Personal document authentication system using watermarking

• US 20030138128A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Geoffrey B. Rhoads
• Original Assignee: Geoffrey B. Rhoads
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Application Number:
  US10/326,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20030138128A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/309 Photographs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/333 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/00 Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/187 Frequency domain transformation; Autocorrelation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 : visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 : using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 : using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 : for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 : by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 : Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 : Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 : Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 : involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 : embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 : embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3216 : using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 : Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32208 : involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32288 : Multiple embedding, e.g. cocktail embedding, or redundant embedding, e.g. repeating the additional information at a plurality of locations in the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 : Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

An identification document includes a unique identifier, and a picture of a person. Steganographically embedded in the picture is information corresponding to the identifier, by which the document can be authenticated. A verification apparatus reads the identifier from the document (e.g., by OCR or a machine-readable feature), and collects scan data corresponding to the picture. The scan data is processed to extract the embedded information. The embedded information is then compared for expected correspondence with the identifier. A remote database can store information related to the card, and can be queried in connection with the authentication.

Claims

1. An authentication system comprising:

a database for storing an identifier of a personal document and digital watermark information related to said identifier;

a personal document containing said identifier;

said personal document also containing a readable authentic image in which a digital watermark relative to said identifier is embedded;

a read means for reading at least said authentic image from said personal document;

a watermark information inquiring means for extracting digital watermark information corresponding to said identifier from said authentic image; and

a watermark information comparing means for judging whether said digital watermark information extracted by said watermark information inquiring means from said personal document is identical to said watermark information stored in said database;

if said watermark inquiring means finds identical watermark information in said watermark information from said authentic image and said database, said watermark inquiring means justifies said personal document; and

if the watermark information from the two sources are not identical then the watermark inquiring means fails to justify said personal document.

2. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein said personal document includes:

an information carrier for storing said authentic image; and

said digital watermark is embedded in said authentic image stored in said information carrier.

3. The authentication system of claim 2, wherein said information carrier is at least one of a semiconductor memory and a magnetic recording material.

4. The authentication system of claim 2, wherein:

said information carrier includes said authentic image being a printed authentic image affixed to said personal document; and

said read means reads said printed image.

5. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said identifier and said digital watermark information includes an element that is randomly generated.

6. The authentication system of claims 1, further comprising:

means for updating said digital watermark information stored in said database and said digital watermark information embedded in said authentic image in said personal document each time said watermark information inquiring means judges said digital watermark information to be justifiable.

7. The authentication system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication device for communicating said watermark information between said watermark information inquiring means and said database.

8. A personal document issuing system comprising:

an identifier generating means for generating an identifier unique to a personal document;

a watermark information generating means for generating digital watermark information corresponding to said identifier;

a database for storing said identifier of said personal document and said digital watermark information relative to said identifier in relation to each other;

a watermark information registering means for storing said identifier generated by said identifier generating means and said digital watermark information generated by said watermark information generating means in said database;

an image input means for inputting a raw authentic image;

a watermark-embedded image forming means for forming a watermark-embedded authentic image in which said digital watermark is embedded on said authentic image input by said image input means; and

a personal document that readably carries said authentic image generated by said watermark-embedded image forming means and said identifier generated by said identifier generating means.

9. The personal document issuing system of claim 8, wherein:

said personal document includes an information carrier for storing said authentic image; and

said authentic image includes a digital watermark embedded in said authentic image stored in said information carrier.

10. The personal document issuing system of claim 9, wherein said information carrier is at least one of a semiconductor memory and a magnetic material.

11. The personal document issuing system of claim 9 wherein:

said information carrier includes said authentic image being a printed authentic image affixed to said personal document; and

said read means reads said printed authentic image.

12. The personal document issuing system of claim 8, wherein at least one of said identifier and said digital watermark information includes an element that is randomly generated.

13. The personal document issuing system of claim 8, wherein said digital watermark information stored in said database and embedded in said authentic image of said personal document are updated at a predetermined time.

14. The personal document issuing system of claim 13, wherein said predetermined time includes each time said system correctly justifies an authentic image.

15. The personal document issuing system of claim 8, further comprising:

a communication device for communicating said watermark information between said watermark information inquiring means and said database.

16. A personal document comprising:

a unique identifier;

an authentic image of an authorized user of said personal document;

said authentic image being viewable by eye;

said authentic image containing embedded therein digital watermark information corresponding to said identifier; and

means for permitting communication of said identifier and said digital watermark information to a database remote from said personal document.