Halftone Image Security Elements via Random Field Encryption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for authenticating products and documents are either subjective, costly, or vulnerable to counterfeiting, as they rely on visible markings or complex metrological proofs that can be imitated or require specialized equipment.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a halftone image with randomly shaped fields, where the manipulation of image dots or fields stores encrypted information that cannot be copied, allowing for a serial number to be represented through contours, and verified using a database and blockchain for secure authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If visible markings such as barcodes, QR codes, or holograms are used for authentication, then the proof of authenticity becomes visible and verifiable, but the markings can be copied and imitated by counterfeits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses invisible or non-visible markings that become detectable only through specific technical means (e.g., UV light, magnetic fields, or specialized scanners). The authentication mark changes from visible to detectable through a specific physical or chemical property, making it impossible to copy with ordinary means while maintaining reliability for authentic verification
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional visual mechanical markings with fields or energies that cannot be physically copied (e.g., magnetic fields, electromagnetic signals, or quantum properties). This substitution eliminates the ability to replicate the marking physically while maintaining verifiability through authorized detection systems
2Reliability
If magnetic markings are incorporated into textiles or leather products to prove authenticity, then non-visible markings provide secure authentication, but the markings can still be imitated by incorporating identical materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric or unique characteristics in the marking that cannot be replicated by simple material incorporation. This may include specific geometric patterns, spatial arrangements, or complex configurations that are impossible to copy without the original design information, thereby preventing imitation while maintaining authentication reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates the authentication marking during the manufacturing process itself, integrating it into the product structure before the product is completed. This preliminary incorporation ensures the marking becomes an intrinsic part of the product that cannot be added or copied afterward, eliminating the risk of imitation while maintaining secure authentication
3Ease of operation
If ferromagnetic resonance-active substances are used for marking and a special scanner is employed for measurement, then the effort for authentication verification is reduced, but the encryption of information and attachment of codes require high effort and specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the authentication system so that a single device or process can perform multiple functions: the marking mechanism serves both as the authentication mark and as the data carrier, while the detection device can verify authenticity and read information without requiring separate specialized equipment for each function, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining ease of verification
4Ease of operation
If a central database is used to store authentication codes for verification, then customers can check product authenticity online, but the system becomes vulnerable to database breaches and cannot prove unequivocally which product is the original
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses cryptographic hashing and digital fingerprints to create a unique, unchangeable identifier for each authentic product. Instead of storing readable codes in a database that could be breached, the system stores encrypted hashes that can be verified without accessing the central database, making the system resistant to database breaches while maintaining reliable authenticity proof
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the authentication system continuously verifies the product against stored reference information and provides real-time confirmation of authenticity. This feedback loop ensures that even if the central database is compromised, the verification process remains reliable through cryptographic verification and real-time validation
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing security elements in an image which are not visible to the human eye and which cannot be copied, in particular for checking the authenticity of images. The image is imaged by means of a halftone, the halftone consisting of individual image dots arranged adjacent to each other. This is characterized in that at least one field having a random geometric shape or freeform is defined in the image/the halftone. By means of manipulation of image dots in the field and/or by means of manipulation of the entire field, an encrypted information that cannot be copied is stored for comparison with at least one database and the serial number is displayed by means of contours formed in the halftone.