Microtext Security Mark Encoding for OCR Reliability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for encoding security marks on documents are limited by the expense of invisible inks and variability in optical character recognition (OCR) systems, making it difficult to effectively protect documents against copying and counterfeiting.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a print device that prints microtext characters on a substrate, with a scanning device creating a digital image and an image processing server using OCR to recognize and encode characters, generating an encoding that can be used to print and decode secure information, ensuring the security mark is readable by OCR systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If invisible inks are used to encode security marks, then the security mark is invisible to the human eye, but the cost increases and the ink degrades over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses standard visible ink to create a microtext security mark that is a visual copy of the encoded information. Instead of using invisible inks that require special detection, the invention creates visible microtext that can be directly scanned and recognized by OCR systems, eliminating the need for expensive invisible ink materials while maintaining security through the difficulty of reading the tiny text.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of text size to create microtext that appears as a solid line or pattern to the human eye but contains readable characters for OCR systems. By adjusting the font size and character density, the security mark becomes effectively invisible to casual human inspection while remaining machine-readable, replacing the need for invisible inks with a parameter-based solution.
2Reliability
If standard printing methods are used for security marks, then the cost is reduced, but the security mark may not be reliably detected by various OCR systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic encoding system where the microtext content is adaptively generated based on the specific document and security requirements. The system can adjust the character set, font style, and text content to optimize OCR recognition while maintaining cost-effective standard printing methods. This dynamic adaptation ensures reliable detection across different OCR systems without requiring expensive specialized printing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary encoding and validation of the microtext security mark before printing. The system pre-generates the encoded microtext content, validates its OCR readability, and optimizes the character selection to ensure reliable detection. This preliminary action ensures that the security mark is designed for maximum OCR compatibility before the actual printing process, reducing the need for expensive trial-and-error printing methods.
3Reliability
If microtext with multiple character repetitions is used, then the encoding reliability is improved, but the space required on the document increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the encoding process into two parts: a compact microtext representation and a separate decoding key stored in the encoding database. The microtext contains only the essential encoded characters needed for security verification, while the full character mapping and repetition patterns are stored digitally. This segmentation allows high recognition reliability through character repetition without proportionally increasing the physical document space, as the redundant information is stored electronically rather than printed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the redundant character information from the two-dimensional physical document space to a digital database dimension. The microtext on the document contains compressed encoded characters, while the full character set and repetition patterns are stored in the encoding database. This dimensional transition allows the system to achieve high recognition reliability through character analysis without consuming excessive physical document space, as the bulk of the information resides in the digital domain.
Data Source
AI summary
A print device prints a document with a security marking in a microtext font. A scanning device scans the security marking, and an optical character recognition (OCR) engine attempts to recognize the characters in the security marking. The system the generates an encoding in which each character of the font is mapped to a character string made up only of characters that the OCR engine could recognize at or above a minimum recognition threshold. Then, when generating a new document with a new security marking in the microtext font, the system will use the encoding to replace each character in the security marking with its representation from the encoding so that the scanner and OCR engine can decode the security marking.