Method for producing indicators and processing apparatus and system utilizing the indicators

• US 7,669,774 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sonix Technology Company Limited (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sonix Technology Company Limited (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsai, Yao-Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US12/003,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20080128520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/494, 235/900
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• 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 19/06178 the marking having a feature size being smaller than can be seen by the unaided human eye
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06234 miniature-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06262 with target- or other orientation-indicating feature
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1408 the method being specifically adapted for the type of code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1456 determining the orientation of the optical code with respect to the reader and correcting therefore
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for producing graphical indicators and interactive systems for utilizing the graphical indicators. On the surface of an object, visually negligible graphical indicators are provided. The graphical indicators and main information, i.e. text or pictures, co-exist on the surface of object. The graphical indicators do not interfere with the main information when the perception of human eyes are concerned. With the graphical indicators, further information other than the main information on the surface of object are carried. In addition to the main information on the surface of object, one is able to obtain additional information through an auxiliary electronic device or trigger an interactive operation.

Claims

1. A method for a user reading an image from a selected zone of a surface of an object with an electronic system, the method comprising:

mapping an indicator information to a graphical indicator that is visually negligible, the graphical indicator comprising a plurality of state zones for selectively respectively storing a plurality of graphical micro-units, and each of the state zones selecting a state from at least two candidate states;

affixing the graphical indicator onto the surface of the object; and

the electronic system retrieving the graphical indicator and outputting an additional information from the graphical indicator,

wherein the surface of the object comprises a main information which overlaps and co-exists with the graphical micro-units that are negligible when the user observes the main information, and

wherein each graphical micro-unit is printed in the Black (K) primitive color ink, and the main information is printed in the Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) primitive color ink, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each graphical indicator occupies very small amount of area, and each graphical micro-unit occupies very small amount of area, and number of graphical micro-units of each graphical indicator is substantially equal to each other.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each square centimeter of the selected zone includes more than 3000 state zones of which less than seventy percent are in the first state, and percentage of area occupied by the graphical micro-unit in the state zone is less than 80.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each square centimeter of the selected zone includes more than 6000 state zones of which less than seventy percent are in the first state, and percentage of area occupied by the graphical micro-unit in the state zone is less than 80.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each graphical micro-unit is printed in an ink that substantially absorbs infrared ray, and the main information is printed in an ink that hardly absorbs infrared ray.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface of the object comprises multiple index zones, each index zone corresponding to one index value, and multiple identical graphical indicators are arranged in each index zone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a printable vehicle and the graphical indicator is affixed onto the surface of the printable vehicle by printing.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical indicator is recorded in a vehicle that is affixed onto the surface of the object.