Document authentication and identification

• US 8,576,049 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation), ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Corbin, George E., Grech, Anthony, Murphy, Thomas E. Jr., Nelson, Mark, Peters, Kevin H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAINES, CHRISTOPHER JAMAAL
• Application Number:
  US12/564,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20110072271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 340 52- 527, 340/5.3, 340/5.51, 340/5.6, 340/5.65, 340/5.67, 340/5.74, 340/5.8, 340/5.86, 713/176, 358/1, 358/1.15, 358/1.4, 358/1.1, 358/3.28, 235/492, 235375-385
• US Class Current: 340/5.86
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• 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 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods, systems, and computer program products for document authentication and identification using encoding and decoding are provided. A method includes receiving a digitized document and comparing the digitized document to a set of markers to determine whether the digitized document is an encoded document with one or more characters replaced. In response to determining that the digitized document is encoded, information is extracted from the set of markers using a decoder according to an encoding strategy. The extracted information and the set of markers are compared with data stored in encoding history to authenticate and identify the received digitized document. Markers in the encoded document may be hidden in plain sight, such that the encoding is not readily apparent to a casual observer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for encoding identification information in a document, comprising:

receiving a digitized document;

creating a set of markers associated with identification information;

determining whether permission to modify semantic content of the digitized document is given;

selecting an encoding strategy to apply the set of markers to the digitized document as identifying tags to produce an encoded document based on the determination whether permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is given, wherein the encoding strategy includes retaining semantic content of the digitized document based on determining that permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is not given, and the encoding strategy includes modifying the semantic content of the digitized document based on determining that permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is given; and

applying the set of markers to the digitized document according to the encoding strategy using an encoder to produce an encoded document with one or more characters added or replaced compared to the digitized document.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the encoder reorders one or more sentences as the one or more characters replaced, and the set of markers indicate replaced sentence locations according to the encoding strategy.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein when it is determined that permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is given, the encoding strategy includes inserting a signature quote into the digitized document, wherein characters, words or phrases in the signature quote equate to the set of markers.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein when it is determined that permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is given, the encoding strategy includes modifying sentence syntax for at least one sentence, wherein the set of markers indicate a modification location.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting the set of markers based on attributes associated with the digitized document, the attributes comprising one or more of;

author, originator, content, sender, recipient, location of the recipient, and a creation time stamp.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing a record of the set of markers and encoding strategy associated with the encoded document as encoding history.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

encoding multiple variations of the digitized document to produce additional encoded documents, wherein the multiple variations target different recipients.

8. A computer-implemented method for document authentication and identification, comprising:

receiving a digitized document;

comparing the digitized document to a set of markers to determine whether the digitized document is an encoded document with one or more text characters replaced, wherein the one or more text characters replaced includes at least one letter, number, symbol or space changed to another letter, number, or symbol;

in response to determining that the digitized document is an encoded document with one or more characters replaced, extracting information from the set of markers using a decoder according to an encoding strategy; and

comparing the extracted information and the set of markers with data stored in an encoding history to authenticate and identify the received digitized document.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the decoder determines that the set of markers are reordered sentences as the one or more characters replaced, and the information is encoded in replaced sentence locations according to the encoding strategy.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the decoder determines that the set of markers comprise at least one of:

an inserted signature quote with information encoded in characters of the signature quote, and a modified sentence syntax with the information encoded in a modified location.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

selecting the set of markers based on attributes associated with the digitized document, the attributes comprising one or more of;

author, originator, content, sender, recipient, location of the recipient, and a time stamp.

12. A system for document authentication and identification, comprising:

an encoder configured to execute on a processing unit and perform a method comprising;

receiving a digitized document;

creating a set of markers associated with identification information;

determining whether permission is given to modify semantic content of the digitized document;

selecting an encoding strategy to apply the set of markers to the digitized document as identifying tags to produce an encoded document based on the determination whether permission is given to modify the semantic content of the digitized document, wherein the encoding strategy includes retaining the semantic content of the digitized document based on determining that permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is not given, and the encoding strategy includes modifying the semantic content of the digitized document based on determining that permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is given;

applying the set of markers to the digitized document according to the encoding strategy to produce an encoded document with one or more characters replaced or rearranged; and

storing a record of the set of markers and encoding strategy associated with the encoded document as encoding history; and

a decoder configured to execute on the processing unit and perform a method comprising;

receiving a returned digitized document;

comparing the returned digitized document to the set of markers to determine whether the returned digitized document is the encoded document with one or more characters replaced or rearranged;

in response to determining that the returned digitized document is the encoded with one or more characters replaced or rearranged, extracting information from the set of markers according to the encoding strategy; and

comparing the extracted information and the set of markers with data stored in the encoding history to authenticate and identify the returned digitized document.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

optical character recognition (OCR) logic, the OCR logic being configured to execute on the processing unit and create the digitized document and the returned digitized document from one or more scanned images of one or more physical documents; and

a document processing application configured to execute on the processing unit and provide interfaces to the encoder, decoder, and OCR logic.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the encoder is further configured to reorder one or more sentences as the one or more characters replaced;

and further wherein the decoder is configured to determine that the set of markers are reordered sentences as the one or more characters replaced, and the information is encoded in replaced sentence locations according to the encoding strategy.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein when it is determined that permission is given to modify the semantic content of the digitized document, the encoding strategy includes inserting one or more of a signature quote and modify sentence syntax for at least one sentence in response to receiving permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document;

and further wherein the decoder is configured to determine that the set of markers comprise at least one of;

an inserted signature quote with information encoded in characters of the signature quote, and a modified sentence syntax with the information encoded in a modified location.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the set of markers are selected based on attributes associated with the digitized document, the attributes comprising one or more of:

author, originator, content, sender, recipient, location of the recipient, and a time stamp.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the encoder is further configured to encode multiple variations of the digitized document to produce additional encoded documents, the multiple variations targeting different recipients;

and further wherein the decoder is configured to identify and authenticate the multiple variations targeting the different recipients from multiple returned digitized documents and to extract from the identified and authenticated multiple variations information about the different recipients.

18. A computer program product for document identification and authentication, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for implementing a method, the method comprising;

receiving a digitized document;

creating a set of markers associated with identification information;

determining whether permission is given to modify semantic content of the digitized document;

selecting an encoding strategy to apply the set of markers to the digitized document as identifying tags to produce an encoded document based on the determination whether permission is given to modify the semantic content of the digitized document, wherein the encoding strategy includes retaining the semantic content of the digitized document based on determining that permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is not given, and the encoding strategy includes modifying the semantic content of the digitized document based on determining that permission to modify the semantic content of the digitized document is given;

applying the set of markers to the digitized document according to the encoding strategy to produce an encoded document with one or more characters replaced; and

storing a record of the set of markers and encoding strategy associated with the encoded document as encoding history.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises:

encoding multiple variations of the digitized document to produce additional encoded documents, the multiple variations targeting different recipients;

identifying and authenticating the multiple variations targeting the different recipients from multiple returned digitized documents; and

extracting from the identified and authenticated multiple variations information about the different recipients.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a returned digitized document;

comparing the returned digitized document to the set of markers to determine whether the returned digitized document is the encoded document with one or more characters replaced;

in response to determining that the returned digitized document is the encoded document with one or more characters replaced, extracting information from the set of markers according to the encoding strategy; and

comparing the extracted information and the set of markers with data stored in the encoding history to authenticate and identify the returned digitized document.