Variable data print verification mechanism

• US 8,390,873 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Infoprint Solutions Company LLC (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Hopper, Samuel Neely, Doyle, Brian Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guillermety, Fred
• Application Number:
  US13/569,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20120298742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 209 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.12, 358/1.18
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0032 Apparatus for automatic testing and analysing marked record carriers, used for examinations of the multiple choice answer type teaching apparatus working with questions and answers G09B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/02 the verifying forming a part of the marking action

Abstract

A printing system is disclosed. The printing system includes a first printer to print a first barcode on a medium including variable to be printed on the medium and a second printer to print the variable data to the medium based on the first barcode and to print a second barcode to the medium for verification that the variable data has been accurately printed to the medium.

Claims

1. A printing system comprising:

a first printer to print a first barcode on a medium including variable data to be printed on the medium; and

a second printer to print the variable data to the medium based on the first barcode and to print a second barcode to the medium; and

a verification system to verify that accurate variable data has been printed to the medium and the second barcode is identical to the first barcode.

2. The printing system of claim 1 wherein the first printer encrypts the variable data prior to printing the first barcode.

3. The printing system of claim 1 wherein the second printer decrypts the variable data from the first barcode prior to printing the variable data to the medium.

4. The printing system of claim 3 wherein the second printer encrypts the data from the first barcode prior to printing the second barcode.

5. The printing system of claim 3 wherein the second barcode is printed in a known position on the medium relative to the first barcode.

6. The printing system of claim 1 wherein the verification system compares the second barcode to the first barcode to verify that accurate variable data has been printed to the medium.

7. The printing system of claim 1 wherein the verification system is a scanner.

8. The printing system of claim 1 wherein the first type of data comprises at least one of text data and image data.

9. A method comprising:

reading a first barcode printed on a medium including variable data;

printing the variable data to the medium based on the first barcode;

generating a second barcode from the variable data included in the first barcode;

printing the second barcode to the print medium;

verifying that accurate variable data has been printed to the medium; and

verifying that the second barcode is identical to the first barcode.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising decrypting the variable data from the first barcode prior to printing the variable data to the medium.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising encrypting the variable data from the first barcode prior to generating the second barcode.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the second barcode is printed in a known position on the medium relative to the first barcode.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein verifying that accurate variable data has been printed to the medium comprises comparing the second barcode to the first barcode.

14. A printer comprising a control unit to read a first barcode printed on a medium including variable data, print the variable data to the medium based on the first barcode, generate a second barcode from the variable data included in the first barcode, print the second barcode to the print medium, verify that accurate variable data has been printed to the medium and verify that the second barcode is identical to the first barcode.

15. The printer of claim 14 wherein the control unit further decrypts the variable data from the first barcode prior to printing the variable data to the medium.

16. The printer of claim 14 wherein the control unit further encrypts the variable data from the first barcode prior to generating the second barcode.

17. The printer of claim 14 wherein the second barcode is printed in a known position on the medium relative to the first barcode.

18. The printer of claim 14 wherein the control unit verifies that accurate variable data has been printed to the medium by comparing the second barcode to the first barcode.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

reading a first barcode printed on a medium including variable data;

printing the variable data to the medium based on the first barcode;

generating a second barcode from the variable data included in the first barcode;

printing the second barcode to the print medium;

verifying that accurate variable data has been printed to the medium; and

verifying that the second barcode is identical to the first barcode.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the machine-readable medium includes data that causes the machine to perform further operations comprising decrypting the variable data from the first barcode prior to printing the variable data to the medium.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the machine-readable medium includes data that causes the machine to perform further operations comprising encrypting the variable data from the first barcode prior to generating the second barcode.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the second barcode is printed in a known position on the medium relative to the first barcode.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein verifying that accurate variable data has been printed to the medium comprises comparing the second barcode to the first barcode.