Importance

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Abstract

A system for verifying the authenticity of a document that bears a number of fields of strings of variable characters such as a check bearing date of issue field, payee field and numeric and alpha amount fields, includes a computer at the document issuing and printing station that controls the computer. A secret program selects certain characters from the strings, transforms those characters into other characters by various methods to generate a unique string of characters to print on the document as a unique code. Any remote authenticating station can authenticate the document with a computer that contains the same secret program used at the time the document was issued. The strings of variable characters born by the document are read into the computer at the authenticating station. The secret program causes the computer to generate an authenticating code from the data read into the computer from the document. The computer compares the authenticating code to the unique code born by the document. If they do not match, the document is rejected as bogus. The system may be applied to checks, money orders, stock certificates, passports and other documents subject to counterfeiting and forgery.

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First Claim