Product information protecting method and system

• US 20060122901A1
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kawabata, Eiichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07327 Passive means, e.g. Faraday cages Faraday-type protection of electric circuits in general H05K9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

A method and system for protecting product information stored in a wireless tag. The product information relates to a product and includes a unique identifier that is unique to the product. The product information is received from the tag. A local identifier is generated according to a predetermined rule such that the received product information corresponds to the local identifier. The local identifier is not unique to the product. The received product information is sent to a product information recording medium physically separated from the tag in order to store the received product information in the product information recording medium. The local identifier is sent to the tag and replaces the product information stored in the tag.

Claims

1. A method for protecting product information stored in a wireless tag, said method comprising:

receiving the product information from the tag, said product information relating to a product and comprising a unique identifier that is unique to the product;

generating a local identifier according to a predetermined rule such that the received product information corresponds to the local identifier, said local identifier not being unique to the product;

sending the received product information to a product information recording medium physically separated from the tag in order to store the received product information in the product information recording medium; and

sending the local identifier to the tag in order to replace the product information stored in the tag with the local identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the product information from the product information recording medium; and

sending the product information received from the product information recording medium to the tag in order to have the product information received from the product information recording medium replace the local identifier stored in the tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

applying a replacement lock to the information stored in the tag to prevent the stored information in the tag from being replaced;

generating a passcode that is unique to the product information recording medium;

sending the passcode to the tag to be stored in the tag, wherein the passcode is required for unlocking the replacement lock; and

sending the passcode to the product information recording medium in order to store the passcode in the product information recording medium.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the product information and the passcode from the product information recording medium; and

sending the product information and the passcode received from the product information recording medium to the tag in order to have the product information received from the product information recording medium replace the local identifier stored in the tag if the passcode received from the product information recording medium matches the passcode stored in the tag.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a receipt identification (ID) that identifies the product information recording medium; and

encrypting the receipt ID, wherein the encrypted receipt ID is the passcode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving the product information, said generating the local identifier, said sending the received product information to the product information recording medium, and said sending the local identifier to the tag are performed by a product information protecting apparatus, and wherein the product information protecting apparatus is disposed within a cash register in conjunction with a purchase of the product by a purchaser, and wherein the method further comprises:

ejecting the product information recording medium from the cash register prior to said storing the received product information on the product information recording medium.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information recording medium comprises:

an antenna;

a product information recording medium controller;

a product information recording medium passcode memory; and

a purchased product information memory, wherein the product information recording medium controller uses the antenna for sending and receiving commands and the product information to and from the product information protecting apparatus, wherein the product information recording medium passcode memory stores the commands sent to and received from the product information protecting apparatus via the product information recording medium controller, and wherein the purchased product information memory stores the product information sent to or received from the product information protecting apparatus via the product information recording medium controller.

8. A system for protecting product information stored in a wireless tag, said system comprising:

means for receiving the product information from the tag, said product information relating to a product and comprising a unique identifier that is unique to the product;

means for generating a local identifier according to a predetermined rule such that the received product information corresponds to the local identifier, said local identifier not being unique to the product;

means for sending the received product information to a product information recording medium physically separated from the tag in order to store the received product information in the product information recording medium; and

means for sending the local identifier to the tag in order to replace the product information stored in the tag with the local identifier.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the system further comprises:

means for receiving the product information from the product information recording medium; and

means for sending the product information received from the product information recording medium to the tag in order to have the product information received from the product information recording medium replace the local identifier stored in the tag.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the system further comprises:

means for applying a replacement lock to the information stored in the tag to prevent the stored information in the tag from being replaced;

means for generating a passcode that is unique to the product information recording medium;

means for sending the passcode to the tag to be stored in the tag, wherein the passcode is required for unlocking the replacement lock; and

means for sending the passcode to the product information recording medium in order to store the passcode in the product information recording medium.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises:

means for receiving the product information and the passcode from the product information recording medium; and

means for sending the product information and the passcode received from the product information recording medium to the tag in order to have the product information received from the product information recording medium replace the local identifier stored in the tag if the passcode received from the product information recording medium matches the passcode stored in the tag.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises:

means for generating a receipt identification (ID) that identifies the product information recording medium; and

means for encrypting the receipt ID, wherein the encrypted receipt ID is the passcode.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said means for receiving the product information, said means for generating the local identifier, said means for sending the received product information to the product information recording medium, and said means for sending the local identifier to the tag are comprised by a product information protecting apparatus, and wherein the product information protecting apparatus is disposed within a cash register in conjunction with a purchase of the product by a purchaser, and wherein the system further comprises:

means for ejecting the product information recording medium from the cash register prior to said storing the received product information on the product information recording medium.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the product information recording medium comprises:

an antenna;

a product information recording medium controller;

a product information recording medium passcode memory; and

a purchased product information memory, wherein the product information recording medium controller uses the antenna for sending and receiving commands and the product information to and from the product information protecting apparatus, wherein the product information recording medium passcode memory stores the commands sent to and received from the product information protecting apparatus via the product information recording medium controller, and wherein the purchased product information memory stores the product information sent to or received from the product information protecting apparatus via the product information recording medium controller.

15. A method for protecting product information stored in a wireless tag, said method comprising:

sending the product information stored in the tag to a product information protecting apparatus in order for the product information to be subsequently stored on a product information recording medium that is physically separated from the tag, said product information relating to a product and comprising a unique identifier that is unique to the product;

receiving a local identifier from the product information protecting apparatus, wherein the local identifier is not unique to the product; and

replacing the product information stored in the tag with the local identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the product information from the product information protecting apparatus after the product information protecting apparatus had received the product information from the product information recording medium; and

replacing the local identifier in the tag with the product information received from the product information protecting apparatus.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a reference passcode from the product information protecting apparatus;

storing the reference passcode in the tag;

receiving the product information and a test passcode from the product information protecting apparatus after the product information protecting apparatus had received the product information and the test passcode from the product information recording medium, wherein the test passcode is unique to the product information recording medium;

determining whether that the test passcode received from the product information protecting apparatus matches the reference passcode stored in the tag; and

replacing the local identifier in the tag with the product information received from the product information protecting apparatus if said determining has determined that the test passcode received from the product information protecting apparatus matches the reference passcode stored in the tag.

18. A system for protecting product information stored in a wireless tag, said system comprising:

means for sending the product information stored in the tag to a product information protecting apparatus in order for the product information to be subsequently stored on a product information recording medium that is physically separated from the tag, said product information relating to a product and comprising a unique identifier that is unique to the product;

means for receiving a local identifier from the product information protecting apparatus, wherein the local identifier is not unique to the product; and

means for replacing the product information stored in the tag with the local identifier.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the system further comprises:

means for receiving the product information from the product information protecting apparatus after the product information protecting apparatus had received the product information from the product information recording medium; and

means for replacing the local identifier in the tag with the product information received from the product information protecting apparatus.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the system further comprises:

means for receiving a reference passcode from the product information protecting apparatus;

means for storing the reference passcode in the tag;

means for receiving the product information and a test passcode from the product information protecting apparatus after the product information protecting apparatus had received the product information and the test passcode from the product information recording medium, wherein the test passcode is unique to the product information recording medium;

means for determining whether the test passcode received from the product information protecting apparatus matches the reference passcode stored in the tag; and

means for replacing the local identifier in the tag with the product information received from the product information protecting apparatus if the test passcode received from the product information protecting apparatus matches the reference passcode stored in the tag.