Digitally watermaking holograms for use with smart cards

• US 6,608,911 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Lofgren, Neil, Brunk, Hugh L., Carr, J. Scott, Decker, Stephen K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/923,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20020080994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/210, 382/232, 380/232, 380/258, 359/1, 359/2, 348/40, 348/460, 713/176
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0011 for security or authentication holograms on information-bearing cards B42D25/328; testing papers with holograms G07D7/0032
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0244 Surface relief holograms replicating hologram without interference recording G03H1/0276
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/041 Optical element in the object space affecting the object beam, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/08 Synthesising holograms, i.e. holograms synthesized from objects or objects from hologramsusing electric digital computers G06F; G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0016 Covert holograms or holobjects requiring additional knowledge to be perceived, e.g. holobject reconstructed only under IR illumination microholograms G03H2230/10
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0022 Deciphering being performed with numerical or optical key, e.g. with the optical scrambler used during recording optical element in object beam G03H1/041
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/40 Synthetic representation, i.e. digital or optical object decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/441 Numerical processing applied to the object data other than numerical propagation synthesizing propagation G03H1/0808
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/16 the marking being a hologram or diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0032 using holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00249 with a photographic apparatus, e.g. a photographic printer or a projector photographic apparatus per se G03B, G03D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3281 Encryption; Ciphering

Abstract

The present invention relates to digital watermarks integrated into holograms, watermarked hologram structures, and related applications as an authentication technique. One method creates a watermark image, and then embeds the watermark image into a holographic structure. The holographic structure is carried by a smart card. The smart card includes additional information. In one embodiment, the digital watermark includes information bits, and these information bits are used to authenticate the hologram, or the smart card. In another embodiment, the watermark'"'"'s information bits are compared with the additional information carried by the smart card. The result of the comparison is used to authenticate the smart card or the hologram.

Claims

1. A method to authenticate a smart card, the smart card including electronic circuitry including first information stored therein, said method comprising the steps of:

extracting second information from a digital watermark, the digital watermark being hidden in an optically variable device which is carried by the smart card, the optically variable device comprising the digital watermark embedded within a holographic structure, wherein e digital watermark second information comprises at least a spread spectrum modulated message;

extracting the first information stored in the electronic circuitry of the smart card; and

comparing at least the extracted smart card first information and the digital watermark message to determine authenticity of the smart card.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extracted digital watermark information is compared with predetermined information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the extracted digital watermark information comprises at least one of a time stamp, key, predetermined identifier, and authentication code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the watermark is hidden in an image that is embedded in the holographic structure, the image comprising at least one of a graphic, background, picture, photograph, text, and logo.

5. A method to authenticate a smart card comprising the steps of:

extracting information from a digital watermark, the digital watermark being embedded in an optically variable device which is carried by the smart card, the optically variable device comprising a watermarked image embedded within a holographic structure, wherein at least some of the digital watermark information is redundantly embedded within the image; and

extracting information stored in circuitry of the smart card; and

comparing at least some of the decoded digital watermark information with the extracted smart card information to determine authenticity of the smart card.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein authentication is determined when the extracted digital watermark information matches the extracted smart card information.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein authentication is determined when the extracted digital watermark information relates to the extracted smart card information in a predetermined mathematical manner.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the image comprises at least one of a graphic, background, picture, photograph, text, and logo.

9. A reader operable to decode a watermark from a watermarked hologram, and to extract information from a smart card, said reader comprising:

a watermark decoder for detecting a watermark signal in image scan data corresponding to the watermark d hologram, the smart card carrying the watermarked hologram;

a message decoder for extracting a message from the watermark signal, wherein the message comprises at least some spread spectrum modulated binary bits;

a reader to extract information from the smart card; and

a comparator to compare the message and the extracted smart card information to determine authenticity of the smart card.

10. The reader according to claim 9, wherein the smart card comprises at least one of a credit card, identification document, RFID card, integrated circuit card, and magnetic-strip card.

11. A method to authenticate a smart card including a digitally watermarked hologram, said digital watermark comprising at least a first data set, said method comprising the steps of:

presenting the smart car to a reader, the smart card including electronic circuitry comprising a second data set;

in the reader;

decoding the firs data set, indexing a database which is remote from the reader with at least some of the first data set, and obtaining authenticating information that is associated with the at least some of the first data set; and

decoding the second data set;

authenticating the smart and based at least in part on the authenticating information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the smart card comprises at least one of a credit card, identification document, RFID card, integrated circuit card, and magnetic-strip card.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said authentication step comprises comparing the authenticating information and the second data set.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein said authentication step comprises comparing the second data set to a predetermined value.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of comparing the authentication information with information from a bearer of the smart card.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first data set is redundantly embedded in the hologram.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first data set comprises a message including a spread spectrum modulated component.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the reader comprises a first unit to read a digital watermark, and a second unit to read the smart card.

19. A reader operable to decode a digital watermark from a digitally watermarked hologram, the digital watermark including at least:

i) an orientation signal which is to be used to facilitate e-alignment of image data, and ii) a message, wherein a smart card carries the digitally watermarked hologram, said reader being operable to extract information from electronic circuitry included in the smart card, said reader comprising;

a digital watermark detector for detecting the digital watermark orientation signal from image scan data corresponding to the digitally watermarked hologram, said detector re-aligning the scanned image based at least in part by the orientation signal;

a digital watermark decoder for reading the digital watermark message;

a reader unit to extract information from the electronic circuitry of the smart card; and

a comparator to compare the extracted information and the message to determine authenticity of the smart card.

20. The reader of claim 19, wherein the message is redundantly embedded in the hologram.

21. The reader of claim 19, wherein the message comprises at least a spread spectrum modulated component.