US6970573B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Self validating security documents utilizing watermarks
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
•
Filing: 2001-11-09
•
Granted: 2005-11-29
•
Expires: 2021-11-09
Abstract
Abstract A passport or other document is steganographically encoded with two steganographic digital watermarks. Data conveyed by these watermarks can be cross-checked for expected correspondence to help authenticate the document. The document may also include other machine-readable features, such as a bar code, a magnetic stripe, or OCR-B text. These other machine-readable features can likewise convey data that can be cross-checked for expected correspondence with watermark-conveyed data. In one arrangement, four machine-readable features are provided (two watermarks and two others), three of which convey data relating to a passport identifier, and a different three of which convey data relating to a document batch number. Such logical linking between several machine-readable features allows tampering with any feature to be readily detected. A variety of related methods and apparatuses, some involving a third watermark and biometric data, are also detailed.
Inventors
- 👤 Jonathan Scott Carr
- 👤 Burt W. Perry
- 👤 Geoffrey B. Rhoads
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 01:54
CPC Classifications
B; B42; B42D; B42D25/00; B42D25/30; B42D25/333; B42D25/20; B42D25/21; B42D25/23; B42D25/24; B42D25/313; G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/95; G06F16/955; G06K; G06K1/00; G06K1/12; G06K1/121; G06K19/00; G06K19/06; G06K19/06009; G06K19/06037; G06K19/06046; G06K19/08; G06K19/10; G06K19/14; G06K7/00; G06K7/10; G06K7/14; G06K7/1404; G06K7/1408; G06K7/1417; G06K7/1439; G06K7/1447; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/30; G06Q20/34; G06Q20/341; G06Q20/38; G06Q20/40; G06Q20/401; G06Q20/4014; G06Q20/40145; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G06T1/005; G06T1/0071; G07; G07C; G07C9/00; G07C9/20; G07C9/22; G07C9/25; G07C9/257; G07D; G07D7/00; G07D7/003; G07D7/0034; G07D7/004; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/086; G07F7/10; G07F7/1008; G10; G10L; G10L19/00; G10L19/018; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00838; H04N1/0084; H04N1/00843; H04N1/00846; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; H04N1/32149; H04N1/32203; H04N1/32208; H04N1/32219; H04N1/32261; H04N1/32288; H04N1/32304; B29; B29C; B29C45/00; B29C45/14; B29C45/1418; G06K2019/06215; G06K2019/06253; G06T2201/00; G06T2201/005; G06T2201/0051; G07C2209/00; G07C2209/40; G07C2209/41; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G11B20/00086; G11B20/00884; G11B20/00891; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3204; H04N2201/3205; H04N2201/3207; H04N2201/3225; H04N2201/3226; H04N2201/3233; H04N2201/3235; H04N2201/3239; H04N2201/3269; H04N2201/327; H04N2201/3271
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 91
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
A security document for a user, said security document having multiple fields, a plurality of said fields containing hidden watermark data, the data in at least one of said fields identifying a physical characteristic of said user, the hidden data in at least two of said fields being coordinated such that if the data in one of said fields is changed without changing the other of said fields it will indicate that said security document has been altered.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
78 words
A security document for a user, said security document having multiple fields, a plurality of said fields containing hidden watermark data, the data in at least one of said fields identifying a physical characteristic of said user, the hidden data in at least two of said fields being coordinated such that if the data in one of said fields is changed without changing the other of said fields it will indicate that said security document has been altered.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
66 words
An object comprising a substrate having thereon at least two regions, a first of said regions comprising a human-perceptible image with first plural-bit data steganographic ally encoded therein, a second of said regions comprising a background having unobtrusive markings arrayed there-across and also comprising text amidst said background, the markings in the second region encoding second plural-bit data, said first and second plural-bit data being coordinated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
66 words
An object comprising a substrate having thereon at least two regions, a first of said regions comprising a human-perceptible image with first plural-bit data steganographic ally encoded therein, a second of said regions comprising a background having unobtrusive markings arrayed there-across and also comprising text amidst said background, the markings in the second region encoding second plural-bit data, said first and second plural-bit data being coordinated.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The object of claim 2 in which the second plural-bit data is different than the first plural-bit data.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The object of claim 2 wherein one of said plural-bit data correlates to a physical characteristic of a user.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
An object comprising a substrate having thereon a photographic image and a graphic that is not a photographic image, characterized in that both the photographic image and the graphic are encoded to steganographically convey plural-bit data, wherein the photographic image and the graphic are encoded to convey different but coordinated data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
51 words
An object comprising a substrate having thereon a photographic image and a graphic that is not a photographic image, characterized in that both the photographic image and the graphic are encoded to steganographically convey plural-bit data, wherein the photographic image and the graphic are encoded to convey different but coordinated data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
