US 6,556,690 B1 · Articles bearing invisible encodements on curved surfaces

Abstract

An object bearing a two-dimensional visible image on an image field of a non-planar and curved object surface in at least one dimension also bears an encodement of encoded information recorded in a symbology of a material that is visible or invisible to the eye and over a substantial portion of the image field. The encodement includes curved encodement portions due to the curvature of the non-planar image field. The symbology of the encodement is adapted to be imaged as a planar symbology image by a planar imager that is disposed in use generally normal to and at a predetermined distance from a central point of the two-dimensional visible image. The recorded symbology is adjusted from point to point in the image field during recording of the encodement by an encodement recording system to compensate for distortion of the symbology introduced by imaging the curved symbology portions as the planar symbology image. In an encodement reader system, the encodement is captured by the planar imager and decoded and then reproduced as data or sound or visual information.

Claims35

Dependent claims

An object bearing an image visible to the eye, said object further comprising:

an object surface bearing an image field in which the visible image is present, the object surface and image field thereon being non-planar and curved in at least one dimension;
and
an encodement in a symbology representing encoded information recorded in a material that is invisible to the eye and over a substantial portion of the visible image in the image field including curved encodement portions that are curved due to the curvature of the non-planar image field, the symbology of the encodement recorded within the image field adapted to be imaged as a planar symbology image upon a planar imager that is sensitive to the invisible material and is disposed in use generally at a predetermined distance from a central point of the two-dimensional visible image to capture the entirety of the encodement, wherein the symbology is modified to compensate for optical distortion of the symbology introduced by imaging the curved encodement portions as the planar symbology image to ensure that the symbology is accurately captured by the planar imager.

A method of recording an encodement in an image field of a surface of an object that is curved in at least one dimension, in a symbology representing encoded information, wherein the symbology of the encodement recorded within the image field is adapted to be imaged as a planar symbology image upon a planar imager that is sensitive to the material and is disposed in use generally at a predetermined distance from the image field to capture the entirety of the encodement, the method comprising the steps of:

deriving a correction factor for the curvature of the image field at a point within the image field;
modifying symbology to be recorded at the point as a function of the correction factor to compensate for the distortion of the symbology when imaged as a planar symbology image;
and
recording the modified symbology at the point in the image field.

1 more element

A method of recording an encodement in an image field of a surface of an object that is curved in at least one dimension, in a symbology representing encoded information, the method comprising the steps of:

deriving a correction factor for the curvature of the image field at a point within the image field;
modifying a symbology element recorded at the point as a function of the correction factor;
recording the modified symbology element at the point within the image field.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Articles bearing invisible encodements on curved surfaces

Life of this patent

Articles bearing invisible encodements on curved surfaces

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims35