Method for documenting property or possession and transfer of property or possession of a merchandise

• US 7,860,797 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2005
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thoughtfab Limited
• Original Assignee: Thoughtfab Limited
• Inventors: Michelsen, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani; Taghi T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Plecha; Thaddeus
• Application Number:
  US11/575,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 726/28, 713/183, 705/50
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• 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 9/0897 involving additional devices, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard or USB

Abstract

A method wherein, by using a storage medium arranged on goods, it is possible to distinctly register a conveyance of ownership or title on this storage medium, and wherein only the current owner or proprietor and possibly also an independent verifying agency has access to the storage medium.

Claims

1. A method for documentation of an ownership or title of a good and also the conveyance of same comprising:

providing the good with a radio-frequency storage tag having an overwritable electronic storage medium accessible by a first pair of digital keys, wherein the first pair of digital keys includes a first digital key stored on the storage medium and a second digital key enabling a first owner or proprietor read and write access to the storage medium; and

enabling the storage medium to document a change of ownership or title of the good from the first owner or proprietor to a second owner or proprietor by the second owner or proprietor providing the first owner or proprietor a first digital key of a second pair of digital keys, and the first owner or proprietor completes the transfer of title or ownership of the good by using the first owner or proprietor'"'"'s second digital key to overwrite the first owner or proprietor'"'"'s first digital key saved on the storage medium with the first digital key of the second pair of digital keys to enable the second owner or proprietor to further change ownership or title to a subsequent owner by obtaining read and write access to the storage by using a second digital key of the second pair of digital keys; and

enabling locking and deactivation of the storage medium to further reading and writing by any subsequent owner or proprietor of the good using a second digital key from a pair of keys to overwrite a previous owner or proprietor'"'"'s first digital key on the storage medium with a locking digital key that locks and prevents the storage medium from permitting further reading or writing by a subsequent owner while deactivated;

wherein the locking digital key is the first digital key of an individual pair of keys of a third party that includes a second digital key permitting the third party to unlock and reactivate the storage medium.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the first digital keys of each pair of keys is a public encryption key and the second digital keys of each pair of keys is a private encryption key.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein goods-related data selected from the group consisting of commercial documentation data, freight documentation data and combinations thereof is saved on the storage medium.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein goods-related data selected from the group consisting of type of goods, article number, place of manufacture, time of manufacture, shelf life and combinations thereof is saved on the storage medium.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein data about the possessors or owners and their sequence in time is saved on the storage medium.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling a verification agency at least read access to the storage medium by maintaining on the storage medium an additional first digital key of an additional pair of digital keys that enables at least read access by using an additional second digital key of the additional pair of keys.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein data about the possessors or owners and their sequence in time is saved on the storage medium.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein goods-related data selected from the group consisting of commercial documentation data, freight documentation data and combinations thereof is saved on the storage medium.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein a radio-frequency storage tag is used as the storage medium.

10. A method for documentation of an ownership or title of a good and also the conveyance of same comprising:

providing the good with a radio-frequency storage tag having an overwritable electronic storage medium including a first digital key of an individual pair of keys, wherein the pair of keys includes the first digital key and a second digital key of an owner or proprietor of the good, and wherein the owner or proprietor has read and write access to the storage medium by using the second digital key; and

changing ownership or title to the good using the second digital key by overwriting the first digital key on the storage medium with a separate locking digital key that locks, deactivates and prevents the storage medium from further reading or writing by the owner or proprietor and subsequent owners or proprietors while deactivated,

wherein the separate locking digital key is a public locking digital key of a third party'"'"'s pair of keys that includes a second digital private unlocking key permitting the third party to unlock and have at least read access to the storage medium.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the third party is selected from the group consisting of the manufacturer of the good, an independent institution and a verification agency.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein goods-related data selected from the group consisting of type of goods, article number, place of manufacture, time of manufacture, shelf life and combinations thereof is saved on the storage medium.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein goods-related data selected from the group consisting of type of goods, article number, place of manufacture, time of manufacture, shelf life and combinations thereof is saved on the storage medium.