WO2016157172A2 - Représentation visuelle lisible par machine de l'authenticité - Google Patents

Représentation visuelle lisible par machine de l'authenticité Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2016157172A2
WO2016157172A2 PCT/IL2016/050321 IL2016050321W WO2016157172A2 WO 2016157172 A2 WO2016157172 A2 WO 2016157172A2 IL 2016050321 W IL2016050321 W IL 2016050321W WO 2016157172 A2 WO2016157172 A2 WO 2016157172A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
visual element
visual
information
layer
printed medium
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IL2016/050321
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2016157172A3 (fr
Inventor
Itamar FRIEDMAN
Gilad SHARIR
Eduard SMOLYANSKY
Original Assignee
Eyeconit Ltd.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Eyeconit Ltd. filed Critical Eyeconit Ltd.
Publication of WO2016157172A2 publication Critical patent/WO2016157172A2/fr
Publication of WO2016157172A3 publication Critical patent/WO2016157172A3/fr

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
    • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
    • G06K19/06009—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code with optically detectable marking
    • G06K19/06046—Constructional details
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
    • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof
    • B42D25/30—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery
    • B42D25/328—Diffraction gratings; Holograms
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
    • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof
    • B42D25/30—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery
    • B42D25/305—Associated digital information
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
    • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
    • G06K19/06009—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code with optically detectable marking
    • G06K19/06046—Constructional details
    • G06K19/06103—Constructional details the marking being embedded in a human recognizable image, e.g. a company logo with an embedded two-dimensional code
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
    • G07D7/00—Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of valuable papers or for segregating those which are unacceptable, e.g. banknotes that are alien to a currency
    • G07D7/003—Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of valuable papers or for segregating those which are unacceptable, e.g. banknotes that are alien to a currency using security elements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F3/00—Labels, tag tickets, or similar identification or indication means; Seals; Postage or like stamps
    • G09F3/02—Forms or constructions

