Digitally watermarking holograms for identity documents

• US 20030210805A1
• Filed: 06/18/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Brunk, Hugh L., Carr, J. Scott, Lofgren, Neil E., Decker, Stephen K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,882,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0011 for security or authentication holograms on information-bearing cards B42D25/328; testing papers with holograms G07D7/0032
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0244 Surface relief holograms replicating hologram without interference recording G03H1/0276
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/041 Optical element in the object space affecting the object beam, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/08 Synthesising holograms, i.e. holograms synthesized from objects or objects from hologramsusing electric digital computers G06F; G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0016 Covert holograms or holobjects requiring additional knowledge to be perceived, e.g. holobject reconstructed only under IR illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0022 Deciphering being performed with numerical or optical key, e.g. with the optical scrambler used during recording
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/40 Synthetic representation, i.e. digital or optical object decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/441 Numerical processing applied to the object data other than numerical propagation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/16 the marking being a hologram or diffraction grating
• 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: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0032 using holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• 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 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00249 with a photographic apparatus, e.g. a photographic printer or a projector photographic apparatus per se G03B, G03D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3281 Encryption; Ciphering

Abstract

The present invention relates to digital watermarks integrated into holograms, watermarked hologram structures, and related applications as an authentication technique. One method creates a watermark image, and then embeds the watermark image into a holographic structure. The holographic structure is carried by a smart card. The smart card includes additional information. In one embodiment, the digital watermark includes information bits, and these information bits are used to authenticate the hologram, or the smart card. In another embodiment, the watermark'"'"'s information bits are compared with the additional information carried by the smart card. The result of the comparison is used to authenticate the smart card or the hologram.

Claims

1. A method of providing security for an identity document, wherein said identity document comprises electronic circuitry, said method comprising:

providing a holographic structure to be applied to a surface of the identity document, wherein the holographic structure comprises a digital watermark embedded therein, the digital watermark comprising at least a spread spectrum modulated message;

providing first information so as to correspond with the message; and

storing the first information in the electronic circuitry of the identity document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises a trigger which indicates the presence of the digital watermark on the surface of the identify document.

3. A method to validate the authenticity of the identity document of claim 2 comprising steps of:

reading the electronic circuitry to obtain the first information including the trigger;

upon obtaining the trigger, analyzing optical scan data associated with the surface of the identity document to which the holographic structure has been applied, the scan data including scan data corresponding to the digital watermark;

reading the scan data corresponding to the digital watermark to obtain the serial number; and

cross-correlating at least some of the first information with the serial number to determine authenticity of the identity document.

4. A method of providing security for an identity document, wherein said identity document comprises electronic circuitry, said method comprising:

providing a digital watermark to be applied-to a surface of the identity document, wherein the digital watermark comprises at least a spread spectrum modulated message;

providing first information so as to correspond with the message; and

storing the first information in the electronic circuitry of the identity document.

5. A method of providing security for an identity document, wherein said identity document comprises electronic circuitry, said method comprising:

providing a holographic structure to be applied to a surface of the identity document, wherein the holographic structure comprises a digital watermark embedded therein, and wherein embedding of the digital watermark in the holographic structure makes use of at least some transform domain samples corresponding to the holographic structure, and wherein the digital watermark comprises a serial number;

providing first information so as to correspond with the serial number; and

storing the first information in the electronic circuitry of the identity document.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the holographic structure comprises an image or graphic, and the embedding of the digital watermark in the holographic structure makes use of at least some transform domain samples corresponding to the image or graphic of the holographic structure.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first information comprises a trigger, which indicates the presence of the digital watermark on the surface of the identify document.

8. A method to validate the authenticity of the identity document of claim 7 comprising steps of:

reading the electronic circuitry to obtain the first information including the trigger;

upon obtaining the trigger, analyzing optical scan data associated with the surface of the identity document to which the holographic structure has been applied, the scan data including scan data corresponding to the digital watermark;

reading the scan data corresponding to the digital watermark to obtain the serial number; and

cross-correlating at least some of the first information with the serial number to determine authenticity of the identity document.

9. A method of providing security for a transaction involving an identity document, wherein said identity document comprises electronic circuitry, the identity document being presented to a point-of-sale location, wherein the electronic circuitry comprise first information stored therein, the first information comprising a trigger to indicate the presence of a digital watermark, said method comprising steps of:

reading the electronic circuitry to obtain the trigger;

upon obtaining the trigger, analyzing optical scan data to detect the digital watermark, wherein the optical scan data corresponds to at least a portion of a surface of the identity document, wherein the portion of the surface comprises the digital watermark embedded therein, and wherein the digital watermark comprises information bits;

decoding the digital watermark to obtain the information bits; and

authenticating the identity document based at least in part on the information bits.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the digital watermark is embedded in a holographic structure carried on the surface of the identity document.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the information bits are spread spectrum modulated.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the information bits serve as an index to obtain biometric information associated with a bearer of the identity document, and wherein the biometric information is used to authenticate the identity document.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the information bits are used to control an apparatus associated with the point-of-sale location.

14. A method of providing security for an identity document, the identity document comprising a photographic representation of a bearer of the identity document, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a holographic structure, wherein the holographic structure includes a digital watermark embedded therein, the digital watermark including a serial number, and wherein the holographic structure is to be provided on a surface of the identity document;

storing biometric information that is associated with the bearer of the identity document; and

associating the stored biometric information with at least one of the bearer and the identity document via the serial number.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the digital watermark makes use of at least some transform domain samples corresponding to the holographic structure.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the digital watermark is redundantly embedded in the holographic structure.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein at least some of the biometric information is stored in a remote repository.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one component of the digital watermark comprises spread spectrum modulation.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the identity document comprises a smart card including an electronic data repository.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least some of the biometric information is stored in the data repository.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the biometric information comprises at least one of retinal data, photograph, PIN and a fingerprint.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the digital watermark comprises an orientation component.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the digital watermark comprises a first digital watermark, and a second digital watermark, the second digital watermark being designed to be relatively fragile in comparison to the first digital watermark.