Authentication method and system

• US 8,270,603 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2010
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Copilot Ventures Fund III LLC
• Original Assignee: TRACER DETECTION TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
• Inventors: Durst, David I., Kaish, Norman, Fraser, Jay, Hoffberg, Michael, Rodricks, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): POWERS, WILLIAM S
• Application Number:
  US12/853,768
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 380/54
• US Class Current: 380/54
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• 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 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: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• 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

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 an efficient means for the production of labels and verification of authenticity, whereby a recording apparatus which includes a recording medium, having anisotrophic optical domains, along with a means for transferring a portion of the recording medium to a carrier, wherein a bulk portion of the recording medium has macroscopically detectable anisotrophic optical properties and the detecting apparatus thereon.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a unique object, comprising:

providing the unique object having a visible surface, associated with a plurality of elements, whose position is defined by non-repeatable, random process, the plurality of elements being embedded in a resin or covered with a protective plastic film, wherein the resin or plastic film is at least tamper-evident to an observer with respect to re-association of the embedded or covered plurality of elements with a different object;

illuminating the plurality of elements on the visible surface, through the resin or plastic film, in such manner as to cause light to enter into and be re-emitted by the plurality of elements;

digitally capturing at least one image of at least a portion of the visible surface of the unique object representing the plurality of elements, through the resin or plastic film, wherein the captured at least one image has at least one feature which is selectively dependent on a respective element and which distinguishes the plurality of elements themselves from an imprinted representation of the plurality of elements, having a pixel resolution sufficiently high to statistically preclude an accurate transference of the plurality of elements to a different object or recreation of a spatial pattern of the plurality of elements to a degree sufficient for authentication;

authenticating the digitally captured image with respect to a digital record of the respective position and axis of each respective element in the portion with an automated processor and verifying that the digitally captured image is not of an imprinted or transferred representation of the plurality of elements; and

outputting an indication of the authenticating of the unique object,

wherein the plurality of elements comprise microbubbles embedded within the resin, and the digital record comprises a cryptographic digital code provided on the unique object which encodes at least a mapping of the microbubbles.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the unique object is self authenticating, the digital record being physically provided in conjunction with the unique object and being cryptographically secure, wherein secret information required to create the digital record in a cryptographically self-authenticating form is not required to authenticate the unique object.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements comprise dichroic fibers covered with a plastic film, and each having a dichroic axis, wherein said digitally capturing comprises determining the dichroic axis, and wherein the authenticating is dependent on the determined dichroic axis.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digital record comprises a cryptographically protected hash of at least the respective positions of the plurality of elements.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least two images are captured of each of the plurality of elements, and jointly used in an authentication.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements comprise fibers which comprise a fluorescent dye, and wherein said illuminating comprises illuminating with a light source having a strong emission at a fluorescent absorption peak of the fiber having the fluorescent dye.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the authenticating is tolerant of at least one distortion or degradation of the visible surface which causes a change in the at least one image, wherein the distortion or degradation is normalized with at least an image information transformation.

8. A system for authenticating a unique object, comprising:

an illuminator configured to illuminate a plurality of elements embedded in a resin or covered by a plastic film associated with the unique object, disposed on at least a portion of a visible surface of the unique object, through a resin or plastic film protective coating, in such manner as to cause light to enter into and reemerge from the resin or plastic film, modified by at least the plurality of elements, plurality of elements being embedded in a resin or covered with a plastic film, wherein the resin or plastic film is at least tamper-evident to an observer with respect to re-association of the plurality of elements embedded in the resin or covered by the plastic film with a different object;

a camera configured to digitally capture at least one image of at least a portion of the visible surface of the unique object through the protective coating, wherein the captured at least one image has at least one feature which is selectively dependent on a respective characteristic of each element which differs among the plurality of elements within the portion and which distinguishes the plurality of elements themselves from an imprinted representation of the plurality of elements, having a pixel resolution sufficiently high to ensure that a counterfeit object has different image characteristics than an authentic object and to statistically preclude an accurate transference or recreation of a pattern of the respective characteristics of the plurality of elements to a degree sufficient for authentication;

an automated processor configured to verify that the plurality of elements in the digitally capture image are actual elements which have not been transferred to another object, and to authenticate the digitally captured image with respect to a digital record of the respective position and respective characteristic of each element in the portion, wherein the positions of the plurality of elements are determined by a random and irreproducible process; and

an output configured to present an indication of the authenticity of the unique object,

wherein the defects comprise microbubbles embedded in the resin, and the characteristic comprises an optical dispersion of the microbubbles.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the unique object is self authenticating, the digital record being physically provided in conjunction with the unique object and being cryptographically secure, wherein no secret information required to generate the digital record is required to employ the digital record to self-authenticate the unique object.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of elements comprise dichroic fibers, and the characteristic is a dichroic axis of a respective fiber.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the digital record comprises a cryptographically protected hash of at least the respective positions of the plurality of elements.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein at least two images of each of the plurality of elements are captured and jointly used for authentication.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of elements comprise fibers formed with a fluorescent dye, and wherein said illuminator comprises a light source having a strong emission at a fluorescent absorption peak of the fiber having the fluorescent dye.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the automated processor is tolerant of at least one distortion or degradation of the portion of the visible surface which causes a change in the at least one image, wherein the distortion or degradation is normalized with at least an image information transformation.

15. A method for authenticating a unique object, comprising:

illuminating at least a plurality of microbubbles within a cured resin, formed on at least a portion of a visible surface of the unique object, in such manner as to cause light to enter into and be detectibly re-emitted, wherein the cured resin is at least tamper-evident to an observer with respect to re-association of the plurality of microbubbles elements with a different object;

digitally capturing at least one image of re-emitted light through the cured resin, wherein the captured at least one image has at least one feature which selectively distinguishes an authentic microbubble in the at least one image from an imprinted representation of the microbubbles, having a pixel resolution sufficiently high to ensure that a counterfeit object has different image characteristics than an authentic object and to statistically preclude a transference of the plurality of microbubbles to another object or counterfeit recreation of a spatial pattern of the microbubbles to a degree sufficient for successful authentication;

authenticating the digitally captured image with respect to a digital record of the respective position of each microbubble in the portion, and to verify that each representation of a microbubble in the digitally captured image is not an imprinted representation of, or a transferred set of microbubbles; and

presenting an indication of the authenticity of the unique object.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the unique object is self authenticating, the digital record being physically provided in conjunction with the unique object and having a cryptographically secure authenticity.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the authenticating is tolerant of at least one distortion or degradation of the visible surface which causes a change in the at least one image, wherein the distortion or degradation is normalized with at least an image information transformation.