EP1252602A1 - Authentification et codage par taille, forme, et fluorescence - Google Patents

Authentification et codage par taille, forme, et fluorescence

Info

Publication number
EP1252602A1
EP1252602A1 EP00991733A EP00991733A EP1252602A1 EP 1252602 A1 EP1252602 A1 EP 1252602A1 EP 00991733 A EP00991733 A EP 00991733A EP 00991733 A EP00991733 A EP 00991733A EP 1252602 A1 EP1252602 A1 EP 1252602A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
taggants
physical attributes
identifying
combination
emission wavelength
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP00991733A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1252602A4 (fr
Inventor
Nabil M. Lawandy
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Spectra Science Corp
Original Assignee
Spectra Science Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Spectra Science Corp filed Critical Spectra Science Corp
Publication of EP1252602A1 publication Critical patent/EP1252602A1/fr
Publication of EP1252602A4 publication Critical patent/EP1252602A4/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
    • G01N21/25—Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands
    • G01N21/31—Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry
    • G01N21/33—Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry using ultraviolet light
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F18/00—Pattern recognition

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing reliable and repeatable identification, authentication and coding of an object by using at least one of the size, shape or loading (density per unit area) of encoding materials (taggants), either alone or in combination with a fluorescent emission of the taggants.
  • planchets and particles In addition to fibers, it is known to utilize planchets and particles to authenticate items. These types of authentication mechanisms may be color based, that is, they may have a characteristic color, they may diffract light, or they may fluoresce when subjected to an excitation, for example IR, optical, or UV radiation.
  • taggants including fibers, planchets and particles
  • the authentication materials and devices mentioned above are typically produced to a specific size and shape that is appropriate for the object with which they will be associated.
  • a method and apparatus for identifying an object are disclosed wherein an item is identified by including selected taggants, where the taggants have discernable physical properties, such as dimensions and/or a loading factor, for identifying the object.
  • the method may also include irradiating the taggants, detecting resulting emissions from the taggants, and identifying the object based also on the emissions .
  • a set of taggants are provided with members having different and distinguishable physical characteristics, such as one or more of diameter, length, linear dimension (s) , shape (e.g., curved versus straight) , wavelength emission (or simply color) and loading factor (i.e., number per unit area or unit volume) .
  • Selected ones of the taggants are placed on or in a substrate associated with an object of interest, or they may be placed on or in the object itself.
  • the taggants are selected so as to combinatorially encode information regarding the object of interest. By imaging the object or substrate in or on which the taggants are placed, the physical characteristics are obtained and the encoded information is decoded.
  • a tag affixed to an object may include three different types of particles, each emitting at a different wavelength (e.g., green, yellow, red) and each having an associated diameter (which may be different or the same) .
  • the particles may be present with different loading factors (e.g., 10 per square centimeter, 20 per square centimeter, 50 per square centimeter) .
  • the resulting set of physical characteristics or attributes is predetermined to encode information regarding the object of interest, and can be used to identify the object and/or to verify the authenticity of the object.
  • a method in accordance with these teachings provides information concerning an object, and includes steps of providing the object and encoding information concerning the object by providing a set of taggants in association with the object.
  • the set of taggants contains members having distinguishing physical attributes which may include at least one of color, emission wavelength, size, shape and loading factor which, in combination, are predetermined for encoding information regarding the object. Further steps detect the physical attributes and decode the information from the detected physical attributes by identifying the object based on said detected physical attributes.
  • the set of taggants can include at least one of particles, fibers and planchets.
  • Figure 1A depicts fibers embedded in a substrate
  • Figure IB shows a cross section of the substrate of Figure 1;
  • Figure 2 shows a substrate having a coding scheme made up of a number of straight fibers and a bent fiber embedded therein;
  • Figure 3A depicts particles embedded in a type of flat goods
  • Figure 3B shows a magnified cross sectional view of the flat good
