Process for marking substrates with information using a texture pattern and related substrates

• US 8,300,274 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2008
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Alattar, Adnan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A
• Application Number:
  US12/236,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20090080758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/3.28, 358/3.29, 358/3.31, 382/100, 382/135, 382/137, 382/232, 380/51, 380/54, 380/55, 713/176, 430/306, 430/307, 101/3.1, 101/32, 101/150, 101/170, 101/368, 101/395, 235/487, 235/490, 235/494, 235/468, 283/72, 283/113, 162/109, 162/110, 162/140, 162/362
• US Class Current: 358/3.28
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/00 Processes for making continuous lengths of paper, or of cardboard, or of wet web for fibre board production, on paper-making machines
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 9/00 Complete machines for making continuous webs of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/046 by discriminating a special original, e.g. a bank note
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain

Abstract

The present invention provides processes to encode substrates (e.g., paper, synthetics, etc.) with information, and substrates including signals encoded therein. One claim recites a substrate-making process including: obtaining an element to be utilized in a substrate-making process, the element including a property to introduce a texture pattern including an encoded signal into a substrate, the encoded signal being machine-detectable from image data corresponding to at least a portion of the texture pattern, the encoded signal including a variable component; and utilizing the element to impart the texture pattern into a substrate during the substrate-making process. Another claim recites a physical substrate including: a surface having a texture pattern provided in the surface during a substrate-making process. The texture pattern includes a machine-readable signal that is detectable from image data corresponding to at least a portion of the texture pattern. The signal includes a variable component that has discernable properties in a frequency domain. The texture pattern is provided in the surface during the substrate-marking process by a non-printing element. Of course, other claims and combinations are also provided.

Claims

1. A substrate-making process comprising:

configuring a substrate-making element with a property that introduces a texture pattern into a substrate, wherein the texture pattern comprises a signal that is machine-detectable from image data corresponding to at least a portion of the texture pattern, wherein the signal comprises a variable component, and wherein the substrate-making element comprises a de-watering element; and

using the substrate-making element to impart the texture pattern into a substrate during the substrate-making process.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the variable component comprises properties that are discernable in a frequency-domain.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein the property provides calibration information that is used when machine-detecting the signal from the texture pattern.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the calibration information comprises rotation, scale or translation information used when machine-detecting the signal.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the variable component conveys plural-bit data.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein frequency-domain properties convey at least one bit value of “

1”

or “

0.”

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the signal is steganographically hidden in the texture pattern.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises at least one frequency domain impulse.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises both spatial domain and frequency domain properties.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises at least one substrate from a group of substrates comprising paper, plastic, Tyvek, and synthetics.

11. The substrate-making process of claim 1, further comprising:

scanning the substrate to determine an orientation of the texture pattern.

12. The substrate-making process of claim 11, further comprising:

printing on the substrate after the substrate is scanned such that the orientation of a printing aligns in a predetermined manner with the texture pattern.

13. A physical substrate comprising:

a surface comprising a texture pattern provided in the surface during a substrate-making process, wherein the texture pattern comprises a machine-readable signal that is detectable from image data corresponding to at least a portion of the texture pattern, wherein the signal comprises a variable component comprising discernable properties in a frequency domain, wherein the texture pattern is provided in the surface during the substrate-making process by a non-printing element, and wherein the non-printing element comprises a de-watering element.

14. The substrate of claim 13, wherein the properties provide calibration information that is to be utilized when machine-reading the signal.

15. The substrate of claim 14, wherein the calibration information comprises rotation, scale or translation information.

16. The substrate of claim 13, wherein the variable component conveys plural-bit data.

17. The substrate of claim 13, wherein frequency-domain properties conveys at least one bit value of “

1”

or “

0.”

18. The substrate of claim 13, wherein the signal is steganographically hidden in the texture pattern.

19. The substrate of claim 13, wherein the signal comprises at least one frequency domain impulse.

20. The substrate of claim 13, wherein the signal comprises both spatial domain and frequency domain properties.

21. The substrate of claim 13, wherein the surface comprises at least one of paper, plastics, Tyvek, or synthetics.

22. A substrate-making template comprising:

a texture pattern configured to impart a signal into a substrate during a substrate-making process, wherein the signal is machine-detectable from image data corresponding to at least a portion of the texture pattern, wherein the signal includes a variable component, and wherein the texture pattern is introduced during the substrate-making process using a de-watering element.