Product Authentication via Significant Point Image Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a method to authenticate luxury or technical products, such as watches, without altering their appearance or functionality, as counterfeiting is prevalent and traditional marking or tagging methods are not viable.
Innovation Solution
A method involving capturing images of the product, determining significant points, and comparing them to a reference image of a genuine product to authenticate, using algorithms that extract robust information and distinguish relevant from non-relevant differences, allowing for accurate authentication without human assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If marking or tagging the object is done to authenticate it, then authentication capability is improved, but appearance and functionality are altered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical copying by capturing images of the product and creating digital representations. Instead of physical marking, the invention creates a digital copy (image data) that can be analyzed and compared for authentication, thus avoiding any alteration to the product's appearance while maintaining authentication capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical/mechanical authentication methods (marking, tagging) with an optical and computational system. Image capture devices and computer-based analysis algorithms substitute for traditional physical marking methods, enabling authentication without contact or alteration to the product
2Measurement precision
If raw image data is compared for authentication, then comprehensive information is analyzed, but processing demand increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the most relevant information from complex image data by identifying and analyzing significant points (key features, landmarks, or distinctive characteristics). This extraction approach filters out redundant data while retaining essential authentication information, reducing processing demands while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the image analysis process into distinct steps: capturing full images, identifying significant points, extracting features from those points, and comparing extracted features. This segmentation allows efficient processing by focusing computational resources only on critical areas rather than analyzing entire images
3Measurement precision
If all differences between images are considered, then authentication accuracy is improved, but non-relevant differences cause false positives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by focusing analysis on specific significant points rather than treating all image areas equally. Different regions and features are weighted differently based on their discriminative value for authentication, allowing the system to ignore non-relevant differences while emphasizing critical authentication features
Data Source
AI summary
A method of authenticating a product by taking an image of the product and comparing the image with a reference image of a genuine product taken previously to determine if the products in the two images are the same. The two images are captured under substantially similar conditions so that the two images are as similar as possible prior to the comparison. The two images are processed in order to calculate for each of them a list of significant points. The significant points are compared to determine a degree of correspondence between the significant points. An answer is output indicating the authenticity of the product based on the degree of correspondence. Some of the matching significant points may be used to define a common coordinate system for the two images. The two lists of significant points may be compared in this common coordinate system.