Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20080002853?dq=5,266,072
Timestamp: 2016-02-13 21:32:12
Document Index: 778697995

Matched Legal Cases: ['art) 31', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 31', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 31', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'Application No. 10', 'art 32', 'art 31', 'Application No. 6', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 32', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 32', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'art 33']

Patent US20080002853 - Two-dimensional code with a logo - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA two-dimensional code with a logo, wherein a two-dimensional code that represents information by means of a cell dot distribution pattern formed by having a plurality of cells colored and a logo mark visually representing characters are superimposed. In a preferred embodiment, at least a part of the...http://www.google.com/patents/US20080002853?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20080002853 - Two-dimensional code with a logoAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20080002853 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 11/787,956Publication dateJan 3, 2008Filing dateApr 18, 2007Priority dateApr 19, 2006Also published asCN101794405A, CN101794405B, EP1847945A2, EP1847945A3, EP2224373A2, EP2224373A3, US8144922, US8526670, US20120063676Publication number11787956, 787956, US 2008/0002853 A1, US 2008/002853 A1, US 20080002853 A1, US 20080002853A1, US 2008002853 A1, US 2008002853A1, US-A1-20080002853, US-A1-2008002853, US2008/0002853A1, US2008/002853A1, US20080002853 A1, US20080002853A1, US2008002853 A1, US2008002853A1InventorsMakoto Kawabe, Hidenobu Ozo, Ryusuke Saitou, Masahiro WatabeOriginal AssigneeA T Communications Co., Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (14), Referenced by (16), Classifications (7), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetTwo-dimensional code with a logo
DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0030] FIG. 1B is a plane diagram of the logo mark 3 and as clarified in FIG. 1B, the character C expressing, for example, the group name of the logo mark 3 has an outlined circular part (diagram part) 31 on a colored background and a letter part (M in this embodiment) 32 displayed in this circular part and in this invention as shown in FIG. 2, the two-dimensional code formed by the information pattern is superimposed (only a part of the two-dimensional code is shown) on this logo mark 3. In this embodiment the letter part 32 is the same color as the background part 33 outside of the circular part 31 in this logo mark 3, and the circular part 31 is outlined on the colored background. As shown in FIG. 1A, the cell 2 of the two-dimensional code 1 is color coded in black and white and the information pattern of the two-dimensional code is indicated in two colors. [0031] In the above-described embodiment, there is the drawback that the border of the letter part 32 and the circular part 31 is eroded by the hue (black: reference color) of the two-dimensional code cell 2 and the logo mark 3 has become difficult to see. [0032] FIG. 3 is the second embodiment according to this invention and as can be more clearly seen from this diagram, in this embodiment an outline along the border of at least the character C of the logo mark 3 has been set up. That is, the outlines 34 and 35 have been set up along the borders of the circular part 31 and the letter part 32 and the character C composed of the circular part 31 and the letter part 32 have come out in relief. Consequently, visibility to the naked eye has improved. [0033] In this embodiment, the white part represents the black color in the above-described first embodiment and represents the information pattern due to the above-mentioned white part (reference color). In this case, the above-mentioned a plurality of cells are divided into and colored by three or more colors and with one of them being the reference color the cell dots of the above-mentioned reference color represent the information pattern. That is, because of the white part (reference color) and the other colors the information is recorded in binary form. [0034] The information pattern becomes disorganized due to the above-described outline and even if there is approximately 30% damage in this type of two-dimensional code, because reading is possible (cf. Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 10-208001), there is no hindrance to reading of the two-dimensional code by means of the reader. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3B, even if the cell is color coded with a different color on the edge of the outline 34 or 35, the information pattern is expressed because of the reference white color part (reference color) so that it is possible to effectively read the digital information. [0035] As shown in FIG. 4, in the preferred embodiment according to this invention it is possible to set up a shadow 36 in a hue beside the white color. That is, it is possible to set up a shadow on a cell coated in a reference color adjacent to a cell coated with a hue beside the above-mentioned reference color. By setting up this type of shadow 36, it is possible to make a sharp contrast between the cell dot of the cell 2 beside the above-mentioned white color and the cell dot of the cell 2 of the white color and to be able to scan easily with a reader. [0036] FIG. 5 is a plane diagram of the third embodiment according to this invention and as clarified by this diagram, in the part with the exception of the letter part 32 in the circular part 31, the cell dots cannot be seen. The cells 2 of this part have been color coded by infrared absorbing ink (cf. Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 6-107985) and the cell dots formed in this manner. Because the above-mentioned infrared absorbing ink is transparent, with the exception of the letter part 32 and the background part 33, the cell dots cannot be seen. By using this type of infrared absorbing ink, it is difficult to see the cell dots in any part except the letter part 32 in the above-mentioned circular part 31. However, reading is possible with an infrared reader provided in devices such as a mobile phone and it is a simple matter to obtain digital information. [0037] FIG. 6 is a plane diagram of one aspect of the above-mentioned third embodiment and according to this embodiment the cell dots are printed with the above-described infrared absorbing ink on the letter part 32 and the background part 33 and the part with the exception of the letter part 32 in the above-mentioned circular part 31 is colored with the same color (for this case, when the color is white, the background part may not be displayed) and a structure is formed in which the cell dots are white. In the above-described embodiment there are times when the cells with the color that is the reference are basically all colored with the reference color but even for those cases when the above-mentioned cells are not colored with the basic color, it is possible to read the two-dimensional code. [0038] FIG. 8 is a plane diagram showing an embodiment of this invention when using the element shown in FIG. 7 as the two-dimensional code (using the element in FIG. 1B as the logo mark). This two-dimensional code is comprised of 4 mm square cells in 45�45 rows. [0039] As clarified by FIG. 8, in the above-mentioned logo mark 3, the letter part 32 and the background part 33 are the same color (in FIG. 8 they are black but other colors may also be used), the circular part 31 is colored in white and the white color is the reference color. Some of the cell dots D coloring the cells 2 are the diamond shaped cell dots Dr and do not completely color the square cells 2. That is, the colored area of the diamond shaped cell dots Dr is smaller than the area of the cells 2. This state is shown in pattern form in FIG. 9. As clearly shown in FIG. 9, the area of the cell dots Dr in this embodiment are � the area of the cells 2 (Fourth embodiment). [0040] The above-mentioned diamond shaped cell dots Dr in this embodiment are colored with black and white. As clarified in FIG. 8, because the letter part 32 and the background part 33 are colored in black, the diamond shaped cell dots Dr are colored in white (cf. the first row of FIG. 5) and because the circular part 31 is colored in white, the letter part 32 is colored in black (cf. the second row of FIG. 5). [0041] For this case, the part outside of the diamond shaped cell dots Dr in the cells 2 is colored with a different color (black or white) (cf FIG. 10). [0042] For the other cells 2 not colored with the diamond shapes as, for example, the cells 2 of the letter part 32 and the background part 33, the cells that are not to be colored in white become the cell dots D1 which are completely colored in black and the cells which are not to be colored with the black color of the circular part 31 become the cell dots D2 colored in white. As a result, the cell dots which can be seen as the two-dimensional code cell dots become only the diamond shaped cell dots Dr and the logo mark 3 is easy to discern. [0043] For the above-described two-dimensional code structure, FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a possible reading mechanism that can be scanned with a reader. The above-mentioned reader is a mechanism for scanning the center part DC (refer to the third cell) of the cell 2 and it can detect, for example, what the shape is that can be read. [0044] When the entire cell is colored in black as is the 4th cell in FIG. 10 and the reader recognizes it as, for example, 1 and when the entire cell is colored in white as in the 5th cell and is recognized as 0, even though, for example, the white diamond shaped cell dot Drw shown in the 1st cell 2 of FIG. 10 is different from the above-mentioned 5th cell and a value is taken that is recognized as being black to a certain degree as shown in the graph, the threshold value of the reader when lower than the above-mentioned value is recognized as 0 for white. Conversely, even though the diamond shaped black cell dot Drb shown in the 2nd cell 2 differs from the above-mentioned 4th cell and a value is taken that is recognized as being white to a certain degree as shown in the graph, the threshold value of the reader is higher than the above-mentioned value and it is recognized as 1 for black. [0045] Furthermore, because, as described above, the above-mentioned reader is a structure for scanning the center part DC (cf. the 3rd cell) in the cell 2, even if the area of the above-mentioned cell dot is, for example, one half of the diamond shape, the reader does not indicate the one half value and a value is taken that to a certain extent is high (a value recognized as black). [0046] Consequently, if a cell dot is formed around DC, the center of the cell 2, reading can be easily performed even if the area is small. When forming a cell dot around DC, the