Abstract: A system and method for maintaining identification and traceability about the provenance of finished products that come from selected individual plants through said plant's life cycle, by using the individualized identification data over a period of time, events and processes in order to maintain correlation of individual plants to specific by-products in regard to traits or characteristics of those selected plants.

Abstract: A unique identifier and Authentication System is created to Authenticate to interested parties the BRAND “SOURCE” of: articles (such as clothing, accessories, jewels, fragrances, manufactures, etc.); of authorized dealers for such articles (wholesalers, retailers, etc.); of authorized service entities for such articles: and for the like; of the BRAND “SOURCE” which the provider of the article desires to authenticate its Brand source to the party acquiring the article(s) to substantiate to that acquiring party that they are receiving a genuine article and/or dealing with a “SOURCE” authorized entity. The Authentication System accommodates not only camera enabled imagers and hard wiring but also camera enabled smart phones and internet communications. In addition to responding, in real time, to Authentication Inquiries the system establishes a communication link between the “SOURCE” and the inquirer for marketing and other APP like matters.

Abstract: Persons and/or business entities (inquirers), interested in acquiring a BRANDED article, or availing themselves of a BRANDED service, upon seeing IDENTIFIER 110 with BRAND 120 of authenticator 54, as carried by the article or its packaging or associated with a service, are enabled to recognize that the BRAND SOURCE of such article(s) or service is authenticatable and the article trackable. By imaging the unique encoded symbology 112, carried by IDENTIFIER 110, and transmitting the image, and/or its decode, to administrator 54 authentication of the BRAND SOURCE and tracking of the article may be accomplished. Authenticator 54, upon receipt of the image, and/or decode, of the encoded symbology 112 carried by the article or service, may query authenticator data base 58 (FIG. 1) and seek a match, from data previously stored in data base 58 for stored data corresponding to the so received decode of the specific encoded symbology carried by the article or service.

Abstract: A unique identifier is created for each article (clothing, accessories, jewels, fragrances, manufactures, etc.) for which the provider of the article desires to authenticate its Brand source to the party acquiring the article to substantiate to that acquiring party that they are receiving a genuine article. The unique identifier is so provided from a secure third party that also stores the unique identifier, possibly with other historical information, in a secure data base accessible only by authorized parties. The unique identifier may be provided on tags to be carried by the respective article or it may be applied directly to the article as by direct part marking from the material of the article and when so provided it includes a brand source identifier of the party providing the unique identifier as an additional protective measure.

Abstract: A unique identifier and Authentication System is created to Authenticate to interested parties the BRAND “SOURCE” of: articles (such as clothing, accessories, jewels, fragrances, manufactures, etc.); of authorized dealers for such articles (wholesalers, retailers, etc.); of authorized service entities for such articles: and for the like; of the BRAND “SOURCE” which the provider of the article desires to authenticate its Brand source to the party acquiring the article(s) to substantiate to that acquiring party that they are receiving a genuine article and/or dealing with a “SOURCE” authorized entity. The Authentication System accommodates not only camera enabled imagers and hard wiring but also camera enabled smart phones and internet communications. In addition to responding, in real time, to Authentication Inquiries the system establishes a communication link between the “SOURCE” and the inquirer for marketing and other APP like matters.

Abstract: A unique identifier is created for each article (clothing, accessories, jewels, fragrances, manufactures, etc.) for which the provider of the article desires to authenticate its Brand source to the party acquiring the article to substantiate to that acquiring party that they are receiving a genuine article. The unique identifier is so provided from a secure third party that also stores the unique identifier, possibly with other historical information, in a secure data base accessible only by authorized parties. The unique identifier may be provided on tags to be carried by the respective article or it may be applied directly to the article as by direct part marking from the material of the article and when so provided it includes a brand source identifier of the party providing the unique identifier as an additional protective measure.

Abstract: A unique identifier is created for each article (clothing, accessories, jewels, fragrances, manufactures, etc.) for which the provider of the article desires to authenticate its Brand source to the party acquiring the article to substantiate to that acquiring party that they are receiving a genuine article. The unique identifier is so provided from a secure third party that also stores the unique identifier, possibly with other historical information, in a secure data base accessable only by authorized parties. The unique identifier may be provided on tags to be carried by the respective article or it may be applied directly to the article as by direct part marking from the material of the article and when so provided it includes a brand source identifier of the party providing the unique identifier as an additional protective measure. The unique identifier furthermore may be provided as an encoded, imageable symbology such as a “Data Matrix”.

Abstract: A unique identifier is created for each article (clothing, accessories, jewels, fragrances, manufactures, etc.) for which the provider of the article desires to authenticate its Brand source to the party acquiring the article to substantiate to that acquiring party that they are receiving a genuine article. The unique identifier is so provided from a secure third party that also stores the unique identifier, possibly with other historical information, in a secure data base accessable only by authorized parties. The unique identifier may be provided on tags to be carried by the respective article or it may be applied directly to the article as by direct part marking from the material of the article and when so provided it includes a brand source identifier of the party providing the unique identifier as an additional protective measure. The unique identifier furthermore may be provided as an encoded, imageable symbology such as a “Data Matrix”.

Abstract: A segmentation method and system for detecting intercharacter boundaries for a digital representation of a string of two or more characters extending in a first (X) direction. The digital representation has the form of an m x n array of bits, each being representative of a characteristic (such as optical reflectivity) of a correspondingly positioned picture element (pixel) in an image of the string of characters. A serpentine processor determines a succession of values of interest per swath in the array. A decision network processes the succession of values determined by the serpentine processor to identify a nominal boundary where segmentation is to occur. A separation processor performs the segmentation by associating the various bits representative of black pixels near the nominal intercharacter boundary with either the character to the left or the character to the right of that nominal boundary .

Abstract: A system for processing digitized scan data representative of an image including at least one line of symbols. The system processes the scan data to identify bits including at least one line of symbols representative of horizontal line segments in the image which have a minimum predetermined length in the horizontal direction. Underline tag signals are generated which are representative of those identified horizontal line segments which lie below text characters in the line of symbols being processed. The system further processes the scan data to filter, or remove, all of the bits representative of horizontal line segments to provide a character data signal, where the character data signal is representative of the line of symbols with the predetermined length horizontal lines stripped away. The system then processes the character signals to identify the various text characters, and to generate character signals representative of those identified characters.

Abstract: A drumless paper transporter carries a sheet of paper on a relatively narrow hub located near one end of the sheet. A plurality of canted idler rollers that surround the periphery of the hub dynamically adjust the sheet against a reference edge as the hub rotates. A plurality of guards surround the sheet at least in the region between adjacent idler wheels. In a preferred form, a flexible brush located interior to the path of rotation of the sheet has a free edge opposed by a fixed abutment member located exterior to the path to form a converging wall guide that accurately controls the radial position of the sheet. Also, a stripper blade reliably removes the paper from the hub during continuous operations by pivoting an edge interior to the path of rotation to direct the approaching sheet to an exit slot.

Abstract: A paper transporter for use in conjunction with an optical character reader carries a sheet of paper to be read on a rotatable drum driven by a pair of opposed belts located at one end of the drum. One of the belts is canted slightly in order to steer the paper against a peripherally extending reference edge thereby locating the paper longitudinally and stabilizing its spatial orientation. The other belt is oriented in a direction that is substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drum (not canted) so that it drives the drum and the interposed paper at a highly uniform speed as it passes a scanning device of the optical character reader. Both the steering belt and the drive belt are relatively narrow and grip only an edge portion of the page being scanned so that all of the printed portion of a typical page is exposed to the scanner.