Reading apparatus, information processing system and antiforgery method

• US 7,490,779 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2006
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shinozaki, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Seung H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marshall; Christie I
• Application Number:
  US11/442,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20070084932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/468, 235/470, 23547201-47203, 23546246-46249, 359/2, 359/28, 382/314
• US Class Current: 235/472.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06018 one-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10564 Light sources

Abstract

A reading apparatus includes an exposure system, a light receiving system, a decoding section and a determination section. The exposure system applies light to a code image printed on a medium. The light has an infrared wavelength and a visible wavelength. The light receiving system receives infrared light and visible light, which are the light reflected on the medium, to capture the code image with the infrared light and capture the code image with the visible light. The decoding section reads a code from the code image captured with the infrared light. The determination section determines authenticity of the medium based on at least the code image captured with the visible light.

Claims

1. A reading apparatus comprising:

an exposure system that applies light to a code printed on a medium, the light having an infrared wavelength and a visible wavelength;

a light receiving system that receives infrared light and visible light, which are the light reflected on the medium, to capture the code image with the infrared light and capture the code image with the visible light;

a decoding section that reads a code from the code image captured with the infrared light and reads a code from the code image captured with the visible light; and

a determination section, wherein when an authentic medium of the medium has a code image printed with an invisible and infrared-light absorbing material and a visible image is overlapped with the code image, if the decoding section can read the code by decoding the overlapped visible image captured with the visible light, then the determination section recognizes that the decoding section was able to read and decode the overlapped visible image captured with visible light and determines that the medium is counterfeit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the code image is printed on the medium with a color material that is invisible and absorbs infrared light.

3. The reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination section determines authenticity of the medium based on the code image captured with the visible light and the code image captured with the infrared light.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein upon determining that the medium is counterfeit, the determination section outputs a warning signal indicating that the medium is counterfeit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the light receiving system comprises;

a separation section that separates the infrared light and the visible light from the light reflected on the medium; and

a capturing section that receives the infrared light separated by the separation section to capture the code image with the infrared light, the capturing section that receives the visible light separated by the separation section to capture the code image with the visible light.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the separation section comprises;

an optical device that splits the light reflected on the medium in two directions;

an infrared-light removal filter disposed in one of the two directions with respect to the optical device, the infrared-light removal filter that removes infrared light from the light from the optical device; and

a visible-light removal filter disposed in the other of the two directions with respect to the optical device, the visible-light removal filter that removes visible light from the light from the optical device,

the capturing section comprises

a first imaging device that receives the visible light passing through the infrared-light removal filter, and

a second imaging device that receives the infrared light passing through the visible-light removal filter.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the separation section comprises an optical device that transmits one of infrared light and the visible light among the light reflected on the medium, the optical device that reflects the other of the infrared light and the visible light, and

the capturing section comprises;

a first imaging device that receives the visible light passing through the optical device, and

a second imaging device that receives the infrared light passing through the optical device.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the separation section comprises;

an optical device that transmits one of the infrared light and the visible light among the light reflected on the medium, the optical device that reflects the other the infrared light and the visible light;

a first liquid crystal shutter disposed on an optical path of light passing through the optical device; and

a second liquid crystal shutter disposed an optical path of light reflected by the optical device, the first and second liquid crystal shutters alternatively opened, and

the capturing section comprises a single imaging device that receives the one of the visible light and the infrared light passing through the first liquid crystal shutter and the other of the visible light and the infrared light passing through the second liquid crystal shutter.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure system comprises:

an infrared light source that generates infrared light; and

a white light source that generates white light.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure system comprises a single light source.

11. An information processing system comprising:

a reading apparatus according to claim 1, the reading apparatus that reads the code from the code image printed on the medium; and

a processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing based on the code read by the reading apparatus.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processing apparatus performs the predetermined processing by activating a predetermined program based on the code read from the code image printed in a particular position on the medium.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light reflected on said medium has an average absorptance in a visible region no greater than 15%, and

wherein the light reflected on said medium has an absorptance in the near-infra-red region of at least 20%.

14. A reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decoding section terminates the reading of a code upon the determination that a medium is counterfeit.

15. A reading apparatus comprising:

a pen configured to write on a medium on which a plurality of code images are printed in a matrix manner with a color material, which is invisible and absorbs infrared light;

an exposure system that applies light to the plurality of code image printed on the medium, the light having an infrared wavelength and a visible wavelength;

a light receiving system that receives infrared light and visible light, which are the light reflected on the medium, to capture the code images with the infrared light and capture the code images with the visible light;

a decoding section that reads position codes indicating positions of the captured code image from the code image captured with the infrared light and reads a code from the code image captured with the visible light;

a calculation section that calculates a locus of the pen based on the position codes read by the decoding section; and

a determination section, wherein when an authentic medium of the medium has a code image printed with an invisible and infrared-light absorbing material and a visible image is overlapped with the code image, if the decoding section can read the position codes indicating the positions of the captured code image by decoding the overlapped visible image captured with the visible light, then the determination section recognizes that the decoding section was able to read and decode the overlapped visible image captured with visible light and determines that the medium is counterfeit.

16. The reading apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the exposure system comprises:

an infrared light source that generates infrared-light; and

a white light source that generates white light.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the light reflected on said medium has an average absorptance in a visible region no greater than 15%, and

wherein the light reflected on said medium has an absorptance in the near-infra-red region of at least 20%.

18. A reading apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the decoding section terminates the reading of a code upon the determination that a medium is counterfeit.

19. An antiforgery method comprising:

applying light, which includes invisible and visible wavelengths, to a code image printed on a medium with a color material that is invisible and absorbs infrared light to capture the code image; and

when an authentic medium of the medium has a code image printed with an invisible and infrared-light absorbing material and a visible image is overlapped with the invisible code image, if a code is read and decoded from the overlapped visible image, then determining that the medium is counterfeit.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the light reflected on said medium has an average absorptance in the near-infra-red region of at least 20%.