System and method for authentication

• US 9,224,196 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2015
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clearmark Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Clearmark Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Duerksen, Gary L., Miller, Seth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Savusdiphol, Paultep
• Application Number:
  US14/656,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20150262347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 292 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/375, 235/472.01, 382/181, 382/190, 382/220
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9501 Semiconductor wafers manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30148 Semiconductor; IC; Wafer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/80 Recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/95 Pattern authentication; Markers therefor; Forgery detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 Recognition of objects for industrial automation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/20 Testing patterns thereon G07D7/004, G07D7/005 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/24 Generation of individual character patterns

Abstract

Described are methods and systems for determining authenticity. For example, the method may include providing an object of authentication, capturing characteristic data from the object of authentication, deriving authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication, and comparing the authentication data with an electronic database comprising reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication. The reference authentication data may correspond to one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

Claims

1. A method for determining authenticity, comprising:

providing an object of authentication, the object of authentication comprising at least one solid form;

capturing characteristic data from a boundary of the at least one solid form of the object of authentication;

deriving authentication data corresponding to the boundary of the at least one solid form from the characteristic data of the object of authentication; and

comparing the authentication data corresponding to the boundary of the at least one solid form with an electronic database comprising reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication,

the reference authentication data corresponding to one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

2. The method of claim 1, the object of authentication and the one or more reference objects of authentication comprising articles of manufacture.

3. The method of claim 2, the object of authentication comprising an article of manufacture, the characteristic data being captured from a mark on the article of manufacture.

4. The method of claim 1, the electronic database comprising one or more secondary identifiers corresponding to the one or more reference objects of authentication, further comprising correlating the one or more secondary identifiers with the object of authentication according to the authenticity score.

5. The method of claim 4, the one or more secondary identifiers comprising one or more of:

a name, a logo, a trademark, a vendor, a lot number, a date of manufacture, and a marking system description.

6. The method of claim 5, the marking system description corresponding to a laser marking system.

7. The method of claim 1, the electronic database comprising provenance data associated with the reference authentication data, comparing the authentication data with the electronic database further comprising determining a corresponding provenance score of the object of authentication.

8. The method of claim 1:

capturing the characteristic data comprising capturing an optical image of the boundary of the at least one solid form of the object of authentication,

deriving the authentication data comprising;

performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image of the boundary of the at least one solid form to provide a reconstructed font boundary, and

extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font boundary to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database,

the reference authentication data being derived from reference characteristic data captured from the one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

9. The method of claim 1:

capturing the characteristic data comprising capturing an optical image of the boundary of the at least one solid form of the object of authentication;

deriving the authentication data comprising;

performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image of the boundary of the at least one solid form to provide a reconstructed font boundary, and

extracting from the reconstructed font boundary one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font boundary to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database, the authentication data comprising the spline font database corresponding to marking system data,

the reference authentication data comprising reference marking system data, comparing the authentication data with the electronic database comprising comparing the marking system data with the reference marking system data to provide the authenticity score for the object of authentication,

the reference marking system data corresponding to a marking system used to mark the one or more reference objects of authentication.

10. The method of claim 1, the object of authentication comprising an article of manufacture, the characteristic data being captured from a laser mark on the article of manufacture.

11. The method of claim 1, the object of authentication comprising a semiconductor chip package.

12. A system for determining authenticity, comprising:

a characterization module configured for capturing characteristic data from an object of authentication comprising at least one solid form;

a data storage module configured to store an electronic database comprising reference authentication data corresponding to one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication;

a processor operatively coupled to the characterization module and the data storage module, the processor being programmed to;

operate the characterization module to capture the characteristic data from a boundary of the at least one solid form of the object of authentication;

derive authentication data corresponding to the boundary of the at least one solid form from the characteristic data of the object of authentication,

compare the authentication data corresponding to the boundary of the at least one solid form with the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data corresponding to the one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication; and

access the data storage module to store and retrieve one or more of;

the authentication data, the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data, the characteristic data from the object of authentication, and the authenticity score.

