System and method for authenticating and validating products

• US 20050289083A1
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Benjamin K. Yee, Francis Tingyu Ngai, Jenson Luis
• Original Assignee: Benjamin K. Yee, Francis Tingyu Ngai, Jenson Luis
• Inventors: Ngai, Francis Tingyu, Yee, Benjamin K., Luis, Jenson
• Application Number:
  US10/853,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20050289083A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• 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

Abstract

A system for authenticating products delivered in each of a plurality of containers packaged in a package includes a child tag attached to each container and a parent tag attached to the package, the child tags and the parent tag having a parent-child relationship.

Claims

1. A system for authenticating products delivered in each of a plurality of containers packaged in a package comprising:

a child tag attached to each container; and

a parent tag attached to the package, the child tags and the parent tag having a parent-child relationship.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parent tag and the child tags are radio frequency identification tags.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each child tag comprises a container UID, a product data, and a signature determined from a container UID, a private key, and the product data.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the parent tag comprises a package UID, the container UIDs, and a signature determined from the container UIDs and the private key.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the container UIDs are hashed.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each child tag uniquely identifies each container to which it is attached.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parent tag uniquely identifies the package containing the tagged containers.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parent tag uniquely identifies each tagged container packaged therein.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parent tag and the child tags are uniquely identified through the parent-child relationship.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each child tag is signed.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each child tag is uniquely identified with a signature.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parent tag is signed.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the parent tag is uniquely identified with a signature.

14. A method for authenticating products delivered in each of a plurality of containers packaged in a package comprising the steps of:

tagging each container with a child tag; and

tagging the package with a parent tag, the child tags and parent tag having a parent-child relationship.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the parent tag and the child tags are radio frequency identification tags.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein each child tag comprises a container UID, a product data, and a signature determined from the container UID, a private key, and the product data.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the parent tag comprises a package UID, the container UIDs, and a signature determined from the container UIDs and the private key.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the container UIDs are hashed.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein each child tag uniquely identifies each container to which it is attached.

20. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the parent tag uniquely identifies each tagged container packaged therein.

21. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the parent tag and the child tags are uniquely identified through the parent-child relationship.

22. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising signing each child tag.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein each child tag is uniquely identified with a signature.

24. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising signing the parent tag.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the parent tag is uniquely identified with a signature.

26. A method for authenticating containers packaged in a package comprising the steps of:

tagging each container with a container tag;

writing a container signature to each container tag;

tagging the package with a package tag; and

writing a package signature to the package tag, the container tags and the package tag having a parent-child relationship.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, further comprising interrogating the container tags and package tag, verifying the authenticity of the container tags, verifying the authenticity of the package tag, and verifying the parent-child relationship between the container tags and the package tag.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the package is rejected if any of the container tags is not authentic.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the package is rejected if the parent tag is not authentic.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the package is rejected if the parent-child relationship is not authentic.