Authenticating Signals and Identification and Security Documents

Abstract

The application discloses signals and identification and security documents and methods and systems for authenticating such. In one implementation, a financial instrument or identification document is provided with an organic light emitting diode (OLED) array. The OLED array displays information thereon. The information is preferably correlated to the information on or in the financial instrument or identification document. Other implementations and embodiments are provided as well.

1 . A financial instrument or identification document comprising: 
 a substrate;    a power supply carried on or in the substrate;    electronic circuitry carried on or in the substrate; and    an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display carried on or in the substrate and powered by the power supply and controlled or driven, at least in part, by the electronic circuitry.    
     
     
         2 . The financial instrument or identification document of  claim 1 , wherein the power supply comprises at least one of a battery, a passive-current generating device, solar or light conversion cell, or a piezoelectric device.  
     
     
         3 . The financial instrument or identification document of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuitry comprises memory with first information stored therein.  
     
     
         4 . The financial instrument or identification document of  claim 3 , wherein at least some of the first information is communicated to the OLED display via the electric circuitry for display thereon.  
     
     
         5 . The financial instrument or identification document of  claim 4 , wherein the at least some of the first information that is communicated to the OLED display comprises at least one of a currency denomination, a graphic, seal, text, or number.  
     
     
         6 . The financial instrument or identification document of  claim 4  wherein the at least some of the first information that is communicated to the OLED display comprises first display information and second display information, wherein the electronic circuitry provides timing of the first display information and the second display information so that the first display information is first displayed by the OLED display and then the second display information is displayed by the OLED display.  
     
     
         7 . The financial instrument or identification document of  claim 1  wherein the instrument comprises at least one of a banknote, currency, check, note, draft, traveler's check, security interest, bond or certificate.  
     
     
         8 . A method of authenticating a security or identification document with a handheld computing device, the device comprising an optical sensor and a display, the document comprising micro-printing, wherein the micro-printing is generally imperceptible by an unassisted human observer, said method comprising: 
 receiving from the optical sensor optical scan data corresponding to the document;    analyzing the optical scan data to recognize the micro-printing;    scaling or magnifying the micro-printing;    providing at least some of the scaled or magnified micro-printing via the display.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the document further comprises a micro-printed fiducial.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the micro-printing is recognized at least in part through identification of the fidicual.  
     
     
         11 . A handheld computing device comprising: 
 a display;    an optical sensor;    processing circuitry; and    electronic memory, wherein said memory comprises executable instructions stored therein for execution by the processing circuitry, said instructions comprising instructions to carry out the method of  claim 8 .    
     
     
         12 . A handheld computing device comprising: 
 a display;    an optical sensor;    processing circuitry; and    electronic memory, wherein said memory comprises executable instructions stored therein for execution by the processing circuitry, said instructions comprising instructions to carry out the method of  claim 10 .    
     
     
         13 . A method of authenticating a security or identification document with a handheld computing device, the device comprising an optical sensor, and at least a speaker, the document comprising machine observable features provided thereon, said method comprising: 
 receiving from the optical sensor optical scan data corresponding to the document;    analyzing the optical scan data to observe the features;    based at least on observed features, providing an audible signal via the speaker.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the audible signal is dependent on a speed at which the optical sensor or document is moved relative to the other.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the machine observable features comprise digital watermarking.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the machine observable features are randomly placed.  
     
     
         17 . A method of marking a signal to convey auxiliary data, wherein the signal including a plurality of elements, the method comprises: 
 receiving the signal;    selectively contorting or distorting the signal to provide relatively dense and sparse regions of elements, wherein the dense and sparse regions convey the auxiliary data.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the signal represents an image or video.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said contorting or distorting comprises at least one of resizing, scaling, stretching or warping.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17  wherein auxiliary data is machine-readable from optical scan data corresponding to at least a portion of the signal.  
     
     
         21 . An identification document or banknote comprising: 
 a substrate including a first surface and a second surface;    a transparent or semi-transparent window disposed in the substrate, wherein the window is viewable from both the first surface and the second surface,    first steganographic encoding on the first surface window side; and    second steganographic encoding on the second surface window side.    
     
     
         22 . The document or banknote of  claim 21  wherein the first steganographic encoding and the second steganographic encoding cooperate to yield authentication clues.  
     
     
         23 . The document or banknote of  claim 22  wherein the cooperation provides a relative spatial alignment of the first steganographic encoding and the second steganographic encoding.  
     
     
         24 . The document or banknote of  claim 23  wherein the relative spatial alignment of the first steganographic encoding and the second steganographic encoding comprises at least one of rotation, scale and translation.  
     
     
         25 . The document or banknote of  claim 21  wherein the first steganographic encoding and the second steganographic encoding are both detectable from a single optical scan of either the first surface or second surface.