared to reading dark or colored glyphs on a white or light colored inter-bar space.
- Multi-color printing and scanning can be used to enhance the distinction and readability of the second and higher level of information buried in the bar code. In addition, multi-color printing can be used to provide increased data density. For example, by using a very specific limited spectrum color for the glyphs in contrast to the typical black of the bar code pattern. The use of color for more precisely spectral signature distinction can be utilized in glyphs of a glyph code providing either a bistate or polystate characteristics, as suggested in, for example, the paragraph bridging columns 5-6 of the above-cited EPO Publication Number 0 549 315 A1. However, different colors should not be necessary for the low-resolution of the standard bar code reader to reject interference from a glyph code which can be 1 or 2 orders of magnitude or more finer than the bar code pattern.
- Another alternative is to modify the glyph pattern by introducing an extra space or spaces between the glyph strokes or characters so as to have even less effect on the solid black or solid white background on which they are printed. Also, the glyph pattern may be printed either along the axis of the
bar code lines 10A, or transverse thereto. In any case, it is desirable that the glyphs not extend beyond the perimeters defined by the bar code pattern and its surrounding “quiet zone”. - The symbology has the property that an optical low pass filter operation (which is what the low resolution bar code reader does when it reads) can “blur” the fine symbols (such as glyphs) together to form a readable bar code signal. That is, the high density information itself may be printed densely enough, and in the right areas, to itself provide “bars” as seen by the bar code reader, (as opposed to printing otherwise solid bars with voids in the space of glyphs). That is, a “blurred” version of the combined printed high density indicia can provide the bar code “bars”. For that embodiment, for glyph symbology, wider glyphs comprised of “slashes” made up of two or three pixels per row may be needed. For other high density symbols (not just conventional glyphs), various invented symbology may be used where a “blurred” high density symbology results in a readable bar code. Since a bar code reader has low optical resolution, it only reads a “blurred” version of the composite symbology which results in a readable bar code.
- Another embodiment is where an invented symbology with spectrally limited high density symbology results in a readable bar code. Typically, bar code readers use red light emitting diodes (LEDs) (or other spectrally limited sources, or sensors) to read the bar codes. Thus, since the bar code reader can only “see” red, red “looks” white and green “looks” black to the bar code reader.
- Note that different high density symbology could be used in the bar code bars and/or in the bar code spaces. For example, glyphs could be used in the bar code bars, while high resolution binary amplitude modulated pixels could be used in the bar code spaces. Thus, resulting in a hybrid information system.
- It may be seen that the above-described system allows encoding and decoding in a machine-readable format of both high-density and low-density data, within the same area of a conventional bar coded document. The low-density (bar code) symbols may be decoded with a conventional low-density bar code reader, while the high-density data can be read with an advanced reader using a higher optical resolution power to download a much larger amount of information from the same document area, yet without interfering with correct reading of the bar coded data. The very small area and the spacing of the glyphs will not effect luminance and uniformity over the
bars 10A or thewhite spaces 10B to any significant extent. The optical appearance of the bar code to the naked eye and the bar code reader will be essentially the same as a solid black and white bar code pattern, even though many thousands of glyph characters may be buried therein. - It will be appreciated that there are many documents for which it is not appropriate, for visual impression purposes, to impose a bar code thereon. However, there are also a great many documents in which bar codes are already present on the document for other reasons. The high visibility of bar codes and the public knowledge that they contain information which needs to be scanned, provides an easy visual instruction for the scanning on the bar code area by an unit which can also extract a great deal more information from the same bar coded area, by the disclosed system, providing the document has been encoded therewith.
- It will be appreciated that in addition to the illustrated one-dimensional glyph code that two-dimensional glyph codes, such as wedge-shaped or small square block glyphs, may be utilized in some cases. However, the illustrated or other narrow glyphs are preferable.
