EP0260940A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Authenticity-verification and identification of documents or other objects
Assignee: Light Signatures Inc
•
Filing: 1987-09-16
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2007-09-16
Abstract
Abstract A stock certificate (10) carries a deposited layer (16) of magnetic material having a nonuniform magnetic characteristic, and a magnetic recording (14) of data derived from magnetic sensing of the layer (16). Authenticity and identity of the certificate (10) are checked by comparing (82) the result of a fresh sample-digitized sensing (70,80) made longitudinally of the layer (16), with digital data read (62,72) from the recording (14), after the layer (16) has first been submitted to erasure (66,76) and then to a DC or AC, linear or non-linear, recording (68,78). The nonuniform magnetic (remanent) characteristic of the layer (16), is unique to the document (10), being dependent on nonuniformities of the layer (16) in regard to longitudinal-section (Fig 2), material and magnetic-particle distribution. These nonuniformities arise randomly during print-deposition of the layer (16) and from irregularity of the paper (or paper-like) surface (20) on which it is deposited; nonuniformity is enhanced by lacquer coating (17) of the layer (16). Compensation for wear of the document (10) can be made (Fig 6) by sensing the layer (16) to different depths (88,92 Fig 6; 102,104 Fig 7) differentially.
Inventors
- 👤 David Gene Gold
- 👤 Frank Dan Tucker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 14:22
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/086; G07D; G07D7/00; G07D7/004; G07D7/0047; G07D7/04; G07D7/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
58 words
A document or other object having a verifiable authenticity in which a base member (10) provides a support substrate (18), characterised in that a body (16) of magnetic material carried by the support substrate (18) possesses a repeatably sensible, random characteristic, and that the base member (10) bears a machine-readable record (14) indicative of the repeatably sensible characteristic.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
58 words
A document or other object having a verifiable authenticity in which a base member (10) provides a support substrate (18), characterised in that a body (16) of magnetic material carried by the support substrate (18) possesses a repeatably sensible, random characteristic, and that the base member (10) bears a machine-readable record (14) indicative of the repeatably sensible characteristic.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A document or other object according to Claim 1 further characterised in that the base member (10) comprises a sheet (18) of paper or other fibre-composed medium.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
A document or other object according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 further characterised in that the magnetic material is in the form of a layer (16) on the substrate (18), and that the boundary or interface (20) between the layer (16) and the substrate (18) is nonuniform or irregular.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A document or other object according to any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the record involves a magnetic stripe (14) carried by the base member (10).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
79 words
A process for the production of a document or other object having a verifiable authenticity related to a body (16) of magnetic material carried on a substrate (18) of the object, characterised in that the body (16) of magnetic material is formed on the substrate (18) to have a random magnetic characteristic, that the magnetic characteristic is sensed, and that representations of the sensed characteristic are recorded (14) on the object for subsequent verification of authenticity of that object.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
79 words
A process for the production of a document or other object having a verifiable authenticity related to a body (16) of magnetic material carried on a substrate (18) of the object, characterised in that the body (16) of magnetic material is formed on the substrate (18) to have a random magnetic characteristic, that the magnetic characteristic is sensed, and that representations of the sensed characteristic are recorded (14) on the object for subsequent verification of authenticity of that object.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
86 words
A process for the production of a document or other object having a verifiable authenticity, in which magnetic material (16) is deposited on a surface (20) of a substrate (18), characterised in that the substrate surface (20) has random irregularity so that the deposited magnetic material (16) has magnetic irregularities to afford the deposited material (16) a random magnetic characteristic, that the magnetic characteristic is sensed, and that representations of the sensed characteristic are recorded (14) on the object for subsequent use in verifying its authenticity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
86 words
