Bar code and method of forming a bar code having color for encoding supplemental information

• US 7,185,816 B1
• Filed: 05/04/2000
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Shoobridge, Richard Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman; Jared J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US09/564,624
• Time in Patent Office: 2,497 Days
• Field of Search: 23546201-46249, 235/469, 235/454, 235/494, 235/456, 235/461, 283/88
• US Class Current: 235/462.04
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06056 the marking comprising a further embedded marking, e.g. a 1D bar code with the black bars containing a smaller sized coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06225 using wavelength selection, e.g. colour code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1434 Barcodes with supplemental or add-on codes

Abstract

A barcode symbol having an encoded symbology is provided with color or shades of gray to add additional information at the time of printing. The color or shades of gray provides the current barcode symbology with a third dimension of information. The color or shades of gray can encode information over a specific one-dimensional or two-dimensional symbology. White spaces can be replaced with colors or shades of gray to add coded information to the standard one-dimensional and two-dimensional codes. The number of colors and how they are distributed or arranged can provide the basic backbone of information. A barcode reader that can detect the different color spectrums, can be employed to decode the information. Furthermore, color is not limited to white spaces, but can be implemented into black spaces. Additionally, colored background information can provide additional information to the current symbology.

Claims

1. A barcode structure comprising:

a background area that provides for a barcode to be printed thereon, the background area comprising a plurality of colors, at least one of the plurality of colors other than black and white; and

a barcode symbol printed on the background area, the barcode symbol comprising a plurality of different colored bars, at least one color disposed between two of the different colored bars, each different colored bar divided into a plurality of sections such that each section comprises one or more disparate colors other than black and white, and each section incorporates encoded data.

2. The barcode structure of claim 1, the plurality of colors in the background area are disposed between two different colored bars of the bar code symbol.

3. The barcode structure of claim 2, the plurality of colors includes blue, red, green, brown, and gray.

4. The barcode structure of claim 1, the at least one of the plurality of colors associated with the background area adds an exponential amount of possible patterns to represent different data encoded into the barcode structure.

5. The barcode structure of claim 1, the bar code symbol further comprising a two-dimensional pattern of boxes located between two of the different colored bars and over the background area.

6. The barcode structure of claim 5, the plurality of colors including at least one of blue, red, green, brown, and gray.

7. The barcode structure of claim 1, the at least one of the plurality of colors comprises at least two different shades of gray.

8. A barcode structure comprising:

a background area that provides for a barcode to be printed thereon, the background area comprising a plurality of colors, at least one of the plurality of colors other than black and white; and

a plurality of different colored boxes printed on the background area to form at least one pattern according to a two-dimensional bar code symbology, the different colored boxes other than black and white, each hue in the different colored boxes provides encrypted data.

9. The barcode structure of claim 8, the at least one of the plurality of colors includes at least one of the colors blue, red, green, brown, and gray.

10. The barcode structure of claim 8, the at least one of the plurality of colors includes at least two different shades of gray.

11. The barcode structure of claim 8, the plurality of different colored boxes form a plurality of different patterns, each pattern including boxes of two different colors, at least one of the colors is other than black and white.

12. A barcode structure comprising:

a background area that provides for a barcode to be printed thereon, the background area comprising a plurality of colors, at least one of the plurality of colors other than black and white; and

a plurality of different colored boxes printed on the background area to form a plurality of columns as part of a bar code symbol, at least one color disposed between two of the plurality of different colored boxes, the different colored boxes other than black and white, each different colored box encapsulates enciphered data.

13. The barcode structure of claim 12, the plurality of colors include a color of at least one of green, blue, red, and gray.

14. The barcode structure of claim 12, the different colored boxes form two-dimensional patterns of a two-dimensional symbology.

15. The barcode structure of claim 12, individual different colored boxes or a grouping of different colored boxes can form a two-dimensional symbology.

16. The barcode structure of claim 12, the background area provides additional combinations of colored boundaries.

17. A method of forming a barcode structure comprising:

encoding data into a background area of a bar code structure, the background area comprising a plurality of colors, at least one of the plurality of colors other than black and white; and

encoding additional data into a barcode symbol printed on the background area, the barcode symbol comprising a plurality of different colored bars and at least one color disposed between two of the different colored bars, each different colored bar speckled with spectral colors other than black and white, each speckle comprises additional encoded data.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising encoding at least one two-dimensional pattern of boxes as part of the barcode symbol, the boxes include the at least one color.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising encoding extra data into the bar code symbol via at least two different shades of gray.

20. A method of forming a barcode structure comprising:

encoding a plurality of different colored boxes according to a barcode symbology over a background, each different colored box comprises two or more colors other than black and white; and

providing color coding into the background, the color coding includes colors other than black and white.

21. The method of claim 20, the plurality of different colored boxes form a plurality of columns and the color coding is disposed between the columns.

22. The method of claim 20, the plurality of different colored boxes are color coded.

23. The method of claim 20, the plurality of different colored boxes form a plurality, of columns, each column including different colored boxes of two different colors, at least one of the colors being other than black and white.

24. The method of claim 20, the color coding includes at least two different shades of gray.

25. The method of claim 20, the color coding includes at least one of blue, red, green, brown, and gray.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising decoding the barcode structure.