Definitions

  • the presently disclosed subject matter relates, in general, to the field of machine-readable images, and, more particularly, to machine -readable visual representation for authenticity purposes.
  • Authenticity detection of printed materials or media is mainly solved, nowadays, with special material and special equipment.
  • a special material e.g., special ink
  • the special ink can be detected with special equipment designated for detecting authenticity of the special material.
  • Visual codes are used for authenticity purposes.
  • Visual codes such as two- dimensional codes, have been developed as machine -readable image representations of information.
  • Many two-dimensional codes represent data in a way of dots distribution or patterns in a certain grid, such as matrix code.
  • QR Quick Response Code
  • a QR Code comprises an array of black cells (square dark dots) and white cells (square light dots). The black cells are arranged in a square pattern on a white background. In some other cases, a negative option where the background is black and the cells are white, is valid as well.
  • three distinctive squares, known as finder patterns are located at the corners of the matrix code. Image size, orientation, and angle of viewing can be normalized. Other functional patterns, such as the alignment and timing patterns, enhance this process.
  • a standard two-dimensional code can be positioned on the packaging of a product, identifying it as a genuine product.
  • a possible implementation of an anti- counterfeit system can enable a customer to scan the QR Code and inform the customer if the product is estimated to be genuine or fake.
  • a standard printed two- dimensional code can be easily photocopied and its printed copy can be positioned on a fake product.
  • a computerized method of generating a printed medium presenting a machine- readable visual representation comprising: obtaining a first visual element associated with first information to form a first layer of the printed medium; obtaining a substrate to form a second layer of the printed medium, the substrate containing a second visual element and capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information; attaching the first layer and the second layer at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element to form the printed medium, wherein the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine-readable visual representation; and creating and storing an association between the first information and the second information, whereby the visual representation is capable of being scanned in a scanning process for verifying authenticity of the printed medium based on said association.
  • the computerized method according to this aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter can comprise one or more of features (i) to (xix) listed below, in any desired combination or permutation which is technically possible:
  • the first visual element is a visual code
  • said obtaining the first visual element comprises obtaining the first information and generating the visual code encoding the first information
  • said obtaining the first visual element further comprises obtaining a material and printing the first visual element on the material to form the first layer, the material selected from a group comprising: paper, cardboard, fabric, plastic, and metal;
  • said attaching includes stamping the at least a part of the second visual element to a designated area of the first layer in relation to a position of the first visual element;
  • the first layer is a printed form of the first visual element, and wherein said attaching comprises printing the first visual element at a first position on the second layer which determines a second position on the second layer for the at least a part of the second visual element;
  • said creating comprises capturing an image of the at least a part of the second visual element to be the second information, and creating said association including a pairing relationship between the first information and the second information;
  • the substrate is a holographic substrate
  • the holographic substrate is part of a holographic film
  • the holographic film contains variable visual patterns
  • the holographic substrate containing the at least a part of second visual element includes a part of the variable visual patterns
  • the holographic film contains spatial repetitive visual patterns wherein size of each repetitive pattern is larger than the size of the holographic substrate containing the at least a part of the second visual element;
  • creating comprises capturing an image of the at least a part of the second visual element, extracting from the captured image information related to the visual patterns included in the at least a part of the second visual element to be the second information, and creating said association including a pairing relationship between the first information and the second information;
  • said information related to the visual patterns includes one or more visual features indicative of structure of the visual patterns
  • the visual features are edge related features
  • the printed medium is in the form of one of the following: a label, a tag, a card, and a sticker;
  • the holographic substrate comprises at least a polymer layer and a metal layer
  • the substrate is a lenticular substrate
  • the printed medium is associated with a product in one of the following ways: attached to a surface of the product or an accessory thereof, connected to the product or accessory thereof by means of a strip, and packed within a package of the product;
  • the first layer further has information related to the product or a provider of the product printed thereon;
  • the first information when comparable with respective first information associated with a first visual element included in a first printed layer of each of a plurality of printed media different from said printed medium, is variable from said respective first information; and the second visual element, when comparable with a respective second visual element of a second layer of each of the plurality of printed media, is variable from the respective second visual element.
  • a computerized method of generating a plurality of printed media each having a machine -readable visual representation printed thereon comprising: for each printed medium to be generated, obtaining a first visual element associated with first information to form a first layer of the printed medium, said first information being variable from first information associated with a first visual element included in a first printed layer of each of said plurality of printed media that is different from said printed medium; obtaining a substrate to form a second layer of the printed medium, the substrate including a second visual element and capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, said second visual element being variable from a second visual element of a second layer of each of said plurality of printed media that is different from said printed medium, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information; attaching the first layer and the second layer at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element to form the printed medium, wherein the first visual element and the
  • a computerized system of generating a printed medium presenting a machine- readable visual representation comprising a processor operatively coupled with a memory and configured to: obtain a first visual element associated with first information to form a first layer of the printed medium; obtain a substrate to form a second layer of the printed medium, the substrate containing a second visual element and capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information; attach the first layer and the second layer at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element to form the printed medium, wherein the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine-readable visual representation; and create and store an association between the first information and the second information, whereby the visual representation is capable of being scanned in a scanning process for verifying authenticity of the printed medium based on said association.
  • This aspect of the disclosed subject matter can optionally comprise one or more of features (i) to (xix) listed above with respect to the method, mutatis mutandis, in any desired combination or permutation which is technically possible.
  • a computerized system of generating a printed medium presenting a machine - readable visual representation comprising: means for obtaining a first visual element associated with first information to form a first layer of the printed medium; means for obtaining a substrate to form a second layer of the printed medium, the substrate containing a second visual element and capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information; means for attaching the first layer and the second layer at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element to form the printed medium, wherein the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine -readable visual representation; and means for creating and storing an association between the first information and the second information, whereby the visual representation is capable of being scanned in a scanning process for verifying authenticity of the printed medium based on said association.
  • This aspect of the disclosed subject matter can optionally comprise one or more of features (i) to (xix) listed above with respect to the method, mutatis mutandis, in any desired combination or permutation which is technically possible.
  • a computerized method of scanning a machine-readable visual representation printed on a printed medium for verifying authenticity of the printed medium comprising: acquiring an image of the visual representation by a scanning device, the visual representation comprising a first visual element having first information associated therewith and a second visual element, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information; detecting the first visual element in the acquired image and extracting the associated first information; and locating the second visual element in the acquired image based on a position of the detected first visual element to obtain the second information therefrom; verifying whether a substrate of the printed medium containing the second visual element is a substrate capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, and determining the authenticity of the printed medium based on association between the first information and the second information, a corresponding association stored during a generation process of the printed medium, and result of the verification.
  • the computerized method of scanning according to this aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter can comprise one or more of features (i) to (xi) listed below, in any desired combination or permutation which is technically possible:
  • the first visual element is a visual code having the first information encoded therein;
  • said second information is an image captured for the at least a part of the second visual element;
  • said second information is information related to a visual pattern extracted from an image captured for the at least part of the second visual element
  • the information related to a visual pattern includes one or more visual features indicative of structure of the visual pattern
  • the visual features are edge related features
  • said verifying comprises verifying whether the substrate is a holographic substrate
  • said acquiring includes acquiring at least two images of the visual representation by the scanning device each under a different lighting condition, and wherein said verifying includes comparing an area of the second visual element within the at least two images and determining whether the substrate is a holographic substrate based on a result of the comparison;
  • the comparing includes computing a difference value based on pixel values of the area of the second visual element within the at least two images, and wherein said determining includes determining whether the substrate is a holographic substrate if the difference value is above a threshold;
  • scanning rules are determined based on one or more of the following scanning parameters of the visual representation: scanning frequency, number of scanning, time duration for said number of scanning, and scanning locations;
  • said first information is selected from a group comprising: a URL, a pointer to content in a remote server, a pointer to content in a database, an item/product
  • a computerized system of scanning a machine -readable visual representation printed on a printed medium for verifying authenticity of the printed medium comprising a processor operatively coupled with a memory and configured to: acquire an image of the visual representation by a scanning device, the visual representation comprising a first visual element having first information associated therewith and a second visual element, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information; detect the first visual element in the acquired image and extracting the associated first information; locate the second visual element in the acquired image based on a position of the detected first visual element to obtain the second information therefrom; verify whether a substrate of the printed medium containing the second visual element is a substrate capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, and determine the authenticity of the printed medium based on association between the first information and the second information, a corresponding association stored during a generation process
  • This aspect of the disclosed subject matter can optionally comprise one or more of features (i) to (xi) listed above with respect to the method, mutatis mutandis, in any desired combination or permutation which is technically possible.
