Apparatus and methods for computerized authentication of electronic documents

Abstract

A computerized method for authenticating documents having VIZ sections, the method comprising capturing an image of a document to be authenticated from a scanner and enhancing the captured image, and using a processor for identifying and cropping a VIZ section in the image.

1 . A document forgery detection device comprising:
 a processor configured for performing at least one fraud detection technique, for each of plural document types,   the device further comprising a database storing a plurality of templates each corresponding to an individual series of an individual type of document in an individual country thereby to define said plural document types,   wherein templates are used to identify documents as belonging to known series within known document type stored in the database,   and wherein at least one fraud detection technique used for a given document, is determined as a function of, at least, which document type the given document belongs to, from among said plural document types.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein documents' VIZ is scanned to identify the document's issuing country. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , the device having an open software architecture to allow for enhancement including additional fraud detection techniques. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the device includes a document parser which uses the database to decide what the correct document type is; and to decide how to parse data in the document, once said document type has been correctly recognized. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1  wherein each template used herein includes metadata defining commonalities of a type of document. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5  wherein said metadata includes location of at least one particular zone within the document, for a given type of document. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1  wherein templates are used to identify documents as belonging to a known series within a known document type stored in said database. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , the device having an open software architecture to allow for enhancement including new templates. 
     
     
         9 . A document forgery detection method comprising:
 using a processor for performing at least one fraud detection technique, for each of plural document types, and   providing a database storing a plurality of templates each corresponding to an individual series of an individual type of document in an individual country thereby to define said plural document types,   wherein templates are used to identify documents as belonging to known series within known document type stored in the database,   and wherein at least one fraud detection technique used for a given document, is determined as a function of, at least, which document type the given document belongs to, from among said plural document types.   
     
     
         10 . A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a document forgery detection method comprising:
 performing at least one fraud detection technique, for each of plural document types, and   providing a database storing a plurality of templates each corresponding to an individual series of an individual type of document in an individual country thereby to define said plural document types,   wherein templates are used to identify documents as belonging to known series within known document type stored in the database,   and wherein at least one fraud detection technique used for a given document, is determined as a function of, at least, which document type the given document belongs to, from among said plural document types.