System, Apparatus And Method For Transferring Ownership Of A Smart Delivery Package

• US 20170178072A1
• Filed: 12/22/2015
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Ned M., Poornachandran, Rajesh
• Application Number:
  US14/977,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20170178072A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3827 Use of message hashing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/108 Source integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/35 for the management of goods or merchandise
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises: a hardware processor, a storage to store a digital title comprising a first ownership record having a public key of a current owner of the apparatus, the public key to be endorsed by a prior owner of the apparatus, and a wireless circuit to transmit and receive messages. The hardware processor may be adapted to generate a hash of a prior ownership record, and the wireless circuit is to cause the hash to be provided to a remote server that is to maintain a block chain regarding ownership of the apparatus. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a hardware processor;

a storage to store a digital title comprising a first ownership record having a public key of a current owner of the apparatus, the public key to be endorsed by a prior owner of the apparatus; and

a wireless circuit to transmit and receive messages, wherein the hardware processor is to generate a hash of a prior ownership record, and the wireless circuit is to cause the hash to be provided to a remote server that is to maintain a block chain regarding ownership of the apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a smart package to carry at least one article to be delivered from a source location to a destination location via one or more intermediary entities.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the smart package comprises a smart delivery container comprising a trusted execution environment including the storage, the storage comprising a secure storage.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein apparatus is to send an out-of-band alert to at least one remote entity responsive to a routing of the smart package beyond a geo-fence identified in a geographic field of the digital title.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage further comprises an embedded key associated with a manufacturer of the hardware processor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the hardware processor is to sign the hash with the embedded key before provision to the remote server.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is to:

perform an authentication protocol with a delivery resource and responsive to authentication of the delivery resource, receive a second ownership record having a public key of the delivery resource; and

verify the second ownership record and responsive to verification of the second ownership record, store the second ownership record in the storage.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the verification comprises a verification of a geographic location at which the delivery resource is to take ownership of the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the hardware processor is to generate a second hash of the first ownership record, and the wireless circuit is to cause the second hash to be provided to the remote server.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is to replace the first ownership record with the second ownership record responsive to acknowledgment of receipt of the second hash by the remote server.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the delivery resource comprises a network independent delivery drone to deliver the smart package from a first intermediate location between the source location and the destination location.

12. At least one computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed enable a system to:

receive, in the system via a wireless link, credential information from a secure storage of a smart package, the smart package to securely carry an article from a source to a destination, the credential information including at least a portion of an ownership record of the smart package, the ownership record including a public key of a first owner of the smart package and first geo-fence data to indicate acceptable location presence of the smart package;

verify the credential information via communication of at least some of the credential information to a server that maintains a block chain for the smart package; and

provide a new ownership record to the smart package, to enable a transfer of ownership to the system, the new ownership record comprising a public key of the system and second geo-fence data, wherein the new ownership record is to be stored in the secure storage of the smart package.

13. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the system comprises one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless computing system and a delivery drone.

14. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the verification of the credential information includes a confirmation that the smart package has been maintained within an acceptable location per the first geo-fence data.

15. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein at least some of the credential information comprises a hash of the ownership record, and further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to communicate the hash to the server.

16. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to:

receive acknowledgement from the server of receipt of the hash by the server; and

provide the acknowledgement to the smart package, to enable the smart package to store the new ownership record in the secure storage.

17. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the new ownership record is to replace the ownership record in the secure storage, responsive to the acknowledgement.

18. A method comprising:

communicating, via a first wireless device, with a smart package including a trusted execution environment and a secure storage, to obtain credential information of the smart package, the credential information including ownership information of the smart package, the smart package to securely carry an article from a source to a destination;

communicating from the first wireless device to a verification server, to verify the credential information, the verification server maintaining a block chain for ownership transfers of the smart package; and

providing, via the first wireless device, a second ownership record to the smart package to transfer ownership of the smart package to an entity associated with the first wireless device, wherein responsive to verification of the credential information the smart package is to store the second ownership record in the secure storage.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing routing information from the first wireless device to the smart package, wherein the smart package is to send an out-of-band alert to at least one remote entity responsive to a routing of the smart package beyond an area indicated in the routing information.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein at least some of the credential information comprises a hash of the ownership information, and communicating the hash to the verification server to enable the verification server to update the block chain.