Steganographically encoded media object having an invisible colorant

• US 6,936,334 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2002
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Authentix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Stephany, Thomas M., Paz-Pujalt, Gustavo R., Williams, Kevin W., Blazey, Richard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Bruce H.
• Application Number:
  US10/165,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20030228980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 428/195.1, 428/916, 428/29, 283/902, 283 91- 93
• US Class Current: 428/195.1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/04 Preventing copies being made of an original
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/902 Anti-photocopy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/916 Fraud or tamper detecting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

A medium for displaying information thereon, the medium includes a substrate; and visible information formed from a plurality of colors displayed on the substrate; wherein at least one of the colors includes at least one visible colorant and at least one invisible colorant which invisible colorant is imperceptible to the human eye and which is not present in a reproduction therefrom for detecting counterfeiting or forgery.

Claims

1. A system for detecting counterfeiting or forgery, the system comprising:

a medium comprising;

(a) a substrate; and

(b) visible information formed from a plurality of colors displayed on the substrate;

wherein at least one of the colors includes at least one visible colorant and at least one invisible colorant which invisible colorant is imperceptible to the human eye and which invisible colorant absorbs, reflects or luminesces at wavelengths at or less than substantially 400 nanometers or at or more than substantially 800 nanometers; and

wherein the invisible colorant is not transferred to a photocopy for detecting counterfeiting or forgery;

a reader comprising an imaging device that detects the absence of invisible colorant in a counterfeit medium of the medium for detecting counterfeiting or forgery and detects presence of invisible colorants in the medium for indicating the actual medium.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the invisible colorant used is dependent upon the characteristics of the medium.

3. The system as claim 1, wherein a plurality of the colors contain the invisible colorants.

4. A method for detecting forgery or counterfeiting, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a substrate;

(b) inserting at least one invisible colorant that is imperceptible to a human eye on the substrate for permitting detection of a counterfeit of the substrate that will not have the invisible colorant;

wherein the invisible colorant absorbs, reflects or luminesces at wavelengths at or less than substantially 400 nanometers or at or more than substantially 800 nanometers; and

(c) inserting at least one visible colorant that is perceptible to the human eye on the substrate for permitting display on visible information on the substrate.

5. The method as in claim 4 further comprising the step of selecting the invisible colorant based on characteristics of the medium.

6. The method as claim 4, wherein step (b) includes inserting a plurality of invisible colorants.