- It should be noted that standard one-dimensional bar code readers, and the requisite one-dimensional bar code symbology, are designed to be very robust to distortions and reading errors, such as bar codes printed on curved or odd-shaped surfaces, wrinkles, contamination, etc.. This robustness or insensitivity is actually taken advantage of in the subject embedding of the high-density data therein, by making the latter undetectable to the bar code reader. The high-density data of the glyph encoding is, in effect, optically invisible or hidden from the standard bar code reader. The high-density data itself can be designed to be more robust by including error correction codes etc.. Data glyph-like symbols with error correction codes have been shown to be very robust to distortions, as discussed in various of the above-cited patent references.
- The present system, by maintaining complete backward compatibility to existing conventional bar code readers, does not require the modification or purchase of different equipment for bar code reading, yet allows for additional high-data density information to be encoded without any impact on the existing bar code system. One example would be special added tracking control data for inventory control over documents, which would only need to be read by a limited number of people with glyph readers capable of reading those glyph codes or other high-density indicia within the bar code. Thus, for example, a print shop operator who wishes to include an additional document verification system would not have to replace existing bar-code-based finisher or other controls for the print shop, but could have such additional information glyph encoded on the documents within the existing bar code information.
- While the embodiments disclosed herein are preferred, it will be appreciated from this teaching that various alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be made by those skilled in the art, which are intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
Claims (11)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/410,986 US6457651B2 (en) | 1999-10-01 | 1999-10-01 | Dual mode, dual information, document bar coding and reading system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/410,986 US6457651B2 (en) | 1999-10-01 | 1999-10-01 | Dual mode, dual information, document bar coding and reading system |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20010050308A1 true US20010050308A1 (en) | 2001-12-13 |
US6457651B2 US6457651B2 (en) | 2002-10-01 |
Family
ID=23627089
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/410,986 Expired - Lifetime US6457651B2 (en) | 1999-10-01 | 1999-10-01 | Dual mode, dual information, document bar coding and reading system |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6457651B2 (en) |
Cited By (21)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040086181A1 (en) * | 2002-10-31 | 2004-05-06 | Microsoft Corporation | Active embedded interaction code |
WO2006090172A2 (en) * | 2005-02-25 | 2006-08-31 | First Ondemand Ltd | Identification systems |
WO2006123196A1 (en) * | 2004-05-17 | 2006-11-23 | Dexrad (Proprietary) Limited | Method and system for creating an identification document |
EP1798664A2 (en) * | 2005-12-19 | 2007-06-20 | Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated | Using multi-resolution visual codes to facilitate information browsing in the physical world |
US7328847B1 (en) * | 2003-07-30 | 2008-02-12 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Barcode data communication methods, barcode embedding methods, and barcode systems |
WO2008003964A3 (en) * | 2006-07-05 | 2008-04-10 | Iti Scotland Ltd | Bar code authentication |
US20080197972A1 (en) * | 2005-03-04 | 2008-08-21 | Magna Automotive Services Gmbh | Traceability And Authentication Of Security Papers |
US20080210764A1 (en) * | 2004-06-28 | 2008-09-04 | Konica Minolta Systems Laboratory, Inc. | Color Barcode Producing, Reading and/or Reproducing Method and Apparatus |
US20080222042A1 (en) * | 2004-12-03 | 2008-09-11 | Stephen James Moore | Prescription Generation Validation And Tracking |
US20080255990A1 (en) * | 2004-12-03 | 2008-10-16 | Stephen James Moore | On-Line Generation and Verification of Personalised Money |
