US3744026A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical label scanning
Assignee: IDENTICON CORP
•
Filing: 1970-06-10
•
Granted: 1973-07-03
•
Expires: 1990-06-10
Abstract
Abstract A width-coded, self-calibrating label according to the invention includes an initial bar of reference width followed by subsequent bars that are either significantly narrower or significantly wider than the calibration bar to designate binary zero and one, respectively, in a binary coding system. A scanning system scans the labels to first provide a reference signal representative of the width of the initial reference bar and then signals representative of the widths of the other bars relative to that of the reference bar to provide a digital number signal representative of the information binarily encoded on the label.
Inventors
- 👤 G Wolff
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 07:58
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K7/00; G06K7/10; G06K7/10544; G06K7/10821; G06K7/10861; B; B61; B61L; B61L25/00; B61L25/02; B61L25/04; B61L25/041
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
309 words
Identification apparatus comprising, label means having a plurality of indicia defining intervals along a predetermined scanning direction, means including the first of said indicia defining a reference interval of reference width for providing a reference signal of reference time duration, and means including at least two others of said indicia spaced from said first indicia along said scan direction defining data intervals of different widths for providing data signals of correspondingly different data time durations for comparison with said reference duration so that each data duration derived on a scan may be compared with said reference duration derived on that scan to unambiguously identify that data represented by said data intervals on the basis of comparing said reference duration representative of said reference width with each data duration representative of each data width on each scan, reference storage means for storing at least said reference signal to provide for the duration of each scan a stored reference signal representative of said reference width, and means responsive to said data signals for comparing a signal representative of each data duration with said stored reference signal on each scan to provide, for each data signal on a scan, a digit signal having a first value when the associated data interval width bears a first relationship to the reference interval width and is different from said reference interval width and having a second value different from said first value when said associated data interval width bears a second relationship to said reference interval width that is different from said first relationship, and to always provide on each scan a sequence of as many digit signals as there are data intervals identifying the sequence of digits represented by the data intervals, each of said digit signals always being derived by the comparison of a data duration representative signal with the stored reference signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
309 words
Identification apparatus comprising, label means having a plurality of indicia defining intervals along a predetermined scanning direction, means including the first of said indicia defining a reference interval of reference width for providing a reference signal of reference time duration, and means including at least two others of said indicia spaced from said first indicia along said scan direction defining data intervals of different widths for providing data signals of correspondingly different data time durations for comparison with said reference duration so that each data duration derived on a scan may be compared with said reference duration derived on that scan to unambiguously identify that data represented by said data intervals on the basis of comparing said reference duration representative of said reference width with each data duration representative of each data width on each scan, reference storage means for storing at least said reference signal to provide for the duration of each scan a stored reference signal representative of said reference width, and means responsive to said data signals for comparing a signal representative of each data duration with said stored reference signal on each scan to provide, for each data signal on a scan, a digit signal having a first value when the associated data interval width bears a first relationship to the reference interval width and is different from said reference interval width and having a second value different from said first value when said associated data interval width bears a second relationship to said reference interval width that is different from said first relationship, and to always provide on each scan a sequence of as many digit signals as there are data intervals identifying the sequence of digits represented by the data intervals, each of said digit signals always being derived by the comparison of a data duration representative signal with the stored reference signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said indicia comprise a group of bars disposed along said scanning direction.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the separation between adjacent intervals corresponds substantially to the smallest of said intervals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said indicia and the spaces therebetween comprise concentric annular regions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
55 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising, means for scanning said label means to provide a pulse train with each pulse of time duration corresponding to a respective one of said widths, and means responsive to the pulse derived from scanning said reference interval for providing said reference signal on each scan.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein the smallest of said intervals is of width a, the separation between said intervals is substantially said width a, and said means for scanning includes a scanning aperture having an effective scanning width for scanning said indicia corresponding substantially to said width a,
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said indicia comprise a plurality of stripes parallel to one another along a direction orthogonal to said scanning direction.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
301 words
Identification apparatus comprising, label means having a plurality of indicia defining intervals along a predetermined scanning direction, means defining the first of said inTervals of a first width, means defining the widths of others of said intervals spaced from said first interval of different widths from said first interval, means for scanning said label means to provide a pulse train with each pulse of duration characteristic of an associated one of said intervals, a source of clock pulses, reference bar counter means for storing a digital signal proportional to the duration of a pulse representative of said first interval, data bar counter means for storing a digital signal proportional to the duration of respective ones of the pulses in said train after the first during each scan, means responsive to at least the first of said pulses for gating pulses from said clock pulse source into said reference counter means to store a reference count therein representative of said first interval width, means responsive to the remaining ones of said pulses in said pulse train for gating pulses from said clock pulse source into said data counter means for the duration of each of the latter pulses to provide a corresponding number of data counts in sequence each representative of the width of a corresponding one of said others of said intervals, and means for comparing each data count with said reference count on each scan to provide for each scan a sequence of digit signals, each having a first value when the associated data count bears a first relationship to the reference count and is different from said reference count and having a second value different from said first value when said associated data count bears a second relationship to said reference count that is different from said first relationship.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
