Fraud detection in seals

A method of verifying a carved seal includes detecting a pressure on a carved seal stamp is detected through pins extending from a face of the carved stamp steal. It is determined if the pressure indicates that the seal is being pressed. A fingerprint of a user of the seal is read when it is determined that the seal is being pressed. An image of an object being stamped by the seal is photographed if the pressure indicates that the seal is being pressed. A time that the seal is being pressed is determined if the pressure indicates that the seal is being pressed. A location of the seal is determined if the pressure indicates that the seal is being pressed. An audio note is recorded if the pressure indicates that the seal is being pressed. The fingerprint, time, and location is associated with the photograph of the image of the object being stamped by the seal. The information is encoded into a face of the seal to indicate that the fingerprint was determined to belong to an authorized user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for detecting the fraudulent use of a seal.

2. Description of the Related Art

In some cultures, it is common to use seals to sign or otherwise authenticate documents. One example is the chop, a carved seal used instead of signatures. Chops, for example, are used in countries that include Japan, South Korea, and China.

Conventional seals suffer from the same image reproduction vulnerabilities of western style signatures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, and other, exemplary problems, drawbacks, and disadvantages of the conventional systems, it is an exemplary feature of the present invention to provide a method of verifying a carved seal.

An exemplary aspect of the method includes detecting a pressure on a carved seal stamp through pins extending from a face of the carved stamp steal, determining if the pressure indicates that the seal is being pressed, reading a fingerprint of a user of the seal when the determining has determined that the seal is being pressed, photographing an image of an object being stamped by the seal when the determining has determined that the seal is being pressed, determining a time that the seal is being pressed if the pressure indicates that the seal is being pressed, determining a location of the seal if the pressure indicates that the seal is being pressed, associating the fingerprint, time, and location with the photograph of the image of the object being stamped by the seal, and encoding information into a face of the seal to indicate that the fingerprint was determined to belong to an authorized user.

The present inventors have recognized, however, that these seals can be improved. An additional benefit of the present invention would be that the seal itself can actually be proof that the person wielding the seal was authorized to do so.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly toFIGS. 1-7, there are shown exemplary embodiments of the method and structures according to exemplary aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 1illustrates an exemplary seal system100. Referring toFIG. 1, seal system100exemplarily includes seal body110. Seal face112may be provided on one end of seal body110. Seal body110and seal face112may be formed or carved from stone, wood, plastic, ceramic, or metal.

Seal body110may also include fingerprint reader120, position sensor130, camera140, audio detector150, control unit160, pressure detector170, and pins180. Control unit160may be configured to control an operation of seal system100.

Pressure detector170would exemplarily determine that the seal is being operated. For example, pressure detector170may determine that seal face112is being placed against a surface to perform a seal. Alternately, another mechanism may determine that the seal system100is being operated. For example, a button may simply be pressed. Exemplarily, once seal system100is activated, by pressing the seal face112down for example, control unit160would authorize fingerprint reader120to operate.

Fingerprint reader120may be provided on seal body110in such a position that a user's fingerprint can be read and scanned. Exemplarily, fingerprint reader120is associated with control unit160. Control unit160may determine whether the fingerprints read by fingerprint reader160are of an authorized user. Exemplarily, control unit160would have a memory unit (not illustrated) to store the fingerprints of authorized users. Additionally, control unit160may, once a user is authorized, allow other functions of seal system100to occur.

Position sensor130may be configured to determine a position of seal body110during use. For example, position sensor130may include a global positioning satellite monitor (GPS) to determine where the seal system100was operated during a sealing operation. Other position sensing systems known in the art could alternatively be used.

Camera140may also be activated by control unit160. Camera140would take an image or photograph of the document or surface being sealed during the sealing operation. Exemplarily, camera140would take a 360 degree image of every portion of the document being sealed. However, other camera and image arrangements may be provided.

Audio detector150includes a microphone to record any sounds or audio notes during the sealing operation. For example, a user may decide to dictate that the sealing has taken place for later voice verification.

Pin unit180may be activated by control unit160after the seal system100user is authenticated. Pin unit180can be configured to extend pins through seal face112to indicate that a seal system100has authenticated the user. That is, the resulting seal may change to indicate that the seal is authorized. Pin unit180may contain a magnetic, hydraulic, pneumatic, or other system to extend the pins.

In some embodiments, pin unit180is associated with pressure detector170. For example, pressure detector170may measure a pressure determined by pins of pin unit180to determine whether the seal system100is being used. That is, as seal body100is pressed down, the pins of pin unit180would indicate that they are being pushed.

