An example image forming apparatus includes a user interface device, an image forming job operator, a processor, and a memory. The processor executes instructions to display a preview screen of a document through the user interface device, perform an embedding process of embedding user-specific information into a plurality of user-specific information input areas included in the document, display state information of the plurality of user-specific information input areas on the preview screen in synchronization with progress of the embedding process, and, when the embedding process is completed, perform an image forming job with respect to the document in which the user-specific information is embedded, through the image forming job operator.

The present disclosure relates to signal decoding and icon (e.g., a logo, shape, icon, etc.) detection. In some implementations, a series of filters are applied to scanlines to determine whether an icon is present. Other aspects, combinations and implementations are described as well.

Example implementations relate to multiple payload pantograph. Some examples may include a first pattern generation engine to generate a first pattern. The first pattern may be a data-bearing pattern encoding a first payload. Additionally, some examples may include a second pattern generation engine to generate a second pattern, the second pattern (by itself or in combination with the first pattern) may represent a second payload. The second payload may be camouflaged by a combination of the first pattern and the second pattern. Some examples may also include a pantograph generation engine to generate a multiple payload pantograph including the first pattern and the second pattern. The multiple payload pantograph may include the first pattern in one of the pantograph background or the pantograph foreground.

The disclosure relates to processing content with watermarks to generate watermarked versions. In some aspects, each version may be different. Groups of fragments may be combined to generate a unique stream by pulling fragments from two or more of the groups of fragments. Further, fragmenting may be performed before watermarking, and fragments may be pulled and watermarked upon request.

An example image forming apparatus includes a user interface device, an image forming job operator, a processor, and a memory. The processor executes instructions to display a preview screen of a document through the user interface device, perform an embedding process of embedding user-specific information into a plurality of user-specific information input areas included in the document, display state information of the plurality of user-specific information input areas on the preview screen in synchronization with progress of the embedding process, and, when the embedding process is completed, perform an image forming job with respect to the document in which the user-specific information is embedded, through the image forming job operator.

An example of a computer-readable medium storing machine-readable instructions. When executed, the machine-readable instructions may cause a processor to control a laser to print a test pattern. The test pattern may be scanned to determine visibility of pixels. The power of a laser may be adjusted based on the visibilities to print a security pixel.

This invention falls within the scope of steganography, i.e., encoding of information (such as a text) into other information, for example, an image. It is the object of this invention a computational method for generating at least one image with coded information comprising the steps of: i) associating an information to be coded to a plurality of graphic elements, each of the graphic elements consisting of a symbol out of a plurality of symbols, thus generating a pattern of graphic elements and ii) generating at least one image comprising at least one pattern obtained from step i). This method introduces a consistent and highly flexible way of encoding information into an image. Additionally, this invention has also as object a system associated to the said method, images obtained from the said method, as well as a reading method and system thereof.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining, by a pixelation device, an arrangement of pixels for generating representations of data for a document; adjusting, by an increment module and based on the arrangement of pixels, an optical density of one or more pixels included in the arrangement; associating, by the pixelation device, a plurality of distinct types of credential data with one or more line patterns included in the arrangement of pixels; and generating, by the pixelation device, multiple line patterns at a document, the multiple line patterns encoding the plurality of distinct types of credential data.

An image processing apparatus includes a reading unit configured to read an image of a document and generate image data, a first binarization unit configured to generate binary image data by performing halftone processing on the image data generated by the reading unit, a smoothing unit configured to perform smoothing processing on a character region of the binary image data, a second binarization unit configured to perform binarization processing on the character region having been subjected to the smoothing processing by the smoothing unit, and a character recognition unit configured to perform character recognition processing on the character region having been subjected to the binarization processing by the second binarization unit.

The present disclosure relates to signal decoding and icon (e.g., a logo, shape, icon, etc.) detection. One aspect includes a method comprising: obtaining an image frame depicting a physical object, the physical object comprising an graphical icon printed thereon, the graphical icon comprising first signal encoding, the physical object comprising second signal encoding that does not overlap the first signal encoding, in which the first signal encoding comprises a first identifier and the second signal encoding comprising a second identifier, in which the first identifier comprises a different identifier relative to the second identifier; analyzing image data associated with the image frame to detect presence of the graphical icon, in which said analyzing determines orientation information associated with the graphical icon; providing the orientation information to an encoded signal detector, the encoded signal detector utilizing the orientation information as a geometric reference to detect the first signal encoding to obtain the first identifier; and using the first identifier, initiating a response for display on a display screen. Other aspects, combinations and implementations are described as well.