Overlay Image Authentication for Printed Products
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing authenticable printed products are costly and lack sufficient security measures for reliable counterfeit detection, especially in mass-produced items like packaging and documents.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the printing and overlaying of two partial images, with the overlay image being captured and used to calculate authentication information, providing enhanced security through pattern recognition and feature vector calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If security features are produced as mass-produced products quickly and cost-effectively, then productivity and cost-effectiveness are improved, but the reliability of counterfeit detection may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The security feature is divided into multiple partial images (first partial image, second partial image) that are printed separately and then overlaid. This segmentation allows for cost-effective mass production while maintaining security through the complexity of the final composite image that requires multi-step reproduction to replicate accurately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an overlay dimension by combining multiple partial images in specific spatial arrangements. The overlay image creates additional visual complexity and geometric relationships that increase the difficulty of counterfeiting while maintaining production efficiency through standardized printing processes.
2Reliability
If multiple layers are applied one on top of the other to create security features, then security against counterfeiting is improved, but the device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating complex multi-layer structures, the patent segments the security feature into separate partial images that can be produced using standard printing processes. Each layer is a distinct image element that can be manufactured independently, reducing overall process complexity while maintaining security through the combination of these segmented elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses optical copying and image processing to create and verify the overlay image. Digital copies of the partial images are processed, overlaid, and verified through image analysis algorithms, replacing complex physical multi-layer manufacturing with more manageable digital processing steps.
3Reliability
If the second partial image is printed overlaying the first partial image, then the overlay image is created enhancing security, but the ease of optical capture and verification deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct optical capture of the overlay image with a computational approach. Instead of relying solely on optical systems to capture and verify the overlay, digital image processing and pattern recognition algorithms are used to analyze the overlay image and verify authenticity, making the process more robust and easier to implement.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlay image serves as an intermediary element that combines information from multiple partial images. This intermediary composite image encodes authentication information that can be verified through computational analysis, bridging the gap between the physical printing process and digital verification.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A (provisioning) method according to the invention is a method for providing a computationally authenticable printed product and associated authentication information, comprising the steps of: printing and capturing a first partial image (A); printing a second partial image (B) that at least partially overlays the first partial image (A), thereby generating a superimposed image (C), and capturing the superimposed image (C); and calculating and providing the authentication information (30) comprising information on the first partial image (A), the second partial image (B), and the superimposed image (C).An authentication method according to the invention is a method for the computational authentication of a printed product, provided according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of: capturing the overlay image (C); calculating comparison information (31) from the overlay image (C) and at least one of the provided authentication information (30); comparing the comparison information (31) with at least one of the provided authentication information (30); wherein authentication information (30) relating to the second partial image (B) is used in the calculation or comparison. The inventions advantageously enable the cost-effective production of an authenticatable printed product and its secure authentication.