RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080191882A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NEC Company Limited
• Inventors: LIU, Xiaowei, HSUEH, Min-Yu, ZHOU, Bo
• Application Number:
  US12/030,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20080191882A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention provides a radio frequency identification system and method. The radio frequency identification system according to the invention comprises: a multi-core tag including a plurality of radio frequency identification tags, each radio frequency identification tag having an identification code and at least one set of verifiable data stored therein; and a radio frequency identification reader which sends a reading request to more than one radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, requesting to read a first portion of one of the at least one set of verifiable data stored in the radio frequency identification tag, and authenticates the multi-core tag based on the data read from the multi-core tag, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag further comprises control means, which, when the radio frequency identification tag receives the reading request from the radio frequency identification reader, in the event that all the data of the requested set of verifiable data is readable, performs a first operation so that from then on at least one data of the requested set of verifiable data cannot be read.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification system, comprising:

a multi-core tag including a plurality of radio frequency identification tags, each radio frequency identification tag having an identification code and at least one set of verifiable data stored therein; and

a radio frequency identification reader which sends a reading request to more than one radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, requesting to read a first portion of one of the at least one set of verifiable data stored in the radio frequency identification tag, and authenticates the multi-core tag based on the data read from the multi-core tag, wherein

each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag further comprises control means, which, when the radio frequency identification tag receives the reading request from the radio frequency identification reader, in the event that all the data of the requested set of verifiable data is readable, performs a first operation so that from then on at least one data of the requested set of verifiable data cannot be read.

2. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, when receiving a status request from the radio frequency identification reader, provides the radio frequency identification reader with information regarding the number of the radio frequency identification tags in the multi-core tag and a sequence number of the radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag.

3. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag has the first portion of the requested set of verifiable data be read by the radio frequency identification reader after performing the first operation.

4. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, in the event that the requested set of verifiable data has been performed the first operation, provides the radio frequency identification reader with a portion of data in the set of verifiable data that is still readable.

5. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, in the event that the requested set of verifiable data has been performed the first operation, provides the radio frequency identification reader with information indicating a portion of the set of verifiable data cannot be read.

6. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein the multi-core tag is attached onto a product to be authenticated, and the identification code includes an Electronic Product Code.

7. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein the data in the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag of the multi-core tag is obtained by encrypting the identification code stored in the radio frequency identification tag.

8. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein the data in the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag of the multi-core tag is obtained by encrypting the identification code and other information stored in the radio frequency identification tag.

9. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one data of the requested set of verifiable data does not include any data in the first portion of the requested set of verifiable data.

10. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag includes n digital signatures SIG₁, SIG₂ . . . SIG_n, and the first portion includes k digital signatures of the n digital signatures.

11. The radio frequency identification system according to claim 10, wherein k=n*0.5 if n is even;

and k=n*0.5+0.5 or k=n*0.5−

0.5 if n is odd.

12. A multi-core tag comprising a plurality of radio frequency identification tags, each radio frequency identification tag having an identification code and at least one set of verifiable data stored therein, wherein

each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag comprises control means, which, when the radio frequency identification tag receives a reading request for reading a first portion of one of the at least one set of verifiable data stored in the radio frequency identification tag, in the event that all the data of the requested set of verifiable data is readable, performs a first operation so that from then on at least one data of the requested set of verifiable data cannot be read.

13. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, when receiving a status request, provides information regarding the number of the radio frequency identification tags in the multi-core tag and a sequence number of the radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag.

14. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag has the first portion of the requested set of verifiable data be read after performing the first operation.

15. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, in the event that the requested set of verifiable data has been performed the first operation, provides a portion of data in the set of verifiable data that is still readable.

16. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, in the event that the requested set of verifiable data has been performed the first operation, provides information indicating a portion of the set of verifiable data cannot be read.

17. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein the multi-core tag is attached onto a product to be authenticated, and the identification code includes an Electronic Product Code.

18. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein the data in the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag of the multi-core tag is obtained by encrypting the identification code stored in the radio frequency identification tag.

19. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein the data in the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag of the multi-core tag is obtained by encrypting the identification code and other information stored in the radio frequency identification tag.

20. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein the at least one data of the requested set of verifiable data does not include any data in the first portion of the requested set of verifiable data.

21. The multi-core tag according to claim 12, wherein each of the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag includes n digital signatures SIG₁, SIG₂ . . . , SIG_n, and the first portion includes k digital signatures of the n digital signatures.

22. The multi-core tag according to claim 21, wherein k=n*0.5 if n is even;

and k=n*0.5+0.5 or k=n*0.5−

0.5 if n is odd.

23. A radio frequency identification method, comprising:

storing an identification code and at least one set of verifiable data in each of a plurality of radio frequency identification tags included in a multi-core tag; and

sending a reading request from a radio frequency identification reader to more than one radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag to request to read a first portion of one of the at least one set of verifiable data stored in the radio frequency identification tag, and authenticating the multi-core tag based on the data read from the multi-core tag, wherein

each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag, when receiving the reading request from the radio frequency identification reader, in the event that all the data of the requested set of verifiable data is readable, performs a first operation so that from then on at least one data of the requested set of verifiable data cannot be read.

24. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, further comprising when each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag receives a status request from the radio frequency identification reader, providing information regarding the number of the radio frequency identification tags in the multi-core tag and a sequence number of the radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag to the radio frequency identification reader from the radio frequency identification tag.

25. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, further comprising having the first portion of the requested set of verifiable data be read after performing the first operation.

26. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, further comprising in the event that the requested set of verifiable data has been performed the first operation, providing the radio frequency identification reader with a portion of data in the set of verifiable data that is still readable.

27. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, further comprising in the event that the requested set of verifiable data has been performed the first operation, providing the radio frequency identification reader with information indicating a portion of the set of verifiable data cannot be read.

28. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, further comprising attaching the multi-core tag onto a product to be authenticated, and wherein the identification code includes an Electronic Product Code.

29. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, further comprising obtaining the data in the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag of the multi-core tag by encrypting the identification code stored in the radio frequency identification tag.

30. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, further comprising obtaining the data in the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag of the multi-core tag by encrypting the identification code and other information stored in the radio frequency identification tag.

31. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, wherein the at least one data of the requested set of verifiable data does not include any data in the first portion of the requested set of verifiable data.

32. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 23, wherein each of the at least one set of verifiable data stored in each radio frequency identification tag in the multi-core tag includes n digital signatures SIG₁, SIG₂ . . . , SIG_n, and the first portion includes k digital signatures of the n digital signatures.

33. The radio frequency identification method according to claim 32, wherein k=n*0.5 if n is even;

and k=n*0.5+0.5 or k=n*0.5−

0.5 if n is odd.