Method and system for generating and printing three dimensional barcodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906247-B2
Application number	US-201715827517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2017
Priority date	Mar 2, 2015
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A three-dimensional barcode comprising a three-dimensional barcode structure, at least a part of which is printed on a surface of an object. The barcode structure includes encoded information, and at least part of the encoded information is embedded in a z-dimension perpendicular to the surface of the object.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional barcode comprising a three-dimensional barcode structure, at least a part of which is printed on an outer surface of an object, wherein:
the barcode structure comprises encoded information; and
the part of the barcode structure printed on the outer surface of the object is printed in a z-dimension perpendicular to the outer surface of the object, wherein:
a first portion of the encoded information comprises first bars of a first height with respect to the outer surface,
a second portion of the encoded information comprises second bars of a second height with respect to the outer surface,
the first bars and second bars exhibit a single color, and
the first height and the second height are close enough to each other so that the barcode structure may be detected by a 3D scanning device but is imperceptible to an unaided human eye.

2. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein:
the first bars and the second bars exhibit a first color; and
a third portion of the encoded information comprises bars of a second color positioned at either the first height or the second height with respect to the surface.

3. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein:
a third portion of the encoded information comprises third bars of a first color;
a fourth portion of the encoded information comprises fourth bars of a second color; and
heights of the third bars and the second fourth bars are close enough to each other so that the barcode structure may be detected by a 3D scanning device but is imperceptible to an unaided human eye.

4. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein:
the first portion of the encoded information comprises first pixels represented as structures of the first height with respect to the outer surface; and
the second portion of the encoded information comprises second pixels represented as structures of the second height with respect to the outer surface.

5. The barcode of claim 4 , wherein:
the structures of the first height and the structures of the second height exhibit a first color; and
a third portion of the encoded information comprises structures of a second color positioned at either the first height or the second height.

6. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein information embedded in the part of the barcode structure printed in the z-dimension comprises non-public information.

7. The barcode of claim 6 , wherein the non-public information includes at least one of the following: information relating to printing of an object, information relating to printing of parts of an object, secondary manufacturing information, or information defining the sequencing of parts in manufacturing an object.

8. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein the information embedded in the part of the barcode structure printed in the z-direction comprises unencrypted information.

9. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein the part of the three-dimensional barcode that is printed on the outer surface of the object comprises at least one of the following: a two-dimensional barcode symbol or a one-dimensional barcode symbol.

10. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein the information embedded in the part of the three-dimensional barcode that is printed on the outer surface of the object comprises public information.

11. The barcode of claim 10 , wherein the public information includes at least one of the following: a part number, part identification information, inventory information, user manual, safety information, or licensing information.

12. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein the information embedded in the part of the three-dimensional barcode that is printed on the outer surface of the object comprises encrypted information.

13. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein the z-dimension perpendicular to the outer surface of the object corresponds to raised areas on the surface of the object.

14. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein the z-dimension perpendicular to the outer surface of the object corresponds to pits inside the object.

15. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein the z-dimension perpendicular to the outer surface of the object comprises bars of one or more of the following shapes: cylindrical, square, rectangular, or conical.

16. The barcode of claim 1 , wherein the z-dimension perpendicular to the outer surface of the object represents numerical binary values.

17. A three-dimensional barcode comprising a three-dimensional barcode structure, at least a part of which is printed on an outer surface of an object, wherein:
the barcode structure comprises encoded information; and
the part of the barcode structure printed on the outer surface of the object is printed in a z-dimension perpendicular to the outer surface of the object, wherein:
a first portion of the encoded information comprises first bars of a first height with respect to the outer surface,
a second portion of the encoded information comprises second bars of a second height with respect to the outer surface,
the first bars and the second bars exhibit a first color, and
a third portion of the encoded information comprises bars of a second color positioned at either the first height or the second height with respect to the surface.

18. The barcode of claim 17 , wherein:
a fourth portion of the encoded information comprises fourth bars of a first color;
a fifth portion of the encoded information comprises fifth bars of a fifth color; and
heights of the fifth bars and the sixth bars are close enough to each other so that the barcode structure may be detected by a 3D scanning device but is imperceptible to an unaided human eye.

19. The barcode of claim 17 , wherein:
the first portion of the encoded information comprises first pixels represented as structures of the first height with respect to the outer surface;
the second portion of the encoded information comprises second pixels represented as structures of the second height with respect to the outer surface; and
the first height and second height are close enough to each other so that the barcode may be detected by a 3D scanning device but is imperceptible to an unaided human eye.

20. The barcode of claim 17 , wherein:
the first portion of the encoded information comprises first pixels represented as structures of the first height with respect to the outer surface; and
the second portion of the encoded information comprises second pixels represented as structures of the second height with respect to the outer surface.

21. The barcode of claim 17 , wherein information embedded in the part of the barcode structure printed in the z-dimension comprises non-public information.

22. The barcode of claim 21 , wherein the non-public information includes at least one of the following: information relating to printing of an object, information relating to printing of parts of an object, secondary manufacturing information, or information defining the sequencing of parts in manufacturing an object.

23. The barcode of claim 17 , wherein the information embedded in the part of the barcode structure printed in the z-direction comprises unencrypted information.

24. The barcode of claim 17 , wherein the part of the three-dimensional barcode that is printed on the outer surface of the object comprises at least one of the following: a two-dimensional barcode symbol or a one-dimensional barcode symbol.

25. The barcode of claim 17 , wherein the information embedded in the part of the three-dimensional barcode that is p

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Flores Eliud Robles
• Anderson Jr Robert Bruce
• Foley Timothy P

Classifications

• G06K1/121

  by printing code marks (applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26) · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/386 Primary

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title