Authenticating An Object

• US 20090077385A1
• Filed: 11/18/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/273,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077385A1
• 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 30/0185 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 is disclosed. The method starts by receiving indicating data. The indicating data was generated in response to sensing of a coded data portion provided on or in a surface associated with the object. The indicating data is indicative of an identity, a position of the coded data portion, and a fragment of a signature. The signature is a digital signature of at least the identity, and comprises a plurality of signature fragments. The method then proceeds by determining from the indicating data, a received identity, a received signature fragment and the position of the coded data portion. Using the position, a received signature fragment identifier is then determined. Next, using the received identity, a determined signature is determined. A determined signature fragment is also determined using the determined signature and the received signature fragment identifier. Finally, the determined signature fragment is compared to the received signature fragment, and the object is authenticated using the result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating an object, the method including steps of:

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

an identity;

a position of the coded data portion; and

a fragment of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least the identity, and comprising a plurality of signature fragments;

determining from the indicating data, a received identity, a received signature fragment and the position of the coded data portion;

determining, using the position, a received signature fragment identifier;

determining, using the received identity, a determined signature;

determining, using the determined signature and the received signature fragment identifier, a determined signature fragment;

comparing the determined signature fragment to the received signature fragment; and

authenticating the object using the result of the comparison.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes further steps of:

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 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.

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

the object;

the surface; and

a region of the surface.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein each coded data portion 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.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein each coded data portion 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.