An object comprising a substrate having thereon a photographic image and a graphic that is not a photographic image, characterized in that both the photographic image and the graphic are encoded to steganographically convey plural-bit data, wherein the photographic image and the graphic are separately encoded, but comprise at least some redundant data.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
An object comprising a substrate having thereon a photographic image and a graphic that is not a photographic image, characterized in that both the photographic image and the graphic are encoded to steganographically convey plural-bit data, wherein the photographic image and the graphic are separately encoded, but comprise at least some redundant data.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
151 words
A security document comprising: a substrate having a portion conveying a steganographic digital watermark, the substrate having another, different portion conveying another, different stegano graphic digital watermark, the substrate also having a machine-readable feature distinct from said digital watermarks, said machine-readable feature conveying data relating to a document identifier; a first of said digital watermarks conveying data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with the document identifier, permitting data from said machine-readable feature and said first of said digital watermarks to be checked for expected correspondence so as to identify a document as potentially suspect; and said first of said watermarks also conveying data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data conveyed by a second of said digital watermarks, permitting data from said first of said digital watermarks and said second of said digital watermarks to be checked for expected correspondence so as to identify a document as potentially suspect.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
151 words
A security document comprising: a substrate having a portion conveying a steganographic digital watermark, the substrate having another, different portion conveying another, different stegano graphic digital watermark, the substrate also having a machine-readable feature distinct from said digital watermarks, said machine-readable feature conveying data relating to a document identifier; a first of said digital watermarks conveying data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with the document identifier, permitting data from said machine-readable feature and said first of said digital watermarks to be checked for expected correspondence so as to identify a document as potentially suspect; and said first of said watermarks also conveying data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data conveyed by a second of said digital watermarks, permitting data from said first of said digital watermarks and said second of said digital watermarks to be checked for expected correspondence so as to identify a document as potentially suspect.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
A photographic identification document according to claim 7 wherein: the substrate conveys a photographic image having one of said digital watermarks encoded therein; and the substrate has a background portion having the other of said watermarks encoded therein.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
The document of claim 7 which each of said watermarks is embodied in a manner permitting decoding from scan data produced by visible light scanning of the document.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
15 words
The document of claim 7 in which the document includes a watermark conveying hash data.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The document of claim 7 in which both said first and second watermarks convey data related to a batch number of the document.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
70 words
The document of claim 7 in which substrate includes first and second different machine-readable features, selected from the group consisting of a bar-code, OCR-B text, and a magnetic stripe, wherein one of said features conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data carried by the first watermark, and the other of said features conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data carried by the second watermark.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
44 words
The document of claim 12 in which the first feature conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data carried by the first watermark, and the second feature conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data carried by the second watermark.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
13 words
The document of claim 13 in which the first feature comprises OCR-B text.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
13 words
The document of claim 13 in which the second feature comprises a bar-code.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
62 words
The document of claim 7 in which the substrate includes at least four machine-readable features: the first watermark; the second watermark; a third feature; and a fourth feature; and wherein data related to a first parameter logically links a group of three of said features, and data related to a second parameter logically links a different group of three of said features.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
13 words
The document of claim 16 in which the third feature comprises OCR-B text.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
14 words
The document of claim 16 in which the fourth feature comprises a bar code.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
47 words
The document of claim 16 in which: data related to a first parameter logically links the two watermarks and one of the third or fourth features; and data related to the second parameter logically links the third feature, the fourth feature, and one of the two watermarks.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
14 words
The document of claim 19 in which the first parameter is a document identifier.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
26 words
The document of claim 20 in which data related to the document identifier logically links the third feature, the fourth feature, and one of the watermarks.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
14 words
The document of claim 19 in which the second parameter is a batch number.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
