US 11,962,875 B2
Recycling methods and systems, and related plastic containers
Ravi K. Sharma, Portland, OR (US); Tomas Filler, Beaverton, OR (US); Vojtech Holub, Lafayette, CO (US); Osama M. Alattar, Tigard, OR (US); Hugh L. Brunk, Portland, OR (US); and John D. Lord, West Linn, OR (US)
Assigned to Digimarc Corporation, Beaverton, OR (US)
Filed by Digimarc Corporation, Beaverton, OR (US)
Filed on Jul. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/371,964.
Application 17/371,964 is a continuation of application No. 16/435,292, filed on Jun. 7, 2019, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/854,754, filed on May 30, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/845,230, filed on May 8, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/836,326, filed on Apr. 19, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/830,318, filed on Apr. 5, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/818,051, filed on Mar. 13, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/814,567, filed on Mar. 6, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/812,711, filed on Mar. 1, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0352192 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. G06K 9/00 (2022.01); G06F 21/16 (2013.01); G09C 5/00 (2006.01); H04N 21/2389 (2011.01); H04N 21/44 (2011.01); H04N 21/8358 (2011.01); H04N 23/00 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/00 (2023.01) [G06F 21/16 (2013.01); G09C 5/00 (2013.01); H04N 21/23892 (2013.01); H04N 21/44008 (2013.01); H04N 21/8358 (2013.01); H04L 2209/34 (2013.01); H04L 2209/608 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of sorting plastic items in a material stream, including the acts:
decoding first plural-symbol payload information from a machine-readable indicia on a first item, the decoded first plural-symbol payload information including a plastic recycling code indicating a type of plastic used in the first item;
sorting the first item from said waste stream based on said plastic recycling code included in the first plural-symbol payload information;
decoding second plural-symbol payload information from a machine-readable indicia on a second item, the decoded second plural-symbol payload information omitting a plastic recycling code, but including an identifier code;
based on said identifier code, obtaining a corresponding plastic recycling code from a database; and
sorting the second item from said waste stream based on the plastic recycling code obtained from the database;
said method also including decoding the first plural-symbol payload information from the first item using a first decoding algorithm, and decoding the second plural-symbol payload information from the second item using a second decoding algorithm, the method further including sorting the first item to a first destination based on said plastic recycling code included in the first plural-symbol payload information, and sorting the second item to a second destination based on said plastic recycling code obtained from the database, wherein:
the second destination is the same as the first destination;
the first item and the second item are two instances of a same type of item;
each of said first item and said second item is marked with both a first machine-readable indicia and a second machine-readable indicia, the first machine-readable indicia being formed by a first process and the second machine-readable indicia being formed by a second process different than the first process, said first machine-readable indicia employing a first signaling protocol and the second machine readable indicia employing a second signaling protocol different than the first signaling protocol; and
the first decoding algorithm is different than the second decoding algorithm, said difference including that the first decoding algorithm is adapted to read machine-readable indicia employing the first signaling protocol, and the second decoding algorithm is adapted to read machine-readable indicia employing the second signaling protocol that is different than the first signaling protocol;
wherein an item can be sorted from the material stream based on reading of either the first or second machine-readable indicia, by said respective first or second decoding algorithm; and
wherein the first machine-readable indicia comprises a first digital watermark, and the second machine-readable indicia comprises a second digital watermark.