| CPC G06T 1/0028 (2013.01) [G06K 7/1443 (2013.01); H04N 1/32293 (2013.01); G06T 2201/0061 (2013.01)] | 45 Claims |

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1. A method of creating a stylized counterpart to a target image, the target image comprising a 2D machine-readable code, the target image having an attribute of being decodable by a compliant reader apparatus to produce a plural-symbol payload earlier encoded therein, the method comprising the acts:
(a) identifying component blocks of the target image, each component block having a respective location within said target image, wherein an array of P of said component blocks collectively forms a pattern that spans the target image, in which P comprises a positive integer;
(b) receiving one or more style images;
(c) performing a similarity comparison between a first of said component blocks of the target image, and plural candidate excerpts within the one or more style images, yielding a set of similarity values—each corresponding to a respective candidate excerpt within a style image;
(d) selecting one of said candidate excerpts, based at least in part on its corresponding similarity value;
(e) copying the selected candidate excerpt into a location in an output frame that corresponds to the location of the first component block within the target image; and
(f) repeating acts (c) through (e) for second through Pth component blocks of the target image;
wherein the output frame is filled with selected excerpts from one or more style images, yielding a stylized counterpart image having said attribute of being decodable by said compliant reader apparatus to produce said plural-symbol payload.
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