Copy restrictive system using microdots to restrict copying of color-reversal documents

• US 5,864,742 A
• Filed: 04/11/1997
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Schildkraut, Jay Stuart, Gasper, John
• Primary Examiner(s): ROYER, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US08/837,931
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 399/366, 283/93, 283/114, 283/902, 382/165, 382/181, 382/190
• US Class Current: 399/366
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/04 Preventing copies being made of an original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00846 based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00875 Inhibiting reproduction, e.g. by disabling reading or reproduction apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/902 Anti-photocopy

Abstract

A system for restricting the copying of a color-reversal document having one or more microdots embedded in the color-reversal document. The system of detecting the presence of one or more of the embedded microdots and controllably disabling a copy machine to prevent it from copying the color-reversal document when at least one microdot is detected.

Claims

1. A system for restricting the copying of a color-reversal document comprising:

means for embedding one or more microdots into a color-reversal document;

detecting means for detecting the presence of one or more of the microdots in said color-reversal document; and

controlling means responsive to said detecting means for restricting a copy machine from copying the color-reversal document when a microdot is detected.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means detects the presence of one or more microdots in the color-reversal document based on one or more characteristics of color, color shift, optical density, size, shape, profile, orientation, geometrical arrangement, or spacing.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said microdots have a spectral character of low visual perceptibility.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the microdots are minus-yellow in hue when viewed against a yellow background and blue in hue when viewed against a neutral gray background.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the equivalent circular diameter of the microdots is 300 microns or less with the edge of a microdot defined by the isodensity profile at which the yellow optical density is midway between the minimum density of the microdot and the density of the region adjacent to the microdot.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the spatial arrangement of the microdots is periodic with one or more periodicities.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the spatial arrangement of the microdots is aperiodic with one or more aperiodicities.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the spatial arrangement of the microdots is a combination of periodic and aperiodic.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the microdots comprise a unique pattern.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the microdots have an optical density, size, and spacing so as to not visually modify the lightness, color balance, or tone reproduction of an image in the document.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the microdots are absent in areas of the color-reversal document of minimal optical density.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the microdots are minimally spaced 0.5 mm center-to-center.

13. A method for restricting the copying of a color-reversal document comprising the steps of:

a) embedding at least one minus-yellow microdot into a color-reversal document to be copy restricted;

b) detecting the presence of said at least one minus-yellow microdot in the color-reversal document when a copy action is attempted; and

c) restricting the copy action when the at least one minus-yellow microdot is detected.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said at least one minus-yellow microdot is selected to have a spectral character of low visual perceptibility.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein said at least one minus-yellow microdot is minus-yellow in hue when viewed against a yellow background and blue in hue when viewed against a neutral gray background.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the equivalent circular diameter of said at least one minus-yellow microdot is 300 microns or less with the edge of a microdot defined by the isodensity profile at which the yellow optical density is midway between the minimum density of the microdot and the density of the region adjacent to the microdot.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the spatial arrangement of said at least one minus-yellow microdot is periodic with one or more periodicities.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the spatial arrangement of said at least one minus-yellow microdot is aperiodic with one or more aperiodicities.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the spatial arrangement of said at least one minus-yellow microdot is a combination of periodic and aperiodic.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein said said at least one minus-yellow microdot comprises a unique pattern.

21. The method according to claim 13, wherein said at least one minus-yellow microdot has an optical density, size, and spacing so as to not visually modify the lightness, color balance, or tone reproduction of an image in the document.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein said at least one minus-yellow microdot is absent in areas of the color-reversal document of minimal optical density.

23. The method according to claim 13, wherein said at least one minus-yellow microdot is minimally spaced 0.5 mm center-to-center.

24. A method for controllably enabling the copying of a color-reversal document comprising the steps of:

a) embedding one or more microdots into a color-reversal document;

b) detecting the presence of one or more microdots in the color-reversal document when a copy action is attempted; and

c) enabling or disabling the copying of the color-reversal document based on the detected presence of one or more microdots.

25. A method for controllably enabling the copying of a color-reversal document comprising the steps of:

a) embedding a plurality of microdots into a color-reversal document;

b) scanning the color-reversal document to obtain document pixel values;

c) defining at least one metric that indicates the presence of microdots in the color-reversal document;

d) comparing the value of at least one metric to a predetermined value or range of values to determine the presence of microdots; and

e) authorizing the copying based on the determined presence or absence of microdots.

26. A method for controllably enabling the copying of a color-reversal document comprising the steps of:

a) embedding at least one microdot into a color-reversal document;

b) scanning the color-reversal document to obtain document pixel values;

c) determining the closeness of color-reversal document pixel values to predetermined microdot values;

d) determining the presence or the absence of at least one microdot on the color-reversal document based on the measures of closeness from step c); and

e) authorizing the copying based on the presence or the absence of the at least one microdot.

27. A method for controllably enabling the copying of a color-reversal document comprising the steps of:

a) embedding at least one microdot into a color-reversal document;

b) scanning the color-reversal document to obtain document pixel values;

c) defining a threshold and a range metric that indicates the presence of microdots in the color-reversal document;

d) comparing the value of the threshold metric to a predetermined threshold value and simultaneously comparing the value of the range metric to a predetermined range of values; and

e) authorizing the copying based on the presence or the absence of the at least one microdot.

28. A method for controllably enabling the copying of a color-reversal document comprising the steps of:

a) embedding one or more microdots into a color-reversal document;

b) detecting the presence of one or more microdots in the color-reversal document based on one or more characteristics of color, color shift, optical density, size, shape, profile, orientation, geometrical arrangement, or spacing; and

c) enabling or disabling the copying of the color-reversal document based on the detected presence of one or more microdots.