Method for remote authentication of pharmaceutical products

• US 7,537,157 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Daniel A
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARIFZADEH, ALI REZA
• Application Number:
  US11/041,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20050261938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 235/385, 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 235/385
• 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 for authenticating a pharmaceutical product, the pharmaceutical product being associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the pharmaceutical product and at least part of a digital signature of at least part of the identity. The method includes having a computer system receive indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data at least partially indicative of the identity of the pharmaceutical product and the signature part. The computer system determines the identity at least one determined signature part and uses these to authenticate the pharmaceutical product.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating a pharmaceutical product item, the pharmaceutical product item being associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the pharmaceutical product item, and a part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity and padding, and comprising a plurality of signature parts, wherein the method includes the steps of:

receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data at least partially indicative of;

the identity of the pharmaceutical product item;

the signature part; and

a signature part identifier;

determining, from the received identity and the received signature part identifier, a determined signature part;

authenticating the pharmaceutical product item by comparing the received signature part and the determined signature part,

wherein the step of determining the determined signature part comprises sub-steps of;

determining, using the received identity of the pharmaceutical product item, the padding;

determining, using the padding, the received identity, and a secret key, the determined signature; and

determining the determined signature part from the determined signature and the received signature part identifier.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the secret key is determined using the received identity.

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

determining, using the identity, tracking data at least partially indicative of the location of the pharmaceutical product item; and

,

determining, using the tracking data, if the pharmaceutical product item is a possible duplicate.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further includes, in response to a successful authentication, the steps of:

authorising a transaction relating to the pharmaceutical product item; and

,

updating tracking data relating to the pharmaceutical product item, the tracking data being at least partially indicative of the location of the pharmaceutical product item.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further includes, communicating with a database, the database storing data relating the pharmaceutical product item, including at least one of:

tracking data, the tracking data being at least partially indicative of tracking information including at least one of;

an owner of the pharmaceutical product item;

one or more transactions performed using the pharmaceutical product item;

a location of the pharmaceutical product item; and

,

a location of the sensing device; and

,

product data, the product data being at least partially indicative of product information including at least one of;

a product cost;

a patient identifier;

a user identifier;

an owner identifier;

manufacture date;

batch number;

product manufacturer;

product distributor;

product supplier;

issue country;

ingredients;

storage conditions;

disposal conditions;

serial number;

expiry date;

effects;

side-effects;

conditions for use;

instructions for use;

links to further information;

contra-indications; and

,

dosage.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the method further includes causing the display of at least one of:

results of authentication;

tracking information; and

,

product information.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein packaging includes at least one of:

a blister pack;

a bottle;

a bottle lid;

a label;

a box; and

,

a leaflet.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is substantially invisible to an unaided human.

9. 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.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is provided substantially coincident with visible human-readable information.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the coded data portions encode at least one of:

a location of the respective coded data portion; and

a position of the respective coded data portion on the surface.

12. A method 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.

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 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.

14. 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.