FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS — SALES

  1. How does your system work? Why is it better or different from other systems?
  2. Can I use your software with a generic scanner?
  3. I have a passport reader from company X. Can I use your authentication software?
  4. Can I authenticate photocopies of identity documents?
  5. Is your device TWAIN-compatible? Do you have any plans to make it so?
  6. What is Intelligent Bar Code Parsing?
  7. Can we see a list of existing customers and references?
  8. Who is your competition?
  9. How do you justify your claim of being a "world leader in automated document authentication"?
  10. Is your system patented? Can you summarize your patents?
  11. Are your units FCC and CE certified?
  12. Is UV harmful to the operator over a sustained period of use?
  13. Who supplies the images of new documents for your library?
  14. I insist that my own forensic staff add documents to the library. Do you allow that?
  15. I only want to authenticate my national ID cards and passports, no other nationality can I a) have a stripped down version of the library and if so is there a reduction in cost; and b) include the full library at a later date.
  16. Can I order readers without authentication and RFID capabilities and will this be reflected in the purchase price? If at some stage in the future I need to add authentication and or RFID, is this a field upgradable option or do I have to replace the original readers?
  17. What's the difference between an ID-110 and an ID-150? I don't see any information about ID-100?
  18. I ordered an ID-150, but I got a system marked as ID-100 and ID-100-VI? (OR) I asked for pricing for ID-100, but you sent me pricing for ID-150 instead?
  19. What's the difference between an ID-1xx and an ID-450?
  20. What's the difference between an ID-400 and an ID-450?
  21. I have a question about issuing a P.O. Who should I contact?
  22. I have a question about features under development. Who should I contact?
  23. Do you have a brochure for ID-110? ID-150? ID-450?
  24. Can I have your price list for ID-110? ID-150? ID-450?
  25. If I place an order for new units, how long will it take to get them?
  26. Are you TAA (Trade Agreements Act) compliant?
  27. Aside from cost and the type of ID documents it can read, what's the difference between an ID-1xx and ID-4xx system? I am considering a large deployment, and trying to decide whether I should buy ID-1xx's, ID-4xx's, or a mix of the two?

  1. How does your system work? Why is it better or different from other systems?


    AssureID, AssureTec's flagship software, is an automated document authentication system. Unlike most other systems, it is heavily optimized for rapid classification, data extraction, and authentication of ID documents. A number of factors are involved in this optimization:

    • The hardware used must be able to rapidly obtain high-quality images under various lighting conditions (visible, near-infrared, ultraviolet, coaxial, directional) and data from the ID documents suitable for use in automated document analysis and authentication.
    • The software must be able to very quickly and automatically identify the type of document from among thousands of types.
    • Once the document type is identified, the software must run a variety of document-specific security checks to validate the document.

    AssureTec's hardware platforms are highly optimized to produce the high-quality images required for automatic imaging-based examination of ID document security features. AssureID's Document Authentication Library, the world's most unique and extensive of its kind, enables the rapid classification and examination of documents.

    Time and again, whenever there is a "bake-off" between AssureTec's product and other devices, customers and prospects are amazed at how much more capable AssureTec's system is when compared to the competition.

  2. Can I use your software with a generic scanner?


    Our AssureID software must be licensed to run with your scanner. Currently, the only generic document scanner that we have licensed is the Fujitsu Fi-60 product, and we have done that for some very specific European markets with a very limited document set. You need to have a special license to run AssureID with this scanner -- please contact us.

    Note, however, that generic scanners are not optimized for image-based authentication of ID documents. They do not generally have different lighting conditions. Therefore not all capabilities of our software will be available when you use our software with a generic scanner.

  3. I have a passport reader from company X. Can I use your authentication software?


    Our AssureID software must be licensed to run with the passport reader. Currently, the only passport readers that we have licensed to run our software are our own hardware. Please contact your hardware vendor to see whether they are enrolled in the AssureID-Enabled Program to get our software to work with your vendor's hardware.

