Encoding information in multiple patterned layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9519856-B2
Application number	US-201414575598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2014
Priority date	Nov 20, 2014
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

An article of manufacture includes a substrate, a first patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a first region, and a second patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a second region. The first patterned layer encodes first information in first symbols that are detectable by an optical sensor. The second patterned layer encodes second information in second symbols that are detectable by a non-optical sensor. The second information is distinct from the first information and the second region at least partially overlaps the first region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article of manufacture comprising:
a substrate;
a first patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a first region, wherein the first patterned layer encodes first information in first symbols that are detectable by an optical sensor; and
a second patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a second region, the second region at least partially overlapping the first region, wherein the second patterned layer encodes second information in second symbols that are detectable by a non-optical sensor, wherein the second information is distinct from the first information,
wherein the substrate is a three-dimensional structure including a plurality of faces, each face corresponding to a side of the three-dimensional structure, wherein the first region and the second region are portions of a first face of the plurality of faces, and further comprising a third patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a third region, wherein the third region is on a second face of the plurality of faces, wherein the third patterned layer encodes third information in third symbols that are detectable by at least one of the optical sensor, the non-optical sensor, or another sensor, and wherein the third information is distinct from the first information and is distinct from the second information.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the first patterned layer comprises an ink or pigment layer that reflects light having a wavelength in a human visible spectrum, and wherein the optical sensor is configured to detect the light having the wavelength in the human visible spectrum.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the first patterned layer comprises an ink or pigment layer that reflects light having a wavelength in a non-human visible spectrum, and wherein the optical sensor is configured to detect the light having the wavelength in the non-human visible spectrum.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the first patterned layer comprises one or more polymer layers, wherein the first symbols are represented by thicknesses of the one or more polymer layers such that a particular symbol corresponds to a first thickness of the one or more polymer layers and a different symbol corresponds to a second thickness of the one or more polymer layers, and wherein the optical sensor is configured to detect differences in thickness of the one or more polymer layers.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the second patterned layer comprises one or more polymer layers, wherein the second symbols are represented by thicknesses of the one or more polymer layers such that a particular symbol corresponds to a first thickness of the one or more polymer layers and a different symbol corresponds to a second thickness of the one or more polymer layers, and wherein the non-optical sensor is configured to detect differences in thickness of the one or more polymer layers.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the second patterned layer comprises magnetic particles, wherein the second symbols are indicated by locations of the magnetic particles, and wherein the non-optical sensor is configured to detect the locations of the magnetic particles.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the second patterned layer comprises magnetic particles, wherein the second symbols are indicated by magnetic orientations of the magnetic particles, and wherein the non-optical sensor is configured to detect the magnetic orientations of the magnetic particles.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , further comprising a third patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a third region, wherein the third region at least partially overlaps the first region, the second region, or both, wherein the third patterned layer encodes third information in third symbols that are detectable by at least one of the optical sensor, the non-optical sensor, or another sensor, and wherein the third information is distinct from the first information and is distinct from the second information.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein:
the first information is encrypted using a first key and the second information enables access to the first key; or
the second information is encrypted using a second key and the first information enables access to the second key.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a fourth region, wherein the fourth region is on a third face of the plurality of faces, wherein the fourth patterned layer encodes fourth information in fourth symbols that are detectable by at least one of the optical sensor, the non-optical sensor, or the other sensor, and wherein the fourth information is distinct from the first information, the second information, and the third information.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein a fourth face of the substrate is coupled to an object or coupled to a container associated with the object, and wherein the first information is descriptive of a first aspect of the object, the second information is descriptive of a second aspect of the object, the third information is descriptive of a third aspect of the object, and the fourth information is descriptive of a fourth aspect of the object.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Boday Dylan J
• Brooks Bradford O
• Tummalapenta Srinivas Babu
• Wertz Jason T
• Yaswi Hamza

Classifications

• G06K19/06196

  Constructional details · 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

• G06K19/06037

  multi-dimensional coding · CPC title

• G06K1/125

  by magnetic means · CPC title

• G06K19/06187

  with magnetically detectable marking · CPC title