Digital authentication with digital and analog documents

Apparatus for determining authenticity of a digital representation of an object, the digital representation including embedded first authentication information and the apparatus comprising:

• a storage system in which stored second authentication information is associated with stored reference codes;
• and
• a processor which receives the digital representation along with a reference code associated therewith, the processor including:
• an authentication information reader, and
• the processor:
• i) employing the reference code to retrieve the second authentication information associated therewith from the storage system, ii) employing the authentication information reader to recover the embedded first authentication information, and iii) employing recovered first authentication information and the second authentication information to determine authenticity of the digital representation, wherein:
• a key is stored in the storage system and associated with the reference code;
• and
• the processor further employs the reference code to retrieve the key;
• and the authentication information reader uses the key to read the first authentication information.

Apparatus for checking the authenticity of an analog form, the analog form including embedded first authentication information and the apparatus comprising:

• an analog form converter that receives the analog form and makes a digital representation of at least the first authentication information;
• and
• a communications system,
• the analog form converter employing the communications system to send the digital representation and a reference code to a verification system, the reference code is included in the digital representation, the verification system employs the reference code and the first authentication information to determine whether the analog form is authentic and to receive a notification whether the analog form is authentic from the verification system.

Apparatus for checking the authenticity of an analog form, the analog form including steganographically embedded first authentication information and the apparatus comprising:

• an analog form converter that receives the analog form and makes a digital representation of at least the steganographically embedded first authentication information;
• and
• a communications system,
• the analog form converter employing the communications system to send the digital representation and a reference code to a verification system that employs the reference code and the steganographically embedded first authentication information to determine whether the analog form is authentic and to receive a notification whether the analog form is authentic from the verification system, wherein the reference code is sent in association with but not as part of the digital representation.

Apparatus for checking the authenticity of an analog form, the analog form including steganographically embedded first authentication information and the apparatus comprising:

• an analog form converter that receives the analog form and makes a digital representation of at least the steganographically embedded first authentication information;
• and
• a communications system,
• the analog form converter employing the communications system to send the digital representation and a reference code to a verification system that employs the reference code and the steganographically embedded first authentication information to determine whether the analog form is authentic and to receive a notification whether the analog form is authentic from the verification system, wherein the analog form converter analyzes the digital representation to determine whether the verification system can check the authenticity of the digital representation before sending the digital representation.

A method of determining authenticity of a digital representation of an object, the digital representation including embedded first authentication information and the method including:

• receiving the digital representation and a reference code associated therewith in the system;
• using the reference code to retrieve second authentication information associated with the reference code;
• reading the embedded first authentication information;
• employing the first authentication information and the second authentication information to determine authenticity of the digital representation;
• and
• routing a signal to a remote system or device based at least in part on the reference code.