  • Figure 3C shows a magnified perspective view of a particle
  • Figure 4 shows a substrate having a coding scheme made up of a number of fibers with different frequency characteristics and a smart card for storing a digital signature or watermark;
  • Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of a detection system to identify and authenticate items in accordance with the invention.
  • Figure 6 shows a block diagram of a detector array that is part of the detection system.
  • the invention provides for the use of the specific size, shape, color, emission wavelength, loading factor or other physical characteristics or attributes of one or more taggants to create a coding, identification and authentication capability.
  • fibers when utilized for coding, identification and authentication, fibers can be extruded to have various diameters ranging from several microns to, for example, some tens of microns.
  • fibers may be produced having a cross section that is other than circular, for example, triangular, rectangular, ellipsoidal, etc. Fibers may also be produced having specific lengths. Fibers may also be produced to have an essentially straight or a non-straight (e.g., curved) shape.
  • Planchets can be manufactured to have different, specific diameters and thicknesses, while particles can be produced, such as by precipitation, to have controlled size ranges and shapes .
  • various dyes can be used to impart a color and/or a characteristic emission wavelength when illuminated by light, such as UV light.
  • a coding scheme can be created.
  • D diameter ranges
  • L lengths
  • S shape
  • L lengths
  • S shape
  • a similar coding can be accomplished using particles having controlled size distributions.
  • Materials that maintain their dimensions including hard polymer materials as well as phosphors, can be used to create powders having particles that are accurately sized. For example, if particles with four different mean radii are used in combination with five wavelength ranges of fluorescence, up to 4 5 , or 1024 codes can be created.
  • Particles are particularly well suited for coding products that retain some of the particles, such as textiles, porous materials, etc.
  • a post manufacturing code can be created.
  • electrostatic attraction may cause these particles to be adequately retained, enhanced binding can be achieved using appropriate materials, for example, a mesh incorporated into the product or binding agents such as starches or hair spray types of products.
  • Additional coding combinations can be made by incorporating fluorescence emission or body color into the taggant.
  • UV excitation for example, at least five unique wavelength categories or frequency ranges can be created. Combining these five different wavelength categories and three lengths yields L F , or 3 combinations, or 243 codes. Even more codes are possible by combining other attributes, such as diameter and shape. For example, using four diameters and five frequency ranges yields D F (4 5 ), or 1024 codes.
  • the loading factors of various taggants can be employed as a further variable.
  • the first particles may be present with a loading factor of 20 per square centimeter, while the second particles may be present with a loading factor of 40 particles per square centimeter. By counting the numbers of particles per unit area of each type, one may determine the information encoded by the selected taggants.
  • a paper document having this particular set of taggants is identified as a first type of negotiable instrument, while another paper document having a different set of taggants (e.g., red particles of 25 micron diameter and 80 micron diameter with loading factors of 50 per square centimeter and 100 per square centimeter, respectively) is identified as a second type of negotiable security.
  • a different set of taggants e.g., red particles of 25 micron diameter and 80 micron diameter with loading factors of 50 per square centimeter and 100 per square centimeter, respectively
  • one may verify the authenticity of the negotiable security by verifying that the expected set of taggants are actually present with the expected size ranges and loading factors.
  • Figure 1A shows an example of a substrate 100 having a coding scheme in accordance with the invention.
  • Several fibers 110 having the same length are embedded in the substrate 100.
  • Fiber 110A has a larger diameter
  • fiber HOB has a smaller diameter
  • fiber HOC has an intermediate diameter.
  • the substrate is coded by the diameters of the fibers 110, and can be authenticated by identifying the diameters of the fibers 110.
  • Figure 2 shows another example of a coding scheme.
  • a substrate 120 has a number of straight fibers 130 and a bent fiber 140 embedded within.
  • the substrate is coded by, and can be authenticated by, the number of straight and bent fibers .
  • FIG 3A shows an example of coding and authenticating flat goods.
  • a type of flat goods 150 is shown, in this example a towel, having an area 160 where particles 170 have been embedded in the towel.
  • a magnified cross section of the towel 150 is shown in Figure 3B.
