US5822660A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Copyright protection in color thermal prints
Assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
•
Filing: 1996-02-08
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Granted: 1998-10-13
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Expires: 2016-02-08
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a copy protection method for identifying copied images that have been captured or generated in electronic form. The method generates information in electronic form for causing the printing of copy restrictive information as a plurality of contiguous pixels, of substantially yellow color onto the hard copy. The visibility of the yellow pixels is very low until a cyan illumination is applied to the protected image then the copy restrictive information becomes highly visible.
Inventors
- 👤 Xin Wen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 20:32
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; G; G03; G03G; G03G21/00; G03G21/04; H04N1/32149; H04N1/32309; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3204; H04N2201/3205; H04N2201/3212; H04N2201/3215; H04N2201/3271; H04N2201/3274
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
119 words
A copy protection method for identifying copied images, comprising the steps of: a) capturing the image in electronic form; b) generating copy restrictive information in electronic form for printing as a plurality of contiguous pixels of substantially yellow color; c) merging the electronic forms of the image and copy restrictive information from steps a) and b) to form a composite printable image; d) printing the composite printable image using continuous-tone digital printing in which the copy restrictive information is printed as a plurality of contiguous pixels of yellow color density lower than 0.2 and at spatial frequencies not sensitive to the human visual system; and e) detecting the copy restrictive information on the printed image for identifying unauthorized copies.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
119 words
A copy protection method for identifying copied images, comprising the steps of: a) capturing the image in electronic form; b) generating copy restrictive information in electronic form for printing as a plurality of contiguous pixels of substantially yellow color; c) merging the electronic forms of the image and copy restrictive information from steps a) and b) to form a composite printable image; d) printing the composite printable image using continuous-tone digital printing in which the copy restrictive information is printed as a plurality of contiguous pixels of yellow color density lower than 0.2 and at spatial frequencies not sensitive to the human visual system; and e) detecting the copy restrictive information on the printed image for identifying unauthorized copies.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The copy protection method according to claim 1 wherein the generated copy restrictive information is encoded.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The copy protection method according to claim 2 and further comprising the step of decoding the encoded copy restrictive information.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The copy protection method according to claim 1 wherein the detection of the copy restrictive information is performed by viewing the printed image with cyan containing illumination.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the copy restrictive information is printed in a border area that surrounds the printed image.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The copy protection method according to claim 1 wherein the generated copy restrictive information is at least a copyright symbol.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
110 words
A copy protection system for protecting copy restrictive images, comprising: means for capturing the image in electronic form; means for generating copy restrictive information in electronic form for printing as a plurality of contiguous pixels of substantially yellow color; means for merging the electronic forms to form a composite printable image; means for printing the composite printable image using continuous-tone digital printing in which the copy restrictive information is printed as a plurality of contiguous pixels of yellow color density lower than 0.2 and at spatial frequencies not sensitive to the human visual system; and means for detecting the copy restrictive information on the printed image for identifying unauthorized copies.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
110 words
A copy protection system for protecting copy restrictive images, comprising: means for capturing the image in electronic form; means for generating copy restrictive information in electronic form for printing as a plurality of contiguous pixels of substantially yellow color; means for merging the electronic forms to form a composite printable image; means for printing the composite printable image using continuous-tone digital printing in which the copy restrictive information is printed as a plurality of contiguous pixels of yellow color density lower than 0.2 and at spatial frequencies not sensitive to the human visual system; and means for detecting the copy restrictive information on the printed image for identifying unauthorized copies.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The copy protection system according to claim 7 wherein said means for printing has at least 4 bit density range for each pixel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The copy protection system according to claim 7 and further comprising, means for illuminating the printed image with cyan containing illumination.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The copy protection system according to claim 7 and further comprising, encoding means for encoding the copy restrictive information.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-10-12 | 2002-04-13 | 2002-10-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-10-12 | 2006-04-13 | 2006-10-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-10-12 | 2010-04-13 | 2010-10-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |