Magnetic stripe authentication and verification system

• US 6,899,269 B1
• Filed: 06/03/1999
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Magtek Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Magtek Incorporated
• Inventors: Deland, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): TREMBLAY, MARK STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US09/324,741
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 235/449
• US Class Current: 235/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/087 flux-sensitive, e.g. magnetic, detectors G06K7/10336 takes precedence
• 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 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/125 Offline card verification

Abstract

Magnetic stripe documents are identified and authenticated on the basis of repeatable magnetic characteristics of a stripe recorded with digital data and waveform characteristics of the sensed digital data. Stripes are sensed to provide an analog signal, only the portion storing leading zeros being used. Cyclically, the leading-zero portion is sampled and digitized to provide a target number of samples using a frequency locked loop. The target number of samples is then reduced by a selection process that attains a predetermined number of digital samples from central locations in magnetized portions of the record specifically, spaces between data transitions. Selected groups, each of a predetermined number of digital samples, are then combined to provide magnetic characteristic data. Such data is then combined with waveform data (range) to provide an identification word. Documents are verified by correlating reference and sensed identification words. One or several reference identification words also may be tested for excessive similarity suggesting a fraudulent copy.

Claims

1. An identification system for identifying authentic documents bearing a magnetic stripe recorded with digital data and having a repeatable magnetic characteristic, comprising:

a magnetic stripe sensor configured to sense the magnetic stripe to provide an analog signal representative of the recorded digital data and the repeatable magnetic characteristic;

a digitizer configured to sample a portion of the analog signal to provide digitized samples indicative of the repeatable magnetic characteristic;

a waveform circuit configured to provide range data characteristics of at least the sampled portion of the analog signal;

a storage configured to store representations of the digitized samples and the range data as identification data to identify the document; and

a processor configured to determine whether the digital data recorded on the magnetic stripe has been copied from the authentic document using the digitized samples of the repeatable magnetic characteristic; and

wherein the processor is also configured to determine whether the repeatable magnetic characteristic has been copied from the authentic document using the range data.

2. An identification system according to claim 1 wherein the magnetic stripe is recorded with a series of leading zeros and the digitizer samples the analog signal in a portion representing the series of leading zeros.

3. An identification system according to claim 1 wherein the magnetic stripe is recorded with digital data represented by magnetic transitions and the digitizer samples a portion of the analog signal representing spaces between said magnetic transitions to provide a digitized samples indicative of the repeatable magnetic characteristic.

4. An identification system according to claim 1 wherein the documents comprise magnetic stripe cards and wherein the digital data recorded on the magnetic stripes includes data for fetching identification data from the storage.

19. The identification system of claim 1, wherein the range data includes information concerning ratios of pulse amplitude to center line offset.

5. An identification system for identifying authentic documents bearing a magnetic stripe recorded with digital data and having a repeatable magnetic characteristic that has unique range characteristics, comprising:

a magnetic stripe sensor configured to sense the magnetic stripe to provide an analog signal representative of the recorded digital data and the repeatable magnetic characteristic;

a magnetic characteristic circuit configured to provide magnetic characteristic representations indicative of the repeatable magnetic characteristic;

a waveform circuit configured to provide range representations indicative of the range characteristics of the analog signal generated from a portion of the magnetic stripe including the repeatable magnetic characteristic by the magnetic stripe sensor; and

a forming circuit to provide document identification representations based on the magnetic characteristic representations and the range representations to identify the documents.

6. An identification system according to claim 5 further including storage to store document identification representations and a comparison structure for comparing document identification representations from the storage with document identification representations from the forming circuit to verify a document.

7. An identification system according to claim 6 wherein the storage stores a plurality of document identification representations for comparison with a document identification representation from the forming circuit and wherein verification requires a degree of dissimilarity.

8. An identification system according to claim 5 wherein the magnetic characteristic circuit provides magnetic characteristic representations from the analog signal at substantially flat sections to produce a predetermined number of digital samples.

9. An identification system according to claim 5 wherein the waveform circuits provides range representations indicative of amplitudes of the analog signal.

10. An identification system according to claim 5 wherein the waveform circuit provides range representations indicative of ratios of amplitudes of the analog signal at predetermined locations.

20. The identification system of claim 5, wherein the range representations includes information concerning ratios of pulse amplitude to center line offset.

11. A system for use with a card bearing a magnetic stripe having a repeatable magnetic characteristic that has known range characteristics and recorded with digital data in the form of magnetic transitions, said system for providing a sensed characteristic identification for the card, comprising:

means for sensing said magnetic stripe to provide representations of digitally recorded data and representations of the repeatable magnetic characteristic in the form of digital sample signals;

means for selectively storing card identification words formed from the digital sample signals to manifest the repeatable magnetic characteristic of a card and known range characteristics of the repeatable magnetic characteristic.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the amplitude characteristics of the digital sample signals include information concerning ratios of pulse amplitude to center line offset.

12. A process for identifying authentic documents bearing a magnetic stripe having a distinct magnetic characteristic that is capable of repeated sensing to identify individual documents and that possesses known range characteristics, said process including the steps of:

sensing the magnetic stripe to produce a representative analog signal manifesting the distinct magnetic characteristic;

providing magnetic characteristic representations indicative of the distinct magnetic characteristic;

providing range characteristic representations indicative of the range characteristics of the magnetic characteristic; and

providing identification representations based on the magnetic characteristic representations and the range characteristic representations to identify the documents.

22. The process of claim 12, wherein the range characteristic representations include information concerning ratios of pulse amplitude to center line offset.

13. A document, or the like, having its fingerprint recorded for the later verification of its identity,

the document having a magnetic medium,

the fingerprint comprising remanent noise of at least a portion of the magnetic medium, and

a characteristic of an analog waveform sensed from the portion of the magnetic medium containing the remanent noise.

14. A document, or the like, according to claim 13 wherein the characteristic of an analog waveform is a ratio of waveform amplitudes at specific locations.

15. A document, or the like, according to claim 14 wherein the characteristic of an analog waveform is a ratio of peak amplitudes at spaced apart locations in the waveform.

16. A document, or the like, according to claim 13 comprising a plastic card bearing a magnetic recording stripe.

17. A document, or the like, according to claim 13 wherein the remanent noise and the characteristic of an analog waveform are recorded as the fingerprint for correlation with a subsequently sensed and formed fingerprint.

18. A document, or the like, according to claim 13 wherein the document has recorded in the magnetic medium portion, data for locating a reference fingerprint for correlation with a fingerprint sensed from the document.

23. An identification system for identifying documents bearing a magnetic stripe recorded with digital data and having a repeatable magnetic characteristic, comprising:

a magnetic stripe sensor for sensing the magnetic stripe to provide an analog signal representative of the recorded digital data and the repeatable magnetic characteristic;

a magnetic characteristic circuit providing magnetic characteristic representations indicative of the repeatable magnetic characteristic;

a waveform circuit for providing range data characteristic of the analog signal;

a forming circuit to provide document identification representations based on the magnetic characteristic representations and the range representations to identify the documents;

storage to store document identification representations and a comparison structure for comparing document identification representations from the storage with document identification representations from the forming circuit to verify a document; and

wherein the storage stores a plurality of document identification representations for comparisons with a document identification representation from the forming circuit and wherein verification requires a degree of dissimilarity.