Identification documents and authentication of such documents

• US 7,639,837 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Perry, Burt W., Carr, J. Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns; Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US11/626,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20070114788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/115, 382/135, 713/176, 340/5.86, 380/277, 380/44, 380/54
• 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

The present invention relates generally to identification documents. In one implementation, a provided method includes: obtaining optical scan data associated with text characters provided on an identification document to obtain first data; using at least a portion of the first data to facilitate decryption of information—not the text characters—carried on or in the identification document. The information corresponds to the identification document or to an authorized bearer of the identification document. In another implementation, a method is providing including: obtaining optical scan data associated with an identification document to obtain first data; obtaining second data from the identification document, the second data comprising encrypted data; communicating the encrypted data and the first data to a remote device, the remote device decrypting the encrypted data with at least reference to the first data; and receiving decrypted data from the remote device. Other implementations and embodiments are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining optical scan data associated with text characters provided on an identification document;

processing the optical scan data to obtain first data; and

using at least a portion of the first data to facilitate decryption of information—

not the text characters—

carried on or by the identification document, wherein the information corresponds to the identification document or to an authorized bearer of the identification document, and in which the decryption of information is carried out by a programmed electronic processor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least a portion of the first data is used to access a decryption key.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information is carried by a carrier selected from a group of carriers comprising:

a barcode, digital watermark, magnetic stripe, graphic and photograph.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the information is steganographically hidden on or by the identification document through alterations to data representing a photograph or graphic carried on or by the identification document.

5. A computer readable medium comprising instructions to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 1.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least a portion of the first data comprises a document identifier.

7. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory, said instructions are executable by said programmed computing device to perform the acts of claim 1.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the identification document comprises a passport.

9. A method comprising:

obtaining optical scan data associated with an identification document;

processing the optical scan data to obtain first data;

obtaining second data from the identification document, the second data comprising encrypted data;

communicating the encrypted data and the first data to a remote device, the remote device decrypting the encrypted data with at least reference to the first data, the remote device utilizing a programmed electronic processor to decrypt the encrypted data; and

receiving decrypted data from the remote device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the optical scan data corresponds to OCR recognizable characters.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first data comprises a number or identifier.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the second data is carried by digital watermarking.

13. A computer readable medium comprising instructions to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 9.

14. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory, said instructions are executable by said programmed computing device to perform the acts of claim 9.

15. The method of claim 9 in which the identification document comprises a passport.

16. An apparatus comprising:

electronic memory for buffering optical scan data associated with text characters provided on an identification document;

an electronic processor programmed for;

processing the optical scan data to obtain first data; and

decrypting information—

not the text characters—

carried on or by the identification document with reference to the first data, wherein the information corresponds to the identification document or to an authorized bearer of the identification document.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 in which said electronic processor is operating to perform at least one of the functions recited therein.

18. An apparatus comprising:

electronic memory for buffering optical scan data associated with an identification document;

an electronic processor programmed for;

processing the optical scan data to obtain first data;

communicating the first data and encrypted data to a remote device, the encrypted data having been obtained from the identification document or information carried by the identification document, the remote device decrypting the encrypted data with at least reference to the first data; and

receiving decrypted data from the remote device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 in which said electronic processor is operating to perform at least one of the functions recited therein.