System and method for authentication

Abstract

Described are methods and systems for determining authenticity. For example, the method may include providing an object of authentication, capturing characteristic data from the object of authentication, deriving authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication, and comparing the authentication data with an electronic database comprising reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication. The reference authentication data may correspond to one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for determining authenticity, comprising:
 providing an object of authentication;   capturing characteristic data from the object of authentication;   deriving authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication; and   comparing the authentication data with an electronic database comprising reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication,   the reference authentication data corresponding to one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , the object of authentication and the one or more reference objects of authentication comprising articles of manufacture. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , the object of authentication comprising an article of manufacture, the characteristic data being captured from a mark on the article of manufacture. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , the electronic database comprising one or more secondary identifiers corresponding to the one or more reference objects of authentication, further comprising correlating the one or more secondary identifiers with the object of authentication according to the authenticity score. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , the one or more secondary identifiers comprising one or more of: a name, a logo, a trademark, a vendor, a lot number, a date of manufacture, and a marking system description. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , the electronic database comprising provenance data associated with the reference authentication data, comparing the authentication data with the electronic database further comprising determining a corresponding provenance score of the object of authentication. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 :
 capturing the characteristic data comprising capturing an optical image of the object of authentication,   deriving the authentication data comprising:
 performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image to provide a reconstructed font, and 
 extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database, 
   the reference authentication data being derived from reference characteristic data captured from the one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 :
 capturing the characteristic data comprising capturing an optical image of the object of authentication;   deriving the authentication data comprising:
 performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image to provide a reconstructed font, and 
 extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database, the authentication data comprising the spline font database corresponding to the marking system data, 
   the reference authentication data comprising reference marking system data, comparing the authentication data with the electronic database comprising comparing the marking system data with the reference marking system data to provide the authenticity score for the object of authentication,   the reference marking system data corresponding to a marking system used to mark the one or more reference objects of authentication.   
     
     
         9 . A system for determining authenticity, comprising:
 a characterization module configured for capturing characteristic data from an object of authentication;   a data storage module configured to store an electronic database comprising reference authentication data;   a processor operatively coupled to the characterization module and the data storage module, the processor being programmed to:
 operate the characterization module to capture the characteristic data from the object of authentication; 
 derive authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication, 
 compare the authentication data with the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication; and 
 access the data storage module to store and retrieve one or more of: the authentication data, the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data, the characteristic data from the object of authentication, and the authenticity score. 
   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , the characterization module comprising one or more of: an imager, a profilometer, a scatterometer, a polarimeter, and a microscope. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , the processor comprising one or more of: a local processor, an embedded processor, a distributed processor, a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer; and a tablet computer. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 :
 the processor comprising a portable computing device comprising one or more of: a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer, and a tablet computer;   the data storage comprising one or more of: a memory comprised by the portable computing device and a remote storage system accessed by the portable computing device; and   the characterization module comprising an optical imager comprised by the portable computing device.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , the object of authentication comprising an article of manufacture, the processor being programmed to operate the characterization module to capture the characteristic data from a mark on the article of manufacture. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , the processor being programmed to access the electronic database comprising one or more secondary identifiers corresponding to the one or more reference objects of authentication, further comprising correlating the one or more secondary identifiers with the object of authentication according to the authenticity score. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , the one or more secondary identifiers comprising one or more of: a name, a logo, a trademark, a vendor, a lot number, a date of manufacture, and a marking system description. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 9 , the processor being programmed to:
 access the electronic database comprising provenance data associated with the reference authentication data; and   compare the authentication data with the electronic database to determine a corresponding provenance score of the object of authentication.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 9 , the processor being programmed to:
 capture the characteristic data by capturing an optical image of the object of authentication,   derive the authentication data by:
 performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image to provide a reconstructed font, and 
 extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database, 
   the reference authentication data being derived from reference characteristic data captured from the one or more reference objects of authentication other than the object of authentication.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 9 , the processor being programmed to:
 capture the characteristic data by capturing an optical image of the object of authentication;   derive the authentication data by:
 performing optical characterization recognition and font reconstruction of the optical image to provide a reconstructed font, and 
 extracting from the reconstructed font one or more parameters of a polynomial spline or a Bezier curve spline representative of the reconstructed font to provide the authentication data comprising a spline font database, the authentication data comprising the spline font database corresponding to the marking system data, 
   compare the authentication data with the electronic database, the reference authentication data comprising reference marking system data, by comparing the marking system data with the reference marking system data to provide the authenticity score for the object of authentication,   the reference marking system data corresponding to a marking system used to mark the one or more reference objects of authentication.   
     
     
         19 . A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for controlling a processor, the instructions controlling the processor to:
 operate the characterization module to capture the characteristic data from the object of authentication;   derive authentication data from the characteristic data of the object of authentication,   compare the authentication data with the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data to provide an authenticity score for the object of authentication,   access the data storage module to store and retrieve one or more of: the authentication data, the electronic database comprising the reference authentication data, the characteristic data from the object of authentication, and the authenticity score,   the processor comprising a portable computing device comprising one or more of: a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal computer, and a tablet computer;   the data storage comprising one or more of: a memory comprised by the portable computing device and a remote or storage system accessed by the portable computing device; and   the measurement system comprising an optical imager comprised by the portable computing device.   
     
     
         20 . The tangible computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , the instructions being configured to control the processor to operate a marking system to mark solid forms on objects.