Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Specific to image source
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-03
2002-12-03
Wallerson, Mark (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Specific to image source
C358S001500, C358S001180, C358S001160, C396S429000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06490054
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a code image recorder which transforms input data concerning a piece of sound, image or text information into code image data conforming to a predetermined physical format, and which then prints/records the code image data as an optically readable code image on a predetermined recording medium.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,896,403 and 5,866,895 describe respective code image readers which optically read a dot code to be printed/recorded at a high density as an optically readable code image representing a piece of sound, image or text information, and which then reproduces the original piece of information in the form of sound, image or text.
FIG. 1
shows the physical format of a dot code
10
disclosed by the above cited U.S. Patents.
A plurality of blocks
12
are arranged two-dimensionally side by side and each of the blocks
12
comprises a data dot pattern region
14
, markers
16
, pattern dots
18
and a block address pattern
20
. The data dot pattern region
14
is a region where the data of the block obtained by dividing the original data concerning a piece of information in the form of sound, image or text is arranged as a dot image formed by white dots or black dots representing respective bit values of “0s” or “1s” and arranged according to a predetermined format. The markers
16
operate as so many reference indexes to be used for locating the reference positions when reading the dots within the data dot pattern region
14
. The markers
16
are located at the four corners of the block. Each marker
16
is formed of a predetermined number of black dots arranged sequentially. The pattern dots
18
are arranged in a line, which extends between two adjacent ones of the markers
16
. The pattern dots
18
, some of which are black and the others of which are white, are arranged in a prescribed pattern. The block address pattern
20
is arranged between a pair of markers of the block so that it may be identified when reading a plurality of different blocks. The data represented by the block address pattern
20
include the address data of the block and an error detection code or an error correction code.
FIG. 2
is a schematic block diagram of a code image reader
22
adapted to optically read such a dot code
10
.
The code image reader
22
comprises at least an imaging section
24
, an image memory
26
, a binarization processing section
28
, a binarized image memory
30
, a restoring section
32
, a demodulator section
34
and a reproducing section
36
.
The imaging section
24
includes an illumination section typically comprising an LED for illuminating the dot code
10
, an optical system for focussing the light reflected by the dot code
10
and a solid imaging device such as CCD for imaging the focussed image produced by the optical system. The image memory
26
stores the digital imaging signal obtained by digitizing the imaging signal output from the imaging section
24
. The binarization processing section
28
reads out the digital imaging signal stored in the image memory
26
and binarizes the signal by means of a predetermined binarization threshold value. The binarized image memory
30
stores the binarized image data produced from the binarization processing section
28
. The restoring section
32
reads out the binarized image data stored in the binarized image memory
30
, detects the dots of the dot code and assigns “0” or “1” to each detected dot before it outputs the modulated data without processing it. The demodulator section
34
demodulates the modulated data output from the restoring section
32
. The reproducing section
36
reproduces the data concerning the information in the form of sound, image or text demodulated by the demodulator section
34
.
The code image reader
22
can read out the dot code if the dot code is sized to exceed the imaging field of the imaging section
24
as the imaging section
24
divides the dot code into frames and moves above the code image to sequentially pick up the dot code on a frame by frame basis. In other words, if the dot code
10
cannot be imaged by a single shot and can only be covered by a multiple of shots, it can be recognized and restored from the data of the blocks
12
once the addresses of the blocks
12
are read out and recognized. Thus, a large amount of information can be densely stored on a sheet of paper or some other medium to such an extent that conventional one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar codes can never achieve. Then, a long speech can be transmitted by way of a sheet of paper or some other medium to provide such a code image recorder with a wide variety of potential applications.
When reading out the binarized image data from the binarization image memory
30
and detecting each dot contained therein, the restoring section
32
firstly detects the markers
16
out of the binarized image data. Then, it searches the pattern dots
18
on the basis of the detected markers
16
and the information on the physical format and computationally determines reference positions for the operation of reading the block by minimizing the error function determined from the ideal center position of each of the pattern dots
18
contained in the above information on the physical format and the actually located center position thereof. Then, the restoring section
32
detects the center pixel of each of the dots to be read out within the data dot pattern region
14
and determines if the detected dot is a white dot or a black dot, to which a value of “0” of “1” is assigned so that a modulated data will be output for it.
Thus, if the highly densely printed/recorded code image shows a rather poor printing quality, the dot code will be read out correctly and a high quality reading operation will be guaranteed.
The demodulator section
34
restores the unmodulated original data as the original data concerning the information in the form of sound, image or text input to be recorded is modulated when a code image data is prepared therefrom. The modulation is carried out to facilitate the operation of the restoring section
32
of detecting the markers
16
to begin with. As a result of the operation of modulating the input data concerning the information in the form of sound, image or text, the number of consecutive black dots within the data dot pattern region
14
is made smaller than the number of consecutive black dots of the markers
16
in order to visually discriminate the dots within the data dot pattern region
14
and the markers
16
.
For example, if the largest diametrical length of the marker
16
shown in
FIG. 3
is equal to the length of five consecutively arranged black dots printed/recorded in the data dot pattern region
14
, the input data concerning the information in the form of sound, image or text is modulated in such a way that the number of any consecutively arranged black dots contained therein may become less than five after the modulation.
Meanwhile, generally two methods are conceivable for printing/recording a highly dense dot code
10
on a sheet of paper. One is a method of printing the code to produce a large number of copies by means of a printing plate made by an image setter. The other is a method of using a printing technique such as thermal transfer or laser printing. The above cited U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,403 proposes the use of the above two methods for densely printing/recording a dot code
10
on a sheet of paper.
However, it has been found as a result of recent researches that the latter method of printing dot codes is accompanied by the following disadvantage.
When printing a dot code
10
by a thermal transfer type printing means, the control signal for heating each of the thermal recording elements of the thermal recording head is devised to make the area of a printed dot smaller than the recording area of the thermal recording element used for printing the dot.
Then, since each marker
16
is formed by arranging a plurality of dots side by side as minimal printing/recording units, gaps are inevitably produced wit
Matsui Shinzo
Mori Masahiko
Tsukihara Satoru
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Lamb Twyler
Olympus Optical Co,. Ltd.
Wallerson Mark
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