Patent ID: 8464875

Claim:
An apparatus for analysing a security document, the apparatus comprising: an x-ray source adapted to illuminate at least one inspection region of the security document when located at an inspection position; an x-ray detector adapted to receive x-rays from the at least one inspection region of the security document and to generate a detector response; a processor adapted to analyse the detector response by forming the detector response into x-ray image data, and using an image analysis process upon the x-ray image data to generate an output signal indicative of a structure of the security document in the at least one inspection region; and a transport path comprising a driven roller and a guide configured to transport the security document through the inspection position, without user input, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the x-ray source illuminates the security document when in the inspection position, wherein said image analysis process compares the security document to four master patterns of genuine security documents, the four master patterns corresponding to each of four ways in which the security document may be fed along the transport path.