Patent ID: 7236596

Claim:
System for authenticating digital information, comprising: a) an image acquisition device for producing an original array of two-dimensional digital information; b) means for obtaining current date and time information from satellite or radio broadcasts; c) means for obtaining current location information from satellite or radio broadcasts; d) means for identifying a Sensor ID for the image acquisition device; e) an encoder for converting date/time, location, and Sensor ID into two-dimensional format called the Encoded Data Array; f) an embedder for combining the Encoded Data Array and the Original Array into a new Composite Array h) a Transmission device to transfer the Composite Array to a recipient; n) means for comparing said transferred Composite Array to said Encoded Data Array, said comparing means thereby being able to use said Encoded Data Array to determine whether the information in said Encoded Data Array is embedded in said Composite Array, said comparing means also being able to separately determine whether said date/time information, said location information, and said Sensor ID information is embedded in said Composite Array, said comparing means being further limited by being able to make said determination without extracting or otherwise decoding the information in said Encoded Data Array; j) a decoder with fault indicator when date/time, location, and source cannot be decoded; k) an Encoding Extractor for removing the Encoded Data Array from the Composite Array; l) means for restoring the Original Array at pixel locations used for the Encoding; and m) means for determining changes between the Restored Original Array and the Original Array.