Systems and methods for providing hardcopy secure documents and for validation of such documents

• US 7,197,644 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2002
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Majandro LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Brewington, Grace T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Christopher J.
• Application Number:
  US10/320,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20040117627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 380/243
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3236 Details of authentication information generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3238 using a coded or compressed version of the image data itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3239 using a plurality of different authentication information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3281 Encryption; Ciphering

Abstract

A secure document processing system for receiving an original document and for printing a secure hardcopy version of the original document, wherein the secure hardcopy version includes a machine-readable encoded image signature which represents an image segment of the original document. Such hardcopy secure documents can be validated by inputting them to an secure document validation system operable to identify and process the machine readable encoded representation and in response to determine whether the recovered image signature indicates that the document is counterfeit or has been altered.

Claims

1. A hardcopy secure document production apparatus, comprising:

an input that receives original document information;

a memory for retaining the received original document information;

a control system for processing the original document information, deriving an image signature based on an image segment of the original document according to an image signature template, and encoding data representing the image signature and the image signature template in machine readable form; and

an image producing system for providing a secure hardcopy version of the original document information, wherein the secure hardcopy version has integrated therein the encoded data representing the image signature and the image signature template.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image producing system is controlled by the control system to generate the encoded data representing the image signature on a substrate, whereby the substrate bearing the encoded image signature may be affixed to the original document so as to provide the secure hardcopy version.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image producing system is controlled by the control system to print the encoded data representing the image signature on a substrate bearing the original document information so as to provide the secure hardcopy version.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is operable to merge the encoded image signature with the original document information and provides a composite image to the image producing system for production of the hardcopy secure document.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a user input in operative communication with the control system, which is operable according to user information received for permitting access to the hardcopy secure document production apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is operable to encrypt the encoded image signature.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is operable to encode the encoded image signature according to at least one of the following encoding schemes:

two-dimensional bar coding, data glyph coding, holographic coding, and magnetic stripe formatted coding, and a combination thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is operable to provide in the encoded data an image signature template boundary used to capture the image segment of the original document.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is operable to provide in the encoded data at least one of:

information concerning the level of corroboration of the encoded image signature for validation of the secure hardcopy version;

information specific to a given hardcopy secure document;

information specifying image processing, image encryption, image compression, and/or image discrimination algorithms which are to be performed for validation of the secure hardcopy version; and

information specifying operations which are to be performed by a validation system depending on the presence or absence of a valid/invalid condition.

10. A hardcopy secure document validation apparatus, comprising:

document input device for receiving a hardcopy secure document having data representing an encoded image signature and an image signature template and for providing a document image derived from the received hardcopy secure document;

a document storage device for retaining the document image;

a detector for detecting and locating the data representing the encoded image signature in the document image;

a decoder for recovering the data representing the image signature encoded in the encoded image signature, so as to provide a primary image signature; and

a control system for processing the document image according to the image signature template to provide data representing a secondary image signature, and for comparing the data representing the primary and secondary image signatures to determine a corresponding validation or invalidation condition.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control system is operable to determine whether the comparing of the data indicates a match, and accordingly validates the secure document, or a discrepancy, and accordingly indicates that the secure document is counterfeit or has been altered.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the document input device further comprises an input scanner.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control system further comprises a data storage and transfer system adapted for handling data representing at least one of the primary and secondary image signatures.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control system is operable to carry out instructions which relate to operations which are to be performed by the validation system depending on the determination of the validation or invalidation condition.

15. A method for providing a hardcopy secure document from an original document, comprising:

capturing image of the original document;

converting a segment of the captured image to an image signature according to a predefined image signature template;

encoding data representing the image signature and the image signature template in machine-readable code;

generating the machine-readable code; and

integrating the resulting machine-readable code and the captured image in hardcopy form.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the original document is provided in hardcopy form and the integrating step further comprises printing the hardcopy form of the machine-readable code on the original document so as to provide the hardcopy secure document.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the original document is provided in hardcopy form and the integrating step further comprises printing a hardcopy form machine-readable code on a substrate which is then integrated in the original document so as to provide the hardcopy secure document.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing an electronic version of the original document to an image processing apparatus so as to obtain the captured image;

selecting a segment of the electronic version according to the image signature template;

converting the selected image segment to a image signature;

encoding data representing the image signature and the image signature template in machine-readable code;

merging the machine-readable code with the captured image to provide a composite image; and

providing the composite image to reprographic apparatus for generation of a hardcopy version of the secure document in hardcopy form, so as to provide the hardcopy secure document.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the machine-readable code is encoded according to at least one of the following encoding schemes:

holographic coding, magnetic stripe coding, high-density barcode coding, microdot coding, data glyph coding;

serpentine coding, and a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the data encoding step further comprises encoding data for inclusion in the machine-readable code that is representative of at least one of:

information concerning the level of corroboration of the encoded image signature for validation of the secure hardcopy version;

information specific to a given hardcopy secure document;

information specifying image processing, image encryption, image compression, and/or image discrimination algorithms which are to be performed for validation of the secure hardcopy version; and

information specifying operations which are to be performed by a validation system depending on the presence or absence of a valid/invalid condition.

21. A method for validating a hardcopy secure document, comprising:

providing the hardcopy secure document to an image capture apparatus;

capturing an image of the hardcopy secure document;

digitizing the image of the hardcopy secure document so as to provide a digitized image;

locating encoded data representing an image signature and an image signature template presented in the digitized image;

decoding the encoded data so as to recover data representative of a primary image signature and the image signature template;

selecting an image segment of the digitized image according to a the image signature template so as to provide data representative of a secondary image signature;

comparing the data representative of the primary and secondary image signatures; and

determining, in response to the comparing of the data, a corresponding validation or invalidation condition.