Printing and validation of self validating security documents

• US 6,389,151 B1
• Filed: 11/18/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Carr, Jonathan Scott, Perry, Burt W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Application Number:
  US09/442,780
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 382/135, 382/137, 382/100, 382/115
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1418 the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure
• 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 25/21 for multiple purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/24 Passports
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/313 Fingerprints
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/333 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/41 with means for the generation of identity documents
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 : electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 : using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 : using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• 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 7/1008 : Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 : Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 : embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00846 : based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 : embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 : Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32208 : involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32219 : involving changing the position of selected pixels, e.g. word shifting, or involving modulating the size of image components, e.g. of characters H04N1/32224 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32261 : in binary data H04N1/32256 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 : Embedding different sets of additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 : of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 : of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 : Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3239 : using a plurality of different authentication information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping

Abstract

Security documents which has multiple fields or areas each of which contains information that is perceptible in more than one way: One field can contain a visually perceptible image and a digital watermark that can be detected when the image is scanned and processed, another field can contain machine readable OCR text that can be read by both a human and by a programmed computer, and still another field can contain watermark data which can be correlated to the output of a fingerprint reader or apparatus which scans a user'"'"'s iris. Documents are produced by begining with a template which defines the placements of elements on the document and the interrelationships between hidden and visual information on the document. The template specifies the placement of elements such as images, photographs, and text and it also specifies the interrelationship between information that is visually perceptible to a user of the document and information that is hidden by means of digital watermarks. Different hidden digital watermark data is included in multiple elements of the document. The watermarks in the different graphic elements of the document are correlated to each other and correlated to the visual material on the document. Thus, the document can not be forged by replacing one element (such as a picture) with a similar element from another document. In order to produce a document defined by a particular template, appropriate pictures, graphics and digital data are extracted from a data bank, and watermark data is embedded in the pictures and graphics as appropriate. The merged digital data is then sent to a printing engine and the final document is produced. An automatic validation system of the present invention reads multiple fields on the document, and it also automatically detects information about the user. The various information is correlated to validate the document.

Claims

1. A document validating system that includes a physical characteristic reader for automatically reading a physical characteristic of a person presenting said document and multiple hidden digital watermarks from different elements of said document, and a comparator for comparing the output of said physical characteristic reader with information stored in said hidden digital watermarks.

2. A system for validating a security document, said document containing hidden digital watermarks that carry watermark payload data, said system comprising:

a first computer system coupled to a second computer system, the second computer system being remote from the first, the first computer system including an optical scanner producing scan data corresponding to said document, the first computer system further including a digital watermark decoder receiving said scan data and outputting said watermark payload data, said watermark payload data being encrypted, the first and second computer systems cooperating to decrypt the watermark payload data.

3. The system of claim 2 in which said second computer has a memory storing decryption data, said data being transferred to the first computer for use at the first computer to decrypt the watermark payload data.

4. The system of claim 2 in which the second computer includes a decryption system having an input for receiving watermark payload data from the first computer, and an output for providing decrypted watermark payload data to the first computer.

5. The system of claim 2 in which the decryption proceeds in accordance with unencrypted payload data discerned by the first computer system from the scan data.

6. The system of claim 5 in which the unencrypted payload data comprises a document identifier printed on the document in OCR or bar code form.

7. A method of verifying the identity of a person who presents and identification document comprising the steps of automatically reading a physical characteristic of said person presenting said identification document, reading a hidden digital watermark from said identification document, and comparing the output of the physical reader with information stored in the hidden digital watermark.

8. A system for validating a security document presented by a person, said security document containing a hidden digital watermark that contains watermark payload data, said system comprising:

a first computer system coupled to a second computer system, the second computer system being remote from the first, said first computer system including (a) an optical scanner producing a digital image of said security document, (b) a digital watermark decoder for reading watermark payload data from said digital image, and (c) a data input device which detects a physical characteristic of said person, said first and second computer systems cooperating to determine if said security document identifies said person.