Digital authentication with analog documents

• US 8,411,898 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US12/787,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20110129115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/135, 382/137, 382/232, 713/176, 380/287, 380/51, 380/54, 340/5.6, 340/5.86, 356/71, 283/74, 283/75, 283/77, 283/113, 283/901, 235/462.13
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/00 Electrotherapy; Circuits therefor A61N2/00 takes precedence; irradiation apparatus A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/41 with means for the generation of identity documents
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/22 in combination with an identity check of the pass holder
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0047 using checkcodes, e.g. coded numbers derived from serial number and denomination
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/005 Testing security markings invisible to the naked eye, e.g. verifying thickened lines or unobtrusive markings or alterations
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/2016 using feature extraction, e.g. segmentation, edge detection or Hough-transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/2033 Matching unique patterns, i.e. patterns that are unique to each individual paper

Abstract

Security of photographic identification documents is enhanced by embedding within the photographic image encoded information that may be correlated to other information pertaining to the individual represented by the image, such other information being, for example, printed on the document adjacent to the photograph.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store first authentication information; and

one or more processors configured to incorporate, using a transform domain, the first authentication information into a digital representation from which an analog form can be made, wherein the first authentication information is preserved in the analog form for comparison with semantic information carried by the analog form, wherein the first authentication information may be retrieved from the analog form and compared with the semantic information in the analog form to determine authenticity of the analog form.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to incorporate the first authentication information in a form which cannot be perceived by unaided observation of the analog form.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the form which cannot be perceived is a digital watermark.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the semantic information comprises a bar code.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first authentication information is a digest made from the semantic information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first authentication information is robust with regard to insubstantial errors in reading the semantic information from the analog form.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first authentication information reflects at least in part an order of the semantic information.

8. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

extract first authentication information from an analog form, wherein the first authentication information is incorporated into the analog form using a transform domain;

extract semantic information carried by the analog form; and

determine whether the analog form is authentic by comparing the first authentication information with the semantic information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first authentication information is incorporated in a form which cannot be perceived by unaided observation of the analog form.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the form is a digital watermark.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the semantic information comprises a bar code.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first authentication information is a digest made from the semantic information.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first authentication information is robust with regard to insubstantial errors made by the semantic information recognizer.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first authentication information reflects at least in part an order of the semantic information.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein comparing the first authentic information with the semantic information is robust with regard to insubstantial errors made by the semantic information recognizer.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the analog form is produced from a digital representation that includes the first authentication information.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the analog form is a document, and wherein the semantic information includes alphanumeric characters in the document.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the document is a cash document.

19. A method of authenticating a digital representation from which an analog form may be made, the method comprising:

producing, using one or more processors, first authentication information from semantic information in the digital representation that will be present in the analog form; and

incorporating the first authentication information, using a transform domain, into the digital representation such that the first authentication information is preserved in the analog form and the semantic information remains useful in the analog form, wherein the first authentication information may be retrieved from the analog form and compared with the semantic information in the analog form to determine authenticity of the analog form.

20. A method of determining authenticity of an analog form, the method comprising

recognizing, using one or more processors, semantic information in an analog form, wherein the analog form comprises first authentication information that is produced using the semantic information present in the analog form and that is incorporated, using a transform domain, into the analog form such that the semantic information remains useful in the analog form;

reading the first authentication information;

and

determining whether the analog form is authentic by comparing the first authentication information with the semantic information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the analog form is a document, wherein the semantic information includes alphanumeric characters in the document, wherein the document includes a background image in addition to the alphanumeric characters, and wherein the first authentication information is incorporated into the background image in a form which cannot be perceived by unaided observation, wherein the semantic information is recognized by an optical recognizer, and wherein the first authentication information is read from the background image.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first authentication information is incorporated into the background image as a digital watermark.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the document is a cash document wherein the semantic information includes information printed on the document.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first authentication information is encrypted with a key, whereby a payer signs the semantic information.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the document is a cash document wherein the semantic information includes an identifier for the bank account, an amount to be paid, or the name of a payer.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the document is an identification document issued by an issuing authority, and wherein the semantic information comprises identification information.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the identification document is a bankcard.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the first authentication information is encrypted.