22 words
The document of claim 22 in which data related to the batch number logically links the two watermarks and the third feature.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
30 words
The document of claim 7 in which the first watermark conveys said document identifier, and the second watermark conveys data produced by processing said identifier in accordance with an algorithm.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
23 words
The document of claim 24 in which the second watermark conveys data produced by processing said identifier in accordance with a cryptographic algorithm.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
23 words
The document of claim 7 in which the substrate also conveys biometric hash data corresponding to a person depicted in the photographic image.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
22 words
The document of claim 26 in which said biometric hash data is conveyed in a steganographic digital watermark formed on the substrate.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
26 words
The document of claim 27 in which the biometric hash data is conveyed by a steganographic digital watermark distinct from said first and second digital watermarks.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
67 words
A printed article having a substrate conveying at least four machine-readable features: a first steganographic digital watermark; a second, different, steganographic digital watermark; a third feature; and a fourth feature; wherein a first set comprising three of said features are logically linked by reference to first data, and a second set comprising a different three of said features are logically linked by reference to second, different data.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
67 words
A printed article having a substrate conveying at least four machine-readable features: a first steganographic digital watermark; a second, different, steganographic digital watermark; a third feature; and a fourth feature; wherein a first set comprising three of said features are logically linked by reference to first data, and a second set comprising a different three of said features are logically linked by reference to second, different data.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
42 words
The article of claim 29 in which: the first data is an identifier; one feature in said first set conveys said identifier; and a second feature in said first set conveys data produced by processing said identifier in accordance with an algorithm.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
27 words
The article of claim 30 in which said second feature in said first set conveys data produced by processing said identifier in accordance with a cryptographic algorithm.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
17 words
The article of claim 29 wherein one of said third or fourth features comprises magnetic stripe media.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
29 words
The article of claim 29 in which each of said watermarks is embodied in a manner permitting decoding from scan data produced by visible light scanning of the article.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
15 words
The article of claim 29 in which the substrate conveys a watermark conveying hash data.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
25 words
A photo identification document according to claim 29 , wherein the substrate is printed with a photographic image that conveys one of said digital watermarks.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
23 words
The document of claim 35 in which the substrate also conveys biometric hash data corresponding to a person depicted in the photographic image.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
22 words
The document of claim 36 in which said biometric hash data is conveyed in a steganographic digital watermark formed on the substrate.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
25 words
The document of claim 37 in which the biometric hash data is conveyed by a digital watermark distinct from said first and second digital watermarks.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
49 words
A printed article comprising: a substrate having a portion conveying a first steganographic digital watermark; the substrate having another, different portion conveying a second, different steganographic digital watermark; the first and second steganographic digital watermarks conveying data permitting cross-checking therebetween to aid in ascertaining the authenticity of the article.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
49 words
A printed article comprising: a substrate having a portion conveying a first steganographic digital watermark; the substrate having another, different portion conveying a second, different steganographic digital watermark; the first and second steganographic digital watermarks conveying data permitting cross-checking therebetween to aid in ascertaining the authenticity of the article.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
89 words
The article of claim 39 wherein: the substrate also conveys a machine-readable feature distinct from said digital watermarks, said machine-readable feature conveying an identifier; the first of said watermarks conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with the identifier, permitting said machine-readable feature and said first watermark to be checked for expected correspondence; the first of said watermarks also conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data conveyed by the second of said watermarks, permitting said first and second watermarks to be checked for expected correspondence.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
29 words
The article of claim 40 in which the first watermark conveys said identifier, and the second watermark conveys data produced by processing said identifier in accordance with an algorithm.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
23 words
The article of claim 41 in which the second watermark conveys data produced by processing said identifier in accordance with a cryptographic algorithm.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
9 words
A photo identification document according to claim 41 .
