Two-dimensional barcode to avoid unintentional scanning

• US 10,565,483 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Narayanaswami, Chandrasekhar, Topkara, Umut
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Thien T
• Application Number:
  US13/600,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20140061310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,727 Days
• Field of Search: 235454, 235494, 3405721
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06075 the marking containing means for error correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07318 by hindering electromagnetic reading or writing jamming of communication, counter-measures H04K3/00; secret communication H04K1/00

Abstract

A method of disseminating a message is disclosed. The message is encoding in a barcode. A selected region of the barcode is damaged so as to hinder decoding of the message at a scanning device. The damaged region of the barcode may be occluded from the scanning device in order to enable the scanning device to read the barcode and the message therein.

Claims

1. A method of disseminating an encoded message, comprising:

printing a two-dimensional selectively readable barcode onto an article, said two-dimensional barcode employing a two-color encoding scheme;

said two-dimensional barcode having;

a data area that consists of a QR encoded message and a quiet zone surrounding said data area that enables an ordinary scanning device to locate said data area;

said data area embodied within an area defined by four corners diametrically opposite one another, and having three finder patterns located at the top left, top right and bottom left corners of three corners of said four corners of said data area, said three finder patterns serving to determine an orientation of said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode to enable a reading of said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode;

removing a section of said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode at said fourth corner of said data area;

then

encoding a Reed-Solomon standard error correction code new message at said fourth corner of said data area;

replacing said removed section at said fourth corner of said data area of said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode with said new message to form a damaged region wherein said damaged, region consists of a distractor pattern comprising a fourth finder pattern and a cluster of confusing alignment patterns to form a peacocked code (pQR), said distractor pattern comprising said peacocked code (pQR) functioning to confuse said ordinary scanning device thereby interfering with said ordinary scanning device'"'"'s ability to decode an encoded message on said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode on said article;

wherein replacing said removed section with said new message to form a damaged region containing said peacocked code (pQR) expands a search space of the said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode while concurrently rendering said QR code unscannable; and

wherein expanding said search space of said QR code increases a read time of said QR code by the scanning device and reducing said search space of the QR code decreases the read time of the QR code;

then,

occluding said distractor pattern containing said peacocked code (pQR) in said damaged region from the purview of said ordinary scanning device, by placing an object between said ordinary scanning device and said distractor pattern to prevent an image of said damaged region from being viewed by said ordinary scanning device, with the result that said ordinary scanning device obtains an image of only a non-damaged QR barcode area,

wherein occluding said distractor pattern containing said peacocked code (pQR) damaged region of said non-damaged QR barcode area from said purview of said ordinary scanning device reduces said search space of said, two-dimensional selectively readable QR barcode, thereby decreasing an amount of time for scanning said QR barcode below a scanning duration of said scanning device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said increased read time is greater than at least one of:

a decoding time of another barcode, and a scanning duration of the scanning device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said distractive pattern in said damaged region is configured to disable reading of said encoded message for a time that is at least one of:

a time to decode another encoded message that is scanned substantially simultaneously with the encoded message in the QR, code, and a scanning duration of said scanning device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing said finder pattern in said damaged region further comprises at least one of:

adding the finder pattern in the selected region, adding a pattern encroaching into a quiet zone surrounding the data area of the barcode;

printing a portion of another barcode in the selected region, placing a sticker over a portion of the barcode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein occluding said distractive pattern in said damaged region from said purview of said scanning device further comprises one of:

folding over said pattern, overlaying said pattern with a sticker, overwriting said pattern, removing said sticker, and placing an object over said scanning device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said scanning device includes one of:

a laser scanner, a smartphone, and a point-of-view device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said scanning device reads the barcode and at least one other barcode during a same scanning operation, and said scanning device reads a message encoded in said other barcode.

8. A method of disseminating an encoded message, consisting of:

printing a two-dimensional selectively readable barcode onto an, article, said two-dimensional barcode employing a two-color encoding scheme;

said two-dimensional barcode having;

a data area that consists of a QR encoded message and a quiet zone surrounding said data area that enables an ordinary scanning device to locate said data area;

said data area embodied within an area defined by four corners diametrically opposite one another, and having three finder patterns located at the top left, top right and bottom left, corners of three corners of said four corners of said data area, said three finder patterns serving to determine an orientation of said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode to enable a reading of said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode;

removing a section of said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode at said fourth corner of said data area;

then

encoding a Reed-Solomon standard error correction code new message at said fourth corner of said data area;

replacing said removed section at said fourth corner of said data area of said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode with said new message to form a damaged region wherein said damaged region consists of a distractor pattern composing a fourth finder pattern and a cluster of confusing alignment patterns to form a peacocked code (pQR), said distractor pattern comprising said peacocked code (pQR) functioning to confuse said ordinary scanning device thereby interfering with said ordinary scanning device'"'"'s ability to decode an encoded message on said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode on said article;

wherein replacing said removed section with said new message to form a damaged region containing said peacocked code (pQR) expands a search space of the said two-dimensional selectively readable barcode while concurrently rendering said QR code unscannable; and

wherein expanding said search space of said QR code increases a read time of said QR code by the scanning device and reducing said search space of the QR code decreases the read time of the QR code;

then,

occluding said distracter pattern containing said peacocked code (pQR) in said damaged region from the purview of said ordinary scanning device, by placing an object between said ordinary scanning device and said distractor pattern to prevent an image of said damaged region from being viewed by said ordinary scanning device, with the result that said ordinary scanning device obtains an image of only a non-damaged QR barcode area,

wherein occluding said distractor pattern containing said peacocked code (pQR) damaged region of said non-damaged QR barcode area from said purview of said ordinary scanning device reduces said search space of said two-dimensional selectively readable QR barcode, thereby decreasing an amount of time for scanning said QR barcode below a scanning duration of said scanning device.