Authentication of an object using a signature encoded in a number of data portions

• US 7,457,961 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH DIEU T
• Application Number:
  US11/041,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 726/26, 380/51, 380/55, 705/2, 705/75, 340/5.8, 283/17, 382/276, 382/306, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/1.18
• 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, the method including:

• • sensing coded data provided on or in a surface associated with the object;
  • determining, from the sensed coded data:
    • an identity of the object;
    • a plurality of signature fragments, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity;
  • determining, using the plurality of signature fragments, a determined signature;
  • generating, using the determined signature and a key, a generated identity;
  • comparing the identity to the generated identity; and,
  • authenticating the object using the results of the comparison.

Claims

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

sensing coded data provided on a plurality of regions of a surface associated with the object;

determining, from the coded data of each region;

an identity of the object;

a signature fragment; and

a signature fragment identifier associated with the signature fragment of the region;

determining a determined signature by arranging the plurality of signature fragments according to their associated signature fragment identifiers;

generating, using the determined signature and a key, a generated identity;

comparing the identity to the generated identity; and

,

authenticating the object using the results of the comparison.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes the further step of, generating an indication of success or failure of the authentication.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of layouts, each layout defining the position of a plurality of first symbols encoding the identity, and a plurality of second symbols defining at least one signature fragment.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of tags, each coded data portion being formed from at least one tag.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is printed on the surface using at least one of an invisible ink and an infrared-absorptive ink, and wherein the method includes, sensing the coded data using an infrared detector.

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

retrieving from a data store, using the identity, stored data indicative of at least one of;

padding associated with the signature;

a private key; and

,

a public key; and

,

generating, using the stored data and the determined signature, the generated identity.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the stored data is indexed by at least one of:

the identity; and

,

a range of identities.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the signature is a digital signature of at least part of the identity and at least part of predetermined padding, and wherein the method includes:

determining, using the identity, the predetermined padding; and

,

generating, using the predetermined padding and the determined signature, the generated identity.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determined 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.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data 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.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data 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.