  • a computerized system of scanning a machine -readable visual representation printed on a printed medium for verifying authenticity of the printed medium comprising: means for acquiring an image of the visual representation by a scanning device, the visual representation comprising a first visual element having first information associated therewith and a second visual element, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information; means for detecting the first visual element in the acquired image and extracting the associated first information; means for locating the second visual element in the acquired image based on a position of the detected first visual element to obtain the second information therefrom; means for verifying whether a substrate of the printed medium containing the second visual element is a substrate capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, and means for determining the authenticity of the printed medium based on association between the first information and the second information, a corresponding association stored during a generation process of the printed medium, and result of the verification.
  • a printed medium presenting a machine-readable visual representation comprising: a first layer presenting a first visual element, the first visual element being associated with first information; and a second layer composed of a substrate containing a second visual element, said substrate capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information, the first layer and the second layer being attached together at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element; wherein the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine -readable visual representation, the visual representation capable of being scanned in a scanning process for verifying authenticity of the printed medium based on an association between the first information and the second information.
  • the printed medium according to this aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter can comprise one or more of features (i) to (xvi) listed below, in any desired combination or permutation which is technically possible:
  • the first layer is composed of a material selected from a group comprising: paper, cardboard, fabric, plastic, and metal, and the first visual element is deposited on the first layer;
  • the first layer is a printed form of the first visual element, and the first layer is printed on the second layer;
  • the printed medium is in the form of one of the following: a label, a tag, a card, and a sticker;
  • the substrate is a holographic substrate
  • the holographic substrate is part of a holographic film
  • the holographic film contains variable visual patterns
  • the holographic substrate containing the at least a part of the second visual element includes a part of the variable visual patterns
  • the holographic film contains spatial repetitive visual patterns wherein size of each repetitive pattern is larger than size of the holographic substrate containing the at least a part of the second visual element;
  • the substrate is a lenticular substrate;
  • the first visual element is a visual code having the first information encoded therein;
  • the first layer and the second layer are attached by stamping the at least a part of the second visual element to a designated area of the first layer in relation to a position of the first visual element;
  • the first layer is printed on the second layer by printing the first visual element at a first position on the second layer which determines a second position on the second layer for the at least a part of the second visual element;
  • a position of the designated area is determined based on the first information
  • the holographic substrate comprises at least a polymer layer and a metal layer;
  • the printed medium is associated with a product in one of the following ways: attached to a surface of the product or an accessory thereof, connected to the product or accessory thereof by means of a strip, and packed within a package of the product;
  • the first layer further has information related to the product or a provider of the product printed thereon;
  • the first information when comparable with respective first information associated with a first visual element included in a first printed layer of each of a plurality of printed media different from said printed medium, is variable from said respective first information; and wherein the second visual element, when comparable with a respective second visual element of a second layer of each of the plurality of printed media, is variable from the respective second visual element.
  • a plurality of printed media each having a respective machine -readable visual representation printed thereon, each printed medium comprising: a first layer presenting a first visual element, the first visual element being associated with first information, said first information being variable from first information associated with a first visual element included in a first printed layer of each of said plurality of printed media different from said printed medium; and a second layer composed of a substrate containing a second visual element, said substrate capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, said second visual element being variable from a second visual element of a second layer of each of said plurality of printed media different from said printed medium, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information, the first layer and the second layer being attached together at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element, wherein the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine-readable visual representation, the visual representation is capable of being scanned in a scanning process for
  • This aspect of the disclosed subject matter can optionally comprise one or more of features (i) to (xvi) listed above with respect to the printed medium, mutatis mutandis, in any desired combination or permutation which is technically possible.
  • a label presenting a machine -readable visual representation the label characterized by comprising a first layer presenting a first visual element, the first visual element being associated with first information; and a second layer composed of a holographic substrate including a second visual element, at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information, the first layer and the second layer being attached together at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element, wherein the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine-readable visual representation.
  • This aspect of the disclosed subject matter can optionally comprise one or more of features (i) to (xvi) listed above with respect to the printed medium, mutatis mutandis, in any desired combination or permutation which is technically possible.
  • Figs. 1A-C illustrate exemplified printed media presenting machine-readable visual representations in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
  • Figs. 2A-B illustrate other exemplified printed media presenting machine- readable visual representations in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
  • FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a functional block diagram of a system of generating a printed medium presenting a machine-readable visual representation in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
  • Fig. 4 illustrates a generalized flowchart of generating a printed medium presenting a machine -readable visual representation in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
  • Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a functional block diagram of a system of scanning a machine -readable visual representation printed on a printed medium for verifying authenticity of the printed medium in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
  • Fig. 6 illustrates a generalized flowchart of scanning a machine -readable visual representation printed on a printed medium for verifying authenticity of the printed medium in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
  • Fig. 7 illustrates a generalized flowchart of verifying whether the substrate of the printed medium containing the second visual element is a holographic substrate in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
  • Fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of generating a printed medium presenting a machine -readable visual representation and scanning the visual representation for verifying authenticity of the printed medium in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
  • Fig. 9 illustrates an example of edge related feature extraction from a captured image of a visual representation in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
  • Figs. 10A-D illustrate two-dimensional codes that have input images superimposed thereon in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • computer should be expansively construed to cover any kind of hardware based electronic device with data processing capabilities, including, by way of non-limiting example, the computerized system of generating a printed medium presenting a machine -readable visual representation, the computerized system of generating a plurality of printed media each presenting a machine -readable visual representation, and the computerized system of scanning a machine-readable visual representation presented on a printed medium disclosed in the present application.
  • non-transitory memory and “non-transitory storage medium” as used herein should be expansively construed to cover any volatile or non-volatile computer memory suitable to the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • Embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the presently disclosed subject matter as described herein.
  • the phrase “for example,” “such as”, “for instance” and variants thereof describe non-limiting embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • Reference in the specification to “one case”, “some cases”, “other cases” or variants thereof means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment(s) is included in at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • the appearance of the phrase “one case”, “some cases”, “other cases” or variants thereof does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s).
  • FIG. 1A illustrating an exemplified printed medium presenting a machine-readable visual representation in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • the printed medium 108 which serves as a carrier of the machine -readable visual representation can comprise two layers.
  • a first layer 102 presents a first visual element, the first visual element being associated with first information.
  • a second layer 104 can be composed of a substrate containing a second visual element. The substrate is capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions, due to the unique characteristics of the material used and the manufacturing process of the substrate. At least a part of the second visual element can visually represent second information.
  • the first layer and the second layer can be attached together at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element.
  • the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine- readable visual representation.
  • the visual representation can be capable of being scanned in a scanning process for verifying authenticity of the printed medium based on an association between the first information and the second information.
  • the printed medium can be in the form of one of the following: a label, a tag, a card, and a sticker.
  • the printed medium can be associated with an item, such as, e.g., a product, a coupon, a document, etc., and can be used for verifying authenticity of such items.
  • an item such as, e.g., a product, a coupon, a document, etc.
  • each item can receive a unique or variable printed medium associated therewith, as will be explained in detail below.
  • label should be expansively construed to cover any kind of object that is attached (e.g., affixed, pasted, impressed, marked, or directly printed, etc) to an article (e.g., a product, or a package or container of the product), and able to present descriptive or identifying information about such article.
  • a label may be a small piece of paper, fabric, plastic, polymer, metal, or any other suitable material attached to an article and having information about the article written or printed thereon.
  • a label may be in the form of a tag, a sticker, a marker, a ticket, a brand, etc.
  • the printed medium can be attached to or connected to or assembled on a product or accessory thereof.
  • the printed medium can be attached to the surface of a product or accessory thereof.
  • the printed medium can be connected to a product or accessory thereof by different means, such as, e.g., a strip.
  • the printed medium can also be unattached to a product or accessory thereof and can be carried, shipped, delivered or used alone without being attached to any product. For example, it can be packed together with a product, e.g., within a package box of the product.
  • the item that the printed medium can be correlated or associated with should be expansively construed to include any kinds of article or substance that can be consumed or utilized by the consumers or users whose authenticity thus may need to be verified to assure the genuineness of such an item, including but not limited to, e.g., a product.
  • a product referred herein relates to any product produced during a manufacturing process, including but not limited to, e.g., all merchandise and goods that are manufactured and traded on the market.
  • the accessories of such a product can include any subordinate or supplementary parts or items related to a product, including one or more of the following: a packaging box, a product poster, a product advertisement, etc.
  • the first layer 102 can be composed of or made of a material selected from a group comprising: paper, cardboard, fabric, plastic, and metal, etc.
  • the first visual element 106 can be deposited (e.g., printed) on the first layer 102.
  • the first visual element 106 can be machine-readable.
  • the first visual element can be a visual code having the first information encoded therein.
  • the first visual element within each printed medium is variable from a respective visual element in each of the other printed media.
  • the first information when comparable with a respective first information associated with a first visual element included in a first layer of each of a plurality of printed media different from the printed medium, is variable from the respective first information.
