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

• US 20050273597A1
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,457,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/157
• 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, 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:

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.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, 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 coded data portions, each coded data portion encoding:

an identity; and

,

at least a signature fragment;

wherein the method includes sensing a plurality of coded data portions to thereby determine the plurality of signature fragments.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein each coded data portion encodes a signature fragment identity, and wherein the method includes:

determining the signature fragment identity of each determined signature fragment; and

,

determining, using the determined signature fragment identities, the determined signature.

5. 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.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of tags, each coded data portion being formed from at least one tag.

7. 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.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of signature fragments are indicative of the entire signature.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes:

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.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the stored data is indexed by at least one of:

the identity; and

,

a range of identities.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the method includes, retrieving the stored data from a remote database.

12. 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.

13. A method of according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in a sensing device:

using a sensor, sensing the coded data;

using a processor;

determining, from the sensed coded data;

the identity of the object;

the plurality of signature fragments, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity;

determining, using the plurality of signature fragments, the determined signature;

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

comparing the identity to the generated identity; and

,

authenticating the object using the results of the comparison.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the indicating data is further indicative of at least one of:

a location of the respective data portion;

a position of the respective data portion on the surface;

a size of the data portions;

a size of the signature;

a size of the signature fragment;

an identity of a signature fragment;

units of indicated locations;

redundant data;

data allowing error correction;

Reed-Solomon data; and

,

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) data.

15. 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.

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

the object;

the surface; and

,

a region of the surface.

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

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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded includes a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion encoding:

an identity; and

,

at least part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity.