# US 2020/0401238 A1 · A printing form precursor and printing form having a two-dimensional code for tracking and a system for using the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401238 A1 - Document ID: US20200401238A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/754,008 - Filed: 2018-10-08 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-09 - Assignees: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company - Applicants: E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company - Inventors: Bradley K. Taylor - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401238A1 ## CPC - G03F 7/0012: {Processes making use of the tackiness of the photolithographic materials, e.g. for mounting; Packaging for photolithographic material; Packages obtained by processing photolithographic materials} - G06F 3/0321: {by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet (constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037)} - G03F 7/033: the binders being polymers obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. vinyl polymers - G06K 19/06037: {multi-dimensional coding} - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS ## Abstract The present invention relates to a photosensitive printing form precursor and a printing form. The printing form precursor and printing from includes a support that contains a continuous distributed two-dimensional position code. The two-dimensional position code is used for tracking the printing form precursor and the printing form. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A printing form precursor comprising: a) a support; and b) a layer of a photopolymerizable material comprising a binder, a monomer, and a photo initiator, that is adjacent the support and is sensitive to actinic radiation; wherein the support comprises a continuous distributed two-dimensional position code which codes a plurality of coordinates on the support. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The printing form precursor of claim 1, wherein said two-dimensional position code forms a virtual raster of a code pattern consisting of a plurality of marks with associate coordinates, each mark being located at a nominal position but displaced from the nominal position in one of a plurality of directions, depending upon the value of the mark. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The printing form precursor of claim 2, wherein the nominal positions define raster points of the virtual raster, and the raster points are situated on raster lines which intersect at a first angle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The printing form precursor of claim 3, wherein the raster points form an essentially orthogonal square grid. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The printing form precursor of claim 4, wherein each mark is displaced along a raster line by a distance corresponding to between ⅛ and ¼, preferably ⅙, of the distance between two raster points. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The printing form precursor of claim 5, wherein the mark's coordinates are determined as the center of gravity of the whole mark. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The printing form precursor of claim 1, wherein said two-dimensional position code is arranged in a position-coding pattern to code a plurality of positions on the support, each position being coded by a specific part of the position-coding pattern and each such specific part of the position-coding pattern also contributing to the coding of adjoining positions, said position-coding pattern being based on a first string of symbols including a first predetermined number of symbols and which has the characteristic that if a group of symbols comprising a specific number of symbols less than said first number is taken from the first string of symbols, the location of said group of symbols in the first string of symbols is unambiguously defined, wherein said position-coding pattern comprises a first row of symbols comprising said first string of symbols repeated several times, and at least a second row of symbols comprising a second string of symbols repeated several times and having said characteristics of said first string of symbols. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The printing form precursor of claim 7, wherein said second string of symbols including a second predetermined number of symbols which is different from said first number of symbols of said first string of symbols in order to obtain a displacement between the first and the second string of symbols along the first and the second row when the first and the second string of symbols are repeated. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The printing form precursor of claim 8, wherein said second string of symbols is a subset of the first string of symbols. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The printing form precursor of claim 8, wherein the position-coding pattern comprises a plurality of first rows and a plurality of second rows, a start position of each row being predefined to define a position in a second dimension. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A system for tracking a printing form precursor, said system comprising: (a) a printing form precursor according to claim 1; (b) a sensor for reading the position code at a selected area on the support, and (c) processor means executing software for interpreting the read code in order to identify the position which corresponds to the read position code. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein said two-dimensional position code forms a virtual raster of a code pattern consisting of a plurality of marks with associate coordinates, each mark being located at a nominal position but displaced from the nominal position in one of a plurality of directions, depending upon the value of the mark. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein said two-dimensional position code is arranged in a position-coding pattern to code a plurality of positions on the support, each position being coded by a specific part of the position-coding pattern and each such specific part of the position-coding pattern also contributing to the coding of adjoining positions, said position-coding pattern being based on a first string of symbols including a first predetermined number of symbols and which has the characteristic that if a group of symbols comprising a specific number of symbols less than said first number is taken from the first string of symbols, the location of said group of symbols in the first string of symbols is unambiguously defined, wherein said position-coding pattern comprises a first row of symbols comprising said first string of symbols repeated several times, and at least a second row of symbols comprising a second string of symbols repeated several times and having said characteristics of said first string of symbols. ### Claim 14 A printing form comprising a support and a print surface adjacent to the support, wherein the support comprises a continuous distributed two-dimensional position code which codes a plurality of coordinates on the support. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A system for tracking a printing form, said system comprising: (a) a printing form according to claim 14; (b) a sensor for reading the position code at a selected area on the support, and (c) processor means executing software for interpreting the read code in order to identify the position which corresponds to the read position code.