Apparatus and method for coding objects

A method for providing a recording on an object comprising the steps of:

• predeterminately locating an object and a source of intense radiant energy with respect to each other wherein said radiant energy is generated in the form of a pulsed radiant energy beam and whereby beam energy from said source may be caused to scan a selected area of the surface of said object,
• identifying said object when it is at a scanning station, and
• generating a control signal when such identification is made,
• applying said control signal to selectively reproduce selected information signals defining a code from a memory containing a plurality of code signal recordings, so as to effect the generation of predetermined information defined by said code, and
• utilizing said selected information signals while controlling the relative movement between said object and said source of intense radiant energy to pulse said beam of radiant energy so as to cause said beam to record a plurality of spot-like areas in the surface stratum of said object and to thereby effect a pulse code recording along the portion of the surface of the object intersected by said beam.

Apparatus for coding objects by means of radiant energy comprising:

• a source of radiant energy,
• means for effecting controlled relative movement between said radiant energy source and an object to be coded along a select area of said object whereby energy from said source may be caused to scan said select area,
• a memory containing a plurality of information signal recordings,
• means for detecting the presence of said object when it is within the scanning field of said source of radiant energy and generating a control signal, and
• means for applying said control signal to control the selective reproduction of information from said memory to cause a plurality of control code signals to be reproduced therefrom,
• means for applying said control code signals to control the generation of radiation from said source of intense radiant energy so as to cause said radiant energy to be generated as pulses representative of the selectively reproduced code, and
• means for directing said pulses of radiant energy against said select area of said object at sufficient intensity to effect variations in the surface topography of the surface stratum of said object to define a recorded code formed in said surface stratum of said object.

A method for recording indicia on a surface of an object comprising:

• predeterminately relative positioning a radiation beam generating means and an object to be recorded on by means of radiant energy generated by said generating means,
• detecting when such predetermined relative positioning is effected between said radiation beam generating means and said object and generating a first recording cycle initiating control signal upon detecting said predetermined relative positioning,
• applying said control signal to address a memory containing information recorded therein and defining different indicia to be recorded on said object and reproducing select information from said memory as coded electrical control signals,
• generating a beam of recording radiation by energizing said radiation beam generating means and controlling same in a manner to cause said beam to intersect a first portion of said object and effecting relative scanning movement between said beam and said object while applying a first group of select electrical control signals derived from said memory to selectively control said radiation beam during the relative scanning movement between said beam and said object in a manner to effect the recording of first indicia on a first select portion of said object,
• thereafter generating further select groups of indicia defining control signals derived from said memory in synchronization with further relative scanning movement between said radiation beam and said object and applying said further select control signals to further control said beam to cause it to effect the recording of respective additional indicia on the surface of said object so as to define at least one line of indicia extending across a band-like area of the surface of said object.