TWO-DIMENSIONAL CODE GENERATING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM, TWO-DIMENSIONAL CODE READING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20110049244A1
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: OHNISHI, Takeshi, WANG, Chuan
• Granted Patent: US 8,459,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/470
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06056 the marking comprising a further embedded marking, e.g. a 1D bar code with the black bars containing a smaller sized coding

Abstract

According to an aspect of the invention, a two-dimensional code generating apparatus includes a two-dimensional code generating unit. The two-dimensional code generating unit that generates a two-dimensional code including a plurality of region symbols, a plurality of first pattern symbols, a plurality of second pattern symbols, and an information pattern. The region symbols represent a rectangular region in which one unit of the two-dimensional code is disposed, the rectangular region having a first side and a second side opposed to the first side.

Claims

1. A two-dimensional code generating apparatus comprising:

a two-dimensional code generating unit that generates a two-dimensional code including;

a plurality of region symbols that represent a rectangular region in which one unit of the two-dimensional code is disposed, the rectangular region having a first side and a second side opposed to the first side;

a plurality of first pattern symbols and a plurality of second pattern symbols that are disposed along each side of the rectangular region and are disposed so that one of the first pattern symbols and one of the second pattern symbols disposed along the first side face the other of the first pattern symbol and the other of the second pattern symbol disposed along the second side; and

an information pattern that is acquired by encoding information and is disposed within the rectangular region.

2. The two-dimensional code generating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the two-dimensional code further includes the other unit of the two-dimensional code having the first pattern symbols and the second pattern symbols,

the one unit and the other unit are adjacent to each other so that the first pattern symbols and the second pattern symbols are shared by the one unit and the other unit,

the information is distributed in the one unit and the other unit.

3. The two-dimensional code generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of a first pattern of the first pattern symbols and a second pattern of the second pattern symbols is configured by a bit row of three bits or more.

4. The two-dimensional code generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a relationship between a first pattern of the first pattern symbols and a second pattern of the second pattern symbols is a bit-inversion relationship.

5. The two-dimensional code generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first pattern of the first pattern symbols and a second pattern of the second pattern symbols are formed of bit rows having inversion symmetry.

6. The two-dimensional code generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a difference between the number of bits of a first pattern of the first pattern symbols and the number of bits of a second pattern of the second pattern symbols is equal to or less than one.

7. The two-dimensional code generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the first pattern symbols and the second pattern symbols are configured by bit rows of a plurality of rows, and

the one unit and the other unit are adjacent to each other so that at least one row of the first pattern symbols and the second pattern symbols are shared by the one unit and the other unit.

8. The two-dimensional code generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first pattern symbols and the second pattern symbols is disposed in fourfold symmetrical positions with respect to a center of the rectangular region.

9. An image forming system comprising:

an image information reception unit that receives image information;

a disposition information reception unit that receives data information to be disposed in a rectangular region;

the two-dimensional code generating apparatus that includes;

a two-dimensional code generating unit that generates a two-dimensional code including;

a plurality of region symbols that represent the rectangular region in which one unit of the two-dimensional code is disposed, the rectangular region having a first side and a second side opposed to the first side;

a plurality of first pattern symbols and a plurality of second pattern symbols that are disposed along each side of the rectangular region and are disposed so that one of the first pattern symbols and one of the second pattern symbols disposed along the first side face the other of the first pattern symbol and the other of the second pattern symbol disposed along the second side; and

an information pattern that is acquired by encoding information and is disposed within the rectangular region,

a composed image generating unit that generates a composed image by combining the two-dimensional code and an image acquired from the image information; and

an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium based on the composed image.

10. A two-dimensional code reading apparatus comprising:

a direction specifying unit that specifies a direction of a two-dimensional code based on disposition of a plurality of first pattern symbols and a plurality of second pattern symbols by reading the two-dimensional code including;

a plurality of region symbols that represent a rectangular region in which one unit of the two-dimensional code is disposed, the rectangular region having a first side and a second side opposed to the first side;

the first pattern symbols and the second pattern symbols that are disposed along each side of the rectangular region and are disposed so that one of the first pattern symbols and one of the second pattern symbols disposed along the first side face the other of the first pattern symbol and the other of the second pattern symbol disposed along the second side; and

an information pattern that is acquired by encoding information and is disposed within the rectangular region.

11. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for generating a two-dimensional code including:

a plurality of region symbols that represent a rectangular region in which one unit of the two-dimensional code is disposed, the rectangular region having a first side and a second side opposed to the first side;

a plurality of first pattern symbols and a plurality of second pattern symbols that are disposed along each side of the rectangular region and are disposed so that one of the first pattern symbols and one of the second pattern symbols disposed along the first side face the other of the first pattern symbol and the other of the second pattern symbol disposed along the second side; and

an information pattern that is acquired by encoding information and is disposed within the rectangular region.

12. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for specifying a direction of a two-dimensional code including:

a plurality of region symbols that represent a rectangular region in which one unit of the two-dimensional code is disposed, the rectangular region having a first side and a second side opposed to the first side;

a plurality of first pattern symbols and a plurality of second pattern symbols that are disposed along each side of the rectangular region and are disposed so that one of the first pattern symbols and one of the second pattern symbols disposed along the first side face the other of the first pattern symbol and the other of the second pattern symbol disposed along the second side; and

an information pattern that is acquired by encoding information and is disposed within the rectangular region,

the process comprising;

acquiring the two-dimensional code; and

specifying a direction of the two-dimensional code based on disposition of the first pattern symbols and the second pattern symbols.