US20090016987A1 (en) * | 2004-05-18 | 2009-01-15 | Keio University | Pharmaceutical composition and therapeutic method |
US20090200379A1 (en) * | 2008-02-11 | 2009-08-13 | Michael Peter Kuyper-Hammond | Enhanced-density barcode |
US20090283589A1 (en) * | 2004-12-03 | 2009-11-19 | Stephen James Moore | On-line generation and authentication of items |
US8070066B2 (en) * | 2005-03-28 | 2011-12-06 | Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. | Systems and methods for preserving and maintaining document integrity |
US20120105454A1 (en) * | 2010-11-01 | 2012-05-03 | Gonzalez Julio A | Font file with graphic images |
CN104811581A (en) * | 2014-01-29 | 2015-07-29 | 京瓷办公信息系统株式会社 | Image processing apparatus |
US20150294242A1 (en) * | 2011-05-12 | 2015-10-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Adapting an Incremental Information Object |
US20160078333A1 (en) * | 2013-07-24 | 2016-03-17 | Hewlet-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Encoding an information object |
US9716711B2 (en) * | 2011-07-15 | 2017-07-25 | Pagemark Technology, Inc. | High-value document authentication system and method |
US10825017B1 (en) * | 2020-04-20 | 2020-11-03 | Capital One Services, Llc | Authorizing a payment with a multi-function transaction card |
US10936837B1 (en) * | 2018-05-23 | 2021-03-02 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | 2D barcode overlays |
Families Citing this family (30)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6993655B1 (en) * | 1999-12-20 | 2006-01-31 | Xerox Corporation | Record and related method for storing encoded information using overt code characteristics to identify covert code characteristics |
US7185816B1 (en) * | 2000-05-04 | 2007-03-06 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Bar code and method of forming a bar code having color for encoding supplemental information |
US6751352B1 (en) * | 2000-05-25 | 2004-06-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Method and apparatus for generating and decoding a visually significant barcode |
US7107453B2 (en) * | 2000-05-25 | 2006-09-12 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Authenticatable graphical bar codes |
US6666377B1 (en) | 2000-07-18 | 2003-12-23 | Scott C. Harris | Bar code data entry device |
US6938017B2 (en) * | 2000-12-01 | 2005-08-30 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Scalable, fraud resistant graphical payment indicia |
US20020075268A1 (en) * | 2000-12-18 | 2002-06-20 | Hecht David L. | Method and apparatus for implementing a user interface using occlusion glyph code tilings |
US7079667B2 (en) * | 2000-12-19 | 2006-07-18 | Xerox Corporation | Method and apparatus for implementing occlusion glyph code tilings |
GB2375420A (en) * | 2001-02-09 | 2002-11-13 | Enseal Systems Ltd | Document printed with graphical symbols which encode information |
US6722567B2 (en) * | 2001-06-07 | 2004-04-20 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Generating and decoding graphical bar codes |
WO2003052749A2 (en) * | 2001-12-14 | 2003-06-26 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Optical readout device |
US7197644B2 (en) * | 2002-12-16 | 2007-03-27 | Xerox Corporation | Systems and methods for providing hardcopy secure documents and for validation of such documents |
US7270266B2 (en) * | 2003-04-07 | 2007-09-18 | Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd | Card for facilitating user interaction |
GB0308413D0 (en) * | 2003-04-11 | 2003-05-21 | Enseal Systems Ltd | Verification of authenticity of check data |
US7703810B2 (en) * | 2003-06-10 | 2010-04-27 | Crane & Co., Inc. | Security device |
US7711140B2 (en) * | 2004-04-21 | 2010-05-04 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Secure recorded documents |
EP1749273A4 (en) * | 2004-05-18 | 2011-12-28 | Silverbrook Res Pty Ltd | Authentication of an object using a signature encoded in a number of data portions |
AU2005243107B2 (en) * | 2004-05-18 | 2008-08-28 | Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd | Method and apparatus for security document tracking |
US8325969B2 (en) * | 2006-04-28 | 2012-12-04 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Methods for making an authenticating system |
US20080144102A1 (en) * | 2006-12-15 | 2008-06-19 | Curry Donald J | Scanned document cover sheet |
