Disclosed is a two-dimensional code having improved design characteristics, for which any image can be added. The disclosed two-dimensional code divides data displayed in binary code into cells, arranges same as a pattern in a two-dimensional matrix, and has a position detection pattern. The two-dimensional code has embedded design information that indicates the existence of design areas wherein any design can be arranged and, if a design area exists, the position of the design area.

A two-dimensional code includes: a first code symbol coding first information being valid information according to a first standard; a terminator pattern indicating an end of the valid information according to the first standard; and a second code symbol arranged after the terminator pattern in a region in which the valid information can be arranged according to the first standard and coding second information being valid information according to a second standard different from the first standard. The first information may be output data, and the second information may be non-output data.

In an illustrative system, a point-of-sale scanner is equipped to respond to multiple different symbologies printed on a single product. The scanner captures many frames per second, as products are swiped through a viewing volume. Each frame is decoded, yielding one or more payloads. A reconciliation module compares each newly-decoded payload against a list of payloads previously output by the module, to determine if the current payload is semantically-equivalent to a previously-output payload. If so, the previously-output payload is output again, in lieu of the just-decoded payload. If no equivalent is found, the current payload is output and added to the list for comparison against future payloads. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

A recording tape cartridge includes a case configured by first and second halves being joined to each other first and second peripheral walls are butted against each other and stores a reel, a label surface formed of a first half label surface of the first peripheral wall and a second half label surface of the second peripheral wall on a side opposite to a loading direction of the case to a drive device and that allows a barcode label with a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode to be attached thereto, and a reference surface formed on a bottom plate and is used for positioning the case in a thickness direction in a case of being loaded into the drive device. The first or second half label surface is inclined at one degree or more with respect to a vertical plane perpendicular to the reference surface in a side view.

A card includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface has a first surface area. The card also includes an image area on the first surface. The image area has a second surface area less than the first surface area. The cars further includes a contrast region between the image area and an edge of the substrate. The contrast region is a solid border surrounding the image area. The card additionally includes a plurality of markings extending from the contrast region into the image area. Each marking of the plurality of markings arranged in a pattern such that the markings of the plurality of markings are separated from one another by a portion of the image area.

Methods and systems for machine-readable codes that provide different information in response to different context and/or that age are disclosed herein. The codes described herein may be configured to provide different information depending on the age of the code, the day that the code was scanned, how the code was handled, and/or other factors. The code may include features that indicate an age of the code and the message determined by scanning the code may be different depending on the age of the code.

A method of disseminating a message is disclosed. The message is encoding in a barcode. A selected region of the barcode is damaged so as to hinder decoding of the message at a scanning device. The damaged region of the barcode may be occluded from the scanning device in order to enable the scanning device to read the barcode and the message therein.

In some examples, an article includes a substrate that having a physical surface; a multi-dimensional machine-readable code embodied on the physical surface, wherein the multi-dimensional machine-readable optical code comprises a static data (SD) optical element set and a dynamic lookup data (DLD) optical element set, each set embodied on the physical surface, wherein the DLD optical element set encodes a look-up value that references dynamically changeable data, wherein the SD optical element set encodes static data that does not reference other data, wherein the DLD optical element set is not decodable at the distance greater than the threshold distance.

Methods, systems, and apparatus for combining preprinted information together with coded sensor information within a two-dimensional barcode. The sensor information may be of an environmental, physical or biological nature, and records a cumulative change in status of the environmental or biological condition to which the labeled product has been exposed. A sensor dye chemistry is employed that undergoes a continuous chemical or physical state change in response to the occurrence of the environmental condition. The continuous change is between an initial state and an end state causing a change in the color state of the sensor dye embedded within the sensor-augmented two-dimensional barcode, encoding sensor digital information. Sensor information is recovered utilizing the error-correction feature during barcode decoding.

In some examples, an article includes a substrate and a plurality of optical element sets embodied on the substrate, wherein each optical element set includes a plurality of optical elements, wherein each respective optical element represents an encoded value in a set of encoded values, wherein the set of encoded values are differentiable based on visual differentiability of the respective optical elements, wherein each respective optical element set represents at least a portion of a message or error correction data to decode the message if one or more of the plurality of optical element sets are visually occluded, and wherein the optical element sets for the message and error correction data are spatially configured at the physical surface in a matrix such that the message is decodable from the substrate without optical elements positioned within at least one complete edge of the matrix that is visually occluded.