Computer system for manufacturing a physical medium configured to store data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9230201-B2
Application number	US-201514591080-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2015
Priority date	Jul 4, 2005
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A computer system which implements a method of manufacturing a physical medium configured to store data. The computer system includes a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a computer readable storage device coupled to the processor. The storage device contains program code which, upon being executed by the processor via the memory, implements the method. In accordance with the method, a layout design of visible information to be printed with visible ink in a book is generated, wherein the visible information including an article; and a layout design of invisible information to be printed with invisible ink in a book is generated, wherein the invisible information includes a Universal Resource Locator (URL) of an address of a web server at which additional information is located, the URL being encoded in a code within the invisible information, and the additional information being associated with the article.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer system comprising a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a computer readable storage device coupled to the processor, said storage device containing program code which, upon being executed by the processor via the memory, implements a method of manufacturing a physical medium configured to store data said method comprising:
generating, by the processor, a layout design of visible information to be printed with visible ink in a book, said visible information comprising an article;
generating, by the processor, a layout design of invisible information to be printed with invisible ink in the book, said invisible information comprising a Universal Resource Locator (URL) of an address of a web server at which additional information is located, said URL being encoded in a code within the invisible information, said additional information being associated with the article.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
generating, by the processor, print data of the visible information based on the generated layout design of visible information;
generating, by the processor, print data of the invisible information based on the generated layout design of invisible information; and
storing, by the processor, on the physical medium, the generated print data of the visible information and the generated print data of the invisible information.

3. The computer system of claim 2 , wherein said generating print data of the visible information comprises generating print data of the visible information based on the generated layout design of visible information.

4. The computer system of claim 2 , wherein said generating print data of the invisible information comprises generating print data of the invisible information based on the generated layout design of invisible information.

5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the code is a square characterized by a code size equal to the length of each side of the square, wherein said generating the layout design of invisible information comprises:
determining a square space in the physical medium in which to print the code,
determining an offset that specifies the upper left corner of the square space in the physical medium; and
determining an angle of rotation of the square space in the physical medium relative to a specified direction in the physical medium.

6. The computer system of claim 5 , wherein said determining the square space comprises:
determining a minimum value of the code size; and
finding a blank space have a square shape characterized by a length of each side of the square shape exceeding the minimum value of the code size, wherein the square space consists of the blank space.

7. The computer system of claim 6 , wherein the determined angle of rotation is zero degrees.

8. The computer system of claim 6 , wherein the determined angle of rotation exceeds zero degrees.

9. The computer system of claim 5 , wherein said determining the square space, said determining the offset, and said determining the angle of rotation comprise:
determining a minimum value of the code size and a maximum value of the code size;
ascertaining that a blank space have a square shape characterized by a length of each side of the square shape exceeding the minimum value of the code size does not exist; and
after said ascertaining, performing at least one step of a sequence of steps, wherein the sequence of steps is characterized by the code size being stepped from the maximum value of the code size to the minimum value of the code size, the offset being stepped on a surface of the physical tape, and the angle of rotation being stepped from 0 degrees to less than 360 degrees, wherein at each step of the at least one step the method determines whether an extraction accuracy for extracting the invisible information from an image of the code satisfies a predetermined condition, and wherein a last step of the at least one step is characterized by the method determining that the extraction accuracy satisfies the predetermined condition which results in the determined square space, the determined offset, and the determined angle of rotation consisting of the square space, the offset, and the angle of rotation of the last step.

10. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the determined angle of rotation is zero degrees.

11. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the determined angle of rotation exceeds zero degrees.

12. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
after said generating the layout design of invisible information, determining, by the processor, that an extraction accuracy for extracting the invisible information from an image of the code satisfies a predetermined condition, wherein said generating print data of the invisible information is responsive to said determining that the extraction accuracy satisfies the predetermined condition.

13. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein said determining that the extraction accuracy satisfies the predetermined condition comprises:
simulating said extraction of the invisible information to calculate the extraction accuracy, wherein said simulating comprises utilizing the generated layout design of visible information and the generated layout design of invisible information; and
assessing the calculated extraction accuracy, wherein said assessing comprises ascertaining whether the calculated extraction accuracy satisfies the predetermined condition and if said ascertaining ascertains that the calculated extraction accuracy does not satisfy the predetermined condition then performing an iterative loop,
wherein each iteration of the loop comprises regenerating the layout design of invisible information followed by performing said simulating and said assessing, and
wherein said loop is terminated upon ascertaining that the calculated extraction accuracy satisfies the predetermined condition.

14. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the code within the invisible information is a two-dimensional bar code.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Kamijoh Kohichi
• Kamijo Noboru
• Ochiai Kazumasa
• Usuba Yasuo

Classifications

• H04N2201/327

  which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes · CPC title

• H04N1/00326

  with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus (arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00) · CPC title

• G06K15/1867 Primary

  Post-processing of the composed and rasterized print image (scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents H04N1/00) · CPC title

• H04N2201/3249

  data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink · CPC title

• G06F17/30879

  Physics · mapped topic