Abstract: A method of decoding a plurality of glyphs comprising the steps of scanning a group of glyphs to form image data for expected glyph locations, assigning for each location a first value indicative of the likelihood that location contains a glyph in a first state, assigning for each location a second value indicative of the likelihood that location contains a glyph in a second state, determining the difference between the first and second values for each potential glyph location, establishing a distribution analysis of the determined differences and using that distribution analysis at least in part to control decoding of the plurality of glyphs.

Abstract: An angular orientation of a lattice image pattern is found by forming a composite image of superimposed portions of a lattice image by aligning centroids of a lattice element in each portion, and determining a lattice axis from a line fit through centroids of lattice elements in the composite image. The composite image is formed by selecting a seed pixel, finding a local minimum near the seed pixel and then finding a centroid based on the local minimum. From the centroid, it is determined whether the glyph centroid has sufficient contrast to be included in the composite image. The composite image is formed by superimposing subsamples of the lattice image based on glyph centroids. The composite image is then analyzed to determine a lattice axis through centroids in the composite image, and determining a quadrant image based on the lattice axis.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for encoding and decoding a document containing machine-readable code overlaid by human-readable content such that the code and the human-readable content are both discernable. In operation, a background image is generated, wherein the background image comprises coded glyphtone cells based on grayscale image data values, each of the halftone cells comprising one of at least two distinguishable patterns. The background image is overlaid with a second image such that some visible glyphtone cells may be decoded and the second image may be viewed. Finally, the decoded information enables comparison of aspects of the second image with a predetermined nominal reference.

Abstract: An image capture user interface receives an image of an area of a user interface selected by a user and translates the image into operations performable by a computer. The user interface is comprised of graphic entities and embedded code. The user places an image capture device, such as a camera pen, on or near a graphic entity of the user interface, and presses a button on the image capture device indicating selection of the graphic entity. In response to the button, an image is captured that corresponds to the graphic entity selected by the user. The image includes embedded code, which is analyzed to develop an image capture code corresponding to the captured image area. The image capture code is then mapped to a selection code corresponding to the graphic entity selected by the user. The user may then make other selections.

Abstract: A system and method for generating information based on decoded embedded data from a substrate is implemented by reading embedded data from a substrate, decoding the embedded data to determine registration of the substrate relative to a reference in an apparatus, and developing and presenting human-sensible information based on the registration information. In one embodiment, the human-sensible information is visual information registered with the substrate. The human-sensible information may also comprise, for example, tactile, audible, or other sensory information.

Abstract: A viewport lens displays registered information registered using embedded data. An image capture device captures an image from the substrate that includes embedded data. The embedded data in the captured image is decoded to create information regarding the substrate, such as location, orientation, or a label. Based on the information regarding the substrate, information is generated that is registered with the substrate. In one embodiment, the information is registered with the substrate by optically combining the generated information with substrate information in a viewport lens.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for generating and distributing multilingual documents. The multilingual documents are comprised of primary information consisting of human-readable text and secondary information consisting of machine-readable data such that a translation of the text is accomplished by converting the human-readable text into a second language through the use of the decoded machine-readable data. The machine-readable data is comprised of a code that describes a set of editing operations that can be applied to the human-readable text to convert it into at least a second language. In a preferred embodiment, the machine-readable data is embedded in the image using an unobtrusive code on the document such as Xerox DATAGLYPH codes.

Abstract: An embedded data code comprises periodic tiles having occlusions. In one embodiment, each tile is comprised of glyphs encoding a first code system. The occlusions are comprised of information, such as glyphs encoding a second code system, graphics, or text. The occlusions may occur periodically in each tile. A reading device may be used to capture an image of a portion of the substrate that includes a tile. A processor then analyzes the image to determine the tile code pattern and decode the tiled code.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide a user interface for data processing systems wherein occlusion glyph code tilings are used to facilitate the accurate extraction of user selection information from a substrate while presenting user interface graphics to the user. The tiled code system in the present invention is comprised of tiles, with tiled code regions and occlusion regions. In one embodiment, a first tiled code system facilitates robust decoding of the substrate with a suitable image capture. The occlusions are comprised of user interface graphics for user selection and information, such as glyphs encoding a second code system. The occlusion regions occur periodically in each tile. The tiled code pattern can be used to implement a graphical user interface. A user uses a selection device to capture an image of a portion of the substrate that includes portions of tiled codes to complete a tile.

Abstract: A method is provided for encoding two-dimensional frame codes comprising the steps of establishing first and second line bit sequences, determining an exclusive OR (XOR) logic value of the first and second code lines to obtain a two-dimensional matrix of XOR logic values and determining the two-dimensional frame codes using the matrix of XOR logic values.

Abstract: A user interface is implemented using visual indicia and a background for the visual indicia that encodes address information. The background appears visually as a stipple pattern, but is implemented using glyphs which form an address carpet that encodes address information uniquely identifying each location of the user interface. An image capture device is used to capture an area of the address carpet that is at or near visual indicia of interest to the user while selecting a location in the visual indicia. The image capture device captures the area of interest, and transmits the image area to a computer for processing. The computer first determines the proper orientation of the image, and then decodes the information encoded by the glyphs. The decoding results in an X, Y address identifying the location of the captured area in the address carpet and, by reference, the address of the selected location. Based on the address, the computer may perform an operation associated with the area.

