EP3083257B1 - Identification document with print pattern - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of identification documents.

Modern identification documents, for example identity cards or passports, are usually provided with security features which are used in a verification of the authenticity of an identification document. Exemplary security features are, for example, metallic security threads, which become visible in the case of a fluoroscopy of an identification document, holograms or printed patterns which can be detected upon irradiation with a light of a predetermined wavelength, for example with an ultraviolet light or with an infrared light.

Although further security features can be implemented to increase the security against counterfeiting, this increases the production of an identification document as well as an inspection effort. The patent document US 2005/067489 A1 discloses an identification document having two optical print patterns with different optical properties.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a simple concept for checking the authenticity of an identification document.

This object is solved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous forms of further development are the subject of the description, the figures and the dependent claims.

The invention is based on the finding that the above object can be achieved by the use of printed pattern regions which have different optical properties.

The print pattern areas may, for example, form individual letters which are printed, for example, with an infrared-active or with a non-infrared-active ink. A sequence of infrared-active or non-infrared-active letters realizes an optically detectable bit pattern that can encode information. This information may be, for example, a cryptographic checksum or a cryptographic hash value. In this case, an infrared-active letter when illuminated with an infrared light represents, for example, a logical one, while a non-infrared-active letter when illuminated with an infrared light, for example, represents a logical zero, or vice versa. The resulting word width is thus determined directly by the number of letters. For example, with a lettering with twenty letter widths of twenty bits are realized, which are available for the accommodation of information or additional information.

The above statements apply analogously to the use of ultraviolet light as well as optical properties, such as light absorption, light transmission or light reflection. For example, in the case of optical reflection, a logical one may be encoded by a reflection of 50% to 100% of the incident light and a logical zero by a reflection of less than 50% of the incident light, or vice versa.

The optical coding creates a simple possibility of providing additional information for checking the authenticity of an identification document. In this case, already existing or for an identification document provided anyway printing pattern, such as the machine-readable zone or names, can be used to code by different optical properties of the print pattern areas, such as letters or other typographic characters, a bit pattern or a bit sequence.

According to one aspect, the invention relates to an identification document having a document body which is provided with a print pattern, wherein the print pattern has at least two print pattern areas with different optical properties in order to optically encode information.

Due to the differences in optical characteristics, a bit pattern comprising a number of bits corresponding to the number of print pattern areas can be optically encoded. Thus, for example, with five print pattern areas, a word width of five bits can be realized. In this case, it is sufficient for the differences in the optical properties of the printed pattern areas to be detectable.

The different optical properties give rise, for example, to brightness patterns when irradiated with light of a predetermined wavelength, for example infrared light, lighter and darker printed pattern areas. The resulting brightness pattern directly encodes a binary sequence in which lighter print pattern areas encode, for example, a logical one and darker print pattern areas, for example, a logical zero. For example, a brightness threshold value can be used for the bit decision, for example 50% of the light intensity above which, for example, a logical one and below which, for example, a logical zero is present.

According to one embodiment, the print pattern regions are designed to code the additional information by means of the different optical properties. For example, if the optical properties are light absorption, for example, infrared light absorption, then at absorption between 50% and 100% of the incident light intensity, a logical zero or logic one and, for example, a logical one at less than 50% absorption One or a logical zero, or vice versa. The different optical properties can be realized, for example, by the use of different types of inks, for example differently pigmented inks.

According to one embodiment, the optical properties are reflection properties or transmission properties or absorption properties. For example, if the optical properties are reflection properties, then a logical one may be encoded by a reflection between 50% and 100% of the incident light intensity, while a logical zero may be encoded by a reflection of, for example, less than 50% of the incident light intensity , or the other way around. If the optical properties are transmission properties, a logical one can be coded analogously for a transmission of 50% to 100%, and a logical zero for a transmission of less than 50%. In this case, for example, the identification document can be transilluminated so that an optical bit pattern arises on a rear side of the transilluminated area. If the optical properties are absorption properties, for example, at an absorption of less than 50%, the logical one and at an absorption of 50% or more the logical zero can be encoded, or vice versa.

According to one embodiment, the optical properties are different in a predetermined wavelength range, in particular in an infrared wavelength range or ultraviolet wavelength range or in a white light wavelength range. According to an implementation, the optical properties may be present exclusively in the predetermined waveband. If the print pattern regions are, for example, infrared-active or non-infrared-active print pattern regions, then the different optical properties produced in this way can be detected only in the infrared region, while they are invisible or not detectable, for example, in the case of white light.

According to one embodiment, a first print pattern area absorbs or reflects light in a predetermined wavelength range more than a second print pattern area. For example, an absorption threshold or a reflection threshold can be provided for the information detections, which can be, for example, 50% of the light intensity. This allows a particularly simple detection of the bit pattern encoded by the optical properties.