  • the first information can be an item ID or product ID which is used as an identification number for the specific item or product associated with the printed medium.
  • visual code should be expansively construed to cover any kind of machine -readable optical code that uses encoding methods to encode data and store information.
  • a visual code can be a linear barcode, or alternatively it can be a two-dimensional code.
  • two-dimensional code used herein should be expansively construed to cover any optical machine -readable representation of data, over more than one axis, in the form of a two-dimensional pattern of symbols.
  • One example of a known two-dimensional code structure is a matrix code which represents data in a way of dot distribution in a matrix grid, such as, for example, Quick Response (QR) code and EZcode, etc.
  • QR Quick Response
  • the visual code can be a two-dimensional code having an input image or graphic embedded therein.
  • Figs. 10A- 10D there are shown exemplified illustrations of different kinds of two-dimensional codes each embedding an input image in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B are two-dimensional codes that have input images superimposed thereon. The superimposing is performed, e.g., by changing the transparency of the dots/cells in the two-dimensional code without changing the distribution of the dots or adjusting the decoded values thereof, such that the two-dimensional code, after being superimposed with the input image, is still machine-readable .
  • Fig. IOC shows a different kind of two-dimensional code in which the input image is not only simply superimposed thereon as described with respect to Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B.
  • the decoded values of dots that correspond to the encoded data are in fact determined such that the appearance of the two-dimensional code complies with a visual similarity criterion when compared with the input image.
  • An exemplified illustration of such a two- dimensional code is described in US patent No. 8,978,989, issued on date March 17, 2015, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
  • such visual code can be referred to as a machine readable two-dimensional code (e.g., matrix code) fusing an input image (e.g., an input image including one or more graphic elements) and a message based on a visual code specification (e.g., a two-dimensional code specification).
  • a visual code specification e.g., a two-dimensional code specification
  • the readable two-dimensional code can include function areas and a code word area, and the code word area can include a free cells area and a derived cells area.
  • the function patterns areas can be readable to comply with a function patterns specification.
  • the code word area can be readable to comply with a code word specification, and the code word area can include the free cells area and the derived cells area, wherein the free cells area and the derived cells area are provided in an extent which is in compliance with the code word specification.
  • the free cells area can represent free cells whose appearance, when compared to respective areas of the input image, complies with a visual perceptual similarity criterion.
  • the derived cells area can form, together with the free cells area, a valid code word.
  • Fig. 10D shows another kind of two-dimensional code having an input image embedded therein.
  • the dots having decoded values corresponding to the encoded data in the two-dimensional code can be positioned in one or more encoding regions relative to the function patterns and a portion of the input image, rendering the two-dimensional code appears visually more appealing.
  • the input image can be associated with an image descriptor which is used to verify the authenticity of the two-dimensional code in the reading process thus rendering the code to be functionally safer and stronger.
  • An exemplified illustration of such two-dimensional code is described in PCT Application No. PCT/IL2015/051029 filed on October 15, 2015, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
  • such visual code as illustrated in Fig. 10D can be referred to as a machine-readable image having data encoded therein and embedded with a graphic, the machine-readable image adapted to be detected by a reader for decoding the encoded data, the machine -readable image including: the graphic associated with an image descriptor calculated based on a chosen area of the graphic, the image descriptor being used in a reading process of the machine -readable image; a plurality of function patterns; and a plurality of dot modules having decoded values corresponding to at least the encoded data, the dot modules being positioned in one or more encoding regions of the machine-readable image relative to the function patterns and the chosen area of the graphic.
  • the relative position of the encoding regions with respect to the function patterns and the chosen area of the graphic can be implemented in many ways.
  • the encoding regions can be disjoint from the chosen area.
  • the relative position can be determined such that the encoding regions will not have a mutual area with the graphic, or the area upon which the graphic was superimposed.
  • the relative position can be determined such that the encoding regions will have a certain mutual area with the graphic or the area upon which the input graphic was superimposed.
  • the mutual area can be chosen based on saliency values computed for the graphic.
  • the first visual element is not limited to the form of a visual code and can also be in other visual formats which are not structurally encoded or constructed as compared to the visual code.
  • the term visual element should be expansively construed to cover any type of machine -readable visual element that can be detected and digitally analyzed by a processing unit to provide information associated therewith (including, e.g., numerical data, strings, pointers and/or any other digital data).
  • the first visual element can be represented by a serial number or a string of words or characters which upon scanning can be detected and the information extracted therefrom can be used as an index or pointer to an entry in the database or server.
  • the first visual element can also possibly be in other suitable visual formats or patterns in addition to the above described, as long as it can be scanned and detected, and the information associated therewith can be extracted.
  • the first visual element can further have information related to the item (e.g., the product) or a provider of the item printed thereon.
  • the first layer 102 further has a company logo printed on the right side of the visual code.
  • the substrate that forms the second layer can include any substrate or material that is capable of presenting different visual appearances of a visual element included therein when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions.
  • a substrate can be selected from a group comprising: a holographic substrate, and a lenticular substrate.
  • a holographic substrate for purpose of illustration only, certain embodiments of the following description are provided with respect to one type of substrate, such as, e.g., a holographic substrate.
  • teachings of the presently disclosed subject matter are, likewise, applicable to any other types of substrates that enable similar functionalities as above described.
  • the substrate that forms the second layer is selected to be a holographic substrate which is taken as part of a holographic film or foil.
  • the holographic film can contain variable visual patterns each of which is different from others, and the area of the holographic substrate that contains at least part of the second visual element visually representing second information includes a part or a section of the variable visual patterns (e.g., a unique visual pattern or part thereof).
  • the holographic film can contain spatial repetitive visual patterns wherein the size of each repetitive pattern is larger than the size of the holographic substrate that contains the at least part of the second visual element.
  • the holographic film can contain quasi-random visual patterns which hardly repeat themselves, or else repeat at great frequency.
  • an off-the shelf holographic film can be used to generate the substrate.
  • a customized holographic film can be specially designed such that the visual patterns in the holographic substrate do not repeat themselves.
  • the second visual element of a given printed medium when comparable with a respective second visual element of a second layer of each of the other printed media different from the given printed medium (or at least each of a plurality of printed media out of the batch), is variable from the respective second visual element.
  • each second visual element of a respective printed medium within a plurality of printed media is variable, one from the other.
  • Fig. IB there are illustrated examples of four printed media each including a second layer with a variable second visual element in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • printed media 120, 122, 124 and 126 are constructed in a similar manner to printed medium 108 as described with reference to Fig. 1A. The difference between them is that the second visual element enclosed in each printed medium (marked respectively as 121, 123, 125 and 127) is different or variable from the others. As described above, such variety can be realized by taking a respective part of a holographic film that is variable one from the other, to form the substrate for each second visual element.
  • the holographic film, as well as the holographic substrate can comprise at least a polymer layer and a metal layer.
  • force can be imposed on a flat polymer layer causing it to distort. Underneath the polymer layer there is a coated metal layer. Light goes through the deformed polymer and is reflected from a metal layer and dispersed while traveling through the polymer (i.e. prism effect), which causes the visual patterns on the film to shine and reflect light in a variable manner when viewed from different angles.
  • the holographic substrate can be attached to the first layer by way of hot stamping.
  • hot stamping hologram foil comprises a polyester carrier, a number of lacquer layers and an adhesive sizing.
  • a heated stamping wheel or engraved stamping die activates the very thin lacquer layers by means of heat and pressure. This causes the lacquer layers to bond permanently with the first layer of plastic, paper or thermal paper.
  • the polyester carrier is then peeled off.
  • the second layer 104 is composed of a holographic substrate (also illustrated as 104) which is taken as part of a holographic film or foil.
  • the holographic substrate 104 contains a second visual element (in this case illustrated as a unique visual pattern including random or variable geometrical shapes and structures) which is variable from other second visual elements included in other printed media each associated with a different item.
  • the first layer 102 and the second layer 104 can be attached together at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element to form the printed medium 108.
  • the attaching of the two layers can be realized by way of stamping, printing, gluing, etc.
  • the first layer 102 and the second layer 104 can be attached by stamping the second visual element to a designated area 110 of the first layer.
  • the position of the designated area can be determined in relation to a position of the first visual element on the first layer.
  • such position information of the designated area 110 can be included or indicated in the first information.
  • both the second layer and the second visual element thereof are illustrated as 104, and the entire second visual element 104 are stamped to a designated area 110 on the first layer 102.
  • the designated area 110 is positioned in the center in relation to the first visual element 106 (i.e. a visual code in this case).
  • the at least a part of the second visual element that visually represents the second information can be in fact the entire second visual element.
  • margin 130 and margin 132 surrounding the second visual element placed in the designated area.
  • one of the purposes that this margin is retained is for alignment purposes. For instance, due to errors in the attaching or stamping or pasting process, the second visual element may not be positioned accurately or exactly at a desired position of the designated area.
  • the retained margin means a wider range of a designated area, which may assure that even if the second visual element is not exactly positioned, it can still fall within such wide range and will not overlap with the other part of the first layer.
  • the width of the margin may be random due to errors in the physical process of attaching the first and second layers, such randomness can also be utilized in the scanning and verification process for verifying the authenticity of the printed medium.
  • the width of the margin can also be verified in addition to verifying the visual patterns of the second visual element to increase safety of the verification process.
  • FIG. 2A there is illustrated another exemplified printed medium presenting a machine -readable visual representation in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • the first layer 202 of the printed medium is in fact the printed form of the first visual element 206 without any material or substrate on which the first visual element 206 is deposited.
  • the printed form of the first visual element refers to a physical visual representation of the first visual element created using a printing technique.
  • a printing technique may be, but is not limited to, injecting ink or a shooting laser.
  • the first layer can also include a printed form of additional information related to the item or product associated with the printed medium, and/or information related to a provider of such item or product.
  • the first layer 202 further includes a company logo on the right side of the visual code.
  • the second layer 204 is composed of a holographic substrate (in this case the holographic substrate is taken as a bigger piece from the holographic film, when compared with 104 in Fig. 1A, and is in the shape and size of a square or any other suitable shape and size such that it can serve as the base of the printed medium, e.g., a label or a sticker).
