US6882738B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Methods and tangible objects employing textured machine readable data
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
•
Filing: 2003-10-24
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Granted: 2005-04-19
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Expires: 2023-10-24
Abstract
Abstract A tangible object (such as a microprocessor, wristwatch, pharmaceutical, compact disc, vehicle part, etc) is surface-textured to encode a plural-bit code thereon. In one arrangement, this encoding conveys date information. In use, the object can be imaged by a scanner apparatus, and the resulting scan data analyzed to discern the plural-bit code. The decoded date information can be used in a determination relating to the object. For example, at a port of entry, date information encoded on a Rolex wristwatch can be used to determine whether importation of the wristwatch should be permitted. The texture-encoded data can also convey other information, such as a vehicle identifier for an automotive part, a place of fabrication, a specification with which the part complies, etc.
Inventors
- 👤 Bruce L. Davis
- 👤 Geoffrey B. Rhoads
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 12:34
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K19/00; G06K19/06; G06K19/06009; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/30; G06Q20/34; G06Q20/341; G06Q20/38; G06Q20/40; G06Q20/401; G06Q20/4014; G06Q20/40145; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G07; G07C; G07C9/00; G07C9/20; G07C9/22; G07C9/25; G07C9/253; G07D; G07D7/00; G07D7/003; G07D7/0032; G07D7/004; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/086; G07F7/10; G07F7/1008; G07F7/1016; G07F7/12; G09; G09F; G09F3/00; G10; G10L; G10L19/00; G10L19/018; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G11B20/00086; G11B20/00094; G11B20/00166; G11B20/00876; G11B20/00884; G11B20/00891; H; H04; H04B; H04B1/00; H04B1/66; H04B1/665; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00002; H04N1/00005; H04N1/00026; H04N1/00037; H04N1/00071; H04N1/00074; H04N1/00079; H04N1/00838; H04N1/0084; H04N1/00843; H04N1/00846; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; H04N1/32149; H04N1/32203; H04N1/32208; H04N1/32251; H04N1/32288; H04N5/00; H04N5/76; H04N5/91; H04N5/913; H10; H10W; H10W42/00; H10W42/40; H10W46/00; G06T2201/00; G06T2201/005; G06T2201/0052; H04N1/32106; H04N1/32122; H04N2005/91307; H04N2005/91321; H04N2005/91335; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3204; H04N2201/3205; H04N2201/3207; H04N2201/3225; H04N2201/3226; H04N2201/3233; H04N2201/3269; H04N2201/327; H04N2201/3271; H04N2201/328; H10W46/601; H10W46/607; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S206/00; Y10S206/828
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
67 words
A substantially three-dimensional article having the exterior thereof shaped to define a textured steganographic pattern, the pattern encoding a plural-bit data payload, the existence of said data payload not being evident to a human viewer of the article, but the plural bits of payload data being detectable by computer processing of visible light scan data corresponding to said textured steganographic pattern, the data payload including date data.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
67 words
A substantially three-dimensional article having the exterior thereof shaped to define a textured steganographic pattern, the pattern encoding a plural-bit data payload, the existence of said data payload not being evident to a human viewer of the article, but the plural bits of payload data being detectable by computer processing of visible light scan data corresponding to said textured steganographic pattern, the data payload including date data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
11 words
An article used in health care, according to claim 1 .
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
70 words
A container for an article, the container having the exterior thereof shaped to define a textured steganographic pattern, the pattern encoding a plural-bit data payload, the existence of said data payload not being evident to a human viewer of the article, but the plural bits of payload data being detectable by computer processing of visible light scan data corresponding to said textured steganographic pattern, the data payload including date data.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
70 words
A container for an article, the container having the exterior thereof shaped to define a textured steganographic pattern, the pattern encoding a plural-bit data payload, the existence of said data payload not being evident to a human viewer of the article, but the plural bits of payload data being detectable by computer processing of visible light scan data corresponding to said textured steganographic pattern, the data payload including date data.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
A container for a health care product, according to claim 3 .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
10 words
A container for a pharmaceutical, according to claim 4 .
Claim 8
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of processing a substantially three-dimensional physical object having a plural-bit code steganographically encoded thereon, the encoding taking the form of texturing that shapes the exterior of said object, the method comprising: acquiring visible light scan data corresponding to at least a portion of said shaped exterior; discerning the plural-bit code from said scan data; by reference to said plural-bit code, determining date information; and at least in part by reference to said determined date information, determining if a transaction involving the object should be refused.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of processing a substantially three-dimensional physical object having a plural-bit code steganographically encoded thereon, the encoding taking the form of texturing that shapes the exterior of said object, the method comprising: acquiring visible light scan data corresponding to at least a portion of said shaped exterior; discerning the plural-bit code from said scan data; by reference to said plural-bit code, determining date information; and at least in part by reference to said determined date information, determining if a transaction involving the object should be refused.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 6 in which the date information specifies a date beyond which a transaction involving the object should be refused.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
A component part for a vehicle, the part having a surface region on which is formed a seemingly random texture pattern, said pattern encoding machine-readable data.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
A component part for a vehicle, the part having a surface region on which is formed a seemingly random texture pattern, said pattern encoding machine-readable data.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The component part of claim 8 , wherein said texture pattern is formed by applying a patterned layer of material over a smooth surface.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The component part of claim 8 wherein said vehicle has an identifier associated therewith, and the machine readable data includes said vehicle identifier.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The component part of claim 8 wherein said machine readable data includes data associated with a date of fabrication of said component part.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The component part of claim 8 wherein said machine readable data includes data associated with a place of fabrication of said component part.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The component part of claim 8 wherein said machine readable data includes data indicating a specification with which the component part complies.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The component part of claim 8 wherein said machine readable data represents at least 32 bits of information.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The component part of claim 14 , wherein said information is encoded with redundancy, permitting accurate decoding of the information nothwithstanding localized corruption to the pattern.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
The component part of claim 8 wherein on casual human inspection, said texture pattern looks like pebbling of the surface.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
The component part of claim 8 wherein said texture pattern has a depth of 250 microns or less.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
11 words
A component part for an automobile according to claim 8 .
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
7 words
A bolt according to claim 8 .
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
32 words
A component part for a vehicle, the component part having a textured surface region, said texture comprising a rectangular array of cells, a pattern of said array of cells encoding machine-readable data.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
32 words
A component part for a vehicle, the component part having a textured surface region, said texture comprising a rectangular array of cells, a pattern of said array of cells encoding machine-readable data.
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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) | 2008-04-18 | 2008-10-18 | 2009-04-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2012-04-18 | 2012-10-18 | 2013-04-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2016-04-18 | 2016-10-18 | 2017-04-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |