Coaligned bar codes and validation means

• US 7,264,169 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IDX Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IDX Incorporated
• Inventors: Juds, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech; Karl
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US10/902,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20060022059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/462.45, 235/468, 235/472.01
• US Class Current: 235/468
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0011 for security or authentication holograms on information-bearing cards B42D25/328; testing papers with holograms G07D7/0032
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0248 Volume holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2231 Reflection reconstruction
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2250/34 Colour layer
• 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 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1434 Barcodes with supplemental or add-on codes

Abstract

A security mark having multiple optically orthogonal coaligned bar codes is produced using a reflection hologram visible substantially at only a first wavelength that is layered over a wavelength sensitive filter, which blocks light transmission at the first wavelength but transmits light at a second wavelength, and having beneath it an additional bar code visible through the hologram and the wavelength sensitive filter at the second wavelength. A validation means reads multiple holographic bar codes with light at the first wavelength by illuminating the hologram separately from multiple directions, and further reads the bar code beneath the wavelength sensitive filter by illuminating the mark with light of the second wavelength. By suitable choice of multi-directional and multi-wavelength illumination, multiple coaligned bar codes may be read in the same physical location with no mutual interference.

Claims

1. An authentication mark associated with a label, tag, card, container, product or article comprising:

a plurality of machine readable coaligned bar codes disposed within the authentication mark;

a first of said coaligned bar codes being visible when illuminated from predominantly a first direction;

a second of said coaligned bar codes being visible when illuminated from predominantly a second direction; and

said first and second bar codes having optical characteristics chosen such that the second bar code is substantially invisible when illuminated from the first direction and the first bar code is substantially invisible when illuminated from the second direction.

2. The authentication mark as defined in claim 1 wherein the authentication mark includes an embossed hologram.

3. The authentication mark defined in claim 1 wherein the authentication mark includes a volume reflection hologram, and the authentication mark is visible predominantly at a first wavelength and is substantially invisible at a second wavelength.

4. The authentication mark defined in claim 3 including a third coaligned bar code visible through the first and second bar codes when illuminated at the second wavelength at either of the first and second directions and being substantially invisible when illuminated at the first wavelength in any direction.

5. The authentication mark defined in claim 4 wherein the first wavelength is between 400 nm and 700 nm and the second wavelength is between 800 nm and 1,000 nm.

6. The authentication mark defined in claim 1 or 4 further including a human readable alphanumeric code adjacent to the machine readable coaligned bar codes for comparing with an alphanumeric code produced by a bar code scanner as a result of having read the machine readable authentication mark.

7. The authentication mark defined in claim 6 wherein the human readable alphanumeric code contains at least two characters which are based on a functional cipher of the coaligned bar code data.

8. The authentication mark defined in claim 6 wherein the human readable alphanumeric code contains at least two characters which are substantially randomly determined for each specific coaligned bar code data.

9. An authentication mark associated with a label, tag, card, container, product or article comprising:

a background layer having substantially high reflectivity and substantially diffuse reflecting characteristics at a predetermined bar code scanning wavelength;

a volume reflection hologram layer laminated over said background layer;

said volume reflection hologram layer produces images of at least first and second holographic bar codes coaligned with one another;

said holographic bar codes being formed by holographic facets functional at said predetermined bar code scanning wavelength and patterned to match black elements of said bar codes;

said first bar code being readable by a bar code scanner when illuminated from predominantly a first direction;

said second bar code being readable by a bar code scanner when illuminated from predominantly a second direction; and

said first and second directions of illumination and optical characteristics of said holographic facets forming said first and second bar codes being chosen such that the second bar code is substantially invisible when illuminated from the first direction and the first bar code is substantially invisible when illuminated from the second direction.

10. An authentication mark associated with a label, tag, card, container, product or article comprising:

a background layer having substantially low reflectivity at a predetermined bar code scanning wavelength;

a volume reflection hologram layer laminated over the background layer;

said volume reflection hologram layer produces images of at least first and second holographic bar codes coaligned with one another;

said holographic bar codes being formed by diffusing holographic facets functional at said predetermined bar code scanning wavelength and patterned to match white elements of said bar codes;

said diffusing holographic facets having a full width at half max angular spread of the reflected beam that is preferably between 10 degrees and 50 degrees and a central angle that is at least 10 degrees different from the specular reflection of the layer'"'"'s surface;

said first bar code being readable by a bar code scanner when illuminated from predominantly a first direction;

said second bar code being readable by a bar code scanner when illuminated from predominantly a second direction; and

said first and second directions of illumination and optical characteristics of said holographic facets forming said first and second bar codes being chosen such that the second bar code is substantially invisible when illuminated from the first direction and the first bar code is substantially invisible when illuminated from the second direction.

11. The authentication mark defined in claim 9 or 10 wherein the first and second bar codes are visible predominantly at a first wavelength and are substantially invisible at a second wavelength, and further including a third coaligned bar code visible through the first and second bar codes when illuminated at the second wavelength at either of the first and second directions and substantially invisible when illuminated at the first wavelength in any direction.

12. The authentication mark defined in claim 11 further including a human readable alphanumeric code adjacent to the machine readable coaligned bar codes for comparing with an alphanumeric code produced by a bar code scanner as a result of having read the machine readable authentication mark.

13. The authentication mark defined in claim 12 wherein the human readable alphanumeric code contains at least two characters which are based on a functional cipher of the coaligned bar code data.

14. The authentication mark defined in claim 12 wherein the human readable alphanumeric code contains at least two characters which are substantially randomly determined for each specific coaligned bar code data.