System and Method for Authentication

• US 20150262347A1
• Filed: 03/12/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clearmark Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Clearmark Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Duerksen, Gary L., Miller, Seth A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,224,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9501 Semiconductor wafers manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30148 Semiconductor; IC; Wafer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/80 Recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/95 Pattern authentication; Markers therefor; Forgery detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 Recognition of objects for industrial automation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/20 Testing patterns thereon G07D7/004, G07D7/005 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/24 Generation of individual character patterns

Abstract

Described are methods and systems for determining authenticity. For example, the method may include providing an object of authentication, capturing characteristic data from the object of authentication, deriving authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication, and comparing the authentication data with an electronic database comprising reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication. The reference authentication data may correspond to one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

Claims

1. A method 1500 for determining authenticity, comprising:

1502 providing an object of authentication;

1504 capturing characteristic data from the object of authentication;

1506 deriving authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication; and

1508 comparing the authentication data with an electronic database comprising reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication,

the reference authentication data corresponding to one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

2. The method of claim 1, the object of authentication and the one or more reference objects of authentication comprising articles of manufacture.

3. The method of claim 2, the object of authentication comprising an article of manufacture, the characteristic data being captured from a mark on the article of manufacture.

4. The method of claim 1, the electronic database comprising one or more secondary identifiers corresponding to the one or more reference objects of authentication, further comprising correlating the one or more secondary identifiers with the object of authentication according to the authenticity score.

5. The method of claim 4, the one or more secondary identifiers comprising one or more of:

a name, a logo, a trademark, a vendor, a lot number, a date of manufacture, and a marking system description.

6. The method of claim 1, the electronic database comprising provenance data associated with the reference authentication data, comparing the authentication data with the electronic database further comprising determining a corresponding provenance score of the object of authentication.

7. The method of claim 1:

capturing the characteristic data comprising capturing an optical image of the object of authentication,

deriving the authentication data comprising;

performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image to provide a reconstructed font, and

extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database,

the reference authentication data being derived from reference characteristic data captured from the one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

8. The method of claim 1:

capturing the characteristic data comprising capturing an optical image of the object of authentication;

deriving the authentication data comprising;

performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image to provide a reconstructed font, and

extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database, the authentication data comprising the spline font database corresponding to the marking system data,

the reference authentication data comprising reference marking system data, comparing the authentication data with the electronic database comprising comparing the marking system data with the reference marking system data to provide the authenticity score for the object of authentication,

the reference marking system data corresponding to a marking system used to mark the one or more reference objects of authentication.

9. A system 1800 for determining authenticity, comprising:

a characterization module 1802 configured for capturing characteristic data from an object of authentication;

a data storage module 1804 configured to store an electronic database 1806 comprising reference authentication data;

a processor 1808 operatively coupled to the characterization module 1802 and the data storage module 1804, the processor 1808 being programmed to;

operate the characterization module 1802 to capture the characteristic data from the object of authentication;

derive authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication,

compare the authentication data with the electronic database 1806 comprising the reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication; and

access the data storage module 1804 to store and retrieve one or more of;

the authentication data, the electronic database 1806 comprising the reference authentication data, the characteristic data from the object of authentication, and the authenticity score.

10. The system of claim 9, the characterization module 1802 comprising one or more of:

an imager, a profilometer, a scatterometer, a polarimeter, and a microscope.

11. The system of claim 9, the processor 1808 comprising one or more of:

a local processor, an embedded processor, a distributed processor, a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer; and

a tablet computer.

12. The system of claim 9:

the processor 1808 comprising a portable computing device comprising one or more of;

a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer, and a tablet computer;

the data storage comprising one or more of;

a memory comprised by the portable computing device and a remote storage system accessed by the portable computing device; and

the characterization module 1802 comprising an optical imager comprised by the portable computing device.

13. The system of claim 9, the object of authentication comprising an article of manufacture, the processor 1808 being programmed to operate the characterization module 1802 to capture the characteristic data from a mark on the article of manufacture.

14. The system of claim 9, the processor 1808 being programmed to access the electronic database 1806 comprising one or more secondary identifiers corresponding to the one or more reference objects of authentication, further comprising correlating the one or more secondary identifiers with the object of authentication according to the authenticity score.

15. The system of claim 14, the one or more secondary identifiers comprising one or more of:

a name, a logo, a trademark, a vendor, a lot number, a date of manufacture, and a marking system description.

16. The system of claim 9, the processor 1808 being programmed to:

access the electronic database 1806 comprising provenance data associated with the reference authentication data; and

compare the authentication data with the electronic database 1806 to determine a corresponding provenance score of the object of authentication.

17. The system of claim 9, the processor 1808 being programmed to:

capture the characteristic data by capturing an optical image of the object of authentication,

derive the authentication data by;

performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image to provide a reconstructed font, and

extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database,

the reference authentication data being derived from reference characteristic data captured from the one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

18. The system of claim 9, the processor 1808 being programmed to:

capture the characteristic data by capturing an optical image of the object of authentication;

derive the authentication data by;

performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image to provide a reconstructed font, and

extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database, the authentication data comprising the spline font database corresponding to the marking system data,

compare the authentication data with the electronic database 1806, the reference authentication data comprising reference marking system data, by comparing the marking system data with the reference marking system data to provide the authenticity score for the object of authentication,

the reference marking system data corresponding to a marking system used to mark the one or more reference objects of authentication.

19. A tangible computer-readable medium 1900 having instructions 1902 stored thereon for controlling a processor, the instructions 1902 controlling the processor to:

operate the characterization module to capture the characteristic data from the object of authentication;

derive authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication,

compare the authentication data with the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication,

access the data storage module to store and retrieve one or more of;

the authentication data, the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data, the characteristic data from the object of authentication, and the authenticity score.

the processor comprising a portable computing device comprising one or more of;

a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer, and a tablet computer;

the data storage comprising one or more of;

a memory comprised by the portable computing device and a remote or storage system accessed by the portable computing device; and

the measurement system comprising an optical imager comprised by the portable computing device.

20. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 19, the instructions being configured to control the processor to operate a marking system to mark solid forms on objects.