Barcodes with security material and readers for same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022067468-A1
Application number	US-202017007795-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2020
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Mar 3, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A secure indicator includes a substrate, a barcode symbol that has a plurality of barcode modules provided on the substrate, and a security material positioned proximate the barcode symbol on the substrate. The security material is configured to be activated by irradiation at one or more predetermined activation wavelengths. Additionally, the barcode symbol is configured to be read (i) before the security material is activated and (ii) while the security material is activated.

First claim

1 . A secure indicator, comprising:
a substrate; a barcode symbol having a plurality of barcode elements provided on the substrate; a security material positioned proximate the barcode symbol on the substrate; wherein the security material is configured to be activated by irradiation at one or more predetermined activation wavelengths; and wherein the barcode symbol is configured to be read (i) before the security material is activated and (ii) while the security material is activated.

2 . The secure indicator of claim 1 , wherein the security material has a chemistry that is configured, responsive to irradiation at the one or more predetermined activation wavelengths, to undergo a chemical or physical state change between an initial state and a successive state, causing a change in an optical property of the security material, wherein the optical property indicates exposure to the irradiation, and wherein the barcode symbol is valid when (i) the security material is in the initial state, (ii) the security material is in the successive state, (iii) the security material is in a fully excited state, and (iv) the security material is undergoing a state change between the initial state and the fully excited state, and wherein the security material is mixed with, positioned under, or positioned over one or more of the plurality of barcode elements.

3 . (canceled)

4 . (canceled)

5 . (canceled)

6 . (canceled)

7 . The secure indicator of claim 2 , wherein the security material includes at least one phosphor material.

8 . (canceled)

9 . A method of scanning a dataform comprising a barcode symbol, the method comprising:
receiving light from the dataform during a time period, wherein the dataform is the secure indicator of claim 1 ; capturing at least one image from the received light; analyzing one of the at least one image to decode data from the barcode symbol; analyzing one of the at least one image to detect emission light within the received light; associating a characteristic of the dataform with the detected emission light; and outputting the associated characteristic with the decoded data.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising activating the security material of the secure indicator, and
capturing the at least one image occurs after a predetermined time interval after the security material is activated.

11 . (canceled)

12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising
activating the security material of the secure indicator, and ceasing activation of the security material of the secure indicator, wherein analyzing the one of the at least one image to detect emission light is performed after a predetermined time interval after the security material activation ceases.

13 . (canceled)

14 . A system for reading a dataform comprising a barcode symbol, the system comprising:
a housing; an irradiation module mounted to the housing, the irradiation module having an irradiation source configured to irradiate the dataform at one or more excitation wavelengths of the dataform; an image capture module mounted to the housing, the image capture module having a two-dimensional detector and configured to capture image data, the image capture module configured to:
receive light from the dataform during a time period, wherein the dataform is the secure indicator of claim 1 , and
capture at least one image from the received light; and
a controller configured to:
analyze one of the at least one image to decode data from the barcode symbol,
analyze one of the at least one image to detect emission light within the received light,
associate a characteristic of the dataform with the detected emission light, and
output the associated characteristic with the decoded data.

15 . (canceled)

16 . (canceled)

17 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the irradiation module is further configured to cease activation of the security material of the secure indicator, and wherein the controller is configured to analyzing the one of the at least one image to detect emission light after a predetermined time interval after the security material activation ceases.

18 . (canceled)

19 . (canceled)

20 . (canceled)

21 . (canceled)

22 . (canceled)

23 . (canceled)

24 . The secure indicator of claim 1 ,
wherein a property of the security material is based at least in part on a change of the security material's luminescence between an initial state and a successive state.

25 . (canceled)

26 . The secure indicator of claim 1 , wherein the barcode symbol is configured to be read in a first wavelength and the security material is configured to luminesce in the first wavelength.

27 . (canceled)

28 . (canceled)

29 . (canceled)

30 . (canceled)

31 . (canceled)

32 . A system for reading an indicator including a luminescent indicia, the system comprising:
a housing; an irradiation module mounted to the housing, the irradiation module having an irradiation source configured to irradiate the indicator at one or more excitation wavelengths of the luminescent indicia; an image capture module mounted to the housing, the image capture module having a two-dimensional detector and configured to capture image data from radiation emitted by the luminescent indicia; and a controller configured to:
cause the irradiation module to illuminate for at least a first time interval having a first duration,
cause the image capture module to capture at least one first image of the luminescent indicia at a first time after the first duration and at least one second image of the luminescent indicia at a second time after the first time, and
determine a property of the indicator based at least in part on a comparison of the luminescent indicia's luminescence between the at least one second image and the at least one first image.

33 . The system of claim 32 , wherein the comparison is one of:
a measured decrease of the luminescent indicia's luminescence between the at least one first image and the at least one second image, a measured increase of the luminescent indicia's luminescence between the at least one second image and the at least one first image, a rate of decrease of the luminescent indicia's luminescence between the at least one first image and the at least one second image, a rate of increase of the luminescent indicia's luminescence between the at least one first image and the at least one second image, a comparison between the luminescent indicia's luminescence at the first time to a first known threshold value, and a comparison between the luminescent indicia's luminescence at the second time to a second known threshold value.

34 . (canceled)

35 . (canceled)

36 . (canceled)

37 . The system of claim 32 , further comprising a processing module configured to decode representations of a barcode symbol in the image data captured by the image capture module.

38 . The system of claim 37 , wherein one of the controller and the processing module is configured to:
determine pixels in the image data corresponding to the luminescent indicia, and process pixels of the image data corresponding to the luminescent indicia to de

Assignees

• Temptime Corp

Inventors

• Smith Marielle K
• Bicek Jessica
• Abdo Mohannad
• Hofer Gene A

Classifications

• G06K19/06075 Primary

  the marking containing means for error correction · CPC title

• G06K19/06037

  multi-dimensional 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

• G06K7/1473

  error correction · CPC title

• G06K7/1434

  Barcodes with supplemental or add-on codes · CPC title