Encoding small amounts of embedded digital data at arbitrary locations within an image

• US 6,439,465 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bloomberg, Dan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US09/404,962
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 235/494, 235/487, 235/454, 235/462.25, 235/462.07, 283/93, 283/70, 382/100
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0061 Embedding of the watermark in each block of the image, e.g. segmented watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0601 whereby calibration information is embedded in the watermark, e.g. a grid, a scale, a list of transformations

Abstract

Individual glyph frames for providing simple data blocks that may be read individually. A frame is usually on the order of ⅙^th of an inch in size and can be used as a pointer to anywhere on the page or can contain a small piece of data such as the page or form number. The format of the data can be stored in the sync lines or as part of the data

Claims

1. A process for printing a small amount of embedded digital data in an arbitrary region of an image on media, comprising:

encoding the digital data into a rectangular area of glyphs;

surrounding the rectangular area of glyphs with a rectangular sync lattice;

locating a region in the image which contains arbitrary graphical elements;

printing the encoded digital data and the sync lattice in the located region, such that arbitrary graphical elements surround the sync lattice, wherein the encoded digital data appears visually indistinguishable from the located region and wherein the printed sync lattice comprises enough bits to distinguish it from the surrounding arbitrary graphical elements during decoding.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the located region comprises an arbitrary glyph stipple containing no embedded digital data.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein the glyph stipple comprises low frequency components and wherein the sync lattice comprises high frequency components and little redundancy.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the sync lattice comprising a number of glyphs for identifying the rectangular area as a data block, and a number of glyphs to identify the formatting of the data.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a form that the glyphs are printed on.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a pointer to a point on the media.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies how an area of the media that the rectangular area is printed on should be rendered.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a page number that the embedded digital data is printed on.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a paragraph or figure by number.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies the color of the area on which the glyphs are printed.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a table entry.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a document.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a URL.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a document printing process to be invoked.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the embedded digital data identifies a particular piece of data in a table.