A process for the production of a document or other object having a verifiable authenticity, in which magnetic material (16) is deposited on a surface (20) of a substrate (18), characterised in that the substrate surface (20) has random irregularity so that the deposited magnetic material (16) has magnetic irregularities to afford the deposited material (16) a random magnetic characteristic, that the magnetic characteristic is sensed, and that representations of the sensed characteristic are recorded (14) on the object for subsequent use in verifying its authenticity.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process according to Claim 5 or Claim 6 further characterised in that selection is made as to the portion or portions of the magnetic material (16) for which sensed magnetic characteristic is represented in the record (14).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process according to Claim 7 further characterised in that the said selection is selective as to depth of the magnetic material (16) sensed.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process according to Claim 7 or Claim 8 further characterised in that the said selection is selective as to area or location of the magnetic material (16) sensed.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process according to any one of Claims 5 to 9 further characterised in that the magnetic material (16) is deposited on the substrate (18) by printing, heat transfer, slurrying or gluing.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process according to any one of Claims 5 to 10 further characterised in that the recording (14) is made magnetically.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
56 words
A process according to any one of Claims 5 to 11 further characterised in that the magnetic characteristic is dependent at least partly upon submission of the magnetic material (16) to a step involving dispersion and/or random orientation of magnetic particles in that material (16), and/or inclusion in that material (16) of materials of varying remanence.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
72 words
A method of verifying authenticity of a document or other object according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, or of a document or other object produced according to the process of any one of Claims 5 to 12, further characterised in that the magnetic characteristic is freshly sensed to provide fresh representations thereof, and that these fresh representations are compared with representations of the characteristic recorded (14) on the object.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
76 words
A system for the identification of a document or other object which includes magnetic material (16), characterised in that the magnetic material (16) has a random magnetic characteristic, that the object carries a machine-readable record (14) of that characteristic, and that the system comprises means for sensing (70) the magnetic characteristic of the magnetic material (16), means for sensing (62) the record (14), and means for comparing (82) the sensed characteristic and record with one another.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
76 words
A system for the identification of a document or other object which includes magnetic material (16), characterised in that the magnetic material (16) has a random magnetic characteristic, that the object carries a machine-readable record (14) of that characteristic, and that the system comprises means for sensing (70) the magnetic characteristic of the magnetic material (16), means for sensing (62) the record (14), and means for comparing (82) the sensed characteristic and record with one another.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
92 words
A system for the identification of a document or other object which has a layer (16) of magnetic material thereon, characterised in that the layer (16) has random magnetic irregularities, that the object further has a machine-readable record (14) thereon registering said machine-readable irregularities, and that the system comprises means for sensing (70) the layer (16) of magnetic material to provide a characteristic signal, means for sensing (62) said record (14) to provide a record signal, and means for comparing (82) said characteristic signal and said record signal to identify the object.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
92 words
A system for the identification of a document or other object which has a layer (16) of magnetic material thereon, characterised in that the layer (16) has random magnetic irregularities, that the object further has a machine-readable record (14) thereon registering said machine-readable irregularities, and that the system comprises means for sensing (70) the layer (16) of magnetic material to provide a characteristic signal, means for sensing (62) said record (14) to provide a record signal, and means for comparing (82) said characteristic signal and said record signal to identify the object.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
36 words
A system according to Claim 15 further characterised in that the system is selective (80) with regard to the portion or portions of the magnetic material (16) for which representation is made in the characteristic signal.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system according to Claim 16 further characterised in that the sensing of the magnetic material is selective as to depth of the layer (16) sensed.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
A system according to Claim 16 or Claim 17 further characterised in that the sensing of the magnetic material is selective as to area or location of the layer (16) for which representation is made in the characteristic signal.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
34 words
A system according to any one of Claims 13 to 18 further characterised in that it includes means for submitting the magnetic material ( 16) to a preconditioning process prior to the fresh sensing.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system according to Claim 19 further characterised in that the preconditioning process involves a magnetic erasing process.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system according to Claim 19 or Claim 20 further characterised in that the preconditioning process involves a magnetic recording process.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system according to Claim 21 further characterised in that the preconditioning recording process records a linear-amplitude signal.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system according to Claim 21 further characterised in that the preconditioning recording process records a signal of non-linear amplitude.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.