AUTHENTICATION OF AN OBJECT

• US 20090125723A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• 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 8,015,412 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

A method of authenticating an object is disclosed. Coded data portions are provided on a surface of the object. Each coded data portion encodes a position of coded data portion on the surface, an identity associated with the object and a signature fragment. The signature fragment is a fragment of a digital signature of at least part of the identity associated with the object. Next, indicating data is received from a sensing device in response to the sensing device sensing coded data portions. The indicating data is representative of the data encoded in the coded data portions sensed by the sensing device. From the indicating data the identity associate with the object, a plurality of signature fragments encoded in respective coded data portions, and the position of respective coded data portions are determined. A signature fragment identifier for respective signature fragments is determined from the respective positions. Also, a determined signature is determined by arranging the signature fragments according to their respective signature fragment identifiers. The determined signature is decrypted to obtain a determined identity. The object is authenticated by comparing the identity to the determined identity.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating an object, the method including steps of:

providing coded data portions on a surface of the object, each coded data portion encoding a position of coded data portion on the surface, an identity associated with the object and a signature fragment, the signature fragment being a fragment of a digital signature of at least part of the identity associated with the object;

receiving from a sensing device indicating data in response to the sensing device sensing a plurality of coded data portions, the indicating data being representative of the data encoded in the plurality of coded data portions sensed by the sensing device;

determining from the indicating data the identity associate with the object, a plurality of signature fragments encoded in respective coded data portions, and the position of respective coded data portions;

determining a signature fragment identifier for respective signature fragments from the respective positions;

determining a determined signature by arranging the plurality of signature fragments according to their respective signature fragment identifiers;

decrypting the determined signature to obtain a determined identity;

comparing the identity to the determined identity; and

authenticating the object using the result of the comparison.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the signature is further a digital signature of padding, the padding being generated from the identity associated with the object, and the decrypting step decrypts the determined signature to obtain the determined identity and a determined padding.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes further steps of:

generating authentication data indicative of success or failure of the authentication; and

transferring the authentication data to a user.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the method further includes a step of transferring the authentication data to a sensing device.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the digital signature is generated from at least part of the identity by encrypting at least part of the identity using a private key, and the decrypting step uses a public key complimentary to the private key to obtain the determined identity.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the private and public keys are stored and retrieved by indexing the keys by the identity.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes communicating with the sensing device via at least one of:

a communications network;

the Internet;

a mobile phone network; and

,

a wireless connection.

8. 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 complimentary 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 complimentary public key.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identity associated with the object is the identity of the object.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identity associated with the object is the identity of the surface.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identity associated with the object is the identity of a region of the surface.

12. 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.

13. 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.