Dual mode, dual information, document bar coding and reading system

• US 6,457,651 B2
• Filed: 10/01/1999
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Paul, Peter, Brewington, Grace T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, UYEN CHAU N
• Application Number:
  US09/410,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20010050308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 235/494, 235/375, 235/462.09, 235/469, 235/456, 235/462.01, 235/472.01, 705/42, 705/43, 705/404, 705/405
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes

Abstract

A dual level encryption method, and document, for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible printed bar code pattern area on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in the bar code, comprising integrally printing a second and very much finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable glyph code or other such indicia within the bar code pattern area, containing a much higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within the same area. Scanning the bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader extracts conventional bar coded information embedded in the bar code without interference from the second indicia. Scanning the same bar code pattern area with a different, higher resolution, optical scanner extracts the much greater amount of information from the second, much finer, optically readable indicia pattern.

Claims

1. A dual encryption method for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible bar code pattern on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in said bar code, comprising integrally embedding a second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia within said bar code pattern, containing a higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within a conventional bar code pattern, and scanning said bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader to extract conventional bar coded information embedded in said bar code pattern, and also scanning said same bar code pattern with a second and different optical scanner to extract said second optically readable indicia pattern therefrom;

wherein said conventional bar code pattern has conventional white spaces, and wherein said integrally embedded second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia consists of multiple dark marks positioned within said white spaces of said bar code pattern, which dark marks are much smaller than said white spaces and provide non-interference with conventional optical reading of said conventional bar code pattern with said conventional bar code reader.

2. A dual encryption method for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible bar code pattern on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in said bar code, comprising integrally embedding a second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia within said bar code pattern, containing a higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within a conventional bar code pattern, and scanning said bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader to extract conventional bar coded information embedded in said bar code pattern, and also scanning said same bar code pattern with a second and different optical scanner to extract said second optically readable indicia pattern therefrom;

wherein said conventional bar code pattern has conventional dark bars, and wherein said integrally embedded second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia consists of multiple light marks in said dark bars of said bar code pattern, which light marks are much smaller than said dark bars and provide non-interference with conventional optical reading of said conventional bar code pattern with said conventional bar code reader.

3. A dual encryption method for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible bar code pattern on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in said bar code, comprising integrally embedding a second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia within said bar code pattern, containing a higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within a conventional bar code pattern, and scanning said bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader to extract conventional bar coded information embedded in said bar code pattern, and also scanning said same bar code pattern with a second and different optical scanner to extract said second optically readable indicia pattern therefrom;

wherein said conventional bar code pattern has conventional white spaces, and wherein said integrally embedded second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia consists of multiple color marks positioned within said white spaces of said bar code pattern, which color marks are much smaller than said white spaces and provide non-interference with conventional optical reading of said conventional bar code pattern with said conventional bar code reader.

4. A dual encryption method for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible bar code pattern on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in said bar code, comprising integrally embedding a second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia within said bar code pattern, containing a higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within a conventional bar code pattern, and scanning said bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader to extract conventional bar coded information embedded in said bar code pattern, and also scanning said same bar code pattern with a second and different optical scanner to extract said second optically readable indicia pattern therefrom;

wherein said conventional bar code pattern has conventional dark bars, and wherein said integrally embedded second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia consists of multiple colored marks overwritten on said dark bars of said bar code pattern, which colored marks are much smaller than said dark bars and provide non-interference with conventional optical reading of said conventional bar code pattern with said conventional bar code reader.

5. A dual encryption method for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible bar code pattern on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in said bar code, comprising integrally embedding a second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia within said bar code pattern m, containing a higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within a conventional bar code pattern, and scanning said bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader to extract conventional bar coded information embedded in said bar code pattern, and also scanning said same bar code pattern with a second and different optical scanner to extract said second optically readable indicia pattern therefrom;

wherein said integrally embedded second and finer pattern of high density indicia is grouped to form the dark bars of said conventional bar code pattern readable by said conventional bar code reader.

6. A dual encryption method for providing and obtaining a substantially increased amount of optically readable information from an otherwise conventional and highly visible bar code pattern on a document without interfering with the conventional optical reading of the conventional information in said bar code, comprising integrally embedding a second and finer pattern of encoded optically machine readable indicia within said bar code pattern, containing a higher level of information, to provide two different levels of information within a conventional bar code pattern, and scanning said bar code pattern with a conventional bar code reader to extract conventional bar coded information embedded in said bar code pattern, and also scanning said same bar code pattern with a second and different optical scanner to extract said second optically readable indicia pattern therefrom;

wherein said conventional bar code pattern has conventional dark bars and intervening white spaces, and wherein said integrally embedded second and finer pattern of high density indicia comprises a first pattern encoding in said dark bars and a second and different pattern encoding in said white spaces.

7. The dual encryption method of claim 6, wherein said first encoding for said dark bars is a glyph code pattern.