Identification document and related methods

• US 8,059,858 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Brundage, Trent J., Sher-Jan, Mahmood, Durst, Robert T. Jr., Hannigan, Brett T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Samir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bayat; Ali
• Application Number:
  US11/527,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,877 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/115, 382/116, 382/119, 382/135, 382/137, 382/232, 382/276, 358/3.28, 340/5, 340/5.1, 340/86, 713/176, 283/13, 705/75, 380/54, 380/55
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/34 Markings visible under particular conditions or containing coded information
• 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 25/20 characterised by a particular use or purpose
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/309 Photographs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/333 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/47 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• 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: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• 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 7/086 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 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: G09C 5/00 Ciphering apparatus or methods not provided for in the preceding groups, e.g. involving the concealment or deformation of graphic data such as designs, written or printed messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 : Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 : Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• 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 1/32288 : Multiple embedding, e.g. cocktail embedding, or redundant embedding, e.g. repeating the additional information at a plurality of locations in the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 : Embedding different sets of additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 : Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• 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 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to identification documents and related methods and apparatus. One claim recites a method to determine whether to authenticate an identification document through digital watermarking or through an alternative process. The method includes: receiving data carried by the identification document corresponding to a detection trigger; if the received data indicates an expected presence of digital watermarks, attempting to authenticate the identification document by analyzing digital watermarking carried by the identification document; and if the received data indicates an expected absence of digital watermarks, attempting to authenticate the identification document through an alternative process. Other claims and combinations are provided too.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data corresponding to a detection trigger of an identification document; and

determining whether to authenticate the identification document through digital watermarking or through an alternative process, including;

if the received data indicates an expected presence of digital watermarks, authenticating the identification document through the digital watermarking authentication process, wherein the digital watermark authentication process utilizes at least first and second digital watermarks and includes analyzing optical scan data that corresponds to the identification document to attempt to obtain information conveyed by the first and second digital watermarks;

if the information is obtained, cross-correlating at least some of the information conveyed by the first digital watermark with at least some of the information conveyed by the second digital watermark, and providing a signal corresponding to a result of the cross- correlation of the watermark information;

if the information is not obtained providing a signal representing that the identification document is considered suspect;

if the received data indicates an expected absence of digital watermarks, authenticating the identification document through the alternative authentication process, wherein the alternative authentication process utilizes bearer or document specific information and includes attempting to obtain the specific information from at least two sources related to the identification document;

if the specific information is obtained, cross-correlating the specific information, and providing a signal corresponding to a result of the cross-correlation of the specific information; and

if the specific information in not obtained, providing a signal representing that the identification document is suspect.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection trigger comprises a document issue date.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection trigger comprises a document expiration date.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document comprises a magnetic stripe, and wherein the detection trigger is stored by the magnetic stripe.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document comprises electronic circuitry, and wherein the detection trigger is stored in the electronic circuitry.

6. A method comprising:

receiving data carried by an identification document corresponding to a detection trigger; and

determining whether to authenticate the identification document through digital watermarking or through an alternative process, including;

if the received data indicates an expected presence of digital watermarks, attempting to authenticate the identification document by analyzing digital watermarking carried by the identification document; and

if the received data indicates an expected absence of digital watermarks, attempting to authenticate the identification document through an alternative process.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the alternative process involves analysis of at least one of data carried by a barcode, data obtained through optical character recognition (OCR), or human inspection of the identification document.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the detection trigger corresponds to at least one of a document issue date or a document expiration date.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the identification document comprises electronic circuitry, and wherein the detection trigger is stored in the electronic circuitry.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein attempting to authenticate the identification document by analyzing digital watermarking carried by the identification document utilizes a programmed electronic processor.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein attempting to authenticate the identification document through an alternative process utilizes a programmed electronic processor.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the identification document comprises text and graphics thereon, and in which the detection trigger comprises a predetermined spatial distance between the graphics and the text.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing data associated with an identification document, the data corresponding to a detection trigger; and

an electronic processor configured to;

determine whether to authenticate the identification document through digital watermarking or through an alternative process, including;

if the data indicates an expected presence of digital watermarks, attempting to authenticate the identification document by analyzing digital watermarking carried by the identification document; and

if the data indicates an expected absence of digital watermarks, attempting to authenticate the identification document through an alternative process.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the alternative process comprises analysis of at least one of data carried by a barcode, data obtained through optical character recognition (OCR), human inspection of the identification document.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the detection trigger corresponds to at least one of a document issue date or a document expiration date.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the identification document comprises electronic circuitry, and the detection trigger is obtained from the electronic circuitry.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the identification document comprises text and graphics thereon, and in which the detection trigger comprises a predetermined spatial distance between the graphics and the text.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving data carried by an identification document corresponding to a detection trigger; and

determining whether to authenticate the identification document through digital watermarking or through an alternative process, including;

if the received data indicates an expected presence of digital watermarks, attempting to authenticate the identification document by analyzing digital watermarking carried by the identification document; and

if the received data indicates an expected absence of digital watermarks, attempting to authenticate the identification document through an alternative process.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive data corresponding to a detection trigger of an identification document; and

determine whether to authenticate the identification document through digital watermarking or through an alternative process, including;

if the received data indicates an expected presence of digital watermarks, authenticating the identification document through the digital watermarking authentication process, wherein the digital watermark authentication process utilizes at least first and second digital watermarks and includes analyzing optical scan data that corresponds to the identification document to attempt to obtain information conveyed by the first and second digital watermarks;

if the information is obtained, cross-correlating at least some of the information conveyed by the first digital watermark with at least some of the information conveyed by the second digital watermark, and providing a signal corresponding to a result of the cross- correlation of the watermark information;

if the information is not obtained, providing a signal representing that the identification document is considered suspect;

if the received data indicates an expected absence of digital watermarks, authenticating the identification document through the alternative authentication process, wherein the alternative authentication process utilizes bearer or document specific information and includes attempting to obtain the specific information from at least two sources related to the identification document;

if the specific information is obtained, cross-correlating the specific information, and providing a signal corresponding to a result of the cross-correlation of the specific information; and

if the specific information in not obtained, providing a signal representing that the identification document is suspect.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving data corresponding to a detection trigger of an identification document; and

determining whether to authenticate the identification document through digital watermarking or through an alternative process, including;

if the received data indicates an expected presence of digital watermarks, authenticating the identification document through the digital watermarking authentication process, wherein the digital watermark authentication process utilizes at least first and second digital watermarks and includes analyzing optical scan data that corresponds to the identification document to attempt to obtain information conveyed by the first and second digital watermarks;

if the information is obtained, cross-correlating at least some of the information conveyed by the first digital watermark with at least some of the information conveyed by the second digital watermark, and providing a signal corresponding to a result of the cross- correlation of the watermark information;

if the information is not obtained, providing a signal representing that the identification document is considered suspect;

if the received data indicates an expected absence of digital watermarks, authenticating the identification document through the alternative authentication process, wherein the alternative authentication process utilizes bearer or document specific information and includes attempting to obtain the specific information from at least two sources related to the identification document;

if the specific information is obtained, cross-correlating the specific information, and providing a signal corresponding to a result of the cross-correlation of the specific information; and

if the specific information in not obtained, providing a signal representing that the identification document is suspect.