Dynamic object tag and systems and methods relating thereto

• US 9,928,513 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huxham, Horatio Nelson, O'Regan, Alan Joseph, Bester, Ian Phillip, Moss, Tara Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Korsak, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US14/428,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• 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: G06F 21/72 in cryptographic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0709 the source being an interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/16 Copy protection or prevention
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/003 Anti-theft control theft alarms G08B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0838 using one-time-passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/47 using near field communication [NFC] or radio frequency identification [RFID] modules

Abstract

A dynamic object tag for a product and systems and methods relating thereto is disclosed. The dynamic object tag comprises a hardware security module, including an electronic storage module, and a communication module for communicating with an interrogation device. The hardware security module is adapted to establish a secure communication channel with the interrogation device, to exchange dynamic authentication parameters with the interrogation device, and to communicate product information stored on the electronic storage module to the interrogation device over the secure communication channel.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a product, the method being conducted at an interrogation device having a unique digital user identifier, and comprising the steps of:

exchanging dynamic authentication parameters with a dynamic object tag to establish a secure communication channel with the dynamic object tag, wherein the dynamic object tag comprises (a) a communication module and (b) a hardware security module, the hardware security module comprising (i) a public processing unit in communication with the communication module, and (ii) a secure processing unit that is only exposed to the public processing unit, and comprises a cryptoprocessor and a secure memory storage including a cryptographic key storage, wherein one or both of a physical separation and a logical separation is provided between the secure processing unit and the public processing unit, wherein one or both of the logical and physical separation creates a division in hardware roles to protect the secure processing unit, and wherein the public processing unit is configured to serve as a gatekeeper or a firewall to ensure that unauthorized or unwanted communications are not sent to the secure processing unit;

requesting product information including at least a product identifier from the dynamic object tag; and

,

receiving the requested product information over the secure communication channel.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method includes a further step of displaying the requested product information on a display screen of the interrogation device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes a further step of communicating the received product information and user identifier to a remotely accessible server.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the method includes a further step of receiving, from the remotely accessible server, an incentive to be offered to the user to incentivize a purchase of the product and/or one or more associated products, the incentive having been calculated based at least on the product identifier, a user profile, and a predetermined incentive strategy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes a further step of transmitting a recommendation in respect of the product to one or more other interrogation devices, the recommendation including at least the product identifier, having been obtained from the dynamic object tag of the product by the recommending interrogation device, and a user identifier corresponding to the recommending interrogation device.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the method includes further steps of receiving a recommendation in respect of the product from one or more recommending interrogation devices, storing the recommendation in a recommendation list, detecting when a stored recommendation is acted upon and, upon such detection, communicating an action notification to a remotely accessible server, the action notification including at least the product and user identifiers.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic object tag includes a power harvesting component for powering the hardware security module and the communication module.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of the product information received over the secure communication channel is in-field rewritable information or data stored in a secure memory storage of the secure processing unit.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein exchanging dynamic authentication parameters with the dynamic object tag includes the hardware security module establishing a handshake with the interrogation device to exchange variable encryption keys and unique identifiers, wherein each response by the dynamic object tag to the interrogation device is dynamic and unique.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein exchanging dynamic authentication parameters includes the hardware security module exchanging a sequential counter and one or more authentication codes.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the one or more authentication codes are