Exemplarily, pin unit180would extend pins through seal face112to alter the face of seal face112.FIG. 3is an exemplary schematic illustration of seal face112. Referring toFIG. 3, seal face112exemplarily includes a seal carving114and pins116. Pins116would be associated with pin unit180so that pin unit180would control each of pins116.

Seal carving114may be any image desired by the user. Pins116may be any shape array of any number of pins that may be configured to communicate that the sealing was authorized. In addition, different arrangements of pins116may be activated by control unit160to indicate a time, place, or user that used seal system100.

FIG. 4is an exemplary illustration of document400that has been sealed by seal system100. Referring toFIG. 4, seal system has provided an unauthorized seal impression420on document400. That is, seal face112has left an impression, but there is no impression left by pins116.

On the other hand,FIG. 5illustrates document500that has been sealed and authenticated by seal system100. Referring toFIG. 5, document500includes seal impression520. Seal impression520includes seal face impression522and pin impression524. InFIG. 5, an exemplary coded pin impression524is illustrated where the order and placement of the dots may indicate a message or other status indicator. That is, inFIG. 5, not every available pin was deployed.

Referring toFIGS. 4 and 5, a user can distinguish between an unauthorized seal such as seal impression420and an authorized seal impression520. Additionally, control unit160may provide additional information regarding the sealing by disclosing the time, location, fingerprints, and audio signature of the seal user.

FIG. 2is an illustration of an exemplary method200of authenticating a sealed document. Referring now toFIG. 2, method200includes Step210to detect the pressure or other activation of the seal.

In Step220, a fingerprint is read once the seal has been activated. In Step230, it is determined whether the read fingerprint is from an authorized user. If the user is unauthorized, method200may simply return to Step220or otherwise inactivate the seal.

In Step240, after Step230determines that the user is authorized, a photograph of the document may be taken. In addition, in Step250, the position of the seal may be recorded. Finally, in Step260, an audio recording may be made.

In Step270, after Step230has determined that the user is authenticated, the pins may be extended through the seal face. Step270may also include directions to determine an arrangement of the pins. For example, the pins may be extended in different patterns depending on various conditions, including if a different user used the device or to also record the time into the seal image.

Although the exemplary embodiment described as a stand-alone device having control unit160, the present invention could also be implemented as a device attached to a computer, such that various functions, such as the control unit is executed by the controlling computers. Other functions that might be outside the seal system100body might include the position sensors and the audio detector.

Therefore, referring now toFIG. 6, system600illustrates a typical hardware configuration which may be used for implementing the inventive system and method when an external computer is used. The configuration has at least one processor or central processing unit (CPU)610. The CPUs602are interconnected via a system bus612to a random access memory (RAM)614, read-only memory (ROM)616, input/output (I/O) adapter618(for connecting peripheral devices such as disk units621and tape drives640to the bus612), user interface adapter622(for connecting a keyboard624, mouse626, speaker628, microphone632, and/or other user interface device to the bus612, along with the seal body110of the present invention, as modified to communicate with a computer), a communication adapter634for connecting an information handling system to a data processing network, the Internet, and Intranet, a personal area network (PAN), etc., and a display adapter636for connecting the bus612to a display device638and/or printer639. Further, an automated reader/scanner641may be included. Such readers/scanners are commercially available from many sources.

In addition to the system described above, a different aspect of the invention includes a computer-implemented method for performing the above method. As an example, this method may be implemented in the particular environment discussed above.

Such a method may be implemented, for example, by operating the CPU610to execute a sequence of machine-readable instructions. These instructions may reside in various types of signal bearing media.

Thus, this aspect of the present invention is directed to a programmed product, comprising signal-bearing media tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processor incorporating the CPU610and hardware above, to perform the method of the invention.

This signal-bearing media may include, for example, a RAM contained within the CPU610, as represented by the fast-access storage for example. Alternatively, the instructions may be contained in another signal-bearing media, such as a magnetic data storage diskette700or CD-ROM702, (FIG. 7), directly or indirectly accessible by the CPU610.

Whether contained in the computer server/CPU610, or elsewhere, the instructions may be stored on a variety of machine-readable data storage media, such as DASD storage (e.g., a conventional “hard drive” or a RAID array), magnetic tape, electronic read-only memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM), an optical storage device (e.g., CD-ROM, WORM, DVD, digital optical tape, etc.), paper “punch” cards, or other suitable signal-bearing media including transmission media such as digital and analog and communication links and wireless. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, the machine-readable instructions may comprise software object code, complied from a language such as “C,” etc.

In the exemplary first embodiment, the instruction would typically be stored in a ROM of control unit160.

While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.