Patent ID: 8925796
Filing Date: 2015-01-06
Classification: G06K,G09F

Abstract:
1. An article characterized in that the article has a visual code wherein a symbol arrangement pattern, which comprises a single symbol pattern or a plurality of symbol patterns that indicate a message that can be visually recognized by a human, is formed by selecting one or more than one region from among a plurality of regions arranged like a grid in a two-dimensional space, and placing a pattern element with a predetermined shape in each of the selected regions; each of the regions where the pattern element is placed so as to form the symbol arrangement pattern among the plurality of regions in the two-dimensional space indicates ON; each of the regions where the pattern element is not placed so as to form the symbol arrangement pattern among the plurality of regions in the two-dimensional space indicates OFF; and linked information that is different from the message is linked to binary information that is specified by the regions indicating ON and the regions indicating OFF, corresponds to the symbol arrangement pattern, and can be recognized by an apparatus with an optical reading function, and wherein a guide pattern, which enables a reading apparatus to correct a misalignment between the reading apparatus and the visual code, or enables the reading apparatus to recognize a reading direction of the visual code, when the reading apparatus reads the visual code, is placed in the two-dimensional space where the visual code is formed.