Systems and methods for unforgeable document tagging

• US 6,321,648 B1
• Filed: 02/14/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Berson, Thomas A., Breuel, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): EICKHOLT, EUGENE H
• Application Number:
  US09/504,036
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 101/23, 101/24, 101/32, 101/6, 101/375, 101/401, 101/401.1
• US Class Current: 101/32
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 11/02 for securities security printing B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/02 for printing books or manifolding sets
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/14 Security printing securities B42D25/29
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes

Abstract

A system and method for tagging sheets of recording material, so that the origin of the sheets and the authenticity of the sheets may be determined, includes a roller that applies at least a portion of the random pattern to the document. The random pattern is applied by imprinting, embossing, or by piercing the sheet. The pattern applied to the sheet can be determined by any known forensic technique and the pattern can be imaged and stored in a database. A series of rollers may apply phase shifted random patterns to one side or both sides of the sheet. The phase shift of the random patterns may be determined to establish a sequence code. The roller or rollers including the random patterns may be installed in an image forming apparatus, preferably in a sheet transport mechanism of the image forming apparatus.

Claims

1. A system for tagging a sheet of recording material, comprising:

a first roller;

a second roller forming a nip with the first roller;

wherein at least one roller of the first roller and the second roller includes a random pattern on an outer surface thereof that applies at least a portion of the random pattern to at least one side of the sheet of recording material passing through the nip, and

a memory device for storing the random pattern applied to each at least one side of the sheet of recording material for identification of each sheet.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein a circumference of the at least one roller is smaller than a length of the sheet of recording material.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein a circumference of the at least one roller is larger than a length of the sheet of recording material passing through the nip.

4. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a controller that determines a point on the at least one roller at which the at least one roller first contacts the sheet of recording material.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the controller controls the at least one roller to first contact each sheet of recording material in a series of sheets of recording material at the same point on the at least one roller for each sheet of recording material in the series.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein said at least a portion of the random pattern is applied to the sheet of recording material by at least one of imprinting, embossing or piercing.

7. An image forming device including the system of claim 1.

8. A method of tagging a sheet of recording material, comprising:

passing the sheet of recording material through a nip formed by two rollers;

applying at least a portion of a random pattern formed on an outer surface of at least one roller of said two rollers to at least one side of the sheet of recording material; and

storing the applied random pattern in association with each sheet passed through the nip.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining a point on the at least one roller at which the at least one roller first contacts the sheet of recording material.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the at least one roller to first contact each sheet of recording material in a series of sheets of recording material at the same point on the at least roller.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein said applying at least a portion of the random pattern includes at least one of imprinting, embossing, and piercing the sheet of recording material.

12. A system for tagging a sheet of recording material, comprising:

a plurality of pairs of rollers, each pair of rollers forming a nip through which the sheet of recording material passes, wherein a plurality of rollers on at least one side of the sheet of recording material have unique random patterns on outer surfaces thereof that apply the random patterns to the sheet of recording material in a phase shifted relationship; and

a memory device for storing the unique random patterns applied to the sheet of recording material by each pair of the plurality of pairs of rollers.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a controller that determines each point on each roller of the plurality of rollers having unique random patterns where each roller first contacts the sheet of recording material.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the controller controls each roller of the plurality of rollers having unique random patterns to first contact a sheet of recording material in a series of sheets of recording material at the same point on said each roller for each sheet of recording material in the series.

15. An image forming device including the system of claim 12.

16. A method of tagging a sheet of recording material, comprising:

passing the sheet of recording material through a plurality of nips formed by a plurality of pairs of rollers; and

applying a plurality of random patterns, each random pattern formed on a respective roller of a plurality of rollers on at least one side of the sheet of recording material, to the sheet of recording material in a phase shifted relationship; and

storing the applied random pattern in association with each sheet passed through the nip.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

determining each point on each respective roller at which each respective roller first contacts the sheet of recording material.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

controlling each respective roller to first contact each sheet of recording material in a series of sheets of recording material at the same point on each respective roller.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein said applying the plurality of random patterns includes at least one of imprinting, embossing and piercing the sheet of recording material.