  • the towel is preferably made up of layers 180, where one or more layers, for example 108B, 180C, are made of a mesh for retaining the particles 170. Alternatively, one of the layers 180 may be treated with a binding agent as described above for retaining the particles.
  • Figure 3C shows a perspective view of one of the particles 170.
  • the particle 170 preferably includes a characteristic color that identifies the origin of the towel 150.
  • the particle may also include material that when exposed to a specific type of radiation, for example, UV light, fluoresces at a known wavelength, or within a known wavelength range.
  • the opposing sides 190 of the particle preferably all have the same dimensions.
  • opposing sides 190A, 190B, and 190C, 190D have dimensions that correspond to the dimensions of the towel 150.
  • towel 150 may measure 40 inches by 60 inches
  • opposing sides 190A through 190D may measure 40 microns by 60 microns.
  • the physical attributes, that is the dimensions, of the taggant may be combined with semantic information about an object, in this example the dimensions of the object, to provide enhanced coding and authentication capabilities.
  • the shapes of the particles are not limited to a rectangular geometry or any other particular shape.
  • a spherical particle could also be used, as could an elliptically shaped particle.
  • Figure 4 shows yet another example of a coding and authentication scheme.
  • An unprinted document substrate 200 preferably contains a code that is derived from five unique wavelength categories of fluorescence (F) and 3 fiber lengths (L) creating L F , or 3 5 combinations or 243 codes.
  • the decoding or identification of a code employs imaging of the taggants, as well as the detection of fluorescent emission or color if present. This can be achieved, for example, by using a microscope system coupled to a monolithic spectrometer. Another embodiment may use a narrow band filtered detection system including CCD camera based devices. This can be done directly on the object if it is easily manipulated or flat, such as a document, or by removing a number of the taggants and inspecting the particles .
  • a detection system 300 in accordance with the invention is shown in Figure 5.
  • a source of radiation 310 is directed on an item 320 to be examined.
  • the source 310 preferably generates UV radiation, but may generate any type of radiation that is suitable for detecting the coding scheme included with the item 320 and/or any appropriate attributes of the item 320.
  • the item 320 may be mounted on a positioning device 325 in order to locate the item 320 for irradiation.
  • the positioning device may include a conveyor or any other type of device suitable for transporting or locating the substrate for irradiation.
  • a detector array 330 such as a CCD, with appropriate support circuitry 340 detects an image of the taggants 350 in the item 320.
  • the source 310 and detector array 330 may also comprise positioning devices (not shown) for locating these devices for optimum performance.
  • the taggants 350 in the item 320 may also emit one or more wavelengths associated with the coding scheme.
  • the detector array 330 is preferably capable of detecting the spectral content of any emissions, in addition to any other physical characteristics of the taggants 350 or the item 320 for identification of the coding scheme and authentication of the item 320.
  • Control circuitry 360 directs the activity of the overall system 300, and in particular controls the source 310, positioning device 325, detector array 330 and support circuitry 340.
  • the detector array 330 is preferably comprised of an optical section 370 for focusing received emissions within the detector array 330, an array of sensors 380 for detecting the emissions, and a filter section 390 for allowing only the frequencies of interest to impinge on the sensors 380.
  • the optical section 370 may include a microscope system or any other system suitable for magnifying or otherwise focusing the image of the item 320 and/or any emissions from the item 320 within the detector array 330.
  • the sensor array 380 may comprise any array of sensors suitable for detecting the emissions and/or physical characteristics of the item 320, for example, a diode array, a CCD array, etc. Using this technique the output of the detector array 330 is analyzed to detect the various sizes and/or shapes of the taggants so as to derive the encoded information therefrom, either alone or in combination with the emitted wavelength (s) .
  • the techniques and structures described above are useful for authenticating objects based on coding mechanisms included in the object. It can also be appreciated that by selecting certain coding schemes described above when constructing items, that the techniques and structures disclosed herein are also useful for encoding various types of information into objects, and authenticating those objects, such as valuables, negotiable instruments, works of art, currency, various types of substrates, items that may require sorting, items that are traveling on a conveyor system, etc.