According to one embodiment, the print pattern areas have printing inks with different optical properties. The different optical properties can be realized for example by different pigmentation of the printing inks. Thus, the printing inks infrared-absorbing pigments can be supplied or not supplied, whereby infrared-absorbing or non-infrared-absorbing print pattern areas can be realized. Analogous embodiments apply to the ultraviolet light. In addition, the printing inks may be active in the infrared or not active in the infrared, whereby different optical properties can be realized.

According to one embodiment, at least one printed pattern area comprises an infrared printing ink or an ultraviolet printing ink. The infrared printing ink or the ultraviolet printing ink can be realized, for example, by an infrared-active pigmentation or by an ultraviolet-active pigmentation.

According to one embodiment, a first print pattern area comprises a printing ink which is reactive with light in a predetermined wavelength range, in particular in an infrared wavelength range or ultraviolet wavelength range or in a white light wavelength range, and wherein a second print pattern range in the predetermined wavelength range comprises a printing ink which is not light reactive. The light reactivity can be realized, for example, by adding light-reactive pigments.

According to one embodiment, the different optical regions are formed by a change of a surface of the document body, in particular by means of a laser personalization. For this purpose, for example, the print pattern can be printed in the background with a non-infrared-reactive ink, wherein then the print pattern areas, such as letters, lasered by laser personalization, which is visible in the infrared range.

According to one embodiment, the printed pattern is a lettering and the printed pattern areas are writing elements, in particular letters and / or numbers, of the lettering. The writing elements can form a name train, for example, so that no additional print patterns need to be provided for the coding of the information.

According to one embodiment, the print pattern forms a machine-readable zone or a signature or an address train. If the print pattern area is a machine-readable zone whose elements can form the aforementioned print pattern areas, then the encoded information can be detected when the machine-readable zone is read.

According to one embodiment, the information forms a cryptographic checksum or a hash value. The checksum or the hash value can be formed, for example, on the basis of biographical data of a person that can be identified by the identification document. The biographical data may include, for example, a name, a first name, an address, the data of the machine-readable zone or other data. On the basis of these data, for example, a cryptographic checksum or a cryptographic value can be generated, which is optically coded by the different optical properties. In addition, it is ensured in this way that, for example, a change between an infrared-active and a non-infrared-active pressure range of the documents is data-dependent and thus different from identification document to identification document. As a result, a particularly effective protection against counterfeiting is achieved.

According to one embodiment, a bit is coded by the optical property of a print area. For example, a bit, such as a logical one or a logical zero, may be encoded as outlined above.

According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a method for producing an identification document with application of a printing pattern having at least two printed pattern areas with different optical properties in order to optically code information. For this purpose, the printed pattern areas can be realized with, for example, different printing inks, which can have the properties listed above.

According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a document reading device for reading out optically encoded information from an identification document, which may correspond to the identification document according to the invention, wherein the additional information, as stated above, is optically encoded by one or more printing patterns having different optical properties. The document reading apparatus includes an optical detecting device such as an image camera for optically detecting the printing pattern areas to obtain an optical photograph, and a processor for detecting the optical information based on different optical characteristics of the printing pattern areas.

The processor may, for example, compare the intensity of the reflected light, for example the reflected infrared light, with a threshold value, wherein light intensities above the threshold, for example a logical one and below the threshold light intensities, for example, encode a logical zero or vice versa. If the print areas, for example when irradiated with infrared light, appear as a brightness pattern in the infrared range, then the brightness pattern codes a bit pattern that represents the information. The information may be, for example, a checksum or a hash value. To check the authenticity of the identification document, the processor can also be designed to form a checksum or a hash value based on data of the identification document, for example based on a name of a person identified by the identification document, and with the hash provided by the coded information. Value or the checksum provided by it.

Fig. 1

ein Identifikationsdokument bei Bestrahlung mit Weißlicht;

Fig. 2

das Identifikationsdokument bei Bestrahlung mit Infrarotlicht; und

Fig. 3

ein Dokumentenlesegerät.

Further embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

Fig. 1

an identification document when irradiated with white light;

Fig. 2

the identification document when irradiated with infrared light; and

Fig. 3

a document reader.

Fig. 1 shows an identification document 100 with, for example, a map 101 of a person and a machine-readable zone 103, which comprises a print pattern 105 with, for example, six print pattern areas 107-114. The print pattern areas may represent, for example, letters, numbers or other typographic characters, such as parentheses. The print pattern areas, for example, with a printing ink appearing black at white light on a document body 117 to be printed.

The printed pattern regions 107-114 can be pigmented, for example, so that they have different optical properties when irradiated with light in a predetermined wavelength range, for example with infrared light and, for example, do not appear black in the case of pigmentation and black without the pigmentation. This can be exploited to encode by the print pattern 105 additional information which, for example, forms a checksum over the information specified in the machine-readable zone 103.