Abstract: A camera pen is made from a pen-like housing contains a camera and has a button for sending a signal to a computer which directs the camera to capture an image. The pen-like housing includes landing gear on one end. The landing gear has an opening which forms a flat surface that is angled such that when a user places the camera pen on a surface, the angle at which the pen rests on the surface is ergonomically comfortable for the user. Furthermore, the camera is oriented toward the opening so that when the user presses the button indicating a desire to capture an image, the camera captures the image in the opening. By combining a camera with a pen-like device, the user can comfortably capture image information from a surface.

Abstract: A machine-readable record is provided for storing encoded information comprising a record medium, data glyphs written on the media in a two-dimensional array and a sync code interleaved with the data code with the sync code occupying every MAth and MBth glyph position in the X and Y directions, with MA and MB each being integers greater than 1, such that there is a multiple utility of glyphs of the sync code as common parts of first and second code sequences.

Abstract: A captured image includes a portion of a set of two-dimensional address codes. The portion of address codes can be decoded to determine a discrete pointer uniquely defining the portion. The captured image is first processed to determine the orientation of the portion, and then decoded based on the orientation to determine the discrete pointer. To determine the orientation of the portion, the portion is first analyzed to determine values at discrete locations within the portion. The values at each location form a matrix of binary data. The values of the matrix are then correlated to determine an orientation of the captured portion of two dimensional address codes. After determining the orientation of the portion, the values can be further analyzed to determine a discrete pointer that identifies the location of the portion within the address space defined by the two-dimensional address codes.

Abstract: An optically readable record for storing encoded information comprises (1) a recording medium, (2) a self-clocking data code for encoding the information, with this data code being composed of glyphs that are written in a two dimensional code field on the recording medium on centers that are spatially distributed in nominal accordance with a predetermined spatial formatting rule. The glyphs are defined by respective symbols that are selected from a finite set of optically discriminable symbols to encode the information. Further, there is at least one additional glyph pattern that is written on the recording medium in nominal accordance with the aforementioned spatial formatting rule, with this additional code pattern being discriminable from the data code and being selected to disambiguate data codes that are rotated and/or reflected.

Abstract: This invention provides self-clocking glyph shape codes for encoding digital data in the shapes of glyphs that are suitable for printing on hardcopy recording media. Advantageously, the glyphs are selected so that they tend not to degrade into each other when they are degraded and/or distorted as a result, for example, of being photocopied, transmitted via facsimile, and/or scanned-in to an electronic document processing system. Moreover, for at least some applications, the glyphs desirably are composed of printed pixel patterns containing nearly the same number of ON pixels and nearly the same number of OFF pixels, such that the code that is rendered by printing such glyphs on substantially uniformly spaced centers appears to have a generally uniform texture. In the case of codes printed at higher spatial densities, this texture is likely to be perceived as a generally uniform gray tone.

Abstract: To facilitate the recovery data from an embedded data pattern through the use of a appropriately sized capture window that is randomly positioned within the data pattern, the embedded data pattern is composed of a plurality of identical, one dimensionally or two dimensionally regularly tiled embedded data blocks which contain sufficient spatial addressing information to permit the logical reconstruction of a complete data block from any set of fragments that collectively provide a full cover for the surface area of any one tile. To this end, the capture window is sized to include a shape which is completely registered with the data pattern in which is capable of tiling the recording medium in accordance with the tiling vectors.

Abstract: A self-clocking glyph code is provided for encoding n-bit long digital values (where n>1) in a logically ordered sequence of composite glyphs that are written, printed, or otherwise recorded on a hardcopy recording medium in accordance with a predetermined spatial formatting rule. As used herein, a "composite glyph" is a graphical symbol that has a plurality of predefined, substantially orthogonal, graphical characteristics; each of which is capable of assuming any one of a plurality of predefined graphical states. An n-bit long digital value is distributively encoded in a glyph of this type by decomposing its n-bits, prior to or during the encoding, into a plurality of shorter, ordered, non-overlapping bit strings. The digital values of these bit strings, in turn, are encoded in the states of respective graphical characteristics of the composite glyph in a predetermined logical order, thereby preserving the logical ordering of the bit strings.

Abstract: An acquired (e.g., scanned) image contains an imperceptible periodic signal component (e.g., a sinusoid), decoding of which can be used to automatically determine a linear geometric relationship between the acquired image and the original image in which the signal was embedded, without having the original image available during the decoding process. This known geometric relationship allows for linear geometric properties of the acquired image, such as alignment and scaling, to be automatically matched with those of the original image so that the acquired image may be automatically oriented and scaled to the size of the original image. The embedded periodic signals produce a distinct pattern of local peak power concentrations in a spatial frequency amplitude spectrum of the acquired image.

Abstract: Embedded data blocks, such as block formatted glyph code patterns, are dimensionally characterized by address codes. The address codes may be spatially encoded as sync glyphs embedded in a glyph pattern including data glyphs. The encoded glyph pattern is read to recover the distributed dimensional labeling information for the embedded data blocks from the embedded sync glyphs. The encoded glyph pattern may be represented by slash-like symbols that appear gray under normal viewing.