Method and device for identifying objects

• US 8,942,372 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2009
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SecureCode Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SecureCode Ltd.
• Inventors: Bauer, Simon, Kobsdaj, Daniel, Kaulartz, Markus, Reiser, Oliver, Zich, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Assistant Examiner(s): POTRATZ, DANIEL B
• Application Number:
  US12/993,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 713/189, 705/50, 705/317, 705/318, 700/213, 700/215, 700219-225, 235/375, 380/28, 380/55
• US Class Current: 380/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00347 wherein the medium identifier is used as a key

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for identifying an object comprising at least one object identifier with an object code that is used to verify the authenticity of the object. The method comprises the following steps: creation of a unique random system code consisting of a first and a second system code, the first part of the system code being generated from a first character set by a first random method and the second part of the system code being generated from a second character set by a second random method and saving of the system code together with at least one first object-specific information in a first data memory, the first part of the system code being encrypted by a first encryption method and the second part of the system code by a second encryption method prior to being saved; creation of a random encryption key from a third character set by a third random method, creation of a unique assignment identifier by an assignment method and saving of the encryption key, assignment identifier and at least one second object-specific piece of information in a second data memory; creation of the object code, consisting of the first part of the system code and the assignment key, encryption of the object identifier by a fourth encryption method and saving of the encrypted system code together with the encrypted object identifier in a third data memory; and attachment of the object code to the object.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an object, comprising at least one object identifier, with an object code that is used to verify the authenticity of the object, comprising:

generating a unique random system code, which consists of a first and a second part of the system code, in which the first part of the system code is created from a first character set by a first random method that randomly selects a number of characters from the first character set and the second part of the system code from a second character set by a second random method that randomly selects a number of characters from the second character set, and storing the system code together with at least a first object-specific information in a first data memory, in which the first part of the system code is encrypted by a first encryption method and the second part of the system code by a symmetric encryption method, which uses the first part of the system code as a key for the symmetric encryption;

generating a random encryption key from a third character set by a third random method of a unique assignment identifier by an assignment method and storing the encryption key, the assignment identifier and at least a second object-specific information in a second data memory;

generating an object code, which consists of at least the first part of the system code and the assignment identifier encrypting the system code by a third encryption method, which uses the encryption key as a key, encrypting of the object identifier by a fourth encryption method which uses the system code as a key, and storing the encrypted system code together with the encrypted object identifier in a third data memory;

attaching the object code to the object, wherein the method provides a fourth data memory, in which query-specific data created during verification of the authenticity of the object is stored.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising storing an activation information, which indicates whether the system code is active or non-active, in the first data memory.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising dividing the object code into a first part of the object code and a second part of the object code.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising attaching the second part of the object code to the object in such a manner that it is not accessible from the outside, and attaching the first part of the object code to the object on the outside.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first part of the object code is attached under a visual protection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a method for verifying the authenticity of an object with the object code comprising at least one object identifier comprising:

transmitting the object code through a transmission medium, receiving the transmitted object code by a Verification Facility and storing the query-specific data, which is generated during the verification of the authenticity of the object code, in a fourth data memory;

dividing the object code into at least a first part of the system code and an assignment identifier;

encrypting the first part of the system code with a first encryption method comparing the encrypted first part of the system code with the first parts of the system codes stored in the first data memory and, if the encrypted first part of the system code is found in the first data memory, decoding a second part of the system code stored in the first data memory by a second encryption method, which uses the first part of the system code as a key and concatenation of the first and the second parts of the system code to form the system code;

comparing the assignment identifier with assignment identifiers which are stored in the second data memory and, if a matching assignment identifier is found, encrypting the system code by a third encryption method. which uses an encryption key, which is stored together with the assignment identifier in the second data memory, as a key;

comparing the encrypted system code with encrypted system codes which are stored in the third data memory and, if a matching encrypted system code is found, decoding an assigned encrypted object identifier by a fourth encryption method. which uses the system code as a key; and

displaying a decoded object identifier for comparing the displayed object identifier with the object identifier on the object.

7. The method according to claim 6, in which the system code is stored in the first data memory with additional activation information, which shows whether the system code is active or non-active, whereby the method has a further step in which the activation information is activated by one of the system codes.

8. The method according to claim 6, whereby the transmission medium is the Internet or a cell phone network.

9. The method according to claim 6, in which the query-specific data, on entering the code via the Internet, comprises at least a time, an IPaddress, an Internet service provider and a number of entry attempts.

