PROTECTING A MANUFACTURED ITEM FROM COUNTERFEITING

• US 20100017330A1
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Provalidate
• Original Assignee: Moxie Proxy
• Inventors: Tan, Cheng
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication

Abstract

A method and system are described for protecting a manufactured item from counterfeiting. The manufactured item, which is marked with an identifier, such as a serial number, is associated with a code generator that has secret functions and data for generating verification codes. The manufactured item is then supplied along with the corresponding code generator. Thereafter, the identifier from the manufactured item and the verification code generated by the code generator are used to verify authenticity of the manufactured item.

Claims

1. A method for protecting a manufactured item from counterfeiting, the manufactured item being marked with an identifier, the method comprising:

associating the identifier with a code generator, the code generator having a stored secret for generating a verification code;

supplying the code generator with the manufactured item; and

using the identifier from the manufactured item and the verification code generated by the code generator to verify authenticity of the manufactured item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the identifier with the code generator further comprises initializing the code generator to prepare it for use.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a secret for the code generator, wherein the secret comprises a plurality of information used by a management system to compute an expected verification code that should be generated by the code generator; and

associating the identifier with the code generator'"'"'s secret.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises any combination of being human readable, being machine readable, being overtly placed, and being covertly placed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is at least one of being unique to each manufactured item, and being unique to a plurality of manufactured items.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the identifier with the code generator further comprises associating additional identifiers with the code generator, wherein the additional identifiers are associated with constituent parts of the manufactured item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the code generator comprises at least one of:

a hardware device, software installed in the manufactured item, and software installed in a device that is associated with the manufactured item.

8. A system for protecting a manufactured item from counterfeiting, the manufactured item being marked with an identifier, comprising:

means for associating the identifier with a code generator, the code generator having a stored secret for generating a verification code;

means for supplying the code generator with the manufactured item;

means for using the identifier from the manufactured item and the verification code generated by the code generator to verify authenticity of the manufactured item;

accepting a verification as successful if the verification code matches an

expected verification code, and rejecting the verification as failed otherwise.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein means for associating the identifier with the code generator further comprises means for initializing the code generator to prepare it for use.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for storing a secret for the code generator, the secret comprising a plurality of information used by a management system to compute an expected verification code that should be generated by the code generator; and

means for associating the identifier with the code generator'"'"'s secret.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the identifier comprises any combination of being human readable, being machine readable, being overtly placed, and being covertly placed.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the identifier is at least one of being unique to each manufactured item, and being unique to a plurality of manufactured items.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein means for associating the identifier with the code generator further includes means for associating additional identifiers with the code generator, wherein the additional identifiers are associated with constituent parts of the manufactured item.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the code generator comprises at least one of:

a hardware device, software installed in the manufactured item, and software installed in a device that is associated with the manufactured item.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for using the identifier from the manufactured item and the verification code generated by the code generator comprises at least one of:

through a website, through a phone conversation with a person, through an interactive voice-response system, and through an automated phone system.

16. A method of verifying the integrity of a group of manufactured items, each one of the manufactured items in the group being marked with a respective identifier, the method comprising:

assigning a code generator to the group, the code generator having a stored secret for generating a verification code;

associating each of the respective identifiers with the code generator;

supplying the code generator with the group of manufactured items,

using at least one of the respective identifiers and the verification code generated by the code generator to verify membership in the group of manufactured items.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein assigning the code generator to the group further comprises initializing the code generator to prepare it for use.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

storing the code generator'"'"'s secret, comprising a plurality of information used by a management system to compute an expected verification code that should be generated by the code generator; and

associating each constituent'"'"'s identifier with the code generator'"'"'s secret.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the respective identifiers comprises any combination of being human readable, being machine readable, being overtly placed, and being covertly placed.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising using a plurality of the respective identifiers and the verification code generated by the code generator to obtain the set of item identifiers belonging to the manufactured items in the group.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising using the code generator'"'"'s identifier and the verification code generated by the code generator to obtain the set of item identifiers belonging to the manufactured items in the group, wherein the assigned code generator is marked with an identifier.

22. An Anti-counterfeiting system comprising:

a manufactured item, the manufactured item being marked with an identifier;

a code generator supplied with the manufactured item for generating a verification code; and

a management system for associating the code generator with the manufactured item'"'"'s identifier, and for verifying authenticity of the manufactured item by;

receiving the identifier and the verification code generated by the code generator,

computing an expected verification code and comparing the verification code generated by the code generator with the expected verification code, and

validating the manufactured item if the verification code generated by the code generator matches the expected verification code.