Product Label Layout for Barcode and Digital Watermark Readability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The accuracy of barcode reading is compromised when a digital watermark overlaps with a barcode on a product label, leading to reduced readability.
Innovation Solution
A label issuing apparatus that arranges the barcode and digital watermark at different positions on the product label, ensuring they do not overlap, and optionally surrounds the barcode with the digital watermark, thereby maintaining contrast and improving readability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a digital watermark is printed on the product label to improve reading accuracy when the barcode is damaged, then the reliability of information retrieval is improved, but the barcode reading accuracy deteriorates when the digital watermark overlaps with the barcode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the product label into multiple regions and places the barcode and digital watermark in separate, non-overlapping areas. This spatial segmentation ensures that both the barcode and digital watermark can be read independently without interference, resolving the contradiction between reliability improvement through watermarking and barcode reading accuracy maintenance.
2Reliability
If both a barcode and a digital watermark are printed on one product label to provide redundant information, then the reliability of information retrieval is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal layout template that can accommodate both barcode and digital watermark printing in a standardized manner. This multi-functional design approach allows the same label structure to serve both identification (barcode) and verification (digital watermark) purposes without requiring separate label designs, thus managing complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
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Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A label issuing apparatus includes: a storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of product information regarding a product; a print control unit that generates print data defining that a barcode, in which at least one piece of the product information stored in the storage unit is encoded, and a digital watermark, in which at least one piece of the product information encoded as the barcode is embedded, are arranged on one product label and the barcode and the digital watermark are arranged at different positions on the one product label; and a label issuing unit that issues the product label on which the barcode and the digital watermark are displayed at different positions by printing information based on the print data on a label.