Importance

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Abstract

Documents for minimizing and detecting fraudulent activity are provided. The document comprises a printable substrate, a first security feature that forms a latent copy-void warning message that visually appears on an electronically printed reproduction of the document original, and a second security feature that forms a latent validation message that visually appears on a digital reproduction of the document original. This arrangement allows a possessor of the printed document reproduction to quickly identify it as a counterfeit by virtue of the presence of the copy-void warning message on the document original, and allows an inspector of a digital document reproduction to quickly identify it as an authentic digital reproduction of the document original by virtue of the presence and exactness of the validation message. The second security feature is at least partially embedded, and can be completely embedded, within the first security feature. In this manner, a criminal who attempts to circumvent the first security feature by removing the latent copy-void warning message, will inadvertently remove the latent validation message. As a result, any document generated from such fraudulent activity will not contain the validation message, thereby indicating to an inspector of the digital image that it was not generated from the document original. Methods for authenticating a digital reproduction of an original document are provided. The document original carries nano-structures that form a latent message, such as a validation message. The method comprises creating the digital document reproduction, examining the digital document reproduction for the message, which can be done manually or automatically, and authenticating the digital document reproduction based on the examination. If the message is a validation message, its identification may be used to conveniently authenticate the digital image. Another method comprises digitally reproducing the document original to form a pixel pattern representing the message, comparing the pixel pattern with a reference pixel pattern, and authenticating the digital document reproduction based on the comparison. The pixel pattern comparison may be accomplished manually, but preferably is accomplished by a machine automatically in order to facilitate the authentication process. In one method, the reference pixel pattern is obtained by digitally reproducing a known sample of the document original. The nano-structures may be optionally modulated, so that any pixel pattern differences between the digital document reproduction and the sample image is accentuated. Documents that confine a multitude of latent messages in a single region are provided. The document comprises a printable substrate, a latent message having a visual density configured to change in the presence of an environmental condition to activate the latent message on the document original, and a normally visible message having a visual density configured to change in the presence of the environmental condition (e.g., a thermal condition involving an increase in temperature) to deactivate the normally visible message. The latent message and the normally visible message spatially overlap with each other, so that, e.g., the messages can be confined to a single region. Because only one of the messages is intended to be activated at a given time, they can co-exist. The latent message may, e.g., a validation message, and the normally visible message may be, e.g., bearer information, e.g., bank check bearer information. The normally visible message may also occupy a region defining a bearer field, e.g., a signature field.

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First Claim