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé permettant de donner des informations concernant un objet (320), et comprenant les étapes de mise à disposition de l'objet et de codage des informations concernant l'objet par mise en place d'un ensemble de descripteurs (350) associés à l'objet. L'ensemble de descripteurs contient des éléments ayant des attributs physiques de distinction qui peut comprendre au moins l'un des éléments que sont la couleur, la longueur d'onde d'émission, la taille, la forme et le facteur de charge, ceux-ci étant prédéterminés en combinaison pour le codage des informations concernant l'objet. D'autres étapes permettent de détecter des attributs physiques (330) et de décoder les informations à partir des attributs physiques détectés. L'ensemble de descripteurs peut comprendre au moins l'un des éléments que sont les particules, les fibres et les planchettes.
EP00991733A 1999-11-09 2000-11-09 Authentification et codage par taille, forme, et fluorescence Withdrawn EP1252602A4 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US708273 1996-09-03
US16438799P 1999-11-09 1999-11-09
US164387P 1999-11-09
US70827300A 2000-11-08 2000-11-08
PCT/US2000/042065 WO2001037207A1 (fr) 1999-11-09 2000-11-09 Authentification et codage par taille, forme, et fluorescence

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1252602A1 true EP1252602A1 (fr) 2002-10-30
EP1252602A4 EP1252602A4 (fr) 2003-06-18

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP00991733A Withdrawn EP1252602A4 (fr) 1999-11-09 2000-11-09 Authentification et codage par taille, forme, et fluorescence

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1252602A4 (fr)
AU (1) AU3438801A (fr)
WO (1) WO2001037207A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8330122B2 (en) 2007-11-30 2012-12-11 Honeywell International Inc Authenticatable mark, systems for preparing and authenticating the mark

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1999873A2 (fr) 2006-03-13 2008-12-10 SMI Holding, Inc. Lecteur automatique de marques à microparticules
US8825361B1 (en) * 2011-10-10 2014-09-02 The Boeing Company Methods and systems for determining performance characteristics of mechanical systems based on fuel properties
WO2015066607A1 (fr) * 2013-11-04 2015-05-07 Invisidex, Inc. Systèmes et procédés destinés au développement de normes de matériau quantifiable destiné aux charges d'alimentation et aux produits utilisés dans les processus de fabrication additive
US20150376819A1 (en) 2014-06-27 2015-12-31 Eastman Chemical Company Fibers with shape and size used for coding
US9863920B2 (en) 2014-06-27 2018-01-09 Eastman Chemical Company Fibers with chemical markers and physical features used for coding
US9633579B2 (en) 2014-06-27 2017-04-25 Eastman Chemical Company Fibers with physical features used for coding

Citations (3)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3861886A (en) * 1968-11-13 1975-01-21 Melpar Inc Material identification coding methods and systems
GB2148486A (en) * 1983-09-13 1985-05-30 Bradbury Wilkinson Plc Identification of articles
US5643728A (en) * 1992-08-26 1997-07-01 Slater; James Howard Method of marking a liquid

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4131064A (en) * 1977-07-15 1978-12-26 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Tagging particles which are easily detected by luminescent response, or magnetic pickup, or both
US5225900A (en) * 1990-12-31 1993-07-06 Xerox Corporation Method of storing information within a reproduction system
US5543177A (en) * 1992-11-05 1996-08-06 Xerox Corporation Marking materials containing retroreflecting fillers
US5667924A (en) * 1996-02-14 1997-09-16 Xerox Corporation Superparamagnetic image character recognition compositions and processes of making and using

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3861886A (en) * 1968-11-13 1975-01-21 Melpar Inc Material identification coding methods and systems
GB2148486A (en) * 1983-09-13 1985-05-30 Bradbury Wilkinson Plc Identification of articles
US5643728A (en) * 1992-08-26 1997-07-01 Slater; James Howard Method of marking a liquid

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See also references of WO0137207A1 *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8330122B2 (en) 2007-11-30 2012-12-11 Honeywell International Inc Authenticatable mark, systems for preparing and authenticating the mark

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2001037207A1 (fr) 2001-05-25
AU3438801A (en) 2001-05-30
EP1252602A4 (fr) 2003-06-18

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