Document printed with graphical symbols which encode information

• US 20040060990A1
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fiserv CIR Incorporated (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Enseal Systems Limited
• Inventors: Wells, Peter, Hilton, David, Tan, Weichao
• Granted Patent: US 6,871,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks

Abstract

A document is printed with graphical symbols which encode information but are not human readable; the graphical symbols are formed into some or all of visible element printed on the document. The outline of this element is used for synchronising an automated process for scanning the document to extract the encoded information from the element. In prior art systems, synchronising an automated process for scanning the document to extract the encoded information from the element requires large scale arrangement of the graphical symbols (e.g. a horizontal line of glyphs which are all forward facing and which intersect a vertical line of glyphs which are all rearward facing). This considerably mars the appearance of a printed document. This negative impact on appearance has been one of the major causes inhibiting the uptake of graphical symbol technology for encoding information.

Claims

1. A document printed with graphical symbols which encode information but are not human readable, and which are formed into some or all of a visible element printed on the document, wherein the outline of the element is used for synchronising an automated process for scanning the document to extract the encoded information from the element.

2. The document of claim 1 in which the element is a logo, word, number or signature.

3. The document of claim 1 in which some or all of the graphical symbols are superimposed on a decorative background printed on the document.

4. The document of claim 1 in which the graphical symbol is printable using the printer used to create the document.

5. The document of claim 1 in which a graphical symbol is a font which is downloadable to a printer used to create the document.

6. The document of claim 1 in which the density of encoded information is such that if the document is copied using a standard scanner and then printed using a standard ink jet/laser printer, the seal will not be readable on account of global degradation.

7. The document of claim 1 in which the density of encoded information is such that if the document suffers local intense degradation, an error correction scheme enables the element to be read.

8. The document of claim 1 in which a permutation algorithm is used to distribute the graphical symbols within the element in a complex manner.

9. The document of claim 8 which is scanned at a given physical location and the inverse permutation applied at a different and more secure remote location.

10. The document of claim 1 in which the element occupies less than 20% of the entire surface of the document.

11. The document of claim 1 in which the information encoded into the element is also present in printed, human readable form on the document.

12. The document of claim 1 in which the information is encoded at the maximum density permissible.

13. The document of claim 12 in which the maximum density is determined by a calibration program.

14. The document of claim 1 in which the information is encoded into the element using error correction.

15. The document of claim 14 in which the error correction is non linear.

16. The document of claim 14 in which the error correction depends on a probability metric based on scan data.

17. The document of claim 14 in which the error correction allows, during decoding, the calculation of a probability that the document has been fraudulently reproduced.

18. The document of claim 11 in which part of the information in the document is encrypted and used to generate a permutation for the remaining information to be placed into the element.

19. The document of claim 18 where the encryption is part of a PKI scheme.

20. The document of claim 18 where the encryption is an elliptic curve cryptosystem.

21. The document of claim 1, the integrity of which needs to be capable of verification.

22. The document of claim 21 in which the document is a cheque and the information includes one or more of the following kinds of information:

(a) name of the payee;

(b) value of the cheque;

(c) date of the cheque;

(d) an account number.

23. The document of claim 8 in which the decoding is assisted by information derived from OCR or reading of MICR information printed on the document because the permutation method allows the recovery of individual characters even where some are corrupted by processing.

25. The method of claim 24 in which the printed document is defined in any of claims 1-23.

27. The method of claim 26 in which the printed document is defined in any of claims 1-23.

24. A method of printing a document with graphical symbols which are not human readable but do encode information, the method comprising the step of (a) computer generating the graphical symbols;

(b) generating an element made up of the graphical symbols, such that the outline of the element is capable of being used for synchronising an automated process for scanning the document to extract the encoded information from the element and then (c) printing the graphical symbols onto the document.

31. Computer software able to control a printer to perform the method of claims 24-25.

26. A method of retrieving information from a printed document, in which the printed document comprises graphical symbols formed into some or all of an element such that the outline of the element is capable of being used for synchronising an automated process for scanning the document to extract the encoded information from the element;

the method comprising the steps of scanning the element, using the outline to achieve synchronisation, and then recovering the information by decoding the graphical symbols which make up some or all of the element.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of comparing information decoded from the element to human readable information printed on the document.

29. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of comparing information decoded from the element to information which is indexed by human readable information on the document.

30. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of comparing information which is indexed by the decoded information extracted from the element to human readable information printed on the document.

32. Computer software able to control a decoding system to perform the method of claims 26-30.