Object delivery authentication

• US 8,103,874 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Inventors: Ho, Chi Fai, Chiu, Shin Cheung Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US11/282,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20070118741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,258 Days
• Field of Search: 713/170
• US Class Current: 713/170
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

Provided is a method and system for authenticating object delivery including the steps of receiving by an object receiver an object delivery information package from an object deliverer over a call network during a communication between the object receiver and the object deliverer, wherein the object delivery information package comprises object information and object deliverer identity information, receiving by the object receiver an object from the object deliverer, and authenticating the receipt of the object by the object receiver using the object information and object deliverer identity information.

Claims

1. An object delivery authentication method comprising:

receiving by an object receiver comprising a hardware processor an object delivery information package from an object deliverer comprising a hardware processor over a call network during a communication between the object receiver and the object deliverer, wherein the object delivery information package comprises object information and object deliverer identity information associated with an object to be received by the object receiver;

later, receiving by the object receiver, the object from the object deliverer;

sending an authentication request of the object and/or the received object delivery information package from the object receiver to an authentication module, comprising a hardware processor, over at least one of the call network and an additional network; and

authenticating, by the hardware processor of the authentication module, the object and/or the received object delivery information package received by the object receiver using the object information and object deliverer identity information, wherein the authentication comprises;

comparing one or more entries in an authentication datastore in communication with the authentication module with at least one of (i) the object deliverer identity information and (ii) the object information;

associating a secret with the object delivery information by the authentication module, the secret comprising a plurality of secret questions and a corresponding plurality of secret answers;

sending the secret questions to the object deliverer by the authentication module;

receiving answers to the secret questions by the authentication module from the object deliverer;

determining whether the object and/or the object delivery information package is or is not authentic, based on whether the answers from the object deliverer match the secret answers and whether the number of matching secret answers provided are equal to or greater than a pre-selected minimum number, and

wherein the authentication module provides an object key associated with the object and/or the object delivery information package to the object receiver after determining that the object is delivered by an authentic object deliverer.

2. The method according to claim 1, the authenticating occurring over the call network during the communication between the object deliverer and object receiver.

3. The method according to claim 1, the authenticating occurring over the call network during a different communication between the object deliverer and object receiver.

4. The method according to claim 1, the authenticating occurring during a second communication between the object deliverer and object receiver using a different call network.

5. The method according to claim 4, the different call network comprising a non-voice network.

6. The method according to claim 1, the authenticating further comprising:

receiving a notification from the authentication module by the object receiver, the notification indicating whether the object and/or the object delivery information package is or is not authentic.

7. The method according to claim 1, the requesting authentication from the authentication module by the object receiver being performed via an application programming interface.

8. The method according to claim 1, the authentication datastore comprising at least one of the group comprising a computer memory, a computer database and a hard disk drive.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the authentication module provides an object key associated with the object and/or the object delivery information package to the object receiver after determining that the object and/or the object delivery information package is authentic such that the object receiver operates to use the object key to decrypt the object and/or the object delivery information package when the object and/or the object delivery information package is encrypted.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object is received by the object receiver during the communication over the call network.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the object is received in a voice message by the object receiver during the communication over the call network.

12. An object delivery authentication system, comprising:

an object delivery information package comprising object information and object deliverer identity information, wherein the object delivery information package is sent by an object deliverer to an object receiver over a call network, wherein the object delivery information package being associated with an object to be sent by the object deliverer to the object receiver; and

an authentication module comprising a hardware processor in communication with the object receiver, the authentication module operating to (i) receive an authentication request for one or more of the object and the received object delivery information package from the object receiver over at least one of;

the call network and the additional network and (ii) authenticate the object and/or the received object delivery information package using the object information and the object deliverer identity information,

wherein the authentication comprises;

comparing one or more entries in an authentication datastore in communication with the authentication module with at least one of (i) the object deliverer identity information and (ii) the object information;

associating a secret with the object delivery information, wherein the secret comprises a plurality of secret questions and a corresponding plurality of secret answers;

sending the secret questions to the object deliverer;

receiving answers to the secret questions from the object deliverer; and

determining whether the object and/or the object delivery information package is or is not authentic, based on whether the answers from the object deliverer match the secret answers, and whether the number of correct secret answers provided are equal to or greater than a pre-selected minimum number; and

the authentication module provides an object key associated with the object and/or the object delivery information package to the object receiver after determining that the object deliverer is authenticated to deliver the object.

13. The system according to claim 12, the object delivery information package being sent during a second communication between the object deliverer and the object receiver.

14. The system according to claim 12, the object delivery information package being sent from the object deliverer to the object receiver over an alternative communications network over which the object deliverer and object receiver communicate.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the authentication module further comprises

the authentication datastore comprising the one or more entries;

and the authentication module operates to send to the object receiver a result that the object and/or the object delivery information package is or is not authentic.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the comparison of the object delivery information package with the one or more entries in the authentication datastore includes comparison of object information only.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the comparison of the object delivery information package with the one or more entries in the authentication datastore includes comparison of object deliverer identity only.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein:

the authentication datastore comprises at least one object deliverer identity, each of the at least one object deliverer identities associated with at least one object delivery information;

the authentication module compares the object delivery information package with the object deliverer identities and the associated object delivery information in the authentication datastore; and

at least one of;

when the object delivery information package matches an object delivery information associated with the object deliverer identity in the authentication datastore, the authentication module operates to send to the object receiver a result that the object and/or the object delivery information package is authentic; and

when the object delivery information package does not match an object delivery information associated with the object deliverer identity in the authentication datastore,the authentication module operates to send to the object receiver a result that the object and/or the object delivery information package is not authentic.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein the object receiver operates to use the object key to decrypt the object and/or the object delivery information package when the object and/or the object delivery information package is encrypted.