Methods and apparatus employing multi-spectral imaging for the remote identification and sorting of objects
US6578712B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 25, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jun 17, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 25, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S209/939
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multi-spectral imager and the applications of same for the marking and coding of, for example, textiles, linens, garments, documents and packages for high-speed machine identification and sortation. Specific uses include garment and textile rental operations, laundry operations, and the postal and mail sortation of documents and packages. Methods and apparatus are provided to identify items via information encoded within an applied mark, as well as a novel mark reading/decoding scheme. A method is disclosed for printing fluorescent marks on an item, such as a heat-sealable label, to generate a unique identification number or indicia, as well as a reader system for reading applied marks. The reader system includes an illumination source that excites the fluorescent marks in combination with a color sensitive device, such as a camera, which is “blind” to the illumination wavelength but which can discern the fluorescence color and a relative spatial order of the fluorescent marks, wherein the information is encoded.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.