Fig. 2 shows that in Fig. 1 illustrated identification document 100 when irradiated with light in a predetermined wavelength range of light, for example with an infrared light. Due to the different optical properties of the print pattern areas 107-114, they appear in the infrared wavelength range as lighter or darker printed pattern areas. For example, the printed pattern areas 107, 111 and 113 may be printed with a printing ink having infrared-reflecting pigments. The printed pattern areas 108, 109 and 114, on the other hand, are printed with a non-pigmented printing ink. This results in different optical properties when irradiated with infrared light, because the infrared light is reflected more strongly due to the pigmentation than without the presence of pigmentation. As a result, the print pattern areas 107, 111 and 113 appear brighter than the remaining print pattern areas 108, 109 and 114, for example. As a result, for example, a bit sequence "100110" or "011001" can be coded. For example, a lighter print pattern area represents a logical one or a logical zero.

However, the print pattern areas may include not only individual letters but also words and be used as information carriers with one bit each. For example, if a title of the identification document comprises, for example, twenty letters, this may encode a string of twenty bits due to the different optical characteristics that can be determined by the choice of the particular ink.

The above statements apply analogously to the use of light in wavelength ranges other than infrared, for example in an ultraviolet wavelength range.

Fig. 3 shows a document reader 300, which is for reading an optically encoded information from the in Fig. 1 provided identification document is provided. The document reading device 300 comprises a document support 301 for placing an identification document and an optical detection device 303 for optically detecting the print pattern regions of the print pattern. The optical detecting device 303 may be, for example, an optical image camera configured to detect the printed pattern areas in the wavelength range in which the optical characteristics of the printed pattern areas are different. The wavelength range may be, for example, an infrared range or an ultraviolet range. The optical detection device 303 is preferably designed to detect the printed pattern regions in this wavelength range.

To illuminate the identification document, the document reading device comprises a lighting device 305 which illuminates the identification document through the transparent document support 301 with light in the wavelength range in which different optical properties are to be expected. The illumination device 305 can be, for example, an infrared radiator or an ultraviolet radiator.

Upon irradiation, for example, the results in Fig. 2 shown bit pattern, which can be detected by the optical detection device 303 and detected by a processor 307 or converted into a bit sequence. Here, the processor 307, for example, assigns the logical one to a lighter print pattern area and the logical zero to a darker print pattern area or vice versa, wherein a direct association between brightness differences and bit values can be realized.

The read bit pattern represents, for example, a checksum. Thus, according to one embodiment, the processor 307 may be configured to form another checksum from the data provided by the print pattern, for example a name of a person identified by the identification document, and to compare it to the checksum provided by the different optical characteristics of the print pattern areas is coded. If there is a match, the authenticity of the identification document can be deduced.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

100

identification document

101

Illustration

103

machine-readable zone

105

print pattern

107-114

Print sample area

117

document body

300

Document reader

301

document table

303

optical detection device

305

lighting device

307

processor

Claims (15)

1. Identification document (100) comprising a document body (117), which is provided with a print pattern (105), wherein the print pattern (105) comprises at least two print pattern regions (107-114) comprising different optical characteristics, so that information is optically encoded.
2. Identification document (100) according to claim 1, wherein the print pattern regions (107-114) are configured to encode the additional information by means of the different optical characteristics.
3. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the optical characteristics are reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics or absorption characteristics.
4. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the optical characteristics are different in a predetermined wavelength range, in particular in an infrared-wavelength range or ultraviolet-wavelength range or in a white-light-wavelength range.
5. Identification document (100) according to claim 4, wherein a first print pattern region (107-114) absorbs or reflects light in a predetermined wavelength range more strongly than a second print pattern region (107-114).
6. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the print pattern regions (107-114) comprise print inks comprising different optical characteristics.
7. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least a print pattern region (107-114) comprises an infrared print ink or an ultraviolet print ink.
8. Identification document (100) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a first print pattern region (107-114) comprises a print ink, which is light-reactive in a predetermined wavelength range, in particular in an infrared-wavelength range or ultraviolet-wavelength range or in a white-light-wavelength range, and wherein a second print pattern region (107-114) comprises a print ink in the predetermined wavelength range, which is not light-reactive.
9. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the different optical regions are formed by a change of a surface of the document body (117), in particular by means of a laser personalization.
10. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the print pattern (105) is a writing script and wherein the print pattern regions (107-114) are writing elements, in particular letters and/or numbers of the writing script.
11. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the print pattern (105) forms a machine-readable zone (103) or a signature or an address.
12. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the information forms a cryptographic checksum or a hash value.
13. Identification document (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a bit is encoded by the optical characteristic of a print region.
14. Method for producing an identification document (100), according to claim 1, comprising:

    superimposing a print pattern (105) comprising at least two print pattern regions (107-114) comprising different optical characteristics on a document body, in order to optically encode information.
15. Document-reading device (300) for reading out an optically-encoded information from an identification document (100) according to claim 1, wherein the additional information is optically encoded by means of the print pattern (105) comprising different optical characteristics, comprising:

    an optical capturing apparatus (303) for optically capturing the print pattern regions (107-114), in order to receive an optical recording; and

    a processor (307) for detecting the optical information based on different optical characteristics of the print pattern regions (107-114).

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