10. The method according to claim 6, in which the query-specific data, on entering the code via Short Message Service (SMS), comprises at least a time, a cell phone number and an SMS dialing number.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first encryption method is cryptographic hash function.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the cryptographic hash function is one of a message digest algorithm and a secure hash algorithm.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the symmetric encryption is one of an advanced encryption standard (AES) and a data encryption standard (DES).

24. A computer program on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when running on a computer, executes the method according to claim 1.

25. A non-transitory data carrier on which a computer program according to claim 24 is stored in a machine-readable form.

14. A device for identifying an object with an object code, comprising at least one object identifier, which is used for the verification of the authenticity of the object;

comprising;

a System Code Creation circuit that creates a unique random system code, which consists of a first and a second part of the system code, wherein the first part of the system code is created from a first character set by a first random method that randomly selects a number of characters from the first character set and the second part of the system code is created from a second character set by a second random method that randomly selects a number of characters from the second character set;

a First Data Memory circuit that stores the system code created by the System Code Creation circuit together with at least a first object-specific information, wherein, before storing, the first part of the system code is encrypted by a first encryption method and the second part of the system code is encrypted by a symmetric encryption method, which uses the first part of the system code as a key for the symmetric encryption;

an Encryption Key Creation circuit that creates a random encryption key from a third character set by a third random method and a unique assignment identifier by an assignment method;

a Second Data Memory circuit that stores the created encryption key, the assignment identifier and at least a second object-specific information;

an Object Code Creation circuit that creates an object code, which consists of at least the first part of the system code and the assignment identifier;

a Third Data Memory circuit that stores the system code encrypted by a third encryption method, which uses the encryption key as a key, together with the object identifier, which is encrypted by a fourth encryption method which uses the system code as a key;

an Object Code Attachment circuit that attaches the object code to the object; and

a fourth Data Memory circuit that stores query-specific data, which is generated during the verification of the authenticity of the object.

15. The device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a Dividing circuit that divides the object code into a first and a second part of the object code.

16. The device for verifying the authenticity of an object with an object code comprising at least one object identifier, wherein the object code was created by a device according to claim 14, comprising:

a Receiving circuit that receives the object code, which is transferred through at least one transmission medium;

a Verification circuit that decodes the object code entered into the entry facility and to enable the decoding of the entered object code, comprising;

an Object Code Division circuit that divides the entered object code into at least a first part of the system code and an assignment identifier;

a First Comparison circuit that encrypts the first part of the system code by a first encryption method and to compare the encrypted first part of the system code with the first parts of the system codes stored in the First Data Memory circuit, and, if the encrypted first part of the system code is found in the First Data Memory circuit, to decode a second part of the system code stored in the First Data Memory circuit by a second encryption method, which uses the first part of the system code as key and to combine the first and the second parts of the system code together to form the system code;

a Second Comparison circuit that compares the assignment identifier with assignment identifiers which are stored in the Second Data Memory circuit and, if a matching assignment identifier is found, to encrypt the system code by a third encryption method, which uses an encryption key stored together with the assignment identifier in the second data memory as a key;

a Third Comparison circuit that compares the encrypted system code with encrypted system codes stored in the Third Data Memory circuit and, if a matching encrypted system code is found, to decode an assigned, encrypted object identifier by a fourth encryption method which uses the first part of the system code as key;

a Display circuit that displays the object identifier decoded by the Verification circuit; and

a fourth Data Memory circuit that stores query-specific data which is generated during the verification of the authenticity of the object code.

17. The device according to claim 16, further comprising an Activation circuit that activates a system code stored in the First Data Memory circuit as non-active.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the transmission medium is the Internet or a cell phone network.

19. The device according to claim 18 wherein, on entering the object code via the Internet, the fourth Data Memory circuit stores at least a time, an IP address, an Internet service provider and a number of entry attempts.

20. The device according to claim 18 wherein, on entering the object code via Short Message Service (SMS), the fourth Data Memory circuit stores at least the a time, a cell phone number and an SMS dialing number.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the first encryption method is cryptographic hash function.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the cryptographic hash function is one of a message digest algorithm and a secure hash algorithm.

23. The device of claim 14, wherein the symmetric encryption is one of an advanced encryption standard (AES) and a data encryption standard (DES).