301 words
Identification apparatus comprising, label means having a plurality of indicia defining intervals along a predetermined scanning direction, means defining the first of said inTervals of a first width, means defining the widths of others of said intervals spaced from said first interval of different widths from said first interval, means for scanning said label means to provide a pulse train with each pulse of duration characteristic of an associated one of said intervals, a source of clock pulses, reference bar counter means for storing a digital signal proportional to the duration of a pulse representative of said first interval, data bar counter means for storing a digital signal proportional to the duration of respective ones of the pulses in said train after the first during each scan, means responsive to at least the first of said pulses for gating pulses from said clock pulse source into said reference counter means to store a reference count therein representative of said first interval width, means responsive to the remaining ones of said pulses in said pulse train for gating pulses from said clock pulse source into said data counter means for the duration of each of the latter pulses to provide a corresponding number of data counts in sequence each representative of the width of a corresponding one of said others of said intervals, and means for comparing each data count with said reference count on each scan to provide for each scan a sequence of digit signals, each having a first value when the associated data count bears a first relationship to the reference count and is different from said reference count and having a second value different from said first value when said associated data count bears a second relationship to said reference count that is different from said first relationship.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
123 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 8 and further comprising first and second storage means for storing sequences of said digit signals with each sequence being representative of a complete scan of said indicia along said scanning direction, means for storing successive ones of said sequences in said first and second storage means, means for comparing the sequence of digit signals stored in said first storage means with those stored in said second storage means to provide a compare signal when the two stored sequences are the same, an output device, and means responsive to a predetermined number of said compare signals indicating a predetermined number of consecutive identical sequences for transferring at least one of said stored sequences to an output device.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 9 and further comprising, means for indicating the time interval in which said label may be scanned, and means responsive to the termination of said time interval and the absence of said predetermined number of compare signals for providing an error signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
275 words
Identification apparatus comprising, label means having a plurality of indicia defining intervals along a predetermined scanning direction, means defining the first of said intervals of a first width, means defining the widths of others of said intervals spaced from said first interval of different widths from said first interval, means for scanning said label means to provide a pulse train characteristic of said intervals, means responsive to the pulse derived from scanning the first of said intervals for providing a reference signal, means responsive to the pulses derived from scanning the remaining intervals for providing representative data signals, and means for comparing each data signal with said reference signal to provide an output signal representative of the relationship between the width of each of said following intervals and said first interval, said means for providing said reference and data signals include data bar and reference bar counters for respectively providing said reference and data signals in digital form, and further comprising first and second storage means for storing sequences of said output signals, each of said sequences being representative of a complete scan of said indicia along said scanning direction, means for storing successive ones of said sequences in said first and second storage means, means for comparing the sequence of output signals stored in said first storage means with those stored in said second storage means to provide a compare signal when the two stored sequences are the same, an output device, and means responsive to a predetermined number of said compare signals indicating a predetermined number of consecutive identical sequences for transferring at least one of said stored sequences to said output device.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
275 words
Identification apparatus comprising, label means having a plurality of indicia defining intervals along a predetermined scanning direction, means defining the first of said intervals of a first width, means defining the widths of others of said intervals spaced from said first interval of different widths from said first interval, means for scanning said label means to provide a pulse train characteristic of said intervals, means responsive to the pulse derived from scanning the first of said intervals for providing a reference signal, means responsive to the pulses derived from scanning the remaining intervals for providing representative data signals, and means for comparing each data signal with said reference signal to provide an output signal representative of the relationship between the width of each of said following intervals and said first interval, said means for providing said reference and data signals include data bar and reference bar counters for respectively providing said reference and data signals in digital form, and further comprising first and second storage means for storing sequences of said output signals, each of said sequences being representative of a complete scan of said indicia along said scanning direction, means for storing successive ones of said sequences in said first and second storage means, means for comparing the sequence of output signals stored in said first storage means with those stored in said second storage means to provide a compare signal when the two stored sequences are the same, an output device, and means responsive to a predetermined number of said compare signals indicating a predetermined number of consecutive identical sequences for transferring at least one of said stored sequences to said output device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
43 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 11 wherein said first and second storage means comprise first and second shift registers for storing digital number signals representative of said others of said indicia and said means responsive to compare signals comprises a compare counter.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
48 words
Identification apparatus in accordance with claim 11 and further comprising, means for indicating the time interval in which said label may be scanned, and means responsive to the termination of said time interval and the absence of said predetermined number of compare signals for providing an error signal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2612994A
Cited
US3309667A
Cited
US3543007A
Cited
US3286233A
Cited
US3359405A
Cited
US3458688A
Cited
US3535682A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-07-02 | 1977-01-01 | 1977-07-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-07-02 | 1981-01-01 | 1981-07-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-07-02 | 1985-01-01 | 1985-07-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |