Method of reading identification code sheets using borders to determine scan angle

• US 5,204,515 A
• Filed: 10/15/1991
• Issued: 04/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teiryo Sangyo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Teiryo Sangyo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yoshida, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): LaRoche, Eugene R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GLEMBOCKI, CHRISTOPHE
• Application Number:
  US07/774,146
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 235/494, 235/487, 235/460, 235/461, 235/462, 235/463, 235/466, 235/454, 235/456, 382/48, 382/61
• US Class Current: 235/456
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06262 with target- or other orientation-indicating feature

Abstract

An identification code sheet includes of codes of merchandise, a character string or a document etc. The sheet can be read by a sensor. The identification code sheet including a representation area defined by both a X-axis and a Y-axis intersecting mutually either orthogonally or skewedly and sub-areas of identification code printed in are representation area. The said representation area is divided into sixteen or more sub-areas, in each of which an identification code of encoded indicia is recorded. With the coding and method much more informations relative to the conventional techniques may be handled and more particularly much more Kana-Kanzi, Arabic and Chinese letters etc. as well as numerical characters, symbols, and alphabets may be represented which can be easily read. The representation of repredentation areas defined by both the X-axis and the Y-axis and the identification code in said sub-areas ensures accuracy and speed of reading by means of a sensor to read the identification code sheet in any direction and further a simplier reading, representation and outputting etc. by use of a printing sheet and printing means for general use.

Claims

1. A method for reading and processing an identification code, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a representation area on an object including,

a computer readable orientation border, positioned within said representation area on at least two sides,

a plurality of sub-areas in which encoded indicia are located,

orthogonal rows and columns of separation marks, separating said plurality of sub-areas, and

a nonsymmetric auxiliary representation mark, provided within said representation area such that said representation area is defined by an area enclosed by said computer readable orientation border and said nonsymmetric auxiliary representation mark,

b) reading said plurality of sub-areas in which the encoded indicia are located and said orthogonal rows and columns of separation marks, with a reading apparatus, and generating data signals representative of the encoded indicia;

c) detecting said computer readable orientation border and said nonsymmetric auxiliary representation mark, determining a scanning direction and an angle of orientation of said identification code with respect to the reading apparatus, and generating a scanning direction signal and an angle of orientation signal;

d) correcting the data signals generated in step (b) depending on the scanning direction signal and angle of orientation signal generated in step (c), in order to produce corrected signals; and

e) translating the corrected data signals into character information, represented by the encoded indicia.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of said plurality of sub-areas is sixteen.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sixteen sub-areas are divided into four or more assemblies.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation area is in the shape of a parallelogram.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the representation area is in the shape of a square.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation area is in the shape of a right triangle.