System and method of authenticating a digitally captured image

Abstract

A system and method of authenticating a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device. To process the digital still image for later authentication, a signature data is transmitted from a remote location to the digital image capture device. Upon capturing the digital still image, an image identification is associated with the digital still image. The signature data is then applied to the captured digital still image to produce an authentication signature representative of the captured digital still image. The authentication signature is associated with the image identification and transmitted from the digital still image to the remote location for storage at the remote location. To verify the authenticity of the digital still image, the digital still image is transmitted to the remote location. The signature data for the transmitted digital still image is accessed and applied to the transmitted digital still image to produce a verification signature. The authentication signature and the verification signature are compared to determine the authentication of the transmitted digital still image. In an alternate embodiment, the signature data and image identification are sent to the image capture device to generate the verification signature, which is transmitted to the remote location for comparison with the authentication signature.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of processing for later authentication a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device, comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting signature data from a remote location to the digital image capture device;    associating an image identification with the captured digital still image;    applying the signature data to the captured digital still image to produce an authentication signature representative of the captured digital still image;    associating the authentication signature with the image identification;    transmitting the authentication signature to the remote location; and    storing the signature data, authentication signature, and image identification at the remote location.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of capturing the digital still image after the signature data is transmitted to the digital image capture device from the remote location.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the signature data from the remote location is transmitted to the digital image capture device prior to the capture of the digital still image.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the signature data from the remote location is transmitted to the digital image capture device subsequent to the capture of the digital still image.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the remote location comprises a database for storing the authentication signature.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of transmitting a message indicative of receipt of the authentication signature by the remote location.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of associating the signature data with the image identification.  
     
     
         8 . A method of authenticating a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device and processed using signature data to produce an authentication signature wherein the authentication signature is stored at a remote location for later use in verifying the authentication of the captured digital still image, the method comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting the digital still image to the remote location;    accessing the signature data;    applying the signature data to the transmitted digital still image to produce a verification signature;    accessing the authentication signature stored at the remote location; and    comparing the authentication signature with the verification signature to determine the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of producing an authentication message indicative of the authentication of the digital still image.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the step of transmitting an authentication code to verify the authentication of the authentication message.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of verifying the authenticity of the signature data.  
     
     
         12 . A method of authenticating a digital still image having an image identification and captured using a digital image capture device and processed using signature data to produce an authentication signature wherein the authentication signature, signature data, and image identification is stored at a remote location for later use in verifying the authentication of the captured digital still image, the method comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting an authentication request for the digital still image;    determining the image identification for the digital still image to be authenticated;    determining, from the remote location, the signature data and authentication signature associated with the image identification;    transmitting the signature data from the remote location to an authentication location remote from the remote location;    applying the signature data to the digital still image to be authenticated at the authentication location to produce a verification signature;    transmitting the verification signature from the authentication location to the remote location; and    comparing the authentication signature and the verification signature to determine the authentication of the digital still image.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of producing an authentication message indicative of the authentication of the digital still image.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the step of transmitting an authentication code to verify the authentication of the authentication message.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the authentication location is the digital image capture device or a personal computer.  
     
     
         16 . A method of authenticating a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device, comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting signature data from a remote location to the digital image capture device;    associating an image identification with the digital still image;    applying the signature data to the captured digital still image to produce an authentication signature representative of the captured digital still image;    associating the authentication signature with the image identification;    transmitting the authentication signature to the remote location;    storing the signature data, authentication signature, and image identification at the remote location;    transmitting the digital still image to the remote location;    accessing the signature data for the transmitted digital still image;    applying the signature data to the transmitted digital still image to produce a verification signature; and    comparing the authentication signature with the verification signature to determine the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of producing an authentication message indicative of the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the signature data from the remote location is transmitted to the digital image capture device prior to the capture of the digital still image.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the remote location comprises a database for storing the authentication signature.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of transmitting a message indicative of receipt of the authentication signature by the remote location.  
     
     
         21 . A method of authenticating a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device, comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting signature data from a remote location to the digital image capture device;    associating an image identification with the captured digital still image;    applying the signature data to the captured digital still image to produce an authentication signature representative of the captured digital still image;    associating the authentication signature with the image identification;    transmitting the authentication signature to the remote location;    storing the signature data, authentication signature, and image identification at the remote location;    initiating an authentication request from an authentication location remote from the remote location, the digital still image to be authenticated being disposed at the authentication location;    transmitting the signature data to the authentication location;    applying the signature data to the digital still image to be authenticated at the authentication location to produce a verification signature;    transmitting the verification signature to the remote location; and    comparing, at the remote location, the authentication signature with the verification signature to determine the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising the step of transmitting the digital still image to be authenticated to the authentication location.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising the step of producing an authentication message indicative of the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the signature data from the remote location is transmitted to the digital image capture device prior to the capture of the digital still image.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the authentication location is a digital image capture device or a computer.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising the step of transmitting a message indicative of receipt of the authentication signature by the remote location.  
     