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
19 words
The document of claim 43 in which the second watermark is encoded in a background portion of said document.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
29 words
The article of claim 39 in which each of said watermarks is embodied in a manner permitting decoding from scan data produced by visible light scanning of the article.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
15 words
The article of claim 39 in which the article includes a watermark conveying hash data.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
23 words
The article of claim 39 in which both said first and second watermarks convey data related to a batch number of the article.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
63 words
The article of claim 39 in which substrate includes two different machine-readable features selected from the group consisting of a bar-code, OCR-B text, and magnetic stripe, wherein one feature conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data carried by the first watermark, and the other feature conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data carried by the second watermark.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
47 words
The article of claim 48 in which one of said features conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data carried by the first watermark, and the other of said features conveys data that corresponds in a predetermined manner with data carried by the second watermark.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
61 words
The article of claim 39 in which the substrate includes at least four machine-readable features: the first watermark; the second watermark; a third feature; and a fourth feature; wherein data related to a first parameter logically links a group of three of said features, and data related to a second parameter logically links a different group of three of said features.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
47 words
The article of claim 50 in which: data related to a first parameter logically links the two watermarks and one of the third or fourth features; and data related to the second parameter logically links the third feature, the fourth feature, and one of the two watermarks.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
14 words
The article of claim 50 in which the first parameter is a document identifier.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
26 words
The article of claim 52 in which data related to the document identifier logically links the third feature, the fourth feature, and one of the watermarks.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
14 words
The article of claim 50 in which the second parameter is a batch number.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
22 words
The article of claim 54 in which data related to the batch number logically links the two watermarks and the third feature.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
25 words
A photo identification document according to claim 39 , wherein the substrate is printed with a photographic image that conveys one of said digital watermarks.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
23 words
The document of claim 56 in which the substrate also conveys biometric hash data corresponding to a person depicted in the photographic image.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
22 words
The document of claim 57 in which said biometric hash data is conveyed in a steganographic digital watermark formed on the substrate.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
25 words
The document of claim 58 in which the biometric hash data is conveyed by a digital watermark distinct from said first and second digital watermarks.
Claim 67
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of creating a photo identification document using a substrate, comprising: receiving an encoded photographic image, wherein the encoded photographic image comprises a steganographic digital watermark conveying a first payload; printing on the substrate, in a first region thereof, said encoded photographic image; forming on the substrate, in a second region thereof, another steganographic digital watermark conveying a second payload, the second region having at least a portion not encompassed by the first region; wherein the two watermark payloads convey data permitting cross-checking therebetween to identify a document as potentially suspect.
Claim 68
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of creating a photo identification document using a substrate, comprising: receiving an encoded photographic image, wherein the encoded photographic image comprises a steganographic digital watermark conveying a first payload; printing on the substrate, in a first region thereof, said encoded photographic image; forming on the substrate, in a second region thereof, another steganographic digital watermark conveying a second payload, the second region having at least a portion not encompassed by the first region; wherein the two watermark payloads convey data permitting cross-checking therebetween to identify a document as potentially suspect.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 60 in which the first and second regions do not overlap.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 60 that includes forming on the substrate a first machine readable feature distinct from said watermarks, said feature conveying data that can be checked for expected correspondence with data conveyed by a first of said watermarks.
Claim 71
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 62 that includes forming on the substrate a second machine readable feature distinct from said watermarks and said first machine readable feature, said second feature conveying data that can be checked for expected correspondence with data conveyed by the second of said watermarks.
Claim 72
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method of claim 60 that includes forming on said document at least four machine-readable features: a first steganographic digital watermark; a second steganographic digital watermark; a third feature; and a fourth feature wherein data related to a first parameter logically links a group of three of said features, and data related to a second parameter logically links a different group of three of said features.
Claim 73
Independent Claim
63 words
A method of checking a photo identification document, comprising: decoding first payload data from a steganographic digital watermark encoded in a first region of the document; decoding second payload data from a steganographic digital watermark whose encoding spans an area outside said first region; and checking for expected correspondence between said first and second payload data to determine whether the document is suspect.
Claim 74
Independent Claim
63 words
A method of checking a photo identification document, comprising: decoding first payload data from a steganographic digital watermark encoded in a first region of the document; decoding second payload data from a steganographic digital watermark whose encoding spans an area outside said first region; and checking for expected correspondence between said first and second payload data to determine whether the document is suspect.
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 65 that includes processing data from the first payload with an algorithm to yield processed data, and checking to confirm that data from the second payload matches said processed data.
