Coded Data Associated with an Object and Encoding a Distributed Signature

• US 20080022112A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• 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 7,484,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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

An object associated with a surface that has coded data disposed thereon or therein. The coded data includes a number of coded data portions, each of which encodes an identity of the object. In addition, each coded data portion encodes at least part of a signature that is a digital signature of at least part of the identity. This allows the coded data to be used to both identify and authenticate the object.

Claims

1. An object having a surface, the surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data including 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.

2. An object 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.

3. An object according to claim 1, wherein the padding is associated with and unique to the identity, the padding being at least one of:

a predetermined number;

a random number.

4. An object according to claim 1, wherein each data portion encodes a signature fragment.

5. An object according to claim 4, wherein the entire signature is encoded within a plurality of data portions.

6. An object 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 de lining at least part of the signature.

7. An object according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is substantially invisible to an unaided human.

8. An object according to claim 7, wherein the coded data is printed on the surface using at least one of:

an invisible ink; and

,

an infrared-absorptive ink.

9. An object according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is provided substantially coincident with visible human-readable information.

10. An object according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the coded data portions encode data 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;

an identity of a signature fragment; and

,

units of indicated locations.

11. An object according to claim 1, wherein the coded data includes at least one of:

redundant data;

data allowing error correction;

Reed-Solomon data; and

,

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) data.

12. An object 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.

13. An object 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.

14. An object according to claim 1, wherein at least one coded data portion further encodes at least a fragment of a data object.

15. An object according to claim 14, wherein the data object includes at least one of:

the digital signature;

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) data;

text data;

image data;

audio data;

video data;

application data;

contact data;

business card data;

and,

directory data.

16. An object according to claim 1, wherein the object includes at least one of:

an item of manufacture;

a pharmaceutical item;

a currency note;

a check;

a credit or debit card;

a redeemable ticket, voucher, or coupon;

a lottery ticket or instant win ticket; and

,

an identity card or document, such as a driver'"'"'s license or passport.

17. An object 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. An object according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is adapted to be sensed by a sensing device to allow determination of the identity;

and, at least part of the signature.

19. An object 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.

20. An object 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.