  4. Can I authenticate photocopies of identity documents?


    No. As mentioned elsewhere, our software needs high-quality images captured under various lighting conditions to be able to perform imaging-based forensic-quality tests for authenticity. We cannot do this with photocopies.

  5. Is your device TWAIN-compatible? Do you have any plans to make it so?


    Although our software can read images from TWAIN-compatible devices, our devices are not TWAIN-compatible. TWAIN is meant for generic scanners; our devices are highly specialized for document authentication -- for example, they present images under various lighting conditions -- such as visible, near-infrared, ultraviolet, coaxial, and directional. The TWAIN standard does not support these kinds of operations, and hence it does not make sense for us to provide TWAIN-compatibility.

  6. What is Intelligent Bar Code Parsing?


    1-D and 2-D bar codes on identity documents are encoded with demographic data relating to the person being identified. Various jurisdictions use various encoding techniques to save demographic data. While software to "read" the 1-D and 2-D bar codes is easy to write given that the specifications of 1-D and 2-D bar codes are open, it is entirely another matter to be able to parse the data fields from various jurisdictions -- particularly the U.S. state agencies that issue driver's licenses. Intelli-Check, AssureTec's partner, has created a product called the Jurisdiction Engine, which uses patented methods to parse the bar code data. We refer to this capability as Intelligent Bar Code Parsing. We have licensed this product from Intelli-Check, Inc. The ID-1xx series of products typically include this license. Other devices may require an extra license fee to enable this feature.

  7. Can we see a list of existing customers and references?


    Please contact sales@assuretec.com.

  8. Who is your competition?


    There are a number of manufacturers of "passport readers" - most of them simply produce the images for the document inspector to validate. There are a couple of companies that claim to provide"document authentication" and "automated document forensics" - however, these systems are quite limited in the kinds of authentication they can do and also in the number of different document types they can automatically authenticate.

    Time and again, whenever there is a "bake-off" between AssureTec's product and other devices, customers and prospects are amazed at how much more capable AssureTec's system is when compared to the competition.

  9. How do you justify your claim of being a "world leader in automated document authentication"?


    See response to question above.

  10. Is your system patented? Can you summarize your patents?


    Yes. Our system is covered by the following AssureTec U.S. Patents:

    • Apparatus & method for document reading & authentication (US 6,785,405)
    • Document & bearer verification system (US 7,003,669)
    • Document validation & verification apparatus & method (US 7,110,573)

    Additionally, some of our systems are also covered by U.S. patents licensed from Intelli-Check, Inc: 5,864,623, 6,464,416, 6,920,437, and 6,148,091. Other patents are pending.

  11. Are your units FCC and CE certified?


    The ID-1xx units are FCC-certified and are expected to be CE-certified in the future.

  12. Is UV harmful to the operator over a sustained period of use?


    Direct eye exposure to low-intensity UV causes temporary blurred vision that would clear up in a few minutes if you look away. For this reason, we strongly urge operators not to look directly at the glass surface. The possibility of this is minimized due to the hood and hinged door used on AssureTec hardware. At the low levels of intensity used, UV lighting is not known to cause permanent damage.

    The effects of continuous skin exposure for a prolonged period on this low-level intensity should be orders of magnitude less than walking outdoors for an hour on a sunny day without UV block. If you are still concerned about the safety of the operator, there are many gloves available commercially that block UV.

  13. Who supplies the images of new documents for your library?


    We get them from different sources:

    • We get samples from certain standards bodies and national and state institutions
    • During initial deployment in new locales, we work with the authorities to collect samples of legitimate documents

  14. I insist that my own forensic staff add documents to the library. Do you allow that?


    Please contact sales@assuretec.com if you would like to explore this further.

  15. I only want to authenticate my national ID cards and passports, no other nationality can I a) have a stripped down version of the library and if so is there a reduction in cost; and b) include the full library at a later date.


    Possibly. Please contact sales@assuretec.com for further assistance.

