Abstract: Systems and methods for assisting in the determination of the authenticity of security documents based on known characteristics of similar reference security documents. The system and methods use digital processing to capture a digital image of the document being examined and they use a feature localization or detection technique to search for a specific feature in the document based on a stored image of a similar feature from a reference document. Once the feature on the subject document has been found, the digital image of the localized feature is transformed, by applying mathematical transforms or other image/mathematical operators, such that the result will have distinguishing characteristics that can be derived or analyzed. When the distinguishing characteristics have been analyzed, these are then compared to the stored distinguishing characteristics of similar features from reference documents.

Abstract: A document reader for optoelectronically illuminating, reading and interpreting (i.e. processing and analyzing) indicia appearing on a document in a machine readable zone thereof, wherein the indicia is made visible only under illumination by non-visible light (i.e. UV or IR). UV (or IR) light sources (LED's) of the reader are rapidly switched to a stable, peak UV (or IR) illumination frequency or frequency range to illuminate and render visible such covert UV-visible (or IR-visible) indicia. An optoelectronic image sensor (CCD) captures the document image, which includes the indicia rendered visible by the UV source illumination, and the covert indicia is identified from the captured image. An optical path, being folded by two mirrors so as to provide a compact geometry for the reader, extends between a reading surface on which the document is place and the image sensor. A lens configured for focussing light defining an image onto the sensor is provided in the optical path.

Abstract: A document reader for optoelectronically illuminating, reading and interpreting (i.e. processing and analyzing) indicia appearing on a document in a machine readable zone thereof, wherein the indicia is made visible only under illumination by non-visible light (i.e. UV or IR). UV (or IR) light sources (LED's) of the reader are rapidly switched to a stable, peak UV (or IR) illumination frequency or frequency range to illuminate and render visible such covert UV-visible (or IR-visible) indicia. An optoelectronic image sensor (CCD) captures the document image, which includes the indicia rendered visible by the UV source illumination, and the covert indicia is identified from the captured image. An optical path, being folded by two mirrors so as to provide a compact geometry for the reader, extends between a reading surface on which the document is place and the image sensor. A lens configured for focussing light defining an image onto the sensor is provided in the optical path.

Abstract: A document reader for optoelectronically illuminating, reading and interpreting (i.e. processing and analyzing) indicia appearing on a document in a machine readable zone thereof, wherein the indicia is made visible only under illumination by non-visible light (i.e. UV or IR). UV (or IR) light sources (LED's) of the reader are rapidly switched to a stable, peak UV (or IR) illumination frequency or frequency range to illuminate and render visible such covert UV-visible (or IR-visible) indicia. An optoelectronic image sensor (CCD) captures the document image, which includes the indicia rendered visible by the UV source illumination, and the covert indicia is identified from the captured image. An optical path, being folded by two mirrors so as to provide a compact geometry for the reader, extends between a reading surface on which the document is place and the image sensor. A lens configured for focussing light defining an image onto the sensor is provided in the optical path.