Authentication of a suspect object using extracted native features

Abstract

A forgery detection system includes a computer server and a database system of digital fingerprint records corresponding to forged or altered objects of a given object type. Using the computer server, a digital image of a suspect object of the given object type is accessed, an authentication region is selected, and a native feature within the authentication region is extracted. The native feature describes physical characteristics of the authentication region without recognizing content that appears in the authentication region. The computer server forms a feature vector to represent the native feature in a compact form and queries the database system to obtain a result responsive to digital fingerprint records that match the feature vector. Each matching digital fingerprint record is counted, and if the count of fraud indicator matches crosses a predetermined threshold indicating a confidence level that the suspect object is forged or altered, a report based is generated and communicated to a user interface.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A system, comprising:
 at least one processor;   at least one processor-readable medium that stores processor-executable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:   extract from a first digital image of a reference physical object identifying information from one or more regions of interest, the identifying information including at least one feature of the regions of interest of the reference physical object;   generate a digital fingerprint of the reference physical object based at least in part on the at least one feature extracted for each region of interest of the reference physical object;   store the digital fingerprint in a dataset, wherein the dataset comprises a plurality of digital fingerprints for each of one or more physical objects;   subsequently, extract from a second digital image of a physical object to be authenticated identifying information from one ore more region of interest, the identifying information including at least one feature of the regions of interest of the physical object to be authenticated;   generate a digital fingerprint of the physical object to be authenticated based at least in part on the at least one feature extracted for each region of interest of the physical object to be authenticated;   compare the digital fingerprint of the physical object to be authenticated to one or more of the digital fingerprints stored in the database including the digital fingerprint of the reference physical object; and   responsive to the comparison, return an indication as to whether the physical object to be authenticated is a subsequent appearance of the reference physical object.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21  wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the processor-executable instructions cause the at least one processor further to:
 parse the first digital image of the reference physical object into the one or more regions of interest based at least in part on a type of object in which the reference physical object is classified. 
 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21  wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the processor-executable instructions cause the at least one processor further to:
 parse the second digital image of the physical object to be authenticated into the one or more regions of interest based at least in part on a type of object in which the physical object to be authenticated is classified. 
 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21  wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the processor-executable instructions cause the at least one processor further to:
 parse the second digital image of the physical object to be authenticated into the one or more regions of interest using an object template selected based at least in part on a type of object in which the physical object to be authenticated is classified. 
 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 21  wherein the at least one feature is identified by a respective location in the first or the second digital images; and the at least one feature location is stored in the database in relation to the digital fingerprints. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 21  wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the processor-executable instructions cause the at least one processor further to:
 select the at least one region of interest based on relatively high variability of image information in that region among different instances of physical objects like either the reference physical object or the physical object to be authenticated. 
 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 21  wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the processor-executable instructions cause the at least one processor further to:
 select a region of interest based on pre-defined regions of interest for a type of object that the reference physical object or the physical object to be authenticated is classified. 
 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 21  wherein the digital fingerprint comprises a defined pattern of multiple features extracted from the image. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the pattern of features is pre-defined for the regions of interest for the type of the physical object. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the pattern of features is user-defined. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the defined pattern of features includes information on how to apply the pattern either alone or in a defined and prioritized order with other defined patterns. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the defined pattern of features specifies what generic and specific information to return in response to the comparison. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 21  wherein to compare the digital fingerprint of the physical object to be authenticated to one or more of the digital fingerprints stored in the database in processor-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:
 compare a number of individual elements and 
 combine a results of comparisons of the individual elements. 
 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 21  wherein the indication as to whether the physical object to be authenticated is a subsequent appearance of the reference physical object is based on a deterministic threshold range, probabilistic, or both. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 21  wherein the indication as to whether the physical object to be authenticated is a subsequent appearance of the reference physical object is based on at least one of (a) image data associated with the physical object to be authenticated and (b) a virtual representation of the physical object to be authenticated. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 21  wherein the digital fingerprint defines a spatial relationship between one or more features, artifacts, and/or indicia appearing or existing on the reference physical object and on the physical object to be authenticated. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 36  wherein the one or more features, artifacts, and/or indicia may be visual, textual, and/or audible in nature.