Negotiable instruments with intelligent microprint

US8978990B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Deluxe Corporation · US

Inventors

• David S. Davies · Ham Lake, US
• Robert A. Owen · Faringdon, GB

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 4, 2011
• Grant date: Mar 17, 2015
• Expiry date: Dec 15, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC —): General

Abstract

A negotiable instrument such as a check includes a unique microprint identifier that allows for authentication while preventing unauthorized reproduction and alternation. A printing system generates the identifier after receiving a customer order for printing a plurality of negotiable instruments, to allow inclusion of information that is specific to the customer order and/or the printing process. In various embodiments, the identifier is unique to each or each subset of the plurality of negotiable instruments and facilitates authentication of each of the negotiable instruments when needed.