Authentication method and system

• US 8,171,567 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2003
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Copilot Ventures Fund III LLC
• Original Assignee: TRACER DETECTION TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
• Inventors: Fraser, Jay, Weber, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): Cervetti, David Garcia
• Application Number:
  US10/655,625
• Time in Patent Office: 3,162 Days
• Field of Search: 726/32, 713/176
• US Class Current: 726/32
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/333 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06112 the marking being simulated using a light source, e.g. a barcode shown on a display or a laser beam with time-varying intensity profile
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0614 the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/086 with markings consisting of randomly placed or oriented elements, the randomness of the elements being useable for generating a unique identifying signature of the record carrier, e.g. randomly placed magnetic fibers or magnetic particles in the body of a credit card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1404 Methods for optical code recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0047 using checkcodes, e.g. coded numbers derived from serial number and denomination
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/005 Testing security markings invisible to the naked eye, e.g. verifying thickened lines or unobtrusive markings or alterations
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/2033 : Matching unique patterns, i.e. patterns that are unique to each individual paper
• 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: H04L 2209/24 : Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• 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 9/3236 : using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 : involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32229 : with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected regions of the image H04N1/32213 takes precedence
• 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 2201/3236 : Details of authentication information generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for the production and labeling of objects in a manner suitable for the prevention and detection of counterfeiting. Thus, the system incorporates a variety of features that make unauthorized reproduction difficult. In addition, the present invention provides a system and method for providing a dynamically reconfigurable watermark, and the use of the watermark to encode a stochastically variable property of the carrier medium for self-authentication purposes.

Claims

1. A method for self-authenticating a physical document, comprising:

providing a physical document having a permanently fixed stochastically variable characteristic;

measuring the stochastically variable characteristic to a precision greater than the stochastic variation, to thereby determine a randomly variable attribute of the physical document; and

encoding a description of the stochastically variable characteristic and a deterministic identifier of the physical document in association with the physical document in an encoding process resistant to counterfeiting of the physical document,

wherein the encoding is uniquely associated with the physical document and association with a different physical document is discoverable,

wherein the encoding of a description of the stochastically variable characteristic and a deterministic identifier of the physical document in association with the physical document comprises defining a dynamic watermark which is integrated in a stock of the physical document during manufacture of a physical document stock, and

wherein the dynamic watermark is formed by a calendaring roll having a digitally reconfigurable watermark.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the permanently fixed stochastically variable characteristic comprises a fiber pattern in a non-woven sheet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the permanently fixed stochastically variable characteristic comprises an anisotropic optical pattern.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the permanently fixed stochastically variable characteristic comprises a physical watermark formed in the physical document stock during a stage of physical document stock manufacture.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the permanently fixed stochastically variable characteristic comprises a sparse distribution pattern of fibers readily distinguishable from bulk fiber content of a physical document stock.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring of the stochastically variable characteristic to a precision greater than the stochastic variation is sensitive to an optical polarization.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring of the stochastically variable characteristic to a precision greater than the stochastic variation comprises illuminating the physical document with a laser.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring of the stochastically variable characteristic to a precision greater than the stochastic variation comprises ascertaining a distribution of a characteristic dye using a spectral image analysis.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring of the stochastically variable characteristic to a precision greater than the stochastic variation comprises imaging a portion of the physical document with an electronic imaging device a plurality of times under differing conditions of measurement.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the encoding of a description of the stochastically variable characteristic and a deterministic identifier of the physical document in association with the physical document comprises forming a cryptographic hash of the description of the stochastically variable characteristic and a unique physical document stock identification.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of reading the encoded the description of the stochastically variable characteristic and the deterministic identifier of the document as a digital message, and further cryptographically encoding a physical document content with the digital message, wherein the document content is uniquely associated with the physical document stock.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic watermark is provided as a two-dimensional code having selectively varying translucency characteristics of the physical document stock.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the encoding of a description of the stochastically variable characteristic and a deterministic identifier of the physical document in association with the document comprises irreversibly altering a physical document stock, in such manner as to produce an optically detectable pattern associated with the irreversible alteration.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the counterfeit resistant encoding process is cryptographically secure.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the counterfeit resistant encoding process is secure based on a high level of mechanical difficulty in recreating authorized encoding conditions.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the counterfeit resistant encoding process is secure based on use of one or more limited distribution chemical dyes having characteristic optical properties.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of authenticating the physical document by analyzing the stochastically variable characteristic of the physical document and the encoding.

18. A physical document produced by the method of claim 1.

19. An apparatus for performing the method of claim 1, comprising:

means for measuring the stochastically variable characteristic to a precision greater than the stochastic variation, to thereby determine a randomly variable attribute of the physical document; and

means encoding a description of the stochastically variable characteristic and a deterministic identifier of the physical document in association with the physical document in a counterfeit-resistant encoding process.

20. A system for self-authenticating a physical document, comprising:

an input receiving a precise quantitative description of a stochastically variable characteristic of a physical document, to thereby determine a randomly variable attribute of the physical document; and

a description of the stochastically variable characteristic and a deterministic identifier of the physical document written in association with the physical document in a counterfeit-resistant process, wherein a transfer of association of the written description to another physical document is discoverable through an analysis of the precise quantitative description of the stochastically variable characteristic of the physical document originally received, and a precise quantitative description of a stochastically variable characteristic of a physical document whose authenticity is in question,

wherein the physical document comprises watermark elements which are generated in response to a digital control which varies a watermark configuration between successive passes of a watermarking device over a fiber web which results in stock for the physical document.