Remote Authentication of an Object Using a Signature Encoded in a Number of Data Portions

• US 20080016363A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,472,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/20 Manipulating the length of blocks of bits, e.g. padding or block truncation
• 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 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A method of authenticating an object in which a computer system receives indicating data from a sensing device. The indicating data is generated in response to sensing of coded data and is indicative of an identity of the object and a plurality of signature fragments, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity. The computer system uses the indicating data to determine the identity and the plurality of signature fragments. The plurality of signature fragments are then used to determined a determined signature, which is in turn used to generate a generated identity. The identity is then compared to the generated identity to authenticate the object.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating an object, the method including, in a computer system:

receiving from a sensing device, indicating data, the indicating data being generated in response to sensing of coded data provided on or in a surface associated with the object, the indicating data being indicative of;

an identity of the object;

a plurality of signature fragments, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity;

determining, using the indicating data, the identity and the plurality of signature fragments;

determining, using the plurality of signature fragments, a determined signature;

generating, using the determined signature and a key, a generated identity;

comparing the identity to the generated identity; and

,

authenticating the object using the results of the comparison.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

generating authentication data indicative of success or failure of the authentication; and

,

transferring the authentication data to a user.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the method includes, in the computer system, transferring the authentication data to the sensing device.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the indicating data is further indicative of the identity of each of

the plurality of signature fragments, and wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

determining, from the indicating data, the signature fragment identity of each of the plurality of signature fragments; and

,

determining, using the determined signature fragment identities, the determined signature.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

retrieving from a data store, using the received identity, stored data including at least one of;

padding associated with the signature;

a private key; and

,

a public key; and

,

generating, using the stored data and the determined signature, the generated identity.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the stored data is indexed by at least one of:

the identity; and

,

a range of identities.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the method includes, in the computer system, retrieving the stored data from a remote database.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the signature is a digital signature of at least part of the identity and at least part of predetermined padding, and wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

determining, using the received identity, the predetermined padding; and

,

generating, using the predetermined padding and the determined signature, the generated identity.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of signature fragments are indicative of the entire signature.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computer system forms part of the sensing device.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in the computer system, communicating with the sensing device via at least one of:

a communications network;

the Internet;

a mobile phone network; and

,

a wireless connection.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the indicating data is further indicative of at least one of:

a location of the respective data portion;

a position of the respective data portion on the surface;

a size of the data portions;

a size of the signature;

a size of the signature fragment;

an identity of a signature fragment;

units of indicated locations;

redundant data;

data allowing error correction;

Reed-Solomon data; and

,

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) data.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the digital signature includes at least one of:

a random number associated with the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity and a random number; and

,

cipher-text produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identity includes an identity of at least one of:

the object;

the surface; and

,

a region of the surface.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identity includes at least one of:

an Electronic Product Code (EPC);

a National Drug Code (NDC) number;

a serial number of a pharmaceutical item;

a currency note attribute including at least one of;

currency;

issue country;

denomination;

note side;

printing works; and

serial number;

a check attribute including at least one of;

currency;

issuing institution;

account number;

serial number;

expiry date;

check value; and

limit; and

a card attribute including at least one of;

card type;

issuing institution;

account number;

issue date;

expiry date; and

limit.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a centre of rotation, at least one sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes that sub-layout from each other sub-layout.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding orientation-indicating data comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a centre of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation-indicating data, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation-indicating data and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout.

18. A method of authenticating an object, the method including, in a sensing device:

sensing coded data provided on a surface associated with the object;

determining, from the sensed coded data, indicating data indicative of;

an identity of the object;

a plurality of signature fragments, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity;

transferring the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data to;

determine, using the indicating data, the identity and the plurality of signature fragments;

determine, using the plurality of signature fragments, a determined signature;

generate, using the determined signature and a key, a generated identity;

compare the identity to the generated identity; and

,

authenticate the object using the results of the comparison.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the method includes, in the sensing device:

receiving authentication data indicative of success or failure of the authentication; and

,

providing an indication of the success or failure of the authentication to a user.

20. A method according to claim 18, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion encoding:

an identity; and

,

at least a signature fragment;

wherein the method includes, in the sensing device, sensing a plurality of coded data portions to thereby determine indicating data.