Remote authentication of an object using a signature part

• US 7,565,542 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• 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:
  US11/041,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 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
• 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 30/018 Certifying business or products
• 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 in which a computer system receives indicating data from a sensing device. The indicating data is generated in response to sensing of coded data provided on or in a surface associated with the object and is indicative of an identity of the object and at least part of a signature. The signature is in turn a digital signature of at least part of the identity. The computer system uses the indicating to determine a received identity and a received signature part, before using the using the received identity to determine at least a determined signature part. The determined signature part is then compared to the received signature part to authenticate the object.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating an object, the method including, in a computer system:

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

an identity of the object; and

,

a part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity and comprising a plurality of signature parts;

determining, using the indicating data, a received identity, a received signature part and a received signature part identifier identifying the received signature part;

determining, using the received identity, a determined signature;

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

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

,

authenticating the object using result of the comparison.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

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 2, wherein the method includes, in the computer system, transferring the authentication data to the sensing device.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in the computer system, retrieving from a data store, using the received identity, stored data indicative of the digital signature, the stored data including at least one of:

padding associated with the signature;

a private key;

a public key;

one or more digital signature parts; and

,

the digital signature.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the stored data is stored in a database and is indexed by at least one of:

the identity; and

,

a range of identities.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the method includes, in the computer system, generating the determined signature part using the stored data and the received identity.

7. 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 including the further step of:

determining, using the received identity, the predetermined padding; and

,

wherein the determined signature is determined using the received identity and the predetermined padding.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device forms part of the computer system.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data includes a number of coded data portions, and wherein each coded data portion is at least partially indicative of:

at least part of the identity;

at least part of the signature; and

,

a position of the coded data portion on the surface.

10. 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.

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

an identity of at least one of;

the object;

the surface; and

,

a region of the surface;

an Electronic Product Code (EPC);

a National Drug Code (NDC) number;

a serial number of a pharmaceutical item;

a currency note attribute including at least one of;

currency;

issue country;

denomination;

note side;

printing works; and

serial number;

a check attribute including at least one of;

currency

issuing institution;

account number;

serial number;

expiry date;

check value; and

limit; and

a card attribute including at least one of;

card type;

issuing institution;

account number;

issue date;

expiry date; and

limit.

12. 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.

13. 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.