Invisible Redundant Encoding in Printed Documents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for encoding digital information in printed documents are either highly visible, altering the document's appearance or impractical due to equipment costs, and fail to maintain data integrity when the document is damaged or altered.
Innovation Solution
A digital printing system that redundantly encodes image data on a hardcopy document, using a substantially invisible representation of the original image, allowing for its recovery by digitally capturing and processing the document without altering its visual appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If glyphs are used to encode digital information in printed documents, then data can be stored and recovered, but the encoded information becomes highly visible and detracts from the visual appearance of the document
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color matching between the encoded image and background to make the encoded information invisible to the human eye while remaining detectable by scanners. The encoded image is printed in colors that blend with the background, creating a visual camouflage effect that preserves document appearance while enabling data recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the luminance parameter of the encoded image to match the background luminance, making the encoded data imperceptible to human vision. By adjusting the luminance values of the encoded image pixels to correspond with the background luminance, the system achieves invisible encoding while maintaining data integrity.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If magnetic inks or gloss marks are used to encode information with less visibility, then visual appearance is preserved, but the equipment costs required to capture the data become impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive specialized materials like magnetic inks and gloss marks with standard color printing technology. By using conventional printing supplies and standard scanner equipment, the system achieves invisible encoding without requiring costly specialized capture devices, making the technology economically viable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes specialized magnetic or optical capture equipment with standard digital scanning technology. The encoded information is captured using conventional scanners that are already widely available, eliminating the need for expensive specialized hardware while maintaining the ability to recover encoded data.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the original image is printed on a hardcopy document, then the document can be distributed and archived, but the image cannot be recovered if the document is damaged or altered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds a redundant encoded copy of the original image within the document itself before distribution. This preliminary encoding ensures that if the original image is damaged or altered, the encoded copy can be recovered and used to restore the original content, guaranteeing data integrity throughout the document's archival life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables recovery of the original image from the encoded copy even when the visible portion of the document is damaged or altered. The encoded image serves as a recoverable backup that can be extracted and used to restore lost or corrupted information, ensuring long-term data reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A printed image can be redundantly encoded by printing a visible image using a colorant with a luminance that contrasts with that of the output sheet and printing a redundant image using a colorant with a luminance that varies only slightly from that of the output sheet. Accordingly, the visible image can be easily read by a user while the redundant image is substantially invisible to the human eye at normal-reading distances, yet capable of being captured by a conventional digital scanner. In one aspect, redundantly encoded images may be printed on a white background, with visible images printed in black text and redundant images printed in blue in content regions of the visible image and in yellow in its background regions.