  • the first layer 202 including the printed first visual element 206 and the printed company logo, can then be printed on the second layer 204 to form the printed medium 208.
  • the first layer can be printed on the second layer by printing the first visual element 206 at a first position on the second layer.
  • the first position of the first visual element on the second layer can be predetermined, or, alternatively, the first visual element can be placed at a random position on the second layer. In turn the first position can determine a second position on the second layer for the at least a part of the second visual element that visually represents the second information.
  • the first visual element 206 (e.g., the visual code) can be placed at a predetermined first position of (x, y) with respect to the left corner of the second layer.
  • the second position of the part of the second visual element that represents the second information can be determined accordingly, e.g., at a fixed size in the center of the visual code (not illustrated in Fig. 2A).
  • the first position is chosen as a random position
  • the second position that will be determined in accordance therewith will also be at an unpredicted position, which in turn increases the randomness of the second information represented thereby and thus increases the safety of the verification of the authenticity of the printed medium.
  • FIG. 2B there are illustrated examples of two printed media each having the first visual element printed at a different position on the second layer in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • the position of the first visual element 210 when compared to the position of the visual element 212, is slightly more towards the upper and right side of the second layer (note that in this case the second layer is the same in both printed media). Accordingly, the part of the second visual element that visually represents the second information in each printed medium is located differently from the other, since the position of such part can be determined in relation to the position of the first visual element.
  • the second layer is the same, it is possible to generate two distinct printed media, each with unique association between the first information and the second information
  • the dot modules encoding data (i.e., the first information) are positioned in one or more encoding regions relative to function patterns of the visual code and a chosen area of an embedded input graphic.
  • the encoding regions can be disjoint from the chosen area of the input graphic, rendering the decoding of the visual not being affected by the input graphic.
  • the designated area for placing the second visual element can be located within the area outlined by the function patterns of the visual code (e.g., in the center of the visual code as illustrated), for the reason that the second visual element can serve as part of the input graphic which does not interfere with the readability of the visual code.
  • Fig. 1C there are illustrated two printed media with a first visual element being another type of visual code in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • the visual codes 142 and 144 presented thereon belong to the type of visual code which is described above with reference to Fig. IOC.
  • the dot modules or cells of the visual code that encode the first information are distributed over the input image while the visual code still complies with a visual similarity criterion when compared with the input image.
  • the designated area to place the second visual elements 146 and 148 can be adapted to be positioned in relation to the visual code 142 and 144 such that the second visual element will not interfere with the readability of the visual code.
  • the second visual element should not be overlapped with the visual code. For instance, it can be placed on the side of the visual code (e.g., at the bottom of the visual code, as illustrated in Fig. 1C).
  • One of the technical problems to be solved herein relates to how to verify, using common consumer electronics such as, e.g., a smart phone, the authenticity of a printed medium which associates with a certain item, such as, e.g., a product, a coupon, a document, etc, and provide such information to consumers or users of such items for authenticity purposes, such as anti-counterfeit purposes.
  • common consumer electronics such as, e.g., a smart phone
  • Visual codes as aforementioned are currently used in product authenticity systems.
  • a standard QR Code is positioned on the packaging of a product, identifying it as a genuine product.
  • a possible implementation of an anti-counterfeit system can enable a customer to scan the QR Code and inform the customer if the product is estimated to be genuine or fake.
  • a standard printed two- dimensional code can be easily photocopied and its printed copy can be positioned on the packaging of a fake product.
  • Holograms are also used for product authenticity purposes. Holograms can be produced in such way that they are harder to copy than a standard printed image. Holograms are often attached to a product packaging, and can be an indication that a product is genuine. However, without the knowledge on how to differentiate a real hologram from a fake one to the naked eye of a customer, a fake hologram, even if not copied exactly, may look similar, or give the feeling of a genuine hologram to the customer. In addition, a specific hologram is very complex and costly to produce, but, once faked, it can be easily duplicated at a low cost and used as many times as needed.
  • the goal is thus to find a solution of a printed medium for authenticity purposes with at least the following properties:
  • the printing cost of the printed medium may not exceed a certain cost level which relates to the cost of regular printing, e.g., twice the cost of regular printing;
  • the duplication cost should be high enough such that it is not worthwhile for the counterfeit product maker to fake or duplicate such a printed medium;
  • a printed medium presenting a unique machine-readable visual representation that includes a first visual element and a second visual element, the first visual element and the second visual element being unique and/or variable (in respect of the information associated therewith) from respective first and second visual elements of other printed media associated with other products.
  • the authenticity of the printed medium can be verified by scanning the machine -readable visual representation based on an association between the information associated with the first visual element and the information associated with the second visual element.
  • the printed medium, or at least the part containing the second visual element is composed of such dedicated substrate or material which is hard to produce and duplicate, and can also be verified during the scanning as part of the authenticity process.
  • the printed medium presenting a unique machine-readable visual representation makes it much more complex for counterfeit products to imitate real products at least for the reason that the machine -readable visual representation presented thereon cannot be simply photocopied and duplicated.
  • a printed medium as well as the generation and scanning process thereof, can provide consumers or users with authenticity information of the printed medium by using a common scanning device, such as, e.g., a smart phone.
  • the authenticity information of the printed medium serves as an indication of authenticity of the item (e.g., the product) associated with the printed medium.
  • FIG. 3 there is schematically illustrated a functional block diagram of a system of generating a printed medium presenting a machine-readable visual representation in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • system 300 can comprise a printed medium generator 304, an association creating unit 306 and a storage unit 308.
  • System 300 can be configured to obtain a first visual element associated with first information.
  • the first visual element can be used to form a first layer of the printed medium.
  • the first visual element can be obtained from a storage unit of the system, or alternatively it can be received from an external source, such as, e.g., from a third party provider, an operator, a console, an application interface or any other sources that may be able to generate and/or provide such a visual element.
  • system 300 can optionally comprise a first visual element creator 302 which is configured to generate the first visual element.
  • the first visual element can be a visual code
  • the first visual element creator 302 can be configured to obtain the first information associated with the visual code and generate the visual code encoding the first information.
  • Different visual code types are associated with different visual code specifications.
  • the first visual element creator 302 can be configured to generate a visual code in accordance with a specific visual code specification and based on the first information to be encoded therein.
  • a visual code specification can include some or all of the following: a general layout specification, a basic cell specification, a function pattern (such as finder pattern) specification, a code word area specification and cell specification.
  • the generation of a visual code is exemplified respectively in US patent No. 8,978,989, issued on March 17, 2015, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, and in PCT Application No. PCT/IL2015/051029 filed on October 15, 2015, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
  • the first information associated with the first visual element can be selected from a group comprising: a URL, a pointer to content in a remote server, a pointer to content in a database, an item/product ID, a product SKU, a product tracking identifier, and any suitable combination thereof.
  • the first information can also include certain additional data that is encoded in a nonstandard proprietary encoding method that can be read by certain proprietary software.
  • the first visual element is machine -readable.
  • the first visual element is a visual code
  • it is a machine-readable visual code.
  • machine-readable visual code can refer to a visual code that is compatible with a respective readable visual code specification that is configured, adapted or adjusted in accordance with the specific characteristics of a given scanner, reader or decoder or any combination thereof, or even to a general characteristic of scanners, readers or decoders. In the latter case, the readability or eligibility of the visual code is determined according to the ability, possibly the de-facto ability, of a certain scanning or decoding device that is generated based on a given visual code specification and the tolerances and/or deviations that are supported or corrected by the scanning or decoding device.
  • system 300 can optionally comprise a depositing unit (not illustrated in Fig. 3) which can be configured to obtain or receive a material and deposit (e.g., print) the first visual element on the material to form the first layer.
  • the material can be selected from a group comprising: paper, cardboard, fabric, plastic, and metal.
  • depositing herein should be expansively construed to cover any way of marking the first visual element onto the first layer, including but not limited to printing, stamping, engraving, burning, cutting, vaporizing or otherwise making certain pixels have different visibility from others, such that a reader or scanner may differentiate between the pixels.
  • the first layer is just a printed form of the first visual element itself, without any material or substrate to deposit the first visual element thereon, as illustrated in Fig. 2A. In such cases the operation of forming a first layer may not need such a depositing unit.
  • system 300 can be configured to obtain a substrate to form a second layer of the printed medium.
  • the substrate contains a second visual element and is capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions. At least a part of the second visual element can visually represent second information.
  • the substrate can be a holographic substrate, as aforementioned.
  • the printed medium generator 304 can be configured to attach the first layer and the second layer at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element to form the printed medium.
  • the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine-readable visual representation.
  • the attaching of the two layers can be realized in different manners, such as, e.g., by way of stamping, printing, gluing, etc, and accordingly the printed medium generator 304 can be a corresponding device or equipment that enables respective operations of stamping, printing, gluing, etc. In some cases the attaching of the two layers can be realized by the depositing unit as aforementioned.
  • the association creating unit 306 can be configured to create an association between the first information and the second information.
  • the association can be created as a corresponding relationship or a pairing relationship between the first information and the second information.
  • the visual representation is capable of being scanned in a scanning process for verifying authenticity of the printed medium based on the association.
  • the association can be stored in a storage unit 308 to be used for the verification process.
  • the storage unit 308 can be a data repository unit, such as, e.g., a database, or a remote server. Such storage unit can be shared with other systems or be provided by other systems, including third party equipment. In some cases, the storage unit can be implemented in the cloud. Accordingly, in such case system 300 can be configured to transmit the created association to the remote server or the cloud.
  • association creating unit 306 can also be configured to inspect the readability of the first visual element, e.g., to check if the first information associated therewith can be correctly extracted therefrom.
  • the association creating unit 306 can then be configured to create the association by associating the first information extracted during the inspection and the second information being either the captured image of the at least a part of the second visual element or extracted information related to the visual patterns included therein.
