Digital watermarking and data hiding with narrow-band absorption materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022012840-A1
Application number	US-202117372261-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 9, 2021
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Jan 13, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to signal processing such as image processing, signal encoding, digital watermarking and data hiding. A sparse or dense digital watermark signal can be conveyed with a narrow-band absorption material corresponding to a center wavelength of a Point of Sale (POS) barcode scanner. The POS barcode scanner typically captures 2D imagery. Since the narrow-band absorption material absorbs over a narrow-band it is relatively imperceptible to the Human Visual System (HVS) but can be seen by the POS scanner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printed object associated with a retail item comprising a first layer, the first layer comprising a first area and a second area, in which the first area and the second area comprise non-overlapping areas, the first area comprising a first clear coating provided thereon, the printed object comprising a non-contiguous coating, the first clear coating comprising a narrow-band absorption material with a spectral absorbance peak or maximum in the range of 630 nm-710 nm, the first clear coating applied over portions of both the first area and the second area in a 2D pattern representing an encoded signal, the 2D pattern being redundantly applied on the printed object, in which the printed object comprises more area within the first area and the second area without the first clear coating than area with the first clear coating, and in which one or more instances of the 2D pattern are detectable from machine-analysis of illumination of the printed package, the illumination have an illumination peak or maximum in the range of 630 nm-710 nm.

2 . The printed object of claim 1 in which the first clear coating comprises a varnish or primer printed thereon.

3 . The printed object of claim 2 in which the second area comprises a second coating provided thereon with a dry offset printing plate.

4 . The printed object of claim 1 in which the absorbance peak or maximum comprises a peak or maximum between 640 nm-680 nm.

5 . The printed object of claim 4 in which the absorbance peak or maximum is centered at 660 nm, and the illumination peak comprises 660 nm.

6 . The printed object of claim 1 in which the absorbance peak comprises a peak or maximum between 650 nm-710 nm.

7 . The printed object of claim 6 in which the absorbance peak or maximum is centered in a range of 668 nm-690 nm, and the illumination peak or maximum is centered in a range of 668 nm-690 nm.

8 . The printed object of claim 1 in which the 2D pattern representing an encoded signal represents a digital watermark signal comprising a synchronization component and a variable data component.

9 . The printed object of claim 8 in which the synchronization component and the variable data component comprise a merged component.

10 . The printed object of claim 9 wherein the merged component comprises a thresholded component, from which some signal from the synchronization component or variable data component has been removed.

11 . The printed object of claim 10 in which the merged component comprises a sparse digital watermark signal.

12 . A system comprising:
the printed object of claim 1 , a point of sale scanner comprising an LED with an illumination peak or maximum in the range of 630 nm-710 nm; and a signal detector for analyzing 2D imagery captured by the point of sale scanner to recover the encoded signal.

13 . 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 clear coat printed thereon, the clear coat including a narrow-band absorption material that has a peak absorbance at or around 660 nm, the clear coat 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.

14 . The method of claim 13 in which the clear coat comprises a varnish, primer or ink.

15 . The method of claim 13 in which the encoded plural-bit message is conveyed with digital watermarking.

16 . The method of claim 13 in which the narrow-band absorption additive emits fluorescence in the near infrared spectrum.

17 . The method of claim 13 in which the imagery comprises monochromatic imagery.

18 . The method of claim 13 in which the clear coat is printed on a surface of the printed object according to a 2-dimensional pattern.

19 . The method of claim 18 in which the 2-dimensional pattern comprises a watermark tile pattern.

Assignees

• Digimarc Corp

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G07D7/1205

  Testing spectral properties · CPC title

• G07D7/0034

  using watermarks · CPC title

• G06K7/12 Primary

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

• 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

• G06K19/0614

  the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR (methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12) · CPC title