Identity Document Verification via Digital Fingerprint Comparison

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for authenticating identity documents are cumbersome, require expensive equipment, and rely on centralized databases, making them inefficient for rapid and reliable detection of fraudulent activities such as document modification or counterfeiting.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for automatically verifying identity documents using a combination of optical character recognition, image processing, and fingerprint creation, which extracts and compares textual and graphic data from variable and machine-readable zones, allowing for decentralized authentication without a nominative database, using preprocessing techniques to enhance data quality and security.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional authentication methods using centralized databases and expensive equipment are used, then reliability of document verification is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedocument verification reliabilityVSAvoidequipment complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a digital fingerprint copy of the document's visual appearance and compares it against a stored reference fingerprint, eliminating the need for expensive specialized verification equipment while maintaining reliability through cryptographic comparison of document images

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces complex mechanical verification equipment with software-based image processing and fingerprint comparison algorithms, substituting physical authentication devices with computational methods that achieve the same verification reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If centralized databases with complete document information are used, then verification reliability is improved, but data security risks and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication accuracyVSAvoiddata confidentiality

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential visual fingerprint characteristics from complete document images and stores only these fingerprint templates in the database, removing unnecessary personal information while maintaining verification reliability through fingerprint matching

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a fingerprint template as an intermediary representation between the original document and the database, allowing verification without storing or exposing sensitive personal data, thus protecting confidentiality while maintaining authentication accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If manual verification processes are used, then attention to detail is improved, but processing speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveverification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables the system to automatically perform verification by comparing document fingerprints against stored references without human intervention, achieving both high speed through automated processing and high precision through algorithmic comparison of document characteristics

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Reliability

If comprehensive document scanning and analysis are performed, then verification reliability is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidverification time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the critical fingerprint features from the document image that are essential for verification, ignoring non-essential elements, thus achieving rapid processing while maintaining detection accuracy through targeted feature extraction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP2502211B1Method and system for automatically checking the authenticity of an identity document

Publication Date: 2019.01.02 HOLOGRAM INDUSTRIES

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method which includes a data-acquisition phase and the creation of a database (17) of multi-component digital signatures making up identity document impressions, associated with a central server (10) delocalised relative to a primary database including variable textual data and images of reference identity documents. A phase of delocalised checking of identity documents in a checking station (20) includes scanning (22) an identity document to be checked, creating an impression (18) of the scanned document, comparing (19) the latter with the impression of a document in the database of impressions (17) indexed with the same reference number and emitting (25) a message according to the result of the comparison.