Identification symbol system and method with orientation mechanism

• US 5,612,524 A
• Filed: 03/28/1995
• Issued: 03/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vcode Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Veritec Incorporated (Matthews Group LLC)
• Inventors: Sant'Anselmo, Robert, Sant'Anselmo, Carl, Hooper, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN
• Application Number:
  US08/412,091
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 235/494, 235/487, 235/460, 235/461, 235/462, 235/463, 235/466, 235/454, 235/464, 235/383, 235/436, 235/456
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06262 with target- or other orientation-indicating feature
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1456 determining the orientation of the optical code with respect to the reader and correcting therefore

Abstract

The present invention is a symbol 10 that includes a square array 12 of data cells 14 surrounded by a border 30 of orientation and timing data cells. The border 30 can be surrounded by an external data field 18 also including information data cells 20. The orientation and timing for sampling each data cell can be determined from the border 30 or from additional orientation and timing cells in the internal data field 12 or external data field 18. A system 40 and 42 is also included that captures an image of the symbol, determines symbol orientation, decodes the contents of the symbol and outputs the decoded contents to a display or other device. The present invention also includes a device 48 that can produce symbols on a substrate such as a label.

Claims

1. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a computer readable data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information for uniquely identifying the symbol; and

computer readable orientation means, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, for providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

2. A symbol as recited in claim 1, wherein said orientation means further comprises a timing border for data capture timing.

3. A symbol as recited in claim 1, wherein said orientation means surrounds said field.

4. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a square data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information; and

an orientation border, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, and providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

5. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a matrix data cell data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information; and

an orientation border, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, said border means comprising a width of a known number of data cells and providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

6. A symbol as recited in claim 5, wherein-said data cells are encoded using a gray scale.

7. A symbol as recited in claim 5, wherein said data cells are encoded using a color scale.

8. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information;

an orientation border, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, and providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a timing line of data cells adjacent said border; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

9. A symbol as recited in claim 8, wherein said timing line is on two sides of said border.

10. A symbol as recited in claim 9, wherein said timing line is a different distance from the border on each side.

11. A symbol as recited in claim 8, wherein said timing line is on three sides of said border.

12. A symbol as recited in claim 11, wherein said timing line is a different distance from the border on each side.

13. A symbol as recited in claim 8, wherein said timing line surrounds said border.

14. A symbol as recited in claim 13, wherein said timing line is a different distance from the border on each side.

15. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information;

a computer readable orientation border, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, and providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a timing cell in said field; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

16. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information;

an orientation border, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, and providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a timing cell outside said border; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

17. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information;

an orientation border formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side; and

an orientation cell formed on said substrate and outside said border means, said border means and said cell for providing symbol orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

18. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

an internal data matrix data field of information data cells representing first information and formed on said substrate;

data cell providing orientation and timing on at least one side of said internal data field and formed on said substrate and for providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

an external data field of information data cells representing second information and formed on said substrate; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

image capture means for obtaining image data representing an image field including a symbol comprising a rectilinear data matrix data field of information data cells and an orientation border on at least one side of the data field; and

decoding means for processing the image data to identify the border, determine orientation and timing information from the border and sample the data cells.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

means for producing a symbol image of a symbol comprising a rectilinear data matrix data field of information data cells and an orientation border on at least one side of the data field; and

means for forming the image on a substrate.

21. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a computer readable data matrix data field of individually addressable data cells, formed on said substrate and providing symbol information for uniquely identifying the symbol; and

a computer readable orientation border comprising individually addressable data cells, formed on said substrate and providing symbol orientation information from any direction of image capture and positioned adjacent to said field on at least one side; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

22. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a data field formed on said substrate; and

orientation information, formed on said substrate, indicating an orientation of said data field from any direction of image capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

23. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a data field formed on said substrate; and

a border, formed on said substrate and adjacent said data field, and indicating an orientation from any direction of image capture, the border means having first and second sides where each data cell in the border has a same value; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

24. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a data field formed on said substrate; and

a border, formed on said substrate and adjacent said data field, indicating an orientation from any direction of image capture, the border having first and second sides where each data cell in the border has a same value; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information; and

wherein said border further comprises third and fourth sides where the cells in the third and fourth sides have alternating values.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

image capture means for obtaining image data representing an image field including a symbol comprising a data field of information data cells and orientation means for indicating an orientation of said field; and

decoding means for processing the image data to determine orientation and sample the data cells.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

means for producing a symbol image of a symbol comprising a data field of information data cells and orientation means for indicating an orientation of said field; and

means for forming the image on a substrate.

27. A decoding process, comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning a symbol comprising a data field of information data cells and orientation means for indicating an orientation of the field;

(b) identifying the location of the data cells; and

(c) decoding the symbol from the located data cells.

28. A process as recited in claim 27, wherein step (b) comprises:

(b1) determining an orientation of the symbol; and

(b2) determining a timing of the data cells.

29. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a data field formed on said substrate; and

an orientation indicator, formed on said substrate, indicating an orientation of said data field from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information.

30. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a computer readable data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information for uniquely identifying the symbol; and

computer readable orientation means, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, for providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information; and

wherein said orientation means comprises a solid indicia.

31. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a computer readable data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information for uniquely identifying the symbol; and

computer readable orientation means, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, for providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information; and

wherein said orientation means comprises a solid border.

32. An identification symbol system for an object, comprising:

an identification symbol, comprising;

a substrate associated with the object;

a computer readable data matrix data field formed on said substrate and providing symbol information for uniquely identifying the symbol; and

computer readable orientation means, formed on said substrate and positioned adjacent said field on at least one side, for providing orientation information from a substantially omni-directional three-dimensional orientation of capture; and

a device for capturing the symbol, identifying the object from the symbol information; and

wherein said orientation means provides distortion correction information.