US 12,348,840 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); John D. Lord, West Linn, 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 Apr. 15, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/635,783.
Application 18/635,783 is a continuation of application No. 17/371,964, filed on Jul. 9, 2021, granted, now 11,962,875.
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 2024/0364982 A1, Oct. 31, 2024
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)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A recycling method that includes the acts of:
capturing imagery depicting items in a material stream;
extracting first digital watermark payload data, comprising plural symbols, from imagery depicting a first item in said material stream and, based on the first digital watermark payload, determining that the first item is made with a first type of plastic;
extracting second digital watermark payload data comprising plural symbols, from imagery depicting a second item in said material stream and, based on the second digital watermark payload data, determining that the second item is made with a second type of plastic; and
sorting said first and second items from the material stream based on said determined types of plastic; wherein the captured imagery comprises image frames, each frame comprising plural pixel blocks and each pixel block comprising plural sub-blocks, and the method further includes the acts of:
analyzing pixel blocks in image frames to detect a clue suggesting presence of watermark data in said pixel blocks, and undertaking further image analysis of pixel blocks in which a clue was detected, wherein the first digital watermark payload data is extracted as a consequence of finding a first clue, and the second digital watermark payload data is extracted as a consequence of finding a second clue; and
detection of the first clue includes (a) computing, for each of the plural sub-blocks in a pixel block, an average value of pixels in the sub-block, to thereby yield plural sub-block average values for said pixel block, and (b) determining whether a majority of said average values for the pixel block is within 1, 2, 3 or 4 digital values of a peak value of a histogram of average values for said pixel block computed from plural previous frames.