     
         27 . A method of authenticating a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device, the method comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting signature data from a remote location to the digital image capture device;    associating an image identification with the captured digital still image;    applying the signature data to the captured digital still image to produce an authentication signature representative of the captured digital still image;    associating the image identification with the authentication signature;    transmitting the authentication signature to the remote location;    storing the signature data, authentication signature, and image identification at the remote location;    transmitting the signature data from a remote location to the digital image capture device;    applying the signature data to the digital still image at the digital image capture device to produce a verification signature;    transmitting the verification signature from the digital image capture device to the remote location; and    comparing the authentication signature with the verification signature to determine the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.    
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising the step of, prior to transmitting the signature data from the remote location to the digital image capture device, transmitting an authentication request for the digital still image to the remote location from the digital image capture device.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising the step of producing an authentication message indicative of the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.  
     
     
         30 . A system for processing for later authentication a digital still image, comprising: 
 a digital image capture device for capturing the digital still image;    a remote location remote from the digital image capture device comprising a database for storing signature data, an authentication signature, and an image identification, the image identification being associated with the digital still image captured by the digital image capture device, and the authentication signature being associated with the image identification;    communication means for transmitting the signature data from the remote location to the digital image capture device, and transmitting the authentication signature from the digital still image to the remote location; and    an image processor disposed in the digital image capture device for applying the signature data to the captured digital still image to produce the authentication signature, the authentication signature being representative of the captured digital still image.    
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the signature data comprises a hashing algorithm.  
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 30 , further comprising a messaging system for producing an authentication message indicative of the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.  
     
     
         33 . A system for authenticating a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device and processed using signature data provided to the digital image capture device to produce an authentication signature representative of the digital still image, the system comprising: 
 a remote location remote from the digital image capture device comprising a database for storing the signature data and authentication signature;    communication means for transmitting the digital still image to the remote location for authentication; and    a processor located at the remote location for applying the signature data to the transmitted digital still image to produce a verification signature and comparing the authentication signature with the verification signature to determine the authentication of the digital still image.    
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein the remote location further comprises a messaging system for producing an authentication message indicative of the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.  
     
     
         35 . A system for authenticating a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device and processed using signature data provided to the digital image capture device to produce an authentication signature representative of the digital still image, the signature data and authentication signature being stored at the remote location, the system comprising: 
 an authentication location remote from the digital image capture device and remote location for authenticating the digital still image;    communication means for (a) transmitting the digital still image to the authentication location for authentication, (b) accessing and transmitting the signature data for the transmitted digital still image from the remote location to the authentication location, and (c) transmitting a verification signature from the authentication location to the remote location;    a processor located at the authentication location for applying the signature data to the transmitted digital still image to produce the verification signature; and    a comparator located at the remote location for comparing the authentication signature with the verification signature to determine the authentication of the digital still image.    
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35 , farther comprising a messaging system for producing an authentication message indicative of the authentication of the transmitted digital still image.  
     
     
         37 . A digital still image processed according to the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         38 . A computer storage product having at least one computer storage medium having instructions stored therein causing one or more computers to perform the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         39 . A computer storage product having at least one computer storage medium having instructions stored therein causing one or more computers to perform the method of  claim 8 .  
     
     
         40 . A method of processing for later authentication a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device, comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting signature data from a remote location to the digital image capture device;    associating an image identification with the captured digital still image;    segmenting the captured digital still image into a plurality of segments;    applying the signature data to each of the plurality of segments to produce a plurality of segment authentication signatures;    transmitting the plurality of segment authentication signatures to the remote location; and    storing the signature data, plurality of segment authentication signatures, and image identification at the remote location.    
     
     
         41 . A method of processing for later authentication a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device, comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting signature data from a remote location to the digital image capture device;    associating an image identification with the captured digital still image;    segmenting the captured digital still image into a plurality of segments;    applying the signature data to at least one of the plurality of segments to produce an authentication signature;    transmitting the authentication signature to the remote location; and    storing the signature data, authentication signature, and image identification at the remote location.    
     
     
         42 . A method of processing for later authentication a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device, comprising the steps of: 
 at a first time, transmitting signature data from a remote location to the digital image capture device;    associating an image identification with the captured digital still image;    applying the signature data to the captured digital still image to produce an authentication signature representative of the captured digital still image;    associating the authentication signature with the image identification;    at a second time different than the first time, transmitting the authentication signature to the remote location; and    storing the first time, second time, signature data, authentication signature, and image identification at the remote location.    
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the first time and second time are determined by the digital image capture device.