Physical items for holding data securely, and methods and apparatus for publishing and reading them

• US 20070095928A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rathbone, Thomas, Balinsky, Helen, Harrison, Keith, McDonnell, James, Dickin, Fraser, Loh, Weng, Waters, John, Zaba, Stefek
• Granted Patent: US 7,712,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/025 the material being flexible or adapted for folding, e.g. paper or paper-like materials used in luggage labels, identification tags, forms or identification documents carrying RFIDs methods for testing the genuineness of valuable papers, e.g. banknotes or passports G07D7/00; constructional features of booklets and the like B42D
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07372 by detecting tampering with the circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• 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 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A physical object comprises one or more memory circuits adapted to be read wirelessly by a reader device attached to or incorporated within the physical object. Data in the memory circuit is protected from access by an unauthorised reader. Data in the memory circuit is also adapted to identify an authorised bearer of the physical object. Moreover, data in the memory circuit is adapted to allow access to a specified asset or assets by the authorised bearer.

Claims

1. A physical object, comprising one or more memory circuits adapted to be read wirelessly by a reader device attached to or incorporated within the physical object, wherein data in the memory circuit is protected from access by an unauthorised reader, wherein data in the memory circuit is adapted to identify an authorised bearer of the physical object, and wherein data in the memory circuit is adapted to allow access to a specified asset or assets by the authorised bearer.

2. A physical object as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory circuit is inductively powered.

3. A physical object as claimed in claim 2, wherein the memory circuit receives and transmits data wirelessly at radio frequency.

4. A physical object as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory circuit is physically isolated so as to inhibit physical tampering or to indicate when physical tampering has occurred.

5. A physical object as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory circuit comprises a read only memory holding a unique ID for the memory circuit.

6. A physical object as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory circuit comprises a processor operable to process received data and to generate data to be transmitted to the reader device.

7. A physical object as claimed in claim 6, wherein the memory circuit further comprises an area of write-only memory which may be written to by a suitable memory tag reader device but which may be read only by the processor of the memory circuit.

8. A physical object as claimed in claim 7, wherein the memory circuit further comprises a hash co-processor configured to apply a cryptographically secure hash function to data input to it.

9. A physical object as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory circuit contains biometric data of the authorised bearer and further authorisation data steganographically hidden in the biometric data of the authorised bearer.

10. A physical object as claimed in claim 9, wherein the further authorisation data comprises encrypted data.

11. A physical object as claimed in claim 10, wherein the further authorisation data comprises a part of a decryption key for the encrypted data.

12. A physical object as claimed in claim 11, wherein the encrypted data includes information relating to the specified asset or assets and the authorised bearers entitlement to access to it or them.

13. A physical object as claimed in claim 10, wherein the memory circuit comprises a read only memory holding a unique ID for the memory circuit, and wherein the encrypted data also contains the unique ID for the memory circuit.

14. A method of providing a physical object for an authorized bearer to allow access to a specified asset or assets by the authorised bearer, comprising:

a. generating an encryption key and a decryption key, and dividing the decryption key into a first part and a second part;

b. encrypting data relating to the specified asset or assets and a unique ID of a memory circuit to form encrypted data, and combining the encrypted data with the second part of the decryption key to form data for hiding;

c. generating a steganographic key; and

d. obtaining biometric data of the authorised bearer, and using the steganographic key and a steganographic algorithm to create a steganographic data object in which the data for hiding is hidden in the biometric data of the authorised bearer; and

e. writing the steganographic data object into the memory circuit whose unique ID is included in the encrypted data.

15. A method of authenticating a bearer of a physical object as an authorised bearer entitled to access to a specified asset or assets, comprising:

a. obtaining biometric data from the bearer and comparing the obtained biometric data with biometric data stored in a memory circuit of the physical object;

b. if the obtained biometric data matches the stored biometric data, extracting data hidden steganographically in the stored biometric data by use of a steganographic key provided by the bearer;

c. if the data hidden steganographically has an expected form and comprises encrypted data and a part of a decryption key, decrypting the encrypted data by use of the decryption key, the other part of the decryption key being provided by the bearer; and

d. if the decrypted data has an expected form, allowing the bearer access to the specified asset or assets as the authorised bearer of the physical object.