  • each module of Fig. 3 can be either implemented respectively in a stand-alone device or computer that is operatively connected with the others and/or with system 300 (as will be described below with reference to Fig. 8), or, alternatively, the functionality of certain modules of Fig. 3 or at least part thereof, can be integrated and implemented in a single device or computer, which can be included as part of system 300 for performing the generation process.
  • the first visual element creator 302, and/or the association creating unit 306, and/or the storage unit 308 can be consolidated and implemented in a single computer, such as, e.g., a remote server.
  • Fig. 3 can be consolidated or divided in another manner and can be implemented in any appropriate combination of software with firmware and/or hardware and executed on a suitable device.
  • the system 300 can be a standalone network entity, or integrated, fully or partly, with other network entities. While not necessarily so, the process of operation of system 300 can correspond to some or all of the stages of the methods described with respect to Fig. 4. Likewise, the method described with respect to Fig. 4 and its possible implementations can be implemented by system 300. It is therefore noted that embodiments discussed in relation to the method described with respect to Fig. 4 can also be implemented, mutatis mutandis as various embodiments of the system 300, and vice versa.
  • FIG. 4 there is illustrated a generalized flowchart of generating a printed medium presenting a machine -readable visual representation in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • a first visual element associated with first information can be obtained (410) to form a first layer of the printed medium.
  • the first visual element can be a visual code
  • the obtaining of the first visual element can comprise obtaining the first information and generating (e.g., by the first visual element creator 302) the visual code encoding the first information, as described above with reference to block 302 in Fig. 3.
  • a material can also be obtained and the first visual element can be deposited (e.g., printed) on the material to form the first layer (as illustrated in the case of Fig. 1A).
  • the material can be selected from a group comprising: paper, cardboard, fabric, plastic, and metal.
  • the printed form of the first visual element constitutes the first layer without being printed on a material or substrate (as illustrated in the case of Fig. 2A).
  • a substrate can be obtained (420) to form a second layer of the printed medium.
  • the substrate contains a second visual element.
  • the substrate is characterized by being capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions. At least a part of the second visual element visually represents second information.
  • the substrate is a holographic substrate.
  • the holographic substrate can be taken as a part of a holographic film.
  • the holographic film can contain variable visual patterns, and the area of the holographic substrate that contains at least a part of the second visual element visually representing second information can include a part or a section of the variable visual patterns (e.g., a unique visual pattern or part thereof).
  • the holographic film can contain spatial repetitive visual patterns wherein the size of each repetitive pattern is larger than the size of the holographic substrate containing the at least part of the second visual element.
  • the first layer and the second layer can be attached (430) (e.g., by the printed medium generator 304) at a relative position between the first visual element and the second visual element to form the printed medium.
  • the first visual element and the second visual element constitute the machine -readable visual representation.
  • the attaching of the first layer and the second layer can be realized in different ways. In cases where the first visual element is printed on a material to form the first layer, the attaching can include stamping the at least a part of the second visual element to a designated area of the first layer in relation to a position of the first visual element. By way of example, the position of the designated area can be determined or indicated based on the first information.
  • the attaching can comprise printing the first visual element at a first position on the second layer.
  • the first position in turn can determine a second position on the second layer for the at least a part of the second visual element.
  • An association between the first information and the second information can be created (440) (e.g., by the association creating unit 306) and stored in a storage unit.
  • the visual representation is capable of being scanned in a scanning process for verifying authenticity of the printed medium based on the association.
  • the creation of the association can comprise capturing an image of the at least a part of the second visual element to be the second information, and creating the association which is a pairing relationship between the first information and the second information.
  • the creation of the association can comprise: capturing an image of the at least a part of the second visual element, extracting from the captured image information related to the visual patterns included in the at least a part of the second visual element to be the second information, and creating the association including a pairing relationship between the first information and the second information.
  • the information related to the visual patterns can include one or more visual features indicative of structure of the visual patterns, such as, e.g., edge related features, as will be described in further detail with respect to Fig. 9.
  • the generation process can further include inspecting (e.g., by the association creating unit 306) the readability of the first visual element.
  • the inspection can be performed by checking or verifying if the first information associated therewith can be correctly extracted therefrom.
  • the inspection can be performed by checking or verifying if the second information associated therewith can be correctly extracted therefrom.
  • the association can be created by associating the first information extracted during the inspection and the second information being either the captured image of the at least a part of the second visual element or extracted information related to the visual patterns included therein.
  • the second information can be other representations of visual information, such as, but not limited to, other representations for the holographic substrate.
  • a representation could be a descriptor holding information about interest points in the holographic substrate.
  • a method of generating a plurality of printed media each having a machine-readable visual representation printed thereon For each printed medium to be generated, the generation process is performed in a similar manner to the above described process with reference to Fig. 4.
  • the generation of the plurality of printed media can result in the first information associated with a visual element included in a first printed layer of each of the plurality of printed media being variable from any other first information associated with a respective first visual element in a different printed medium, and a second visual element of a second layer of each of the plurality of printed media being variable from any other second visual element in a different printed medium.
  • FIG. 5 there is schematically illustrated a functional block diagram of a system of scanning a machine -readable visual representation printed on a printed medium for verifying authenticity of the printed medium in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • the system 500 can comprise a processing unit 502 configured to receive instructions and to manage, control and execute operations of the functional modules comprised therein.
  • the processing unit 502 can be operatively coupled with an I/O interface 510, a storage module 512 and a display module 514.
  • the processing unit 502 can include a detection module 504, a verification module 506, and an authenticity determination module 508.
  • system 500 can further include an image acquisition module 501 (such as, e.g., a camera of the scanning device) configured to capture or acquire an image of the machine-readable visual representation by a scanning device.
  • the visual representation can comprise a first visual element having first information associated therewith and a second visual element at least a part of which visually represents second information.
  • the acquired image can be provided to the detection module 504 for detecting the first visual element and the second visual element.
  • the detection module 506 can be configured to detect the first visual element in the acquired image and extract the associated first information.
  • the detection module 506 can be configured to locate the second visual element in the acquired image based on a position of the detected first visual element to obtain the second information therefrom.
  • the image acquisition module 501 and the detection module 504 can be implemented as separate components, or alternatively, their functionality can be consolidated and integrated as one functional module, such as the detection module 504.
  • system 500 may obtain, e.g., through the I/O interface 510, an image of the machine-readable visual representation.
  • the acquired image can be obtained from the storage module 512, or alternatively it can be received from an external source, such as, e.g., a third party provider or any other parties that are operatively connected with system 500 through wired or wireless communications.
  • the verification module 506 can be configured to verify whether a substrate of the printed medium containing the second visual element is a substrate capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions.
  • the authenticity determination module 508 can be configured to determine the authenticity of the printed medium based on association between the first information and the second information, a corresponding association stored during a generation process of the printed medium, and result of the verification, as will be described below with respect to Figs. 6-7.
  • the processing unit 102 can be implemented by a processor, such as, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc., and may be configured to execute functionalities of the functional modules 504, 506 and 508, in accordance with computer-readable instructions implemented on a non- transitory computer readable storage medium.
  • the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be included in the storage module 512.
  • the above mentioned functional modules are referred to herein as comprised in the processor.
  • the processing unit 502 can also be implemented by one or more processors operatively connected with each other and executing the functionality of different functional modules in cooperation.
  • the system 500 can further comprise an I/O interface 510, a storage module 512 and a display module 514 operatively coupled to the other functional components described above.
  • the I/O interface 510 can be configured to obtain certain inputs for the execution of the functional components, such as, e.g., an acquired image of the visual representation.
  • the I/O interface 510 can be configured to provide an output to a user information related to the authenticity of the printed medium.
  • the inputs and/or outputs can be provided to the user through a display unit 514, such as, e.g., a display screen of a scanning device.
  • the storage module 512 comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.
  • the storage module can include a buffer that holds relevant inputs, outputs as well as intermediate results as above mentioned to be used for the execution of system 500.
  • the storage module 512 can also comprise computer-readable instructions embodied therein to be executed by the processing unit 502 for implementing the process of scanning a machine -readable visual representation printed on a printed medium as will be described below with reference to Figs. 6-7.
  • system 500 can correspond to some or all of the stages of the methods described with respect to Figs. 6-7.
  • the methods described with respect to Figs. 6-7 and their possible implementations can be implemented by system 500. It is therefore noted that embodiments discussed in relation to the methods described with respect to Figs. 6-7 can also be implemented, mutatis mutandis as various embodiments of the system 500, and vice versa.
  • FIG. 6 there is shown a generalized flowchart of scanning a machine-readable visual representation printed on a printed medium for verifying authenticity of the printed medium in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • the scanning process occurs when a user or a consumer scans a printed medium which may or may not be generated according to the generation process as described above with reference to Fig. 4 (e.g., the printed medium may be genuine or fake).
  • An image of the machine-readable visual representation can be acquired (610) (e.g., by the image acquisition module 501 of a scanning device).
  • the visual representation comprises a first visual element having first information associated therewith and a second visual element at least a part of which visually represents second information.
  • the first visual element can be detected (620) (e.g., by the detection module 504) in the acquired image and the associated first information can be extracted.
  • the first visual element can be a visual code having the first information encoded therein.
  • the second visual element can be located (630) (e.g., by the detection module 504) in the acquired image based on a position of the detected first visual element and the second information thereof can be obtained.
  • the position information of the second visual element in relation to the position of the first visual element can be indicated or included in the first information.
  • the second information can be an image captured for the visual representation or at least the part of the second visual element which represents the second information.
  • the second information can be information related to a visual pattern extracted from an image captured for the visual representation or at least the part of the second visual element which represents the second information.