  16. Can I order readers without authentication and RFID capabilities and will this be reflected in the purchase price? If at some stage in the future I need to add authentication and or RFID, is this a field upgradable option or do I have to replace the original readers?


    Yes to the first question. Authentication is a field-upgradable option. For RFID, you will have to replace the original readers.

  17. What's the difference between an ID-110 and an ID-150? I don't see any information about ID-100?


    In 2006, we debuted the ID-1xx product, with two models, the ID-100-V and the ID-100-VI. The ID-100-V is a visible-light only product, whereas the ID-100-VI also includes near-infrared lighting. In 2007, we're replacing the ID-100-V product with the ID-110 product and the ID-100-VI product with the ID-150.

  18. I ordered an ID-150, but I got a system marked as ID-100 and ID-100-VI? (OR) I asked for pricing for ID-100, but you sent me pricing for ID-150 instead?


    The ID-1xx line of products has models ID-110 and ID-150 (see above). Due to a lag between marketing name changes and the manufacturing process, some of the units will still have older labels. We apologize for the confusion. The ID-100-V and ID-100-VI are no longer offered. Use ID-110 instead of ID-100-V and ID-150 instead of ID-100-VI.

  19. What's the difference between an ID-1xx and an ID-450?


    There are a number of differences, but the primary difference is that the ID-1xx product can scan only ID-1 sized cards, whereas the ID-450 can also scan ID-2 and ID-3 sized ID documents (passports, visas, travel permits, etc.).

  20. What's the difference between an ID-400 and an ID-450?


    The ID-400 is a legacy product. Starting in June, 2007, all orders for ID-400 will be filled with the ID-450 product. See chart for the characteristics of the different devices we offer. The ID-300 and ID-400 devices will cease to be offered in the 2nd half of CY2007.

  21. I have a question about issuing a P.O. Who should I contact?


    Please contact sales@assuretec.com or call 603-641-8443 x19 (US), +44 (0)1727 831428 (UK/Europe), or 65-96712665 (Asia-Pacific and Middle-East).

  22. I have a question about features under development. Who should I contact?


    Please email sales@assuretec.com.

  23. Do you have a brochure for ID-110? ID-150? ID-450?


    Yes, you can find them here.

  24. Can I have your price list for ID-110? ID-150? ID-450?


    Please contact sales@assuretec.com or call 603-641-8443 x19 (US), +44 (0)1727 831428 (UK/Europe), or 65-96712665 (Asia-Pacific and Middle-East).

  25. If I place an order for new units, how long will it take to get them?


    Our normal delivery time from receipt of purchase order to shipping the units is 6 to 8 weeks. For ID-300 or ID-400 orders, delivery time is 10 to 12 weeks. Depending on your needs and our inventory at that time, we may be able to expedite delivery. Please contact us.

  26. Are you TAA (Trade Agreements Act) compliant?


    Yes.

  27. Aside from cost and the type of ID documents it can read, what's the difference between an ID-1xx and ID-4xx system? I am considering a large deployment, and trying to decide whether I should buy ID-1xx's, ID-4xx's, or a mix of the two?


    Great question! The ID-4xx's are top-of-the-line document reader-authenticators that can handle almost any type of ID document. However, when considering a large deployment, they could be expensive depending on the cost-benefit trade-offs for your particular situation. In large environments, we typically recommend a mix of equipment. The ID-1xx offering is great for particular situations -- for example, when a large number of operators need individual stations with ID authentication capability where the vast majority of customers will be presenting only ID cards rather than passports or other non-ID-1 documents. However, it is always good to have the ID-4xx devices available nearby for those rare occasions when someone presents a non-ID-1 document or when an ID-1 document is somehow not able to be read by the ID-1xx - perhaps the mechanical document feeder is unable to feed the document because it is too slippery, for example. Also, if the ID-1xx shows a document to be suspect but the customer insists that it is good, you could double-check the results on the ID-4xx device instead.