US8559624B1 (en) | 2006-12-29 | 2013-10-15 | Edward J Zajac | Cyphometry consisting of ciferglifs, chaotiglyphs and word auras |
GB0702092D0 (en) * | 2007-02-02 | 2007-03-14 | Fracture Code Corp Aps | Graphic Code Application Apparatus and Method |
US7673807B2 (en) * | 2007-02-21 | 2010-03-09 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Multiple resolution readable color array |
JP4154700B1 (en) * | 2007-06-21 | 2008-09-24 | 健治 吉田 | Card surface reading and command execution method |
US8200142B2 (en) * | 2008-02-20 | 2012-06-12 | Xerox Corporation | Multi-job feeder apparatus and method |
US9026030B2 (en) * | 2008-06-04 | 2015-05-05 | Xerox Corporation | Multi-job feeder system |
US8186593B2 (en) | 2008-07-29 | 2012-05-29 | Xerox Corporation | Colored barcode decoding |
US8453922B2 (en) * | 2010-02-09 | 2013-06-04 | Xerox Corporation | Method for one-step document categorization and separation using stamped machine recognizable patterns |
US9224058B2 (en) | 2013-04-05 | 2015-12-29 | Xerox Corporation | Data augmentation method and system for improved automatic license plate recognition |
US10176353B2 (en) * | 2015-09-28 | 2019-01-08 | Avery Dennison Retail Information Services, Llc | Method and system of forensic encryption |
Family Cites Families (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4782221A (en) | 1985-04-01 | 1988-11-01 | Cauzin Systems, Incorporated | Printed data strip including bit-encoded information and scanner control |
CA2039652C (en) * | 1990-05-30 | 1996-12-24 | Frank Zdybel, Jr. | Hardcopy lossless data storage and communications for electronic document processing systems |
CA2044404C (en) * | 1990-07-31 | 1998-06-23 | Dan S. Bloomberg | Self-clocking glyph shape codes |
US5278400A (en) * | 1991-08-19 | 1994-01-11 | Xerox Corp | Multiple threshold encoding of machine readable code |
JPH05334470A (en) * | 1991-12-27 | 1993-12-17 | Xerox Corp | Self-clocking graphic mark code |
US5298731A (en) * | 1992-12-23 | 1994-03-29 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method for printing and reading for orthogonal bar code patterns |
US5291243A (en) | 1993-02-05 | 1994-03-01 | Xerox Corporation | System for electronically printing plural-color tamper-resistant documents |
CA2129075C (en) * | 1993-10-18 | 1999-04-20 | Joseph J. Daniele | Electronic copyright royalty accounting system using glyphs |
US5905251A (en) * | 1993-11-24 | 1999-05-18 | Metrologic Instruments, Inc. | Hand-held portable WWW access terminal with visual display panel and GUI-based WWW browser program integrated with bar code symbol reader in a hand-supportable housing |
US5684885A (en) * | 1995-09-27 | 1997-11-04 | Xerox Corporation | Binary glyph codes based on color relationships |
US5635694A (en) * | 1995-09-27 | 1997-06-03 | Xerox Corporation | System and method for embedding machine coded destination information into a postal mark |
US5901224A (en) * | 1996-10-21 | 1999-05-04 | Xerox Corporation | Quasi-reprographics with variable embedded data with applications to copyright management, and distribution control |
US5951055A (en) * | 1997-06-11 | 1999-09-14 | The Standard Register Company | Security document containing encoded data block |
US6256638B1 (en) | 1998-04-14 | 2001-07-03 | Interval Research Corporation | Printable interfaces and digital linkmarks |
-
1999
- 1999-10-01 US US09/410,986 patent/US6457651B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (39)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20060165290A1 (en) * | 2002-10-31 | 2006-07-27 | Microsoft Corporation | Active embedded interaction coding |
US20040086181A1 (en) * | 2002-10-31 | 2004-05-06 | Microsoft Corporation | Active embedded interaction code |
US7502508B2 (en) | 2002-10-31 | 2009-03-10 | Microsoft Corporation | Active embedded interaction coding |
US7502507B2 (en) * | 2002-10-31 | 2009-03-10 | Microsoft Corporation | Active embedded interaction code |
US7486823B2 (en) | 2002-10-31 | 2009-02-03 | Microsoft Corporation | Active embedded interaction coding |
US7486822B2 (en) | 2002-10-31 | 2009-02-03 | Microsoft Corporation | Active embedded interaction coding |
US7328847B1 (en) * | 2003-07-30 | 2008-02-12 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Barcode data communication methods, barcode embedding methods, and barcode systems |
