Handheld security document scanner

• US 20080037855A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,681,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/20 Manipulating the length of blocks of bits, e.g. padding or block truncation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A sensing device for use with a security document having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions. Each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the security document, with the sensing device including a housing adapted to be held by a user in use, a radiation source for exposing at least one coded data portion, a sensor for sensing the at least one exposed coded data portion and a processor for determining, using the at least one sensed coded data portion, a sensed identity.

Claims

1. A sensing device for use with a security document, the security document having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the security document, the sensing device including:

a housing adapted to be held by a user in use;

a radiation source for exposing at least one coded data portion;

a sensor for sensing the at least one exposed coded data portion; and

,

a processor for determining, using the at least one sensed coded data portion, a sensed identity.

2. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device further includes an indicator for indicating the sensed identity of the security document.

3. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the each coded data portion is indicative of at least part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity, and wherein the processor:

determines, from the at least one sensed coded data portion, at least one sensed signature part; and

,

determines if the security document is a counterfeit document using the sensed identity and the at least one sensed signature part.

4. A sensing device according to claim 3, wherein the processor:

accesses a data store, using the sensed identity, to determine a stored signature part;

compares the stored signature part to the at least one sensed signature part; and

,

authenticates the security document using the results of the comparison to thereby determine if the document is a counterfeit.

5. A sensing device according to claim 3, wherein the processor:

generates, using the sensed identity and a key, at least a generated signature part;

compares the generated signature part to the at least one sensed signature part; and

,

authenticates the security document using the results of the comparison to thereby determine if the document is a counterfeit.

6. A sensing device according to claim 3, wherein the entire signature is encoded within a plurality of coded data portions, and wherein the processor:

determines, from a plurality of sensed coded data portions, a plurality of sensed signature parts representing the entire signature;

generates, using the plurality of sensed signature parts and a key, a generated identity;

compares the generated identity to the sensed identity; and

,

authenticates the security document using the results of the comparison to thereby determine if the document is a counterfeit.

7. A sensing device according to claim 3, wherein the signature is a digital signature of at least part of the identity and at least part of predetermined padding, the padding being at least one of:

a predetermined number; and

,

a random number.

8. A sensing device according to claim 3, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of layouts, each layout defining the position of a plurality of first symbols encoding the identity, and a plurality of second symbols defining at least part of the signature.

9. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor:

accesses, using the sensed identity, tracking data indicative of, for each of a number of existing security documents;

the identity of the security document; and

,

tracking information indicative of the location of the security document; and

,

at least one of;

determines, using the tracking information, if the security document is a duplicate of one of the existing security documents; and

,

updates the tracking information.

10. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device includes a communications system, and wherein the processor includes a first processor part provided in the sensing device and a second remote processor part coupled to the first processor part via the communications system, and wherein the first processor part:

generates indicating data indicative of at least one of;

the sensed identity; and

,

at least one sensed signature part;

transfers the indicating data to a second processor part via the communications system, and wherein the second processor part is responsive to the indicating data to perform at least one of;

determination of a value associated with the security document; and

,

determination of whether the security document is a counterfeit document.

11. A sensing device according to claim 10, wherein the sensing device stores data indicative of at least one of an identity of the sensing device and an identity of a user, and wherein the sensing device generates the indicating data using the stored data.

12. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is substantially invisible to an unaided human.

13. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is printed on the surface using at least one of:

an invisible ink; and

,

an infrared-absorptive ink.

14. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is provided substantially coincident with visible human-readable information.

15. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the coded data portions encode at least one of:

a location of the respective coded data portion;

a position of the respective coded data portion on the surface;

a size of the coded data portions;

a size of a signature;

an identity of a signature part; and

,

units of indicated locations.

16. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data includes at least one of:

redundant data;

data allowing error correction;

Reed-Solomon data; and

,

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) data.

17. A sensing device according to claim 5, wherein the digital signature includes at least one of:

a random number associated with the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity and a random number; and

,

cipher-text produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key.

18. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the security document is at least one of:

a currency note;

a check;

a credit or debit card;

a redeemable ticket, voucher, or coupon;

a lottery ticket or instant win ticket; and

,

an identity card or document, such as a driver'"'"'s license or passport.

19. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the identity is indicative of at least one of:

a currency note attribute including at least one of;

currency;

issue country;

denomination;

note side;

printing works; and

serial number;

a check attribute including at least one of;

currency;

issuing institution;

account number;

serial number;

expiry date;

check value; and

limit;

a card attribute including at least one of;

card type;

issuing institution;

account number;

issue date;

expiry date; and

limit.

20. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a centre of rotation, at least one sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes that sub-layout from each other sub-layout.

21. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding orientation-indicating data comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a centre of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation-indicating data, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation-indicating data and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout.