Barcode having enhanced visual quality and systems and methods thereof

A barcode apparatus, comprising:

• an encoder configured to obtain barcode data and image data, and operable to merge the barcode data and the image data into an enhanced visually significant barcode having image data presented graphically in blackout regions and having the barcode data presented graphically in regions outside of the blackout regions, wherein the encoder is operable to provide at least one machine-readable reference mark encoding a respective location of at least one of the blackout regions.

A barcode apparatus, comprising:

• an encoder configured to obtain barcode data and image data, and operable to merge the barcode data and the image data into an enhanced visually significant barcode having image data presented graphically in blackout regions and having the barcode data presented graphically in regions outside of the blackout regions, wherein the graphically presented image data corresponds to a signature;
• and
• a decoder operable to read the barcode data while avoiding blackout regions, wherein the decoder is operable to obtain the signature from a trusted authority and to subtract the signature from the enhanced visually significant barcode.

A system that encodes and decodes an enhanced, visually significant barcode, comprising:

• an encoder operable to merge the barcode data and the image data into an enhanced visually significant barcode having image data presented graphically in blackout regions and having the barcode data presented graphically in regions outside of the blackout regions, the encoder being further operable to graphically present at least one machine-readable reference mark encoding a respective location of at least one of the blackout regions;
• and
• a decoder operable to read the barcode data while avoiding blackout regions based on the at least one machine-readable reference mark.

A system that encodes and decodes an enhanced, visually significant barcode, comprising:

• an encoder operable to merge the barcode data and the image data into an enhanced visually significant barcode having image data presented graphically in blackout regions and having the barcode data presented graphically in regions outside of the blackout regions, the encoder being further operable to graphically present at least one machine-readable reference mark locating at least one of the blackout regions;
• and
• a decoder operable to read the barcode data while avoiding blackout regions based on the at least one machine-readable reference mark, wherein at least one reference mark provided by the encoder identifies a storage location of a description of an image corresponding to the graphically presented image data, and wherein the decoder is operable to retrieve the image description from the storage location based on the at least one reference mark.

A system that encodes and decodes an enhanced, visually significant barcode, comprising:

• an encoder operable to merge the barcode data and the image data into an enhanced visually significant barcode having image data presented a graphically in blackout regions and having the barcode data presented graphically in regions outside of the blackout regions, the encoder being further operable to graphically present at least one machine-readable reference mark locating at least one of the blackout regions;
• and
• a decoder operable to read the barcode data while avoiding blackout regions based on the at least one machine-readable reference mark, wherein a reference mark identifies a given endpoint of a given blackout region by specifying a distance from a beginning point of the given blackout region to the given endpoint.