US 11,962,876 B2
Recycling methods and systems, and related plastic containers
Ravi K. Sharma, Portland, OR (US); Tomas Filler, Beaverton, OR (US); Vojtech Holub, Portland, OR (US); Osama M. Alattar, Tigard, OR (US); Hugh L. Brunk, Portland, OR (US); John D. Lord, West Linn, OR (US); Matthew M. Weaver, Portland, OR (US); and William Y. Conwell, Portland, OR (US)
Assigned to Digimarc Corporation, Beaverton, OR (US)
Filed by Digimarc Corporation, Beaverton, OR (US)
Filed on Aug. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/393,227.
Application 17/393,227 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/579,667, filed on Sep. 23, 2019, granted, now 11,308,571.
Application 16/579,667 is a continuation of application No. 16/435,292, filed on Jun. 7, 2019, abandoned.
Application 16/435,292 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/823,138, filed on Nov. 27, 2017, abandoned.
Application 16/579,667 is a continuation of application No. 15/072,884, filed on Mar. 17, 2016, granted, now 10,424,038, issued on Sep. 24, 2019.
Application 15/072,884 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/725,399, filed on May 29, 2015, granted, now 9,635,378, issued on Apr. 25, 2017.
Application 15/823,138 is a continuation of application No. 14/611,515, filed on Feb. 2, 2015, granted, now 9,832,353, issued on Nov. 28, 2017.
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.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/136,146, filed on Mar. 20, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/934,425, filed on Jan. 31, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2022/0027590 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. G06K 9/00 (2022.01); B29B 17/02 (2006.01); G06F 21/16 (2013.01); G06Q 10/30 (2023.01); G06V 10/141 (2022.01); G06V 10/143 (2022.01); G06V 10/60 (2022.01); G06V 20/64 (2022.01); 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); B29K 23/00 (2006.01); B29K 67/00 (2006.01); B29L 31/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04N 23/00 (2023.01) [B29B 17/02 (2013.01); G06F 21/16 (2013.01); G06Q 10/30 (2013.01); G06V 10/141 (2022.01); G06V 10/143 (2022.01); G06V 10/60 (2022.01); G06V 20/653 (2022.01); G09C 5/00 (2013.01); H04N 21/23892 (2013.01); H04N 21/44008 (2013.01); H04N 21/8358 (2013.01); B29B 2017/0203 (2013.01); B29B 2017/0279 (2013.01); B29B 2017/0282 (2013.01); B29K 2023/065 (2013.01); B29K 2067/003 (2013.01); B29L 2031/7158 (2013.01); H04L 2209/34 (2013.01); H04L 2209/608 (2013.01); Y02W 30/62 (2015.05); Y02W 30/82 (2015.05); Y02W 90/00 (2015.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A recycling method practiced in a waste management facility that processes an incoming material stream, the method including the acts:
(a) decoding first machine-readable payload data, comprising plural symbols, from imagery depicting a first item in said material stream;
(b) based on the first machine-readable payload data, determining that the first item comprises a first type of material;
(c) decoding second machine-readable payload data, comprising plural symbols, from imagery depicting a second item in said material stream;
(d) based on the second machine-readable payload data, determining that the second item comprises a second type of material different than the first type of material; and
(e) sorting said material stream in the waste management facility based on said determined types of materials;
detecting that a machine-readable indicia is present in said imagery;
the machine-readable indicia comprises a first digital watermark pattern conveyed by the first item, and said first item also conveys a second digital watermark pattern different than the first digital watermark pattern;
the material stream is moved by a conveyor belt at a speed, and the imagery comprises an image sequence captured at a frame rate, the sequence including first, second and third frames, the method further includes the acts:
analyzing plural image blocks in the first frame for a watermark clue;
detecting a watermark clue in a first image block of the first frame; and
in response to said detecting, identifying, in the second frame, one or more second image blocks for analysis based on said conveyor belt speed and said frame rate.