Machine readable record carrier with hologram

• US 5,900,954 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 05/04/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Katz, Joseph, McGlynn, Daniel R., Swartz, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, AUDREY Y
• Application Number:
  US08/484,708
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 359/1, 359/2, 235/380, 235/457, 283/86, 380/23
• US Class Current: 359/2
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/041 Optical element in the object space affecting the object beam, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0066 for wavefront matching wherein the hologram is arranged to convert a predetermined wavefront into a comprehensive wave, e.g. associative memory recognition using holographic masks G06V10/88
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/20 2D object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details

Abstract

A record carrier (e.g., an identification card) of the type containing machine-readable representations of data, wherein the record carrier comprises a substrate, a first pattern of machine-readable indicia applied to one surface of the substrate, and a hologram containing machine-readable data disposed on one surface of the substrate. The information represented by the machine-readable indicia and the machine-readable data are related to one another so as to enable a user to verify the authenticity of the record carrier by comparison of the indicia and the data.

Claims

1. A record carrier of the type containing machine-readable representations of data, the record carrier comprising:

a substrate on at least one surface of which first machine-readable indicia are applied, the first machine-readable indicia containing first information;

a hologram disposed on said one surface of the substrate, said hologram containing machine-readable data, the machine-readable data containing second information;

said first information and said second information being related to one another, the relationship enabling a user to verify the authenticity of the record carrier by processing the first and second information, wherein the processing includes de-encryption that is dependent on the relationship between of both the first machine-readable indicia and the machine-readable data of hologram.

2. The record carrier of claim 1 wherein the hologram is a reflective surface hologram.

3. The record carrier of claim 2 wherein the machine-readable data contained in the hologram is represented by second machine-readable indicia on the hologram.

4. The record carrier of claim 3 wherein the first and second machine-readable indicia are separate indicia.

5. The record carrier of claim 3 wherein the first and second machine-readable indicia are segments of a third indicia.

6. The record carrier of claim 5 wherein the third indicia is a two-dimensional bar code symbol, a portion of which is applied to the substrate and another portion of which is applied over the reflective surface hologram.

7. The record carrier of claim 3, 4, or 5 wherein the reflective surface hologram includes a graphic image a portion of which overlaps with the second machine-readable indicia.

8. The record carrier of claim 2 wherein the reflective surface hologram includes a graphic image.

9. A record carrier of the type containing machine readable representations of data, the record carrier comprising:

a substrate on at least one surface of which first machine-readable indicia are applied, the first machine readable indicia containing first information; and

a reflective surface hologram disposed on said one surface of the substrate, said hologram containing machine-readable data, the machine-readable data containing second information and being represented by second machine-readable indicia on the hologram, the hologram including a graphic image a portion of which overlaps with the second machine-readable indicia;

said first information and said second information being related to one another, the relationship enabling a user to verify the authenticity of the record carrier by processing the first and second information;

wherein a portion of the graphic image is corrupted by the overlap of the second machine-readable indicia and information corresponding to the corruption of the graphic image is stored in the first machine-readable indicia, wherein the carrier can be authenticated by making a comparison between the corruption of the graphic image and information stored in the first machine-readable indicia.

10. A record carrier of the type containing machine-readable representations of data, the record carrier comprising:

a substrate;

a graphic image disposed on one portion of the substrate;

a first machine-readable pattern of indicia disposed relative to a portion of said graphic image so as to produce a corrupted image;

a second machine-readable pattern of indicia disposed on said substrate and spaced from the corrupted image and containing information corresponding to the corrupted image, so that an adulteration of the record carrier is detectable by comparing the corrupted image to the information corresponding to the corrupted image.

11. The record carrier of claim 10 wherein the first machine-readable pattern of indicia at least in part overlaps with a portion of the graphic image.

12. The record carrier of claim 10 wherein the first machine-readable pattern of indicia is at least in part disposed over a portion of the graphic image.

13. A record carrier of the type containing machine-readable representations of data, the record carrier comprising:

a substrate;

a graphic image that is a hologram disposed on one portion of the substrate;

a first machine-readable pattern of indicia disposed relative to a portion of said graphic image so as to produce a corrupted image;

a second machine-readable pattern of indicia disposed on said substrate and spaced from the corrupted image and containing information corresponding to the corrupted image.

