PACKAGING FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS WITH VISIBILITY CODE, SYSTEM COMPRISING THE PACKAGING, AND METHOD FOR FRAME A VISIBILITY CODE - Patent application

Abstract

The present invention relates to a packaging (2) for a consumer product (1), the packaging (2) being provided with a first visible code (Q1), associated with a first maximum reading distance (L1) and a first information density (D1) of a camera (CA), and including a second visible code (Q2) having a second maximum reading distance (L2) and a second information density (D2) of the camera (CA), where the first maximum distance (L1) is less than the second maximum distance (L2) and the first information density (D1) is greater than the second information density (D2). The present invention also relates to a system including the packaging (2) and the camera (CA) and a method of using the system.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to packaging for consumer products that are supplied with codes containing information related to the product, in particular codes that have a high information density or are difficult to read and require minimal focusing by an optical device to read or scan. [Background technology]

[0002] Consumer products are known that include a housing, the housing being provided with a first visible code, the first visible code being associated with a first maximum reading distance of a camera and a first information density, in other words, for a given camera with a given degree of focus, the camera needs to be positioned no more than a given distance from the code to be able to extract information contained in the code.

[0003] Thus, if a user is near a supermarket shelf and wants to obtain information about an item displayed on the shelf, the user must first find the code containing the information and then focus his or her camera on it so that the content can be obtained.

[0004] However, if the person is visually impaired, or simply cannot see, it may be difficult or impossible to find the code, even when holding the item in their hands.

[0005] The present invention proposes a solution to this serious drawback.

[0006] A consumer product is understood herein as any physical product that can be obtained by a consumer and that can be displayed or stored, especially in a store, on a shelf, display case or counter. Consumer products therefore include, inter alia, food products, drug store products, personal hygiene products or medicines, and generally any product that has a visible surface that can support a printed code or a code attached by adhesive. In that sense, consumer products can also include clothing, leisure products, sporting goods, etc.

[0007] US Patent No. 5,399,633 discloses a consumer product package that includes two visible codes having different information densities. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 2013037619A1 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to overcome the drawbacks of the state of the art, a first aspect of the invention proposes a packaging for a consumer product, the outer packaging comprising a first visible code, associated with a first maximum reading distance of the camera and a first information density, and a second visible code having a second maximum reading distance of the camera and a second information density, wherein: the first maximum distance is less than the second maximum distance; and The first information density is greater than the second information density.

[0010] Thus, a product has a visible code that can be seen from a long distance, which contains information about the location of other codes, but which cannot be seen from a long distance because the other codes contain much more information than the second code. Once the device has the information to find the first code, it can focus on the first code by focusing with the same camera or by using another camera with a longer range and narrower field of view.

[0011] The first code, which contains relevant information about the product itself, can be of many types.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first visible code is a QR code, a DataMatrix code, or a barcode.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first visible code is a date.

[0014] In some embodiments, the second visible code is a multi-color code.

[0015] In some embodiments, the second visible code is a long range code.

[0016] In some embodiments, the second visible code is a square matrix bounded by one or two frames.

[0017] In some embodiments, one of the frames is black.

[0018] The invention also relates to a system including a product according to any of the preceding variants and a camera.

[0019] In some embodiments of the system, the device comprises the steps of: a) positioning a camera at a distance greater than the first maximum distance and less than the second maximum distance to detect and read a second visible code; b) extracting from the second visible code information regarding the relative position of the first visible code with respect to the second visible code; c) framing the image area in which the first visible code is located based on the above information.

[0020] In some embodiments of the system, step c) is performed by focusing on an image area in which the first visible code is located.

[0021] In some embodiments of the system, the device is configured to perform the additional step of extracting information contained in the first visible code based on the framing.

[0022] In some embodiments of the system, the device is configured to perform a subsequent step consisting of displaying a magnified image of the first visible code on a screen.

[0023] Finally, in some embodiments of the system, the first code and the second code are arranged in a plane oblique to the line of sight of the camera and the device is configured, after step b), to obtain information about the orientation of the second code and to infer a transformation that turns the image of the second code into a vertical representation (perpendicular to the line of sight of the camera) and, after step c), to apply the same transformation (OV) to the image of the first visible code (Q1).

[0024] The different aspects and embodiments of the invention defined above may be combined together, provided they are mutually compatible.