center of the cell 2 and it is 3% or more of the area of the cell 2, it can be easily scanned with the reader in a mobile phone. The area of the cell 2 preferably is 20% or more. [0047] Furthermore, in the two-dimensional code with the logo according to this invention the margin 4 as shown in FIG. 8 colored in white is set up outside of the two-dimensional code with the logo. When the width L of this margin 4 is less than 50% of the length of the width or height of the cell 2, scanning with the reader becomes difficult (it is the same in the embodiment below but it is omitted in the diagrams). [0048] FIG. 11 is a plane diagram of the 5th embodiment according to this invention. The two-dimensional code 1 of FIG. 7 is also used in this embodiment and the element of FIG. 1(b) is used as the logo mark 3. The cells in this embodiment have the same dimensions and the same cell number as the above-described embodiments. [0049] This embodiment has circular cell dots Dc. These circular cell dots DC are circles inscribed in the square cells 2 and do not completely color the cells 2. Even in this embodiment the letter part 32 and the background part 33 are formed with the same color and the circular part 31 is formed in white. [0050] The remaining cell part outside of the color of the circular cell dots Dc in a similar manner in this embodiment is colored with a different color. According to the above-mentioned FIG. 11, the letter part 32 and the background part 33 are colored in black and the circular cell dots Dc of these parts are colored in white and the remaining cell parts are colored in black. In this embodiment, the circular part 31 is white as described above but the cell dot Df is indefinite shaped and is colored other than by white or black. Even for a color other than black, when the value is larger than the above-mentioned threshold value as in the 6th cell of FIG. 9, it is recognized as 1 and there is no obstacle to transmitting the information of the two-dimensional code. Consequently, in the above-described 1th embodiment and in this embodiment, even if the letter part 32 and the background part 33 which are in black are colored with a hue other than black, it is clear that there is no obstacle to transmitting information. [0051] In the above-describe 1th and 2nd embodiments, circular and diamond shaped cell dots are used but it is clearly possible to effectively use other geometric shapes with the cells such as, for example, squares or hexagons or other similar shapes. [0052] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating in pattern form the above-mentioned indefinite shaped cell dots Df and when desiring to have cell information indicated by oblique lines expressed in the two-dimensional code, conventionally the cell numbers (indicating the width-height numbers) 4-2, 5-2, 2-3, 3-3, 4-3 and 5-3 would be colored in black and the others colored in white. However, in this embodiment, the cell dot Df is formed indicated by a heavy line and the colors the inside of the cell dot Df is colored with the prescribed color. For instance, just because the cell with the cell number 4-2 is not completely surrounded with the heavy line of the cell dot Df, this does not mean that the complete cell is colored. However, because most of the central portion in the center is colored, the color information 1 is indicated. Because, in cell 4-1, part is enclosed with the heavy line of the cell dot Df, that part is colored but because the central portion of the cell is white in the center, as clearly explained in FIGS. 9 and 10, 0 as the information is indicated. Consequently, even with this type of indefinite shaped cell dot Df, the information of the two-dimensional code becomes readable. [0053] FIG. 13 is the 6th embodiment of this invention and the same two-dimensional code as in FIG. 7 and the same logo mark as indicated in FIG. 1(b) are used. The dimensions and number of cells are the same as in the above-described 1st and 2nd embodiments. According to this embodiment, the cell dots Df make up various indefinite shapes and the cells outside of the white color are formed only with the indefinite cell dots Df explained in FIG. 12 (as a result, the white cell dots may be also indefinitely shaped). This type of two-dimensional code with a logo also presents no problem and can be read by a mobile phone. [0054] In fact, in embodiments 4 through 6, when the parts expressed in black in the diagrams are blue and in embodiments 5 and 6 the other colored parts are ocher, they were readable by a reader in mobile phones. [0055] In the above-described embodiments 4 through 6 of this invention, an outline on the border of the character C of the above-mentioned logo mark may be set up and in their preferable aspects, the cells that the above-mentioned outline passes through have the border of the above-mentioned outline color coded on the edge. Furthermore, a plurality of cells forming the information pattern may be colored by three or more colors with one of them taken as the reference color and the cell dots of the above-mentioned reference color may also represent the information pattern. In this aspect, it is preferable for the reference color representing the information pattern to be white. [0056] In the above-described embodiments 4 through 6 of this invention, shadows may be set up in the cells coated with the above-mentioned reference color adjacent to the cells coated with a hue other than the reference color. 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