Verification system for document substance and content

• US 4,686,527 A
• Filed: 11/12/1985
• Issued: 08/11/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Light Signatures Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Light Signatures Incorporated
• Inventors: Goldman, Robert N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US06/797,302
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.34, 340/825.33, 235/380, 235/382, 235/487
• US Class Current: 340/5.86
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0813 Specific details related to card security
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification

Abstract

An authenticator device, e.g. certificate, of verifiable composition substance and informational content with a system of production and verification. Character uniqueness signals identifying the composition of the device are recorded on the card by printing and magnetics in an encrypted form combined with statistical data signals representative of information on the card. Testing the card involves freshly sensing the character uniqueness data and entering the statistical data. Such fresh data is then compared with the recorded values after decoding. Favorable comparisons manifest approval and enter the statistical data for processing.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing secure, individually distinct, machine-processable documents, comprising:

a document mechanism means for positionally supporting said documents;

anticounterfeit character sensing means for sensing anticounterfeit characteristic data from a document as positioned by said document mechanism means;

means for receiving individual statistical data for said documents;

means for encoding said anticounterfeit data and said statistical data; and

means for recording said anticounterfeit data and said statistical data on a document in encoded form as said document is positioned by said document mechanism means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for recording comprises a printer means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for recording comprises a magnetic recorder.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 further including means to sense a document to provide said statistical data.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said means to sense comprises an optical reader.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for encoding comprises means for cryptographically encoding.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for recording comprises a printer means and further including means to sense a document to provide said statistical data.

8. apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for recording comprises a printer means and a magnetic recorder.

9. A process for producing distinct secure data bearing individual documents, comprising the steps of:

selecting document blanks with an individual anticounterfeit characteristic;

sensing said selected document blanks to provide anticounterfeit data signals representative of said individual anticounterfeit characteristics;

providing other data signals representative of other data for said document;

recording certain of said anticounterfeit data and said other data on said document blank in a machine-readable form; and

recording certain of said other data on said document blank in a human-readable form.

10. A process according to claim 9 further including an initial step of:

prerecording at least some of said other data on said document blank wherein said step of providing other data signals includes sensing said prerecording.

11. A process according to claim 9 wherein said step of recording certain of said data in human-readable form comprises printing on said document.

12. A process according to claim 9 wherein said anticounterfeit characteristic comprises translucency.

13. A process according to claim 9 wherein said document blanks comprise paper.

14. A process according to claim 9 wherein said step of recording certain of said anticounterfeit data and certain of said other data includes magnetic recording.

15. A process according to claim 9 wherein said step of recording certain of said anticounterfeit data and certain of said other data includes printing.

16. A process according to claim 9 wherein said step of recording certain of said anticounterfeit data and certain of said other data includes a step of cryptographic encoding.

17. A system for producing an authenticator device from a sheet or the like having a physical anticounterfeit characteristic, said system comprising:

means for sensing said physical anticounterfeit characteristic from said sheet to provide sensed anticounterfeit signals representative of said anticounterfeit characteristic;

means for providing signals representative of critical statistical data for said authenticator; and

means for recording certain of said sensed anticounterfeit signals in combination with certain of said signals representative of statistical data on said sheet in machine-readable form and in humanly perceivable form said means for recording including a printer.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein said means for recording includes a magnetic recorder means.

19. A system according to claim 17 wherein said combination is encoded.