[0025] Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and are particularly pointed out in the appended claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] As a supplement to the description, and for the purpose of helping to make the features of the present invention more readily comprehensible, in accordance with actual exemplary embodiments of the invention, the foregoing description is accompanied by a series of figures which, by way of example and not by way of limitation, show: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a consumer product according to the present invention, in which the first code is a QR code. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a consumer product according to the present invention, where the first code is a bar code. [Diagram 3] 1 shows a consumer product according to the present invention, in this case a bottle, where the first code is a date. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a system according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 shows how the camera sees the code when the camera is at a distance from the product. [Figure 6] 13A-13C show how the camera sees the code when it is closer to the product or focused on the code containing information. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 illustrates how the camera sees the code. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates a system of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 illustrates a method for implementing the second code. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a low density cord. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a low density cord. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a low density cord. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 shows a possible embodiment of the product according to the invention, where the codes Q1 and Q2 can also be placed on different parts of the product. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 illustrates how a camera views a code placed on a horizontal surface. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a system according to the present invention, shown in a configuration in which the code is disposed on the top surface of the product. [Figure 16]FIG. 2 shows the transformation carried out in the reading device when the reading device detects that a second code, visible from a distance, is focused at an angle. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 shows the transformation carried out in the reading device when the reading device detects that a second code, visible from a distance, is focused at an angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] In describing possible preferred embodiments of the present invention, numerous details need to be provided in order to provide a better understanding of the present invention. Nevertheless, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. On the other hand, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the present invention relates to a package 2 for a consumer product 1, the package 2 being provided with a first visible code Q1, associated with a first maximum reading distance L1 of a camera CA and a first information density D1, comprising a second visible code Q2 having a second maximum reading distance L2 of the camera CA and a second information density D2, where: The first maximum distance L1 is less than the second maximum distance L2, and The first information density D1 is characterized by being higher than the second information density D2.

[0029] In all embodiments, each pair of first and second codes Q1 and Q2 are arranged adjacent to each other in the same plane, and multiple pairs of first and second codes Q1 and Q2 may coexist on the same product, so that the product may be arranged in different ways and still be able to identify its position.

[0030] The first visible code Q1 is for example a QR code as shown in FIG. 1, or a DataMatrix code, a MaxiCode, a PDF417 code, an Aztec code, or a barcode as shown in FIG.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the application of the present invention can also be applied when the first visible code Q1 is text, such as date.

[0032] The first code Q1 and the second code Q2 may be located on top of the product, or may be present together on various surfaces of the product in different orientations, as shown in Figure 13. As will be explained below, this involves an additional step in the method according to the invention.

[0033] As shown in figure 9, the second visible code Q2 is preferably a multicolour code, comprising a square matrix Q21 bounded by one or two frames Q22, the pixels of which are preferably cyan, magenta, yellow or black, in particular one of the frames Q22 being a light-coloured frame and another one being a dark-coloured frame.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 or FIG. 8, the invention further relates to a system comprising a packaging 2 for a product 1 according to any of the previous embodiments and a camera CA.

[0035] Figures 4 and 5 show how the system works. First, a user points the camera of his mobile phone TM at a sector where the code of the consumer product 1 may be located. The figures show, in a schematic way, that the camera CA has a wide field of view and at a distance L2 it can detect a code Q2 that has a low information density but can be detected from a distance. At the distance L2, as shown in Figure 5, the camera cannot identify Q1, because the first maximum distance L1 is shorter than the second maximum distance L2.

[0036] Thus, the system comprises the following steps: a) positioning a camera CA at a distance greater than a first maximum distance L1 and less than a second maximum distance L2 to detect and read a second visible code Q2; b) extracting from the second visible code Q2 information regarding the relative position of the first visible code Q1 with respect to the second visible code Q2; c) based on the above information, framing the image area in which the first visible code Q1 is located.

[0037] From that moment on, the system, based on the framing, can extract the information contained in the first visible code Q1, which can be stored and processed by the device TM itself or transmitted to the user by voice message.

[0038] According to another embodiment of the system, the device is able to display a magnified image of the first visible code Q1 on the screen, so that the device acts as a smart magnifier, i.e. only relevant information, e.g. the date, is displayed statically on the screen, allowing the user to see the date in an appropriate magnified view.

[0039] According to another embodiment of the system, it is envisaged to apply the concept of the invention to a product as shown in Fig. 13, in which the first code Q1 and the second code Q2 are arranged in a plane oblique to the line of sight of the camera CA, meaning that the direction perpendicular to the plane forms a non-zero angle with the optical axis of the camera.

