Radio frequency identification tag and radio frequency identification privacy protection system and method

• US 7,755,469 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Dae-youb, Jin, Weon-il, Kim, Hwan-joon, Sung, Maeng-hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behrooz; Neda
• Application Number:
  US11/398,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20070069851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 340 51- 592, 340 101- 106, 3405721-5729, 380/46, 380/270, 380/42, 380/43, 380277-286, 380 28- 30, 380/44, 380/47, 713/189, 713/170, 235375-385, 455/41.2, 455/411
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, an RFID privacy protection system, and an RFID privacy protection method are provided. The RFID privacy protection method includes a pseudo identification (ID) used to authenticate the RFID reader and a key used to generate the pseudo ID are received; if the pseudo ID is received in response to an information request signal for reading information of the RFID tag comprising the pseudo ID, the key is transmitted; and if a pseudo ID generated using the key is equal to the pseudo ID received in response to the information request signal, an RFID of the RFID tag to read the information of the RFID tag is received.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) privacy protection method applied to an RFID privacy protection system comprising an RFID tag including a pseudo identification (ID) and a RFID that is different from the pseudo ID, and an RFID reader, the method comprising:

receiving, by the RFID reader, the pseudo ID, from the RFID tag;

transmitting, by the RFID reader, the pseudo ID received from the RFID tag to an authentication service provider;

receiving, by the RFID reader, a key used to generate a pseudo ID from the authentication service provider;

if the pseudo ID is received in response to an information request signal for reading information of the RFID tag comprising the pseudo ID, transmitting, by the RFID reader, the key to the RFID tag; and

if a pseudo ID generated using the key is equal to the pseudo ID received in response to the information request signal, receiving, by the RFID reader, the RFID of the RFID tag to read the information of the RFID tag,

wherein the pseudo ID is not a substantial RFID of the RFID tag, but an ID used to authenticate regardless if the RFID reader that transmitted the RFID request signal is able to read private information set in the RFID tag, and the RFID is provided after the authentication.

2. The RFID privacy protection method of claim 1, further comprising writing a common pseudo ID generated using a common key of the RFID privacy protection system to the RFID tag.

3. The RFID privacy protection method of claim 2, wherein the common pseudo ID written in response to the information request signal for reading the information of the RFID tag is received.

4. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag of an RFID privacy protection system comprising a RFID tag and an RFID reader, the RFID tag comprising:

a pseudo identification (ID);

a RFID that is different from the pseudo ID;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting the pseudo ID and a key;

a tag storage for storing the pseudo ID used to authenticate the RFID reader;

a determiner for determining whether the stored pseudo ID is equal to a pseudo ID generated using the received key, if a key corresponding to the pseudo ID transmitted in response to an information transmission request signal of the RFID reader is received; and

a tag controller for transmitting the RFID of the RFID tag through the transceiver, if the stored pseudo ID is equal to the generated pseudo ID,

wherein the pseudo ID is not a substantial RFID of the RFID tag, but an ID used to authenticate regardless if the RFID reader that transmitted the RFID request signal is able to read private information set in the RFID tag, and the RFID is provided after the authentication.

5. The RFID tag of claim 4, wherein the tag storage stores a common pseudo ID generated using a common key of the RFID privacy protection system.

6. A radio frequency identification (RFID) privacy protection system comprising an RFID tag including a pseudo identification (ID) and a RFID that is different from the pseudo ID, an RFID reader, and a device including an RFID reader function, the device including an RFID reader function comprising:

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting the pseudo ID and a key;

an RFID interface for transmitting an information request signal for reading information of the RFID tag;

a storage for storing the pseudo ID and a key used to generate the pseudo ID received through the transceiver from the authenticated RFID reader; and

a controller for transmitting the key to the RFID tag through the RFID interface if the pseudo ID is received in response to the information request signal, and receiving the RFID of the RFID tag,

wherein the pseudo ID is not a substantial RFID of the RFID tag, but an ID used to authenticate regardless if the RFID reader that transmitted the RFID request signal is able to react private information set in the RFID tag, and the RFID is provided after the authentication.

7. The device including an RFID reader function of claim 6, wherein if the pseudo ID is changed, the storage stores a common key used to generate a pseudo ID is changed.

8. The device including an RFID reader function of claim 7, wherein the controller writes a common pseudo ID generated using the common key to the RFID tag.