Claim 76
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 65 includes reading data from a first machine readable feature on the document, and checking for expected correspondence between said read data and payload data from one of said watermarks.
Claim 77
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 67 that includes reading data from a second machine readable feature on the document, and checking for expected correspondence between said read data and payload data from the other of said watermarks.
Claim 78
Dependent Claim
20 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions causing a programmable processor to perform the method of claim 65 .
Claim 79
Independent Claim
97 words
A system for creating a photo identification document using a substrate, comprising: a first encoder for encoding a photographic image with a steganographic digital watermark conveying a first payload; a printer for printing in a first region of the substrate said encoded photographic image, and for printing in a second region of the substrate a pattern having a second steganographic digital watermark conveying a second payload, the second region having at least a portion not encompassed by the first region; wherein the two watermark payloads convey data permitting cross-checking therebetween to identify a document as potentially suspect.
Claim 80
Independent Claim
97 words
A system for creating a photo identification document using a substrate, comprising: a first encoder for encoding a photographic image with a steganographic digital watermark conveying a first payload; a printer for printing in a first region of the substrate said encoded photographic image, and for printing in a second region of the substrate a pattern having a second steganographic digital watermark conveying a second payload, the second region having at least a portion not encompassed by the first region; wherein the two watermark payloads convey data permitting cross-checking therebetween to identify a document as potentially suspect.
Claim 81
Independent Claim
99 words
A system for checking a photo identification document, comprising: a scanner for visible light scanning of the document to produce scan data corresponding thereto; a watermark decoder for processing said scan data to decode first payload data from a steganographic digital watermark encoded in a first region of the document; said watermark decoder also processing said scan data to decode second payload data from a steganographic digital watermark whose encoding spans an area outside said first region; and a processor for checking for expected correspondence between said first and second payload data to determine whether the document is suspect.
Claim 82
Independent Claim
99 words
A system for checking a photo identification document, comprising: a scanner for visible light scanning of the document to produce scan data corresponding thereto; a watermark decoder for processing said scan data to decode first payload data from a steganographic digital watermark encoded in a first region of the document; said watermark decoder also processing said scan data to decode second payload data from a steganographic digital watermark whose encoding spans an area outside said first region; and a processor for checking for expected correspondence between said first and second payload data to determine whether the document is suspect.
Claim 83
Dependent Claim
40 words
A physical article comprising: a first portion conveying first steganographic encoding; and a second portion conveying second, different steganographic encoding, the first and second steganographic encoding conveying data permitting cross-checking there between to aid in ascertaining authenticity of the article.
Claim 84
Dependent Claim
40 words
A physical article comprising: a first portion conveying first steganographic encoding; and a second portion conveying second, different steganographic encoding, the first and second steganographic encoding conveying data permitting cross-checking there between to aid in ascertaining authenticity of the article.
Claim 85
Dependent Claim
14 words
The article of claim 72 , wherein the article comprises a photo identification document.
Claim 86
Dependent Claim
20 words
The article of claim 72 , wherein at least one of the first and second steganographic encoding comprises digital watermarking.
Claim 87
Independent Claim
71 words
An apparatus to analyze an identification document, comprising: a decoder to process scan data to decode first payload data from steganographic encoding encoded in a first region of the document; said decoder to also process scan data to decode second, different payload data from steganographic encoding whose encoding spans an area outside said first region; and a comparator to check for an expected correspondence between said first and second payload data.
Claim 88
Independent Claim
71 words
An apparatus to analyze an identification document, comprising: a decoder to process scan data to decode first payload data from steganographic encoding encoded in a first region of the document; said decoder to also process scan data to decode second, different payload data from steganographic encoding whose encoding spans an area outside said first region; and a comparator to check for an expected correspondence between said first and second payload data.
Claim 89
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 75 , wherein the steganographic encoding comprises digital watermarking.
Claim 90
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 75 , wherein said decoder and said comparator each comprise software modules.
Claim 91
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 75 , wherein said comparator further checks for an expected correspondence with data from a third payload carried by at least one of a magnetic stripe, a barcode and text.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2008-11-28 | 2009-05-30 | 2009-11-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2012-11-28 | 2013-05-30 | 2013-11-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2016-11-28 | 2017-05-30 | 2017-11-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |