Encoding and decoding data in two-dimensional symbology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10318780-B2
Application number	US-201816058507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2018
Priority date	Dec 14, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

Examples of techniques for encoding data in a 2D symbology are disclosed. In one example described herein, a computer-implemented method comprises capturing an image of the 2D symbology. The 2D symbology comprises a series of data symbols representing a binary string. Each of the data symbols comprises a line segment, and each data symbol in the series of data symbols are positioned in an end-to-end orientation starting at a starting indicator designated by a first symbol and ending at an ending indicator designated by a second symbol. The first symbol differs from the second symbol, and the series of data symbols comprise 0-bit symbols represented by a first data symbol and 1-bit symbols represented by a second data symbol. The method further comprises extracting the binary string from the 2D symbology by reading each of the data symbols between the starting indicator and the ending indicator.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A computer-implemented method for decoding data from a two-dimensional (2D) symbology, the method comprising:
capturing an image of the 2D symbology, wherein the 2D symbology comprises a series of data symbols representing a binary string, wherein each of the data symbols comprises a line segment, wherein each data symbol in the series of data symbols are positioned in an end-to-end orientation starting at a starting indicator designated by a first symbol and ending at an ending indicator designated by a second symbol, wherein the first symbol differs from the second symbol, and wherein the series of data symbols comprise 0-bit symbols represented by a first data symbol and 1-bit symbols represented by a second data symbol; and
extracting the binary string from the 2D symbology by reading each of the data symbols between the starting indicator and the ending indicator.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising recognizing at least one of the starting indicator and the ending indicator, wherein the recognizing further comprises recognizing a connector pair comprising a first connector symbol and a second connector symbol.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the first connector symbol indicates the end of a first segment and the second connector symbol indicates the start of a second segment.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the recognizing further comprises recognizing additional connector pairs, each of the connector pairs comprising two connector symbols, wherein the two connector symbols are the same.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising recognizing an operational symbol.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the extracting further comprises applying the operational symbol.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the 2D symbology forms a human-recognizable layout.

8. A system for decoding data from a two-dimensional (2D) symbology, the system comprising:
a processor in communication with one or more types of memory, the processor configured to:
capture an image of the 2D symbology, wherein the 2D symbology comprises a series of data symbols representing a binary string, wherein each of the data symbols comprises a line segment, wherein each data symbol in the series of data symbols are positioned in an end-to-end orientation starting at a starting indicator designated by a first symbol and ending at an ending indicator designated by a second symbol, wherein the first symbol differs from the second symbol, and wherein the series of data symbols comprise 0-bit symbols represented by a first data symbol and 1-bit symbols represented by a second data symbol; and
extract the binary string from the 2D symbology by reading each of the data symbols between the starting indicator and the ending indicator.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to recognize at least one of the starting indicator and the ending indicator, wherein the recognizing further comprises recognizing a connector pair comprising a first connector symbol and a second connector symbol.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first connector symbol indicates the end of a first segment and the second connector symbol indicates the start of a second segment.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the recognizing further comprises recognizing additional connector pairs, each of the connector pairs comprising two connector symbols, wherein the two connector symbols are the same.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to recognize an operational symbol.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the extracting further comprises applying the operational symbol.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the 2D symbology forms a human-recognizable layout.

15. A computer program product for decoding data from a two-dimensional (2D) symbology, the computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising:
capturing an image of the 2D symbology, wherein the 2D symbology comprises a series of data symbols representing a binary string, wherein each of the data symbols comprises a line segment, wherein each data symbol in the series of data symbols are positioned in an end-to-end orientation starting at a starting indicator designated by a first symbol and ending at an ending indicator designated by a second symbol, wherein the first symbol differs from the second symbol, and wherein the series of data symbols comprise 0-bit symbols represented by a first data symbol and 1-bit symbols represented by a second data symbol; and
extracting the binary string from the 2D symbology by reading each of the data symbols between the starting indicator and the ending indicator.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises recognizing at least one of the starting indicator and the ending indicator, wherein the recognizing further comprises recognizing a connector pair comprising a first connector symbol and a second connector symbol.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the first connector symbol indicates the end of a first segment and the second connector symbol indicates the start of a second segment.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the recognizing further comprises recognizing additional connector pairs, each of the connector pairs comprising two connector symbols, wherein the two connector symbols are the same.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises recognizing an operational symbol.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein the extracting further comprises applying the operational symbol.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Guenter Erich
• Maresh Mark E
• Nolan Colm
• Vargas Juan F
• Whitney Michael J

Classifications

• G06K19/06103

  the marking being embedded in a human recognizable image, e.g. a company logo with an embedded two-dimensional code · CPC title

• G06K19/06037 Primary

  multi-dimensional coding · CPC title

• G06K7/1417 Primary

  2D bar codes · CPC title