Contact-less tag with signature, and applications thereof

• US 10,726,385 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Brien, William G., Yeap, Tet Hin, Murray, Sean MacLean, Zlobec, Sanro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tun, Nay
• Application Number:
  US14/539,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20150069137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/43 wireless channels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3825 Use of electronic signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 : Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/47 : using near field communication [NFC] or radio frequency identification [RFID] modules

Abstract

A method which comprises generating a first signature by encoding an identifier with a first additional data set at a first time instant; responding to a first read request from a tag reader by releasing the first signature; generating a second signature by encoding the identifier with a second additional data set at a second time instant, the second additional data set being different from the first additional data set; and responding to a second read request by releasing the second signature. Also, a method which comprises obtaining a signature from a contactlessly readable tag; decrypting the signature with a key to obtain a candidate identifier and a scrambling code associated with the signature; and validating the candidate identifier based on at least one of the scrambling code and the signature.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

assigning, by a centralized entity, a common key and an unencrypted common identifier for a plurality of tags;

generating, by the centralized entity, a plurality of scrambling codes for the plurality of tags;

generating, by the centralized entity, a plurality of signatures for the plurality of tag, comprising;

for each of the plurality of tags, encrypting the unencrypted common identifier and a corresponding scrambling code with the common key; and

loading the plurality of tags with the plurality of signatures, respectively,

wherein the plurality of signatures appear scrambled relative to each other at a first time instance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating a signature received from a tag, and

granting access to a resource and wherein when the validating is unsuccessful.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining, by the centralized entity, whether to change at least one of the plurality of signatures.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating, by the centralized entity, a second plurality of scrambling codes; and

generating, by the centralized entity, a second plurality of signatures using the second plurality of scrambling codes,

wherein the second plurality of signatures are different from the plurality of signatures, and the second plurality of signatures appear scrambled relative to each other at a second time instance.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

issuing a trigger to cause at least one of the plurality of tags to change at least one of the plurality of signatures.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a second signature with an index from a second tag, the index being associated with a key for decryption.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

selecting, based on the index, the key for decryption from one or more candidate keys.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

attempting, by the centralized entity or a tag reader configured to communicate with the centralized entity, decryption of a second signature read from a second tag with a key for decryption to obtain at least one of a second identifier and a second scrambling code.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second tag is one of the plurality of tags.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second tag is one of a second plurality of tags.

11. The method of claim 8, comprising:

determining the key for decryption among one or more candidate keys.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising at least one of:

validating, by the centralized entity, the second identifier based on the at least one of the second signature and the second scrambling code; and

taking an action related to identification of an item associated with the second tag.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein validating the second identifier comprises at least one of:

determining whether the second signature has been previously received;

determining whether the second scrambling code was encoded in a previously received signature encoding the second identifier; and

determining whether the second signature and/or the second scrambling code correspond to an expected signature and/or an expected candidate scrambling code.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tags are arranged for a plurality of units of an article, and the unencrypted common identifier is to identify the article.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising:

augmenting, by the centralized entity, the unencrypted common identifier with a corresponding scrambling code to encrypt the unencrypted common identifier and the corresponding scrambling code.

16. A computer entity comprising:

circuitry configured to;

assign a common key and an unencrypted common identifier for a plurality of tags;

generate a plurality of scrambling codes for the plurality of tags;

generate a plurality of signatures for the plurality of tag by, for each of the plurality of tags, encrypting the unencrypted common identifier and a corresponding scrambling code with the common key; and

load the plurality of tags with the plurality of signatures, respectively,

wherein the plurality of signatures appear scrambled relative to each other at a first time instance.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable code that, when executed, causes a computer device to:

assign a common key and an unencrypted common identifier for a plurality of tags;

generate a plurality of scrambling codes for the plurality of tags;

generate a plurality of signatures for the plurality of tag by, for each of the plurality of tags, encrypting the unencrypted common identifier and a corresponding scrambling code with the common key; and

load the plurality of tags with the plurality of signatures, respectively,

wherein the plurality of signatures appear scrambled relative to each other at a first time instance.