[0040] In this case, as illustrated by figures 14 to 17, the camera "will see" the code as shown in figure 14. In this case, both the maximum reading distances L1 and L2 are shorter, but the distance L2 corresponding to the second code Q2 is still longer. As can be seen from these figures, the acquired oblique image also makes it possible to know what the transformation applied to the first code Q1 is and to extract information about the product 1 from this code. In other words, the image of the second code not only makes it possible to locate and focus the first code Q1, but also to know its orientation, since they are both located next to each other in the same plane.

[0041] Therefore, preferably, after step b), information regarding the orientation of the second code Q2 is obtained and a transformation OV is inferred that transforms the image of the second code Q2 into a vertical representation (perpendicular to the camera's line of sight), and then, after step c), it is assumed that the same transformation OV is applied to the image of the first visible code Q1.

[0042] In view of this description and the figures, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although the present invention has been described according to certain preferred embodiments thereof, a number of modifications can be introduced into the above preferred embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

[0043] In this text, the term "comprise(s)" and its derivatives (such as "comprising") should not be understood in an exclusive sense, i.e., these terms should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility that what is described and defined may include further elements, steps, etc.

Claims

1. A packaging (2) for a consumer product (1), said packaging (2) being provided with a first visible code (Q1) associated with a first maximum reading distance (L1) of a camera (CA) and a first information density (D1), said first visible code (Q1) comprising a second visible code (Q2) having a second maximum reading distance (L2) of said camera (CA) and a second information density (D2), wherein: the first maximum distance (L1) is less than the second maximum distance (L2); A packaging (2), characterized in that said first information density (D1) is higher than said second information density (D2).

2. 2. The packaging (2) according to claim 1, wherein the first visible code (Q1) is a high density code, such as a QR code, a DataMatrix code, a barcode, a MaxiCode, a PDF417 code, or an Aztec code.

3. 2. The packaging (2) according to claim 1, wherein said first visible code (Q1) is a date.

4. The packaging (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second visible code (Q2) is a long-range code, such as an ArUCo code, AprilTag, ARTag, ARTToolKit or ddTags.

5. 5. The packaging (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first cord (Q1) and the second cord (Q2) are arranged adjacent to each other in the same plane, and multiple pairs of the first cord (Q1) and the second cord (Q2) can be present together on the product (1).

6. A system comprising a package (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a camera (CA).

7. The device (TM) a) positioning said camera (CA) at a distance greater than said first maximum distance (L1) and less than said second maximum distance (L2) to detect and read said second visible code (Q2); b) extracting from said second visible code (Q2) information regarding the relative position of said first visible code (Q1) with respect to said second visible code (Q2); c) framing, based on said information, an image area in which said first visible code (Q1) is located; The system of claim 6 , configured to execute:

8. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein step c) is performed by focusing on the image area in which the first visible code (Q1) is located.

9. 9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising the step: d) extracting information contained in said first visible code (Q1) based on said framing.

10. 9. A system according to claim 7 or 8, comprising a subsequent step consisting of displaying an enlarged image of said first visible code (Q1) on a screen.

11. 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the first code (Q1) and the second code (Q2) are arranged in a plane oblique to the line of sight of the camera (CA), and the device (TM) is configured to obtain, after step b), information about the orientation of the second code (Q2) and to infer a transformation (OV) that turns the image of the second code (Q2) into a vertical representation, and to apply, after step c), the same transformation (OV) to the image of the first visible code (Q1).

12. A method for framing a visible code (Q1), said visible code (Q1) being placed on a package (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and a device (TM) equipped with a camera (CA) is used, comprising the following steps: a) positioning said camera (CA) at a distance greater than said first maximum distance (L1) and less than said second maximum distance (L2) to detect and read said second visible code (Q2); b) extracting from said second visible code (Q2) information regarding the relative position of said first visible code (Q1) with respect to said second visible code (Q2); c) based on said information, a step of framing an image area in which said first visible code (Q1) is located is carried out; method.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein step c) is performed by focusing on the image area in which the first visible code (Q1) is located.

14. 14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of: d) extracting information contained in said first visible code (Q1) based on said framing.

15. 14. A method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising a subsequent step consisting of displaying an enlarged image of said first visible code (Q1) on a screen.

16. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first code (Q1) and the second code (Q2) are arranged in a plane oblique to the line of sight of the camera (CA), and after step b) information about the orientation of the second code (Q2) is obtained and a transformation (OV) that turns the image of the second code (Q2) into a vertical representation is inferred, and after step c) said same transformation (OV) is applied to the image of the first visible code (Q1).

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