Systems and methods for authentication of items or documents

• US 20060020803A1
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: O'Hagan, James Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/091,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020803A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/08 using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means

Abstract

Systems and methods for securing documents combine a physical document characteristic with variable information to form an authentication key. The key can be applied to the document along with the variable information. Subsequently, the document can be authenticated by re-reading the characteristic and variable information present on the document, forming another representation of the authentication key and comparing same to the authentication key carried by the document.

Claims

1. A secure product comprising:

an identifier carrying member, the identifier having a sensible physical characteristic, the member having at least one region which carries applied information, and, a composite identifier formed of indicia of the physical characteristic and the applied information.

2. A product as in claim 1 where the member comprises a two dimensional document.

3. A product as in claim 2 where the physical characteristic comprises one of a unique magnetic, a unique optical or a unique radio frequency characteristic.

4. A product as in claim 3 where the document comprises one of a label, a license, a transportation ticket, an entertainment ticket, a real estate document, or a financial document.

5. A product as in claim 4 which includes at least one graphical element.

6. A document printer comprising:

control circuitry including a plurality of pre-stored executable instructions;

storage for variable document information;

a sensor of a physical document characteristic coupled to the circuitry;

the control circuitry including first instructions to combine variable document information with information pertaining to the physical characteristic of the document to form an authentication key, and an element, coupled to the circuitry, for recording the key on the document.

7. A printer as in claim 6 where the element comprises a print head.

8. A printer as in claim 6 where the first instructions carry out at least one of a logical function, a mathematical function, an encoding function, an encrypting function or a hash function.

9. A printer as in claim 6 which includes a second sensor of variable document information coupled to the control circuitry.

10. A printer as in claim 8 which includes a second sensor of variable document information coupled to the control circuitry.

11. A printer as in claim 10 where the first instructions combine variable information from the second sensor with information from the first sensor to form the authentication key.

12. A printer as in claim 7 which includes additional instructions for control of the element.

13. A printer as in claim 7 which includes instructions to receive variable document information, from a displaced source, via a computer network.

14. A printer as in claim 13 which includes instructions to transmit at least the key to a displaced location via the network.

15. A method comprising:

obtaining information associated with an existing product;

sensing a physical characteristic of a blank;

combining at least some of the information with at least a portion of the scanned physical characteristic to create an authentication indicium;

affixing the authentication indicium to the blank; and

associating the blank with the product.

16. A method as in claim 15 which includes printing the authentication indicium as well as other information on the blank.

17. A method as in claim 15 where associating comprises affixing the blank to at least one of the product or packaging for the product.

18. A method as in claim 15 where obtaining information comprises scanning an existing label carried by the product.

19. A method as in claim 18 where associating comprises affixing the blank to at least one of the product or packaging for the product.

20. A method as in claim 15 where the information includes at least one of a pre-applied bar code, locally provided information, or information obtained from a displaced location.

21. A method as in claim 20 which includes applying the authentication indicium and at least some of the other information, to the blank.

22. A method as in claim 15 where the information is represented, at least in party by a pre-applied code.

23. A method as in claim 22 which includes printing the authentication indicium and at least some of the other information, in the form of a code, on the blank.

24. A method as in claim 23 where the printing comprises printing in the form of a bar code.

25. A method as in claim 15 which includes forwarding at least some of the information and the authentication indicium to a remote location.

26. A method as in claim 25 which includes encrypting at least some of the information before forwarding same.

27. A method as in claim 25 where obtaining information includes receiving the information from at least one of off of the product, or, via a local manual entry.

28. A method as in claim 25 where obtaining information includes downloading at least part of the information from a remote source.

29. A method as in claim 15 where the sensing comprises sensing at least one of a magnetic characteristic, an optical characteristic or, a radio frequency activated characteristic.

30. A method comprising:

obtaining variable information for a document;

obtaining a physical characteristic of a blank for the document;

combining at least some of the variable information with a representation of at least a portion of the physical characteristic to form an authentication element;

incorporating the authentication element and at least part of the variable information into the blank to at least partly form the document.

31. A method as in claim 30 where obtaining includes at least one of accessing a pre-existing database, sensing another document, or manually providing at least some of the variable information.

32. A method as in claim 30 where obtaining the physicial characteristics includes sensing one of a magnetic member embedded in the blank, an optical characteristic of the blank, or an RFID tag, and forming a unique signature for the blank.

33. A method as in claim 32 where combining includes combining a representation of the physical characteristics with at least some of the variable information to form the authentication element.

34. A method as in claim 31 where obtaining the physical characteristics includes sensing one of a magnetic member embedded in the blank, an optical chracteristic of the blank, or an RFID tag, and forming a unique signature for the blank

35. A method as in claim 34 where combining includes combining the sensed characteristic with at least some of the variable information to form the authentication element.

36. A method as in claim 30 which includes forwarding at least one of the representation, the authentication element or some of the variable information, to a displaced location for storage.

37. A method as in claim 34 which includes scanning the physical characteristic of the document;

sensing the authentication element carried by the document;

sensing information carried by the document;

combining the scanned physical characteristic of the document with sensed information from the document to create an authentication key;

comparing the key to the element to determine document authenticity.

38. A method as in claim 37 which includes forwarding at least some of the key, the element or the information to a displaced location for evaluation.

39. A method as in claim 30 where the variable information is obtained from at least one of a displaced source, or a local data entry.