14. The record carrier of claim 13 wherein the hologram is a reflective surface hologram.

15. An encoding method for use in issuing record carriers containing personal identification data, the method comprising:

entering the personal identification data;

encrypting at least some of the data using an encryption algorithm based upon an encryption key;

representing the encrypted data in the form of a two-dimensional bar code structure, the bar code structure including a plurality of ordered, adjacent rows of codewords of bar-coded information, each of said codewords representing at least one information-bearing character; and

transferring an image of the two-dimensional bar code structure onto a carrier so that it overlaps in part with a hologram disposed on said carrier such that the overlapping part of the image has at least a partial alignment with the non-overlapping part of the image to allow de encryption of the encrypted data.

17. The subject matter of claim 15 or 16 wherein the hologram is a reflective surface hologram.

16. An encoding apparatus for use in issuing record carriers containing personal identification data, the apparatus comprising:

means for entering the personal identification data;

means for encrypting at least some of the data using an encryption algorithm based upon an encryption key;

means for representing the encrypted data in the form of a two-dimensional bar code structure, the bar code structure including a plurality of ordered, adjacent rows of codewords of bar-coded information, each of said codewords representing at least one information-bearing character; and

means for transferring an image of the two-dimensional bar code structure onto a carrier so that it overlaps in part with a hologram disposed on said carrier such that the overlapping part of the image has at least a partial alignment with the non-overlapping part of the image to allow de encryption of the encrypted data.

18. A record carrier of the type containing machine readable representations of data, the record carrier comprising:

a substrate on at least one surface of which first machine-readable indicia are applied, the first machine-readable indicia containing first information; and

a reflective surface hologram disposed on said one surface of the substrate, said hologram containing machine-readable data, the machine-readable data containing second information and being represented by second machine-readable indicia on the hologram, the first and second machine-readable indicia being separate indicia, the hologram including a graphic image a portion of which overlaps with the second machine-readable indicia;

said first information and said second information being related to one another, the relationship enabling a user to verify the authenticity of the record carrier by processing the first and second information;

wherein a portion of the graphic image is corrupted by the overlap of the second machine-readable indicia and information corresponding to the corruption of the graphic image is stored in the first machine-readable indicia, wherein the carrier can be authenticated by making a comparison between the corruption of the graphic image and information stored in the first machine-readable indicia.

19. A record carrier of the type containing machine readable representations of data, the record carrier comprising:

a substrate on at least one surface of which first machine-readable indicia are applied, the first machine-readable indicia containing first information; and

a reflective surface hologram disposed on said one surface of the substrate, said hologram containing machine-readable data, the machine-readable data containing second information and being represented by second machine-readable indicia on the hologram, the first and second machine-readable indicia being segments of a third indicia, the hologram including a graphic image a portion of which overlaps with the second machine-readable indicia;

said first information and said second information being related to one another, the relationship enabling a user to verify the authenticity of the record carrier by processing the first and second information;

wherein a portion of the graphic image is corrupted by the overlap of the second machine-readable indicia and information corresponding to the corruption of the graphic image is stored in the first machine-readable indicia, wherein the carrier can be authenticated by making a comparison between the corruption of the graphic image and information stored in the first machine-readable indicia.

20. A record carrier of the type containing machine-readable representations of data, the record carrier comprising:

a substrate;

a graphic image that is a hologram disposed on one portion of the substrate;

a first machine-readable pattern of indicia at least in part overlapping with a portion of the graphic image so as to produce a corrupted image;

a second machine-readable pattern of indicia disposed on said substrate and spaced from the corrupted image and containing information corresponding to the corrupted image.

22. The record carrier of claim 20 or 21 wherein the hologram is a reflective surface hologram.

21. A record carrier of the type containing machine readable representations of data, the record carrier comprising:

a substrate;

a graphic image that is a hologram disposed on one portion of the substrate;

a first machine-readable pattern of indicia at least in part disposed over a portion of the graphic image so as to produce a corrupted image;

a second machine-readable pattern of indicia disposed on said substrate and spaced from the corrupted image and containing information corresponding to the corrupted image.