Authenticating identification and security documents

• US 20060115110A1
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Sharma, Ravi K., Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Rodriguez, Tony F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/10 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/20 Coloured material; Pigments or inks
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/24 Colours
• 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 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/328 Diffraction gratings; Holograms
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/333 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0051 involving markings removed from an original pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0053 involving markings added to a pattern, e.g. interstitial points
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0055 involving markings displaced slightly from original positions within a pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0057 involving markings which are altered in dimension, e.g. thickened lines
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

The application discloses identification and security documents and methods and systems for authenticating such identification and security documents. In one implementation, a document includes a first surface; and a second surface. The first surface comprises a first set of print structures and a second set of print structures. The first set of print structures and the second set of print structures cooperate to obscure the location on the first surface of the second set of print structures. The second set of print structures is arranged on the first surface so as to provide a reflection pattern. In one example, the reflection pattern includes a diffraction grating. The second set of print structures is preferably provided on the first surface with metallic ink. In other implementations a financial instrument or identification document is provided with an organic light emitting diode (OLED) array. The OLED array displays information thereon. The information is preferably correlated to the information on or in the financial instrument or identification document.

Claims

1. A method of watermarking an image to convey auxiliary data, wherein the image includes a plurality of line elements, the method comprises:

determining a dominate angle associated with the line elements; and

varying line angles of at least a set of the plurality of line elements relative to the dominate angle, wherein the varying line angles conveys a plural-bit message.

4. The document of claim 1 wherein the first set of print structures is provided on the first surface with a first ink and the second set of print structures is provided on the first surface with a second different ink.

6. The document of claim 4 wherein the second ink comprises a metallic ink.

7. The document of claim 4 wherein the first ink and the second ink comprise a visually similar color.

2. A document comprising:

a first surface; and

a second surface, wherein

the first surface comprises a first set of print structures and a second set of print structures, wherein the first set of print structures and the second set of print structures cooperate to obscure a location on the first surface of the second set of print structures, and wherein the second set of print structures are arranged on the first surface so as to provide a reflection pattern.

3. The document of claim 2 wherein the reflection pattern comprises a diffraction grating.

5. The document of claim 3 wherein the first ink and the second ink comprise a metameric pair.

8. The document of claim 2 wherein the first set of print structures is provided on the first surface with a first ink and the second set of print structures is provided on the first surface with a second different ink, and wherein the second different ink comprises a metallic ink.

9. The document of claim 8 wherein the first ink and the second ink comprise a metameric pair.

10. The document of claim 8 wherein the first ink and the second ink comprise a visually similar color.

11. The document of claim 8 wherein the first set of print structures and the second set of print structures collective convey a steganographic signal discernable from optical scan data representing at least a first portion of the first surface.

12. The document of claim 8 wherein the diffraction grating provides a predetermined reflection pattern that is at least document type specific.

13. The document of claim 2 comprising a security document or identification document.

14. A method to authenticate the document of claim 2, comprising:

illuminating the document with energy having a frequency in the range of 50-80 GHz;

receiving a reflected pattern from the document;

comparing the reflected pattern or attributes of the reflected pattern to an expected pattern or expected attributes; and

based at least in part on the comparing, determining whether the document is authentic.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the range comprises 60-75 GHz.

16. The document of claim 2 wherein first set of print structures comprises line segments and the second set of print structures comprise line segments.

17. A document according to claim 2, wherein the document wherein the second surface includes a photographic representation of an authorized bearer of the document.

18. The document of claim 17 wherein the reflection pattern comprises a diffraction grating.

19. The document of claim 17 wherein the reflection pattern is arranged in accordance with a pseudo-randomly generated pattern.

20. A security document comprising:

a first surface;

a first set of print structures provided on the first surface with a first ink having a first color;

a second set of print structures provided on the first surface with a second ink having a second color, wherein the first color and the second color form a metameric pair, and

wherein the first set of print structures and the second set of print structures cooperate to obscure the location on the first surface of the second set of print structures, and

wherein the second ink comprises metallic characteristics so when arranged on the first surface, the second set of print structures provide a pattern that, in response to a signal, reflects a predetermined signal or pattern.

21. A method of authenticating a security or identification document with a handheld computing device, the device comprising an optical sensor and a display, the document comprising a plurality of randomly or pseudo-randomly occurring features, the document further comprising steganographic indicia provided thereon, the indicia conveying expected characteristics of the features, said method comprising:

receiving from the optical sensor optical scan data corresponding to the document;

analyzing the optical scan data to obtain the expected characteristics of the features;

based at least on the expected characteristics, providing user feedback via the display corresponding to an expected spatial positioning of the features.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the feedback comprising a graphical representation of the features relative to the document or a graphical representation of the relative spatial positioning of the features relative to the document.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the device comprises a cell phone.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the device comprises at least one of a personal digital assistant and a portable music player.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the steganographic indicia comprises digital watermarking.

26. The method of claim 21 further comprising analyzing the optical scan data to obtain actual characteristics of the features.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

based at least on the expected characteristics and the actual characteristics, providing user feedback via the display corresponding to an expected spatial positioning of the features and an actual spatial positioning of the features.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein the features comprise fibers and the expected characteristics are encrypted.

29. A handheld computing device comprising:

a display;

an optical sensor;

processing circuitry; and

electronic memory, wherein said memory comprises executable instructions stored therein for execution by the processing circuitry, said instructions comprising instructions to carry out the method of claim 21.

30. The device of claim 29 comprising at least one of a cell phone, personal digital assistant and portable music player.