WO2006123196A1 (en) * | 2004-05-17 | 2006-11-23 | Dexrad (Proprietary) Limited | Method and system for creating an identification document |
US20070290499A1 (en) * | 2004-05-17 | 2007-12-20 | Tame Gavin R | Method and System for Creating an Identification Document |
US20090016987A1 (en) * | 2004-05-18 | 2009-01-15 | Keio University | Pharmaceutical composition and therapeutic method |
US8640955B2 (en) | 2004-06-28 | 2014-02-04 | Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. | Color barcode producing, reading and/or reproducing method and apparatus |
US20080210764A1 (en) * | 2004-06-28 | 2008-09-04 | Konica Minolta Systems Laboratory, Inc. | Color Barcode Producing, Reading and/or Reproducing Method and Apparatus |
US20080222042A1 (en) * | 2004-12-03 | 2008-09-11 | Stephen James Moore | Prescription Generation Validation And Tracking |
US20080255990A1 (en) * | 2004-12-03 | 2008-10-16 | Stephen James Moore | On-Line Generation and Verification of Personalised Money |
US20090293112A1 (en) * | 2004-12-03 | 2009-11-26 | Stephen James Moore | On-line generation and authentication of items |
US20090283589A1 (en) * | 2004-12-03 | 2009-11-19 | Stephen James Moore | On-line generation and authentication of items |
WO2006090172A3 (en) * | 2005-02-25 | 2006-12-07 | First Ondemand Ltd | Identification systems |
US20080224823A1 (en) * | 2005-02-25 | 2008-09-18 | First Ondemand Limited | Identification Systems |
WO2006090172A2 (en) * | 2005-02-25 | 2006-08-31 | First Ondemand Ltd | Identification systems |
US20080197972A1 (en) * | 2005-03-04 | 2008-08-21 | Magna Automotive Services Gmbh | Traceability And Authentication Of Security Papers |
US8070066B2 (en) * | 2005-03-28 | 2011-12-06 | Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. | Systems and methods for preserving and maintaining document integrity |
EP1798664A2 (en) * | 2005-12-19 | 2007-06-20 | Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated | Using multi-resolution visual codes to facilitate information browsing in the physical world |
US20070143737A1 (en) * | 2005-12-19 | 2007-06-21 | Qingfeng Huang | Using multi-resolution visual codes to facilitate information browsing in the physical world |
EP1798664A3 (en) * | 2005-12-19 | 2011-03-09 | Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated | Using multi-resolution visual codes to facilitate information browsing in the physical world |
US8849943B2 (en) | 2005-12-19 | 2014-09-30 | Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated | Using multi-resolution visual codes to facilitate information browsing in the physical world |
WO2008003964A3 (en) * | 2006-07-05 | 2008-04-10 | Iti Scotland Ltd | Bar code authentication |
US20090200379A1 (en) * | 2008-02-11 | 2009-08-13 | Michael Peter Kuyper-Hammond | Enhanced-density barcode |
US8267321B2 (en) * | 2008-02-11 | 2012-09-18 | International Business Machines Corporation | Enhanced-density barcode |
US8763906B2 (en) | 2008-02-11 | 2014-07-01 | International Business Machines Corporation | Enhanced-density barcode |
US20120105454A1 (en) * | 2010-11-01 | 2012-05-03 | Gonzalez Julio A | Font file with graphic images |
US8687004B2 (en) * | 2010-11-01 | 2014-04-01 | Apple Inc. | Font file with graphic images |
US20150294242A1 (en) * | 2011-05-12 | 2015-10-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Adapting an Incremental Information Object |
US9613327B2 (en) * | 2011-05-12 | 2017-04-04 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Adapting an incremental information object |
US9716711B2 (en) * | 2011-07-15 | 2017-07-25 | Pagemark Technology, Inc. | High-value document authentication system and method |
US20160078333A1 (en) * | 2013-07-24 | 2016-03-17 | Hewlet-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Encoding an information object |
CN104811581A (en) * | 2014-01-29 | 2015-07-29 | 京瓷办公信息系统株式会社 | Image processing apparatus |
US10936837B1 (en) * | 2018-05-23 | 2021-03-02 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | 2D barcode overlays |
US10825017B1 (en) * | 2020-04-20 | 2020-11-03 | Capital One Services, Llc | Authorizing a payment with a multi-function transaction card |
