Digital watermarking and data hiding with narrow-band absorption materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11062418-B2
Application number	US-201916422597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2019
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to signal processing such as image processing, signal encoding, digital watermarking and data hiding. Technology includes a method comprising: capturing imagery corresponding to a printed object with a red illumination scanner, the red illumination scanner having a wavelength at or around 660 nm, said scanning yielding scan data, wherein the printed object includes a process color printed thereon through an offset or flexo printing press, the process color including a narrow-band absorption material that has a peak absorbance at or around 660 nm, the process color printed in a manner to convey an encoded plural-bit message, the encoded plural-bit message corresponding to a GTIN number; analyzing the imagery with one or more programmed multi-core processors to decode the encoded plural bit message, said analyzing yielding the GTIN number; and providing the GTIN number as an output. Of course other combinations and technology is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
capturing imagery corresponding to a printed object with a red illumination scanner, the red illumination scanner having a wavelength at or around 660 nm, said capturing yielding imagery,
wherein the printed object includes a process color printed thereon through an offset or flexo printing press, the process color including a narrow-band absorption material that has a peak absorbance at or around 660 nm, the process color printed in a manner to convey an encoded plural-bit message, the encoded plural-bit message corresponding to a GTIN number;
analyzing the imagery with one or more programmed multi-core processors to decode the encoded plural-bit message, said analyzing yielding the GTIN number; and
providing the GTIN number as an output.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the process color comprises yellow or blue.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the encoded plural-bit message is conveyed with digital watermarking.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the narrow-band absorption material emits fluorescence in the near infrared spectrum.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the imagery comprises monochromatic imagery.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the process color is printed on a surface of the printed object according to a 2-dimensional pattern.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the 2-dimensional pattern comprises a watermark tile pattern.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored therein that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following:
obtaining imagery corresponding to a printed object captured with a red illumination scanner, the red illumination scanner having a wavelength at or around 660 nm,
wherein the printed object includes a process color printed thereon through an offset or flexo printing press, the process color including a narrow-band absorption material that has a peak absorbance at or around 660 nm, the process color printed in a manner to convey an encoded plural-bit message, the encoded plural-bit message corresponding to a GTIN number;
analyzing the imagery to decode the encoded plural-bit message, said analyzing yielding the GTIN number; and
providing the GTIN number as an output.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 in which the encoded plural-bit message is conveyed with digital watermarking.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 in which the process color is printed on a surface of the printed object according to a 2-dimensional pattern.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 in which the 2-dimensional pattern comprises a watermark tile pattern.

12. An apparatus comprising:
an input to receive captured imagery corresponding to a printed object with a red illumination scanner, the red illumination scanner having a wavelength at or around 660 nm, wherein the printed object includes a process color printed thereon through an offset or flexo printing press, the process color including a narrow-band absorption material that has a peak absorbance at or around 660 nm, the process color printed in a manner to convey an encoded plural-bit message, the encoded plural-bit message corresponding to a GTIN number;
means for synchronizing the encoded plural-bit message utilizing a synchronization component associated with the encoded plural-bit message, said means for synchronizing yielding synchronized imagery;
means for decoding the encoded plural-bit message from the synchronized imagery to yield the GTIN number; and
an output to provide the GTIN number.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the process color comprises yellow or blue.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the encoded plural-bit message is conveyed with digital watermarking, and in which the digital watermarking comprises a composite signal comprising the synchronization component and the encoded plural-bit message.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the narrow-band absorption material emits fluorescence in the near infrared spectrum.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the imagery comprises monochromatic imagery.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the process color is printed on a surface of the printed object according to a 2-dimensional pattern.

Assignees

• Digimarc Corp

Inventors

• Falkenstern Kristyn R
• Reed Alastair M
• Holub Vojtech
• Rodriguez Tony F

Classifications

• G06K19/06056

  the marking comprising a further embedded marking, e.g. a 1D bar code with the black bars containing a smaller sized coding · CPC title

• G06K7/12 Primary

  using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks · CPC title

• B42D25/333

  Watermarks · CPC title

• G07D7/0034

  using watermarks · CPC title

• G07D7/1205

  Testing spectral properties · CPC title