Hierarchical electronic watermarks and method of use

• US 7,221,258 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2003
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: W III & KM Lane Trust Dated December 26 19995
• Original Assignee: W III & KM Lane Trust Dated December 26 19995
• Inventors: Stewart, Roger, Lane, Kathleen, Lane, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber; Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM V
• Application Number:
  US10/731,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20050007236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/5.86, 340/10.51, 340/10.52, 340/572, 340/572.1, 713159-172, 235/487, 235492-494, 235/375, 709/245, 709204-206
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/025 the material being flexible or adapted for folding, e.g. paper or paper-like materials used in luggage labels, identification tags, forms or identification documents carrying RFIDs methods for testing the genuineness of valuable papers, e.g. banknotes or passports G07D7/00; constructional features of booklets and the like B42D
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/01 Testing electronic circuits therein
• 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 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/122 Online card verification
• 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 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/00 Details of selecting apparatus or arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for authenticating currency and other important documents. A preferred embodiment may contain both a substrate, such as paper, and an embedded RFID transponder. An embedded RFID transponder or electronic watermark may contain multiple hierarchical layers of electronic passwords that are used to electronically protect the host currency from counterfeiting, or unauthorized modification. In addition, such intelligent RFID tags may uniquely identify a particular document and data related to the document. The authenticating agency can utilize a public or private Electronic Product Code database as a means for the authenticating agency and third parties to authenticate documents and data in documents. The intelligent interactive Electronic Product Code can be used as an anti-counterfeit mechanism enabling third parties requested to provide services, benefits or monetary payments to authenticate documents and prevent counterfeits.

Claims

1. A system for providing a secure document, the system including:

a computer network including a computer and an RFID transponder, the computer having a database, and the database containing a first authorization key and at least one additional authorization key;

the secure document, the secure document including an integrated RFID circuit coupled with a flexible substrate;

the flexible substrate having a surface, the surface visibly presenting an information;

the integrated RFID circuit coupled with the substrate, and the integrated RFID circuit having a durable memory, a controller, and a data security circuit;

the durable memory including an information storage sector and a protected sector, the information storage sector having a record of at least a portion of the information, and the protected sector having at least one datum not recorded within the information of the flexible substrate;

the controller coupled with the durable memory and the data security circuit, and the controller for enabling access to the durable memory by the RFID transponder as authorized by the data security circuit; and

the data security circuit for denying authority to the controller to execute instructions received in a message, where the message is not formatted at least partially in mathematical relationship to the first authorization key, wherein different authorization keys are provided to different parties to form a hierarchy of access to various portions of the information stored within the durable memory.

2. The system of claim 1, the system further comprising a printer, the printer communicatively coupled with the computer and the printer for adding visible information to the surface of the flexible substrate.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the secure document is a personal check.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the secure document is an airline ticket.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the durable memory stores information related to a travel destination.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the durable memory stores information related to an airline flight.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the durable memory stores information related to a price of an airline ticket.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the durable memory stores information related to a coupon.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the durable memory stores information related to a manufacturer.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the durable memory stores information related to a product identifier.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the durable memory stores information related to a redemption value of the coupon.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first authorization key is at least partially computed on the basis of biometric data.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the message is a revocation of a validity state of the secure document.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure document is a payroll check.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure document is a certified check.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure document is a cashier'"'"'s check.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure document is a note of currency issued by a governmental authority.

18. The system of claim 1, the system further comprising:

a plurality of authorization keys, the plurality of authorization keys stored within the durable memory and the plurality of authorization keys stored within at least one data storage device communicatively coupled with the computer network; and

the plurality of authorization keys arranged within a hierarchy, wherein the data security circuit authorizes the controller to execute an instruction received within a message, and the data security circuit limits a scope of execution of the instruction in light of the position of the at least one of the plurality of authorization keys within the hierarchy, wherein different authorization keys are provided to different parties to form a hierarchy of access to various sectors of protected information.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the first authorization key that includes a checksum, the checksum computed upon the basis of at least a portion of the information printed on said document.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the checksum is computed upon the basis of at least one datum stored within the integrated RFID circuit and at least a portion of the information printed on the secure document.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the durable memory further comprises an Electronic Product Code.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the durable memory further comprises a record of an Electronic Product Code.

23. A secure document system comprising:

a device comprising a flexible substrate coupled with an integrated circuit;

means for printing information onto a flexible substrate;

the integrated circuit including a durable memory storing digital data; and

the durable memory further storing at least two authorization keys, wherein at least one of the at least two authorization keys are written into the durable memory at approximately the time that visible information is added to the flexible substrate, the integrated circuit including a circuit that allows external access to certain portions or the stored digital data only to interrogators communicating the requisite authorization key or keys wherein different authorization keys are provided to different parties to form a hierarchy of access to various sectors of protected information.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the printer further comprises an RFID transmitter, the transmitter using the authorization key or keys to gain access to at least one section of the durable memory.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the digital data includes a unique identification number.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the digital data includes a portion of the information that is printed on the flexible substrate.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the device is a form of currency document or other monetary instrument.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the device is a personal, certified, payroll, or other form of check.

29. The device of claim 23, wherein the device is an airline ticket.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the durable memory also includes other information about the ticket such as destination, a unique identity number, flight number, and cost of the ticket.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the device is a coupon.

32. The system of claim 31, where the durable memory also includes additional information about the coupon such as the manufacturer of the coupon product, a unique identity number, or the redemption value of the coupon.

33. A system for providing a secure document, the system including:

a computer network including a computer and an RFID transponder, the computer having a database, and the database containing at least two different authorization keys;

a secure document, the secure document including an integrated RFID circuit coupled with a flexible substrate;

the flexible substrate having a surface, the surface visibly presenting an information;

the integrated RFID circuit coupled with the substrate, and the integrated RFID circuit having a durable memory, a controller and a data security circuit;

the durable memory including at least two protected sectors, the each protected sector containing information not contained in any of the other sectors; and

the controller coupled with the durable memory and the data security circuit, and the controller for enabling access to the durable memory by the RFID transponder only when authorized by the data security circuit in response to the presentation to the data security circuit of data and instructions that have been encoded with one of a plurality authorization keys, wherein different authorization keys are provided to different parties to enable a hierarchy of access to various sectors of protected information.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the information stored in the durable memory comprises a biometric information and the biometric information is authenticated via the computer network by comparison of the biometric information with remote information stored in a remote database of the computer network.