US11556917B2 (en) | 2020-04-20 | 2023-01-17 | Capital One Services, Llc | Authorizing a payment with a multi-function transaction card |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6457651B2 (en) | 2002-10-01 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6457651B2 (en) | Dual mode, dual information, document bar coding and reading system | |
US7025269B2 (en) | Barcodes including embedded security features and space saving interleaved text | |
US5684885A (en) | Binary glyph codes based on color relationships | |
US9311583B2 (en) | Barcode copy protection system | |
US7422158B2 (en) | Fluorescent hidden indicium | |
EP1158456B1 (en) | Barcode system | |
US5337361A (en) | Record with encoded data | |
KR100341504B1 (en) | Machine readable code for representing information and method and apparatus for encoding/decoding the same | |
US8320607B2 (en) | Image processing method and image processing device for embedding invisible sub information into main images | |
EP0490457A1 (en) | Support provided with a security element | |
JP5431906B2 (en) | Create and place 2D barcode stamps on printed documents to store authentication information | |
US20100012736A1 (en) | Bar code authentication | |
US20060255141A1 (en) | Machine readable data | |
US8194976B2 (en) | Machine readable documents and reading methods | |
EP1959403A2 (en) | Secure barcode | |
US7787154B2 (en) | Font printing system having embedded security information comprising variable data periodic line patterns | |
MXPA04005216A (en) | System and method for validating a digital image and corresponding data. | |
KR101535534B1 (en) | A Creating and Verifying Method Of A Document Having Printed Means Of Preventing From Forging/Manipulating | |
US7913920B2 (en) | Document processing devices, systems and methods thereof | |
US7013024B2 (en) | Method for reading information that has been embedded in an image | |
KR101727585B1 (en) | A Document Having Printed Means Of Preventing From Forging/Manipulating | |
JP2006309287A (en) | Design bar code | |
US20060104475A1 (en) | System and method for selectively encoding a symbol code in a color space | |
WO2004097714A2 (en) | Barcodes including embedded security features and space saving interleaved text | |
KR100341601B1 (en) | A method for recognizing 2D bar code information |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: XEROX CORPORATION, CONNECTICUT Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:PAUL, PETER;BREWINGTON, GRACE T.;REEL/FRAME:010297/0675 Effective date: 19990927 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BANK ONE, NA, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ILLINOIS Free format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:XEROX CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:013111/0001 Effective date: 20020621 Owner name: BANK ONE, NA, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT,ILLINOIS Free format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:XEROX CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:013111/0001 Effective date: 20020621 |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, AS COLLATERAL AGENT, TEXAS Free format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:XEROX CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:015134/0476 Effective date: 20030625 Owner name: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, AS COLLATERAL AGENT,TEXAS Free format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:XEROX CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:015134/0476 Effective date: 20030625 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 12 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: XEROX CORPORATION, NEW YORK Free format text: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:BANK ONE, NA;REEL/FRAME:034923/0918 Effective date: 20030625 Owner name: XEROX CORPORATION, NEW YORK Free format text: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.;REEL/FRAME:034923/0953 Effective date: 20061204 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: XEROX CORPORATION, CONNECTICUT Free format text: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND COLLATERAL AGENT TO BANK ONE, N.A.;REEL/FRAME:061388/0388 Effective date: 20220822 Owner name: XEROX CORPORATION, CONNECTICUT Free format text: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND COLLATERAL AGENT TO JPMORGAN CHASE BANK;REEL/FRAME:066728/0193 Effective date: 20220822 |