Duo Codes for Product Authentication

• US 20080256367A1
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: YottaMark, Inc.
• Inventors: Grant, Elliott
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• 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 7/122 Online card verification
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that employ two or more cryptographically linked codes. The codes, when encrypted, become cipher texts that appear unrelated. The codes described herein are characterized by a series of bits including one or more switch bits. The cipher text of a code having a switch bit in one state will appear to be unrelated to the cipher text of another code differing only in that the switch bit is in the opposite state. The cryptographically linked codes can be used in various combinations, such as on a product and its packaging, on a product and a component of the product, on a certificate packaged with the product and on the packaging, or on outer and inner packagings of the product.

Claims

1. A method for marking products comprising:

marking the product with a first cipher text that is an encryption of a first code having an identification number and at least one switch bit; and

marking a component or a packaging of the product with a second cipher text that is an encryption of a second code having the identification number and the at least one switch bit, the at least one switch bit having a different value than in the first code.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein marking the product and the component or packaging comprises generating the first and second cipher texts.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein generating the first and second cipher texts includes appending a switch bit to an identification number to create a first code, changing only the value of the switch bit of the first code to create a second code, encrypting the first code to generate the first cipher text, and encrypting the second code to generate the second cipher text.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising activating the identification number.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein activating the identification number comprises digitally signing the first cipher text.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating a target with the identification number.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the target comprises a destination for the product.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating a product description with the identification number.

9. A method for marking products comprising:

marking an outer packaging of the product with a first cipher text that is an encryption of a first code having an identification number and at least one switch bit; and

marking an inner packaging of the product with a second cipher text that is an encryption of a second code having the identification number and the at least one switch bit, the at least one switch bit having a different value than in the first code.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein marking the outer and inner packagings comprises generating the first and second cipher texts.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising activating the identification number.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising associating a target with the identification number.

13. A business method comprising:

selling a service including

providing pairs of cipher texts,

a first cipher text of each pair being an encryption of a first code,

a second cipher text of each pair being an encryption of a second code, where each of the first and second codes consists of the same series of bits encoding the same identification number and at least one switch bit having a different value between the first and second codes; and

receiving an activation notification for one of the first or second cipher texts of a provided pair of cipher texts.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein providing pairs of cipher texts includes providing a roll having two parallel columns of labels such that one column includes first cipher texts and the other column includes second cipher texts.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein providing pairs of cipher texts includes providing certificates of authenticity each having a detachable tamper-evident portion, where the first cipher text of each pair is disposed upon the certificate of authenticity and the second cipher text of each pair is disposed upon the detachable tamper-evident portion.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein providing pairs of cipher texts includes providing a computer-readable file encoding the pairs of cipher texts according to a data structure that logically relates the first and second cipher texts of each pair.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving the activation notification comprises receiving one of the cipher texts and a digital certificate.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising storing a record of the activation in a database, the record including the digital certificate.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving a target associated with the cipher text of the activation notification.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the service further comprises receiving a cipher text from a requester and locating a matching record in the database.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising sending information from the matching record to the requester.

22. A computing system comprising:

logic configured to send pairs of cipher texts,

a first cipher text of each pair being an encryption of a first code, and

a second cipher text of each pair being an encryption of a second code, where each of the first and second codes consists of the same series of bits encoding the same identification number and at least one switch bit having a different value between the first and second codes; and

logic configured to receive an activation notification for one of the cipher texts of one of the sent pairs of cipher texts.

23. The computing system of claim 22 further comprising logic configured to receive and decrypt a cipher text.

24. The computing system of claim 23 further comprising logic configured to store the decrypted code resulting from the decryption of the received cipher text.