Embedding security information in an image

Abstract

A method for producing an identification article is described. The method includes associating one or more data items with one or more line patterns, where the line patterns include one or more line segments. A particular data item is associated with at least a subset of line segments and the particular data item corresponds to an attribute of a user of the identification article. The method further includes integrating the line patterns with graphical features of the identification article. The graphical features being discernable by a human eye and the subset of line segments is indiscernible by the human eye. The method includes identifying a region of the identification article that includes the subset of line segments associated with the particular data item and associating the particular line pattern with an identifying feature of the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An identification article comprising:
 a photographic image depicting a user of the identification article; and   a graphical element comprising one or more line patterns, each line pattern including one more or line segments;   wherein at least a portion of a line segment of a line pattern encodes binary data, the encoded binary data representing information that is descriptive of one or more attributes of an individual, and the encoded binary data being configured for interpretation by a processing unit of a computing device.   
     
     
         2 . The identification article of  claim 1 , wherein:
 i) the identification article is one of:
 a physical identification card, or 
 a digital identification item that is viewable on a display of a computing device; and 
   ii) the one or more line patterns that each include the one or more line segments are embedded within a background pattern of the identification article.   
     
     
         3 . The identification article of  claim 1 , wherein a relative length of at least two distinct line segments of a line pattern differ based on a type of information that is represented by the encoded binary data. 
     
     
         4 . The identification article of  claim 3 , wherein:
 i) a first line segment of a particular line pattern has a first length or first length that corresponds to a bit value of “1” for encoding the binary data; and   ii) a second line segment of the particular line pattern has a second length or second length that corresponds to a bit value of “0” for encoding the binary data.   
     
     
         5 . The identification article of  claim 1 , wherein:
 i) a first line pattern encodes binary data representing a first type of information that is descriptive of a first attribute of the individual; and   ii) at least a second line pattern encodes binary data representing a second type of information that is descriptive of a second attribute of the individual.   
     
     
         6 . The identification article of  claim 5 , wherein:
 i) the first attribute of the individual is a facial feature of the individual and the first type of information is a facial template represented by the encoded binary data of the first line pattern; and   ii) the second attribute of the individual is an identifying feature of the individual and the second type of information personally identifiable information represented by the encoded binary data of the first line pattern.   
     
     
         7 . The identification article of  claim 1 , wherein the identification article includes offset print lines and the one or more line patterns are arranged in an alternating pattern relative to at least one offset print line, and at least one line segment of a particular line pattern has a line length of at least 20-micron. 
     
     
         8 . The identification article of  claim 1 , wherein the information that is descriptive of one or more attributes of the individual includes one or more of: the individual's social security number; the individual's height; the individual's gender; the individual's name; the individual's date of birth; the individual's address; or a facial template of the individual. 
     
     
         9 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 identifying, by a computing system, one or more areas of an identification article, the identification article comprising one or more line patterns, each line pattern including one or more line segments;   obtaining, by the computing system, image data for at least one area of the identification article, wherein the at least one area comprises a particular line pattern, the particular line pattern including a subset of line segments for encoding data about an individual;   in response to obtaining, determining, by the computing system and based on analysis of the image data, information that is encoded by the subset of line segments, the information being descriptive of one or more attributes of an individual.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the information that is descriptive of the one or more attributes of the individual also indicates an identifying feature of a user of the identification article, and wherein the individual corresponds to the user of the identification article. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein:
 i) the particular line pattern is associated with one or more data items, each data item comprising encoded binary data, and   ii) the identifying feature relates to a facial feature of the individual and corresponds to at least one data item of the one or more data items.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the identifying feature of the individual is a photographic image of a face of a user of the identification article. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the information that is descriptive of one or more attributes of the individual includes one or more of: the individual's social security number; the individual's height; the individual's gender; the individual's name; the individual's date of birth; the individual's address; or a facial template of the individual. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein determining comprises:
 decoding, by the computing system, encoded binary data represented at least by the subset of line segments, each line segment of the subset of line segments indicating a particular binary bit value when the computing system decodes the encoded binary data.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 verifying, by the computing system, that the information encoded by the subset of line segments is descriptive of one or more attributes of a person using the identification article; and   validating, by the computing system, authenticity of the identification article based on the determined information that is encoded by the subset of line segments.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the identification article is one of a physical identification card or a digital identification item that is viewable on a display screen of a computing device. 
     
     
         17 . A method for producing an identification article, the method comprising:
 associating one or more data items with one or more line patterns, wherein each line pattern of the one or more line patterns includes multiple line segments;   associating a particular data item with a subset of line segments of a particular line pattern, the particular data item comprising encoded binary data for indicating an attribute of an individual that is a user of the identification article;   integrating the particular line pattern with graphical features of the identification article, wherein the graphical features are discernable by a human eye and the subset of line segments is indiscernible by the human eye;   identifying an area of the identification article that includes the subset of line segments that is associated with the particular data item, the subset of line segments representing the encoded binary data for the particular data item; and   associating at least the subset of line segments of the particular line pattern with an identifying feature or attribute of the individual that is the user of the identification article.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein:
 i) the identification article is one of:
 a physical identification card, or 
 a digital identification item that is viewable on a display of a computing device; and 
   ii) the one or more line patterns that each include the one or more line segments are embedded within a background pattern of the identification article.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein:
 i) the identifying feature relates to a facial feature of the individual and corresponds to the particular data item of the one or more data items; or   ii) the attribute of the individual is indicated by a photographic image of a face of the user of the identification article.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the identification article includes offset print lines and the one or more line patterns are arranged in an alternating pattern relative to at least one offset print line, and at least one line segment of a particular line pattern has a line length of at least 20-micron.