13. The system of claim 12, the characterization module comprising one or more of:

a spectrometer, an imager, a profilometer, a scatterometer, a polarimeter, and a microscope.

14. The system of claim 12, the processor comprising one or more of:

a local processor, an embedded processor, a distributed processor, a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer; and

a tablet computer.

15. The system of claim 12:

the processor comprising a portable computing device comprising one or more of;

a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer, and a tablet computer;

the data storage comprising one or more of;

a memory comprised by the portable computing device and a remote storage system accessed by the portable computing device; and

the characterization module comprising an optical imager comprised by the portable computing device.

16. The system of claim 12, the object of authentication comprising an article of manufacture, the processor being programmed to operate the characterization module to capture the characteristic data from a mark on the article of manufacture.

17. The system of claim 12, the processor being programmed to access the electronic database comprising one or more secondary identifiers corresponding to the one or more reference objects of authentication, further comprising correlating the one or more secondary identifiers with the object of authentication according to the authenticity score.

18. The system of claim 17, the one or more secondary identifiers comprising one or more of:

a name, a logo, a trademark, a vendor, a lot number, a date of manufacture, and a marking system description.

19. The system of claim 18, the marking system description corresponding to a laser marking system.

20. The system of claim 12, the processor being programmed to:

access the electronic database comprising provenance data associated with the reference authentication data; and

compare the authentication data with the electronic database to determine a corresponding provenance score of the object of authentication.

21. The system of claim 12, the processor being programmed to:

capture the characteristic data by capturing an optical image of the boundary of the at least one solid form of the object of authentication,

derive the authentication data by;

performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image of the boundary of the at least one solid form to provide a reconstructed font boundary, and

extracting from the reconstructed font boundary one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font boundary to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database,

the reference authentication data being derived from reference characteristic data captured from the one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

22. The system of claim 12, the processor being programmed to:

capture the characteristic data by capturing an optical image of the boundary of the at least one solid form of the object of authentication;

derive the authentication data by;

performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image of the boundary of the at least one solid form to provide a reconstructed font boundary, and

extracting from the reconstructed font boundary one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font boundary to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database, the authentication data comprising the spline font database corresponding to marking system data,

compare the authentication data with the electronic database, the reference authentication data comprising reference marking system data, by comparing the marking system data with the reference marking system data to provide the authenticity score for the object of authentication,

the reference marking system data corresponding to a marking system used to mark the one or more reference objects of authentication.

23. The system of claim 12, the object of authentication comprising an article of manufacture, the processor being programmed to operate the characterization module to capture the characteristic data from a laser mark on the article of manufacture.

24. The system of claim 12, the object of authentication comprising a semiconductor chip package, the processor being programmed to operate the characterization module to capture the characteristic data from a mark on the semiconductor chip package.

25. A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for controlling a processor, the instructions controlling the processor to:

operate a characterization module comprising a measurement system to capture characteristic data from a boundary of at least one solid form comprised by an object of authentication;

derive authentication data corresponding to the boundary of the at least one solid form from the characteristic data of the object of authentication,

compare the authentication data corresponding to the boundary of the at least one solid form with an electronic database comprising reference authentication data corresponding to one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication,

access a data storage module to store and retrieve one or more of;

the authentication data, the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data, the characteristic data from the object of authentication, and the authenticity score;

the processor comprising a portable computing device comprising one or more of;

a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer, and a tablet computer;

the data storage comprising one or more of;

a memory comprised by the portable computing device and a remote or storage system accessed by the portable computing device; and

the measurement system comprising an optical imager comprised by the portable computing device.

26. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 25, the instructions being configured to control the processor to operate a marking system to mark solid forms on objects.

27. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 25, the instructions being configured to control the processor to operate a laser marking system to mark solid forms on objects.