Authenticating images identified by a software application

• US 20050283609A1
• Filed: 06/16/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ronald Neville Langford
• Original Assignee: Ronald Neville Langford
• Inventors: Langford, Ronald Neville
• Granted Patent: US 7,725,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

Method 300 facilitates the authentication of images, for example on a web-site (380). The method includes encoding images (310). In one embodiment, a search request is received (330) from a terminal (340) and the Internet is searched (350) in accordance with the search request and one or more web-sites identified (if any). An image associated with the identified web-site is checked (360) to see if the image is authentic. This can be achieved by decoding the image to obtain embedded identification information. If the image is authenticated, the image is transmitted (390) as part of a search results list. If the image is not authenticated, the image is not transmitted (395) or a warning that the image has not been authenticated can be provided. A method which facilitates the authentication of an email or other type of electronic document is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of checking the authenticity of an identified image, the method including the steps of:

receiving, in a software application, the identified image;

checking if the identified image is an encoded image, whereby an encoded image includes at least an original image and link information in an encoded form; and

if the identified image is an encoded image;

(A) decoding the identified image to obtain the link information and a first reference image file and a second reference image file;

(B) comparing the first reference image file and the second reference image file, and if a match is identified, providing the link information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identified image is firstly decoded into ciphertext and the original image.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first reference image file is obtained from the ciphertext.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second reference image file is obtained from the original image.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the link information is obtained from the ciphertext.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first reference image file and the second reference image file are image hash files.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the encoded image is a link image which is obtained from ciphertext and the original image.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the ciphertext is firstly obtained from the link information and a reference image file formed from the original image.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the software application is a web browser.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the method is embodied as a plug-in to the web browser.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the software application is an email program.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identified image is identified by an Internet search engine.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the identified image is not an encoded image notification is provided.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the identified image is part of a web-site and providing the link information to the web browser allows a user to link to the web-site.

30. The system as claimed in claim 29, wherein the terminal is adapted to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 14.

15. A method of facilitating the authentication of a web-site, the method including the steps of:

receiving an original image and link information at a server to be encoded into an encoded image;

providing a software application adapted to check if an identified image, from a search results list, is an encoded image, and if the identified image is an encoded image;

(A) decoding the identified image to obtain the link information and a first reference image file and a second reference image file; and

(B) comparing the first reference image file and the second reference image file, and if a match is identified, providing the link information to enable linking to the web-site.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the search results list is obtained from a database which includes images.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein if the identified image is not an encoded image, the identified image is not transmitted as part of the search results list or an indication is provided in the search results list that the identified image is not authenticated.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein a user is able to view the identified image without being required to activate a hyperlink to the associated web-site.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the identified image is a video or a sequence of images.

20. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the link information is required to be validated by a remote server prior to providing the link information.

21. A system for checking the authenticity of an identified image, the system including:

a software application to receive the identified image and to check if the identified image is an encoded image, whereby an encoded image includes at least an original image and link information in an encoded form;

at least one decoder to decode the identified image to obtain the link information and a first reference image file and a second reference image file; and

a comparison component to compare the first reference image file and the second reference image file, and if a match is identified, provide the link information.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the software application is a web-browser.

23. The system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the at least one decoder and the comparison component are part of a browser plug-in.

24. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the software application is or is part of an email program.

25. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the software application communicates with a remote server to validate the link information.

26. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the encoded image is a link image.

27. A computer readable medium of instructions for checking the authenticity of an identified image, the computer readable medium of instructions performing the steps of:

receiving the identified image;

checking if the identified image is an encoded image, whereby an encoded image includes at least an original image and link information in an encoded form; and

if the identified image is an encoded image;

(A) decoding the identified image to obtain the link information and a first reference image file and a second reference image file; and

(B) comparing the first reference image file and the second reference image file, and if a match is identified, providing the link information.

28. The computer readable medium of instructions as claimed in claim 27, wherein the instructions are part of a web-browser.

29. A system for checking the authenticity of an image, the system including:

a server adapted to receive an original image and link information associated with the original image and to generate a reference image file and an encoded image;

a terminal adapted to receive an identified image, the terminal also adapted to;

check if the identified image is an encoded image;

if the identified image is an encoded image, decode the identified image to obtain the link information and at least two reference image files;

compare the at least two reference image files; and

if a match is identified, use the link information.

31. The system as claimed in claim 29, wherein the image is a proprietary image.

32. The system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the system provides a searchable database of images.

33. A system for providing a searchable database of images, the system including:

an encoder to encode an original image with link information to provide an encoded image;

a database to store the encoded image;

a server associated with the database to facilitate searching of the database;

a software application to receive an identified image and to check if the identified image is an encoded image, whereby the encoded image is part of the searchable database and includes at least an original image and link information in an encoded form;

at least one decoder to decode the identified image to obtain the link information and a first reference image file and a second reference image file; and

,

a comparison component to compare the first reference image file and the second reference image file, and if a match is identified, provide the link information.

34. The system as claimed in claim 33, wherein the original image is a proprietary image.