Machine readable coded data with distributed encoding

• US 7,014,123 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Diane I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIZKALLAH, KIMBERLY NGUYEN
• Application Number:
  US10/893,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20040262407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 235/494, 23546201-46249
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06075 the marking containing means for error correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06168 the marking being a concentric barcode
• 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 7/1421 Circular bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1456 determining the orientation of the optical code with respect to the reader and correcting therefore
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1473 error correction

Abstract

Machine-readable coded data disposed on or in a substrate. The coded data includes a plurality of layouts located in a region, each layout having n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotation. Each layout encoding a first codeword formed from a sequence of n first symbols, with each sub-layout defining the position of a respective one of the first symbols such that the first codeword is indicative of the orientation of the layout. Each layout also partially encodes a third codeword at least partially indicative of an identity of the region such that the region identity may be determined from two or more of the layouts.

Claims

1. Machine-readable coded data disposed on or in a substrate, the coded data including a plurality of layouts located in a region, each layout having n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotation, where n is at least two, each layout encoding a first codeword comprising a sequence of n first symbols, each sub-layout defining the position of a respective one of the first symbols such that the first codeword is indicative of the orientation of the layout, each layout at least partially encoding a third codeword at least partially indicative of an identity of the region, the region identity being determined from two or more of the layouts.

2. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1 wherein the first codeword includes an integer multiple m of n first symbols, and wherein each sub-layout defines the position of m of the first symbols.

3. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1 wherein the coded data comprises a second codeword comprising a number of second symbols, the second codeword being indicative of information regarding the respective layout.

4. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 3 wherein the second codeword is formed from at least n second symbols, each sub-layout defining the position of at least one of the second symbols.

5. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 4, wherein the user data includes location data indicative of a position of the layout pattern relative to a region of the surface.

6. A method of generating an interface surface, including the steps of:

receiving, in a printer, user data;

generating machine-readable coded data incorporating the user data, in accordance with claim 5; and

printing the coded data onto a substrate.

7. A method according to claim 6, further including the step of printing visible markings on the substrate.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the coded data and visible markings are printed onto the substrate substantially simultaneously.

9. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 3 wherein the second codeword is indicative of at least one of:

a layout type;

a position of the layout;

an identity of a region containing the layout; and

,

at least one action associated with a region containing the layout.

10. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1 wherein the third codeword comprises a number of third symbols encoded within at least two layouts.

11. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1 wherein the third codeword is formed from at least p third symbols provided in q layouts, p/q sub-layouts of each layout defining the position of at least one of the third symbols.

12. Machine readable coded data according to claim 1 wherein the first symbols are positioned such that decoding the first symbols at each of n orientation produces n representations of the first codeword, each representation comprising a different cycle shift of the first codeword, and being indicative of the orientation of the layout.

13. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 12 wherein the first codeword is sufficiently fault tolerant such that each representation of the first codeword can be accurately decoded even if one of its first symbols is corrupted.

14. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 13 wherein the first codeword is sufficiently fault tolerant such that each representation of the first codeword can be accurately decoded even if two or more of its first symbols are corrupted.

15. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1 wherein the region includes two or more layout types, each layout encoding its layout type.

16. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 15 wherein the number of layout types is one of 2, 3, 4 and 6.

17. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1, wherein the layouts are packed together on the substrate.

18. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1, wherein each layout is any of the following in shape:

linear;

square;

rectangular;

triangular;

or

hexagonal.

19. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1, wherein n is one of 2, 3, 4 and 6.

20. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1, including one or more target features for enabling preliminary location and rotation of the layout to be determined by a machine used to read the coded data.

21. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 20, wherein the target features are configured to enable perspective correction of the coded data of the, or each, layout upon reading by the machine.

22. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 21, including at least four of the target features.

23. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 20, including a plurality of the layouts, wherein at least some of the target features are shared by at least two of the layouts.

24. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1, the coded data being printed onto the substrate.

25. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 24, wherein the coded data is printed onto the surface in ink that is of low-visibility or is invisible to an average unaided human eye.

26. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 25, wherein the ink is an infrared ink that is substantially invisible to an average unaided human eye.

27. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 1, wherein the coded data of each layout defines user data.

28. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 27, wherein the user data includes identification data identifying a region of the surface within which the layout is disposed.

29. Machine-readable coded data according to claim 27, wherein the user data includes function data identifying a function to be performed upon reading of the layout pattern or sub-pattern by the machine.

30. A surface bearing machine-readable coded data in accordance with claim 1.

31. A surface according to claim 30, the surface being flat or curved.

32. A surface according to claim 30, further including visible markings.

33. A surface according to claim 32, wherein the visible markings include any one or more of the following:

text;

graphics;

images;

forms;

fields; and

buttons.

34. A surface according to claim 32, wherein the visible marking are disposed adjacent to, or coincident with, at least some of the coded data.

35. A surface according to claim 32, wherein the substrate is paper, card or another laminar medium.

36. A surface according to claim 30, the surface being defined by a substrate.

37. A surface according to claim 30, configured for use as an interface surface for enabling user interaction with a computer.

38. A method of using a sensing device to read machine-readable coded data according to claim 1, the method including the steps of:

(a) reading, using the sensing device, the coded data of the layout;

(b) decoding the coded data of the layout, thereby determining at least a representation of the first codeword; and

(c) using the representation of the first codeword to determine a degree of rotation of the layout.

39. A method according to claim 38, wherein step (a) includes the substeps of:

imaging the substrate to generate an image thereof;

processing the image to locate one or more target features of the coded data; and

on the basis of the located target features, determining a position of at least one of the encoded first symbols of the first codeword.