  • the information related to a visual pattern can include one or more visual features indicative of structure of the visual pattern.
  • the visual features can be edge-related features. It should be appreciated that the visual pattern can alternatively, by way of example, be a visual texture, a figure or an image.
  • FIG. 9 there is illustrated an example of edge related feature extraction from a captured image of a visual representation in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • detection, alignment, cropping and other image processing methods can take part in the process of extracting features for the second visual element.
  • the visual code position maybe be detected based on the detection of the finder patterns, such as finder pattern 904.
  • the position of the holographic substrate can be calculated, given a relative position between the visual code and the substrate.
  • the area in the acquired image capturing the holographic substrate can be aligned, using the homography method, and then be cropped.
  • an edge detection filter can be applied on the cropped image in order to get a representing image of the second information.
  • a substrate of the printed medium containing the second visual element is a substrate capable of presenting different visual appearances of the second visual element when being observed from different viewpoints or under different lighting conditions.
  • the substrate is supposed to be a holographic substrate, it can be verified whether the substrate of the printed medium containing the second visual element is a holographic substrate.
  • FIG. 7 there is shown a generalized flowchart of verifying whether the substrate of the printed medium containing the second visual element is a holographic substrate in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • At least two images of the visual representation can be acquired (710) (e.g., by the image acquisition module 501 of the scanning device) each under a different lighting condition or a different angle between the image acquisition module 510 and the printed medium. This operation can occur as part of the image acquisition process as described with reference to block 610. For instance, an image acquisition of the visual representation in block 610 can be captured twice, once with flash on and once without flash.
  • the second visual element within the at least two images can be located (e.g., as part of the operation described with reference to block 630) and compared (720).
  • the comparison can be calculated in accordance with a difference value computed and based on pixel values of the area of the second visual element within the at least two images.
  • it can be determined (730) whether the substrate is a holographic substrate based on a result of the comparison. For instance, it can be determined that the substrate is a holographic substrate if the difference value is above a threshold.
  • the comparison method can be based on a-priori information such as the holographic visual pattern or structure, or/and the expected captured visual changes that occur due to exposing the holograph substrate to different lighting conditions.
  • the holographic substrate can consist of holographic shapes that present different values of luminance in accordance with the strength and angle of the luminance sources present around the holographic substrate.
  • changing the luminance sources will change the luminance values presented by the holographic shapes but will not change their structure, while the luminance values presented by each shape may change differently.
  • a comparison method may measure the difference in the luminance values between the two images per holographic shape and consider favorably different changes among different said holographic shapes.
  • the authenticity of the printed medium can be determined (650) (e.g., by the authenticity determination module 508) based on association between the first information and the second information, a corresponding association stored during a generation process of the printed medium, and result of the verification. For instance, if the association matches the corresponding association stored during the generation process, and the result of the verification validates the substrate as being a characterized substrate as above described, the printed medium can be determined to be authentic. If any of the two conditions are not met, i.e., the association does not match, and/or the result of the verification does not validate the substrate, the printed medium will not be determined as authentic.
  • the authenticity of the printed medium can also be determined by fetching the stored second information associated with the extracted first information from the storage unit, where the corresponding association is stored during the generation process, and comparing the second information obtained from the scanned printed medium with the fetched second information. The authenticity of the printed medium can be determined if the comparison result shows that the stored second information and fetched second information match.
  • a scanning device without proper configuration may not be able to extract the second information therefrom.
  • the consumer or user can be taken to an interface (e.g., a landing page) and can be shown a stored image from a storage unit corresponding to the first information.
  • the store image can be an original image of the printed medium or the item captured during the generation process.
  • the consumer will then be provided with certain instructions to manually compare the printed medium (or the item associated therewith) in his or her hand with the stored image, and determine whether or not the printed medium, or the item, is authentic.
  • the scanning process can further comprise examining abnormality of a scanning pattern based on one or more scanning rules. This can be implemented, e.g., by a rule engine backed with big data and machine learning techniques to further verify the authenticity of the printed medium.
  • the scanning rules can be determined based on one or more of the following scanning parameters of the visual representation: scanning frequency, number of scanning, time duration for the number of scanning, and scanning locations. By way of example, if a visual representation has been scanned multiple times (e.g., twice or more) in areas farther than a certain distance and/or in a time frame smaller than a certain duration (e.g., 5 minutes), the scanning will fail, and the printed medium will be marked as not authentic.
  • the scanning frequency is higher than a certain threshold, for instance, if a code is scanned at a frequency of more than a certain number of scans per second (e.g., 5 scans per second), the scanning will fail and the printed medium will be marked as not authentic.
  • a certain threshold for instance, if a code is scanned at a frequency of more than a certain number of scans per second (e.g., 5 scans per second)
  • the scanning will fail and the printed medium will be marked as not authentic.
  • Other machine learning algorithms that can observe scanning patterns and "notice" when unusual behavior is being displayed can also be employed in addition to, or in lieu of the above.
  • FIG. 8 there is illustrated a schematic diagram of generating a printed medium presenting a machine -readable visual representation and scanning the visual representation for verifying authenticity of the printed medium in accordance with certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
  • the printed medium in an initial stage of the generation process of the printed medium in accordance with the present invention, is designed.
  • the printed medium is a label that is designated to be attached on a product of a certain brand, then the brand's owner design house 910 can make the design.
  • a software as a service that is hosted on the cloud 970 can facilitate the design process by providing design tools designated for designing a printed medium which includes a machine readable visual representation in accordance with the present invention.
  • the printed medium design can be conveyed in digital format, such as a computer file.
  • the design of the printed medium may be further processed by an operator 920 in order to create a design template from which a digital form of the first layer of a plurality of printed media can be computed.
  • the operator 920 may obtain a variable list of first information to be included in a plurality of printed media.
  • the operator may obtain the list from a service that is hosted on the cloud and connected to the storage 920.
  • the operator may obtain the list from an entity related to the brand's owner.
  • digital form of the first layer of a plurality of printed media can be created using a pro printing server 930.
  • the pro printing server 930 may utilize a design template and a list of variable first information in order to generate a corresponding digital form of variable first layer of a plurality of printed media in accordance with the present invention.
  • dedicated software may be utilized to generate a first visual element associated with a first information and being part of a first layer.
  • the dedicated software may be enabled using a dongle connected to the pro printing server 930.
  • digital form of the first layer of a plurality of printed media can be passed to a printer server and then be printed by a printer 940, thus providing a printed form of the first layer of the plurality of printed media.
  • a printed form of variable first layer and variable second layer of a plurality of printed media can be attached together by a printer 940, thus providing a plurality of printed media 950.
  • printed media 950 may be photographed by an image acquisition device 960.
  • the captured photos, representative information of the photos, associated second visual element, and/or associated second information of a plurality of the printed media may be uploaded to the cloud 970 and stored in a storage unit 990.
  • the stored information may include also the first information paired with the second information of a plurality of printed media 950 such that each of a plurality of printed media 950 has its associated first information and second information, or a representation of each such information, stored in the storage unit 990.
  • the image acquisition device 960 may be a part of a printing inspection machine.
  • the captured photos can be additionally inspected by the printing inspection machine in order to locate defects in the printed medium.
  • dedicated software may be utilized to read the machine-readable visual representations of the printed media.
  • the dedicated software may be enabled using a dongle connected to the image acquisition device 960.
  • printed media 950 may be attached to a plurality of product packaging.
  • one printed medium from the printed media 950 can be attached on a product package 984.
  • a user may use a mobile device equipped with an appropriate scanner, wherein the scanner is capable to scan a machine-readable representation in accordance with the present invention, in order to verify the authenticity of a printed medium.
  • the verification may include detecting the first visual element and the second visual element of the printed medium, extracting the first information and the second information associated with the printed medium from the first visual element and the second visual element respectively, and verifying that the first information and the second information associated with the printed medium matches to the related information stored in storage unit 990.
  • a user 980 may use a mobile device 988 equipped with a scanner capable of reading and verifying the authenticity of the printed medium attached to the product package 984.
  • system can be implemented, at least partly, as a suitably programmed computer.
  • the presently disclosed subject matter contemplates a computer program being readable by a computer for executing the disclosed method.
  • the presently disclosed subject matter further contemplates a computer-readable memory or storage medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for executing the disclosed method.
  • the computer readable storage medium causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device.
  • the computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
  • a non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing.
  • RAM random access memory
  • ROM read-only memory
  • EPROM or Flash memory erasable programmable read-only memory
  • SRAM static random access memory
  • CD-ROM compact disc readonly memory
  • DVD digital versatile disk
  • memory stick a floppy disk
  • a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon
  • a computer readable storage medium is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)
  • Printing Methods (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un support imprimé présentant une représentation visuelle lisible par machine, un procédé de génération et un procédé de balayage de celui-ci. Le support imprimé comprend une première couche présentant un premier élément visuel, le premier élément visuel étant associé à une première information ; et une seconde couche comprenant un substrat contenant un second élément visuel, le substrat pouvant présenter des apparences visuelles différentes du second élément visuel lorsqu'il est observé de différents points de vue ou dans des conditions d'éclairage différentes, au moins une partie du second élément visuel représentant visuellement des secondes informations, la première couche et la seconde couche étant fixées ensemble au niveau d'une position relative entre un premier élément visuel et un second élément visuel ; le premier élément visuel et le second élément visuel constituant une représentation visuelle lisible par machine, la représentation visuelle pouvant être balayée dans un procédé de balayage pour vérifier l'authenticité du support imprimé sur la base d'une association entre les premières informations et les secondes informations.
PCT/IL2016/050321 2015-04-02 2016-03-24 Représentation visuelle lisible par machine de l'authenticité WO2016157172A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201562142044P 2015-04-02 2015-04-02
US62/142,044 2015-04-02
US201662298045P 2016-02-22 2016-02-22
US62/298,045 2016-02-22

