Stephen E Decker

US Patent:

7054461, May 30, 2006

Filed:

Feb 15, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/077354

Inventors:

Claude Zeller - Monroe CT, US
Donald G. Mackay - Roxbury CT, US
William Kilmartin - West Haven CT, US
Robert A. Cordery - Danbury CT, US
William A. Brosseau - Stratford CT, US
Hugh L. Brunk - Portland OR, US
Stephen K. Decker - Lake Oswego OR, US
Jun Tian - Tualatin OR, US

Assignee:

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Stamford CT
Digimarc Corporation - Beaverton OR

International Classification:

G06K 9/00

US Classification:

382100, 382103, 382112

Abstract:

The disclosure describes an authentication system and related methods for authenticating printed objects. The system uses an information-based metric along with one or more print quality metrics to provide accurate detection or classification of a counterfeit printed object. The print quality metric evaluates attributes of a subject image associated with the original printer, ink or paper to detect degradation of those operations due to copying operations like an image scanning and halftone printing subsequent to the original printing of the object. The information-based metric measures message symbol errors in an optically readable code, such as a digital watermark.

US Patent:

7587066, Sep 8, 2009

Filed:

Dec 15, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/303842

Inventors:

Robert A. Cordery - Danbury CT, US
Bertrand Haas - New Haven CT, US
Stephen K Decker - Lake Oswego OR, US
Hongmei Gou - College Park MD, US

Assignee:

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Stamford CT

International Classification:

G06K 9/00
G06F 21/00

US Classification:

382112, 382321, 705 51

Abstract:

A method for detecting possible fraud in a document includes receiving an electronic image of the document and extracting data from the image that includes a plurality of printed characters. Next, one or more properties of the characters are measured, the properties are compared to at least one corresponding normative property to determine whether anomalies are present, and a determination is made as to whether to provide a fraud alert based on the anomalies, if any. Preferably, the method includes reporting the one or more anomalies, if any, to a classifier engine, wherein the classifier engine determines whether to provide the alert. Also, methods for determining character spacing ands/or acuity are provided.