SYSTEM AND METHOD TO AUTHENTICATE PRODUCTS

• US 20100145813A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trusted.com, LLC
• Original Assignee: Advanced Programs Group LLC (CACI International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Veseli, Bekim
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

A system and method to authenticate products. The method includes storing identity data corresponding to products to be sold into a database, accessing the database at a point-of-sale of a product, and determining the authenticity of the product at the point-of-sale by comparing the product'"'"'s identity data with the identity data stored in the database.

Claims

1. A method to authenticate products, the method comprising:

registering a product in an authentication platform after manufacture;

updating the product'"'"'s registration in the authentication platform after the product enters commercial distribution;

authenticating a product being sold at a point-of-sale; and

further updating the product'"'"'s registration in the authentication platform when the product being sold is certified as authentic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the registering of the product after manufacture comprises:

collecting identity data corresponding to the product from the manufacturer and inputting the identity data into the authentication platform; and

registering the manufacturer as the owner of the product in the authentication platform.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the updating of the product'"'"'s registration after the product enters commercial distribution comprises:

registering an authorized distributor of the product as the owner of the product in the authentication platform.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the authenticating of the product being sold at the point-of-sale comprises

comparing identity data of the product being sold to identity data in the authentication platform to determine if the product being sold is authentic.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the product being sold is certified as authentic when the identity data of the product being sold corresponds to the identity data of the product registered in the authentication platform.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising issuing a certificate of authenticity at the point-of-sale when the product being sold is certified as authentic.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the certificate of authenticity comprises transfer information, and wherein the further updating of the product'"'"'s registration in the authentication platform when the product being sold is certified as authentic comprises:

registering an authorized purchaser of the product being sold as the owner of the product registered in the authentication platform.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the owner of the product provides potential buyers access to the product'"'"'s registration in the authentication platform to confirm ownership of the product.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the owner of the product provides subsequent owners of the product transfer information, and the method further comprises:

registering a subsequent owner of the product as the owner of the product registered in the authentication platform.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the owner of the product inputs status information for the product in the authentication platform, the status information comprising at least one of a for sale, not for sale, lost, and stolen status for the product.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the product is certified as authentic only when the status information of the product is for sale.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the product is not certified as authentic when the status information of the product is one of not for sale, lost, and stolen.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication platform is accessed through a point-of-sale device during the ownership transfer operation, and the ownership transfer operation comprises a sale of the product.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the point-of-sale device issues a certificate of authenticity when the product'"'"'s identity data provided during the ownership transfer operation corresponds to the identity data stored in the authentication platform.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing ownership information corresponding to the product in the authentication platform.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

updating the ownership information of the product after the ownership transfer operation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the certificate of authenticity comprises transfer data to allow a purchaser of the product to update the ownership information of the product.

13. A method to authenticate products, the method comprising:

storing identity data corresponding to a product in an authentication platform;

accessing the authentication platform during an ownership transfer operation for the product;

providing identity data for the product during the ownership transfer operation; and

determining the authenticity of the product by comparing the product'"'"'s identity data provided during the ownership transfer operation with the identity data stored in the authentication platform.

19. A system to authenticate retail products, comprising:

an authentication platform to register and authenticate products; and

a point-of-sale device to access the authentication platform,

wherein the authentication platform stores identity data collected from a manufacturer to register the manufacturer as an initial owner of the product in the authentication platform, and the registration of the product is updated as the product moves through commerce, and

wherein the point-of-sale device accesses the authentication platform during a sale operation to authenticate a product being sold by comparing identity data of the product being sold to identity data of the product in the authentication platform to determine if the product being sold is authentic.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the manufacturer updates the product'"'"'s registration to register an authorized distributor of the product as the owner of the product in the authentication platform.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the product being sold is certified as authentic when the identity data of the product being sold corresponds to the identity data of the product registered in the authentication platform.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the point-of-sale device issues a certificate of authenticity when the product being sold is certified as authentic.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the certificate of authenticity comprises transfer information to allow an authorized purchaser of the product being sold to update the registration of the product in the authentication platform to register the authorized purchaser as the owner of the product in the authentication platform.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the owner of the product provides potential buyers access to the product'"'"'s registration in the authentication platform to confirm ownership of the product.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the owner of the product provides subsequent owners of the product transfer information through the authentication platform to register a subsequent owner as the owner of the product in the authentication platform.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the point-of-sale device is limited to a single retail location.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the point-of-sale device communicates with the authentication platform through encrypted web service.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the authentication platform links the product'"'"'s registration to an online sales or auction website to allow potential buyers to research and verify the product'"'"'s authenticity before purchasing the product through the online sales or auction website.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the authenticating of the sale of the product at the point-of-sale comprises comparing identity data of the product sold to identity data in the authentication platform to determine if the product is authentic, and

wherein the product sold is certified as authentic when the identity data of the product sold corresponds to the identity data of the product registered in the authentication platform.

29. A computer program product stored on tangible computer readable media, the computer program product, when executed by a computer, providing a method to authenticate products, the method comprising:

registering a product in an authentication platform after manufacture;

updating the product'"'"'s registration in the authentication platform after the product enters commercial distribution;

authenticating a sale of the product at a point-of-sale; and

further updating the product'"'"'s registration in the authentication platform when the product sold at the point-of-sale is certified as authentic.