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2016157172A2 true WO2016157172A2 (fr) 2016-10-06
WO2016157172A3 WO2016157172A3 (fr) 2016-12-08

Family

ID=57003987

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IL2016/050321 WO2016157172A2 (fr) 2015-04-02 2016-03-24 Représentation visuelle lisible par machine de l'authenticité

Country Status (3)

Country Link
CN (2) CN205665721U (fr)
TW (1) TWM533778U (fr)
WO (1) WO2016157172A2 (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11074592B2 (en) 2018-06-21 2021-07-27 The Procter & Gamble Company Method of determining authenticity of a consumer good
CN113963352A (zh) * 2021-09-22 2022-01-21 支付宝(杭州)信息技术有限公司 识别图片和训练神经网络的方法和装置
IT202100023912A1 (it) * 2021-09-17 2023-03-17 TraceToo Srl Sistema e metodo per consentire ad una persona di verificare agevolmente l’autenticità di un prodotto
US11995510B2 (en) 2021-08-20 2024-05-28 Andrews & Wykeham Limited Optical authentication structure with augmented reality feature

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
TWI614691B (zh) * 2017-04-21 2018-02-11 南亞塑膠工業股份有限公司 防偽辨識方法
CN107239814B (zh) * 2017-06-07 2020-02-21 上海觉感视觉科技有限公司 一种融合logo图标的堆叠式二维码的识别方法
CN108491747B (zh) * 2018-02-06 2021-06-29 绍兴聚量数据技术有限公司 一种融合图像后美化qr码的方法
WO2020037229A1 (fr) * 2018-08-17 2020-02-20 3M Innovative Properties Company Incrustations à texture structurée dans des articles de voie routière pour reconnaissance automatique

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5145212A (en) * 1988-02-12 1992-09-08 American Banknote Holographics, Inc. Non-continuous holograms, methods of making them and articles incorporating them
US7089420B1 (en) * 2000-05-24 2006-08-08 Tracer Detection Technology Corp. Authentication method and system
AU2002336444A1 (en) * 2001-09-06 2003-04-14 The Escher Group, Ltd System and method for authentication and tracking of a workpiece
US20030080191A1 (en) * 2001-10-26 2003-05-01 Allen Lubow Method and apparatus for applying bar code information to products during production
US20060061089A1 (en) * 2004-09-23 2006-03-23 James Arlook Lenticular covered promotional system and method
BR112013006486A2 (pt) * 2010-09-20 2016-07-26 Lumidigm Inc símbolos legíveis por máquina.
US9704081B2 (en) * 2012-12-19 2017-07-11 Denso Wave Incorporated Information code, information code producing method, information code reader, and system which uses information code
EP2873520B1 (fr) * 2013-10-15 2017-08-02 Heraeus Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG Caractéristique de sécurité basée sur une couche polymère comprenant une première zone et une zone supplémentaire

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11074592B2 (en) 2018-06-21 2021-07-27 The Procter & Gamble Company Method of determining authenticity of a consumer good
US11995510B2 (en) 2021-08-20 2024-05-28 Andrews & Wykeham Limited Optical authentication structure with augmented reality feature
IT202100023912A1 (it) * 2021-09-17 2023-03-17 TraceToo Srl Sistema e metodo per consentire ad una persona di verificare agevolmente l’autenticità di un prodotto
CN113963352A (zh) * 2021-09-22 2022-01-21 支付宝(杭州)信息技术有限公司 识别图片和训练神经网络的方法和装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2016157172A3 (fr) 2016-12-08
TWM533778U (en) 2016-12-11
CN205665721U (zh) 2016-10-26
CN106408063B (zh) 2020-04-17
CN106408063A (zh) 2017-02-15

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CN106408063B (zh) 打印介质及其生成方法和扫描方法和标签
KR20110043624A (ko) 광학 장치들에 의해 저장될 독특한 라벨, 그의 제조 방법 및 제품들의 식별 및 위조 방지 시의 라벨의 사용
US10019626B2 (en) Method for authenticating a security element, and optically variable security element
US9153005B2 (en) Method and system for authenticating a secure document
CN106682912A (zh) 3d结构的认证方法
CN108292456A (zh) 识别方法以及识别介质
WO2014070958A1 (fr) Authentification de produits, d'images ou de documents, vérification, et identification d'articles
TWM519760U (zh) 具有機器可讀圖像之卡
JPWO2012023363A1 (ja) 印字された微小識別マークによる一般人が容易に出来る真贋判定方法
US20220334535A1 (en) Method for determining authenticity using images that exhibit parallax
CN105190654A (zh) 识别介质、码信息的读取方法、码信息的读取装置、识别介质的制造方法以及识别介质的制造装置
KR20140040231A (ko) 태그 인증을 위한 방법 및 장치
WO2013063871A1 (fr) Procédé de lutte contre la contrefaçon, étiquette et procédé de fabrication d'étiquette à partir d'un codage graphique 2d
JP7400208B2 (ja) ウェブキャンペーンの方法
CN109313701A (zh) 用于生成对象的真实性的度量的方法、成像装置和系统
TWI714012B (zh) 三維防僞二維條碼系統及方法
CN101546452A (zh) Gld信息编码识别系统
CN108734246B (zh) 防伪标识码及其编码方法以及产生防伪标识码的方法
CN108133378A (zh) 用于食品溯源防伪的标签、标签生成方法、系统及方法
FR2977051A1 (fr) Procede et dispositif de fabrication d'etiquettes d'authentification et d'association d'une signature
KR101777300B1 (ko) 시차 베리어를 이용한 보안패턴 인식 방법 및 장치
CN114663118A (zh) 基于镭射随机组合图像的防伪方法
CN113159805A (zh) 基于云端图像识别的双工艺复合防伪方法
CN117935669A (zh) 防伪标签及其制作、验证方法和装置
FR2976844A1 (fr) Etiquette d'authentification et procede et dispositif pour la fabriquer et pour authentifier un produit auquel l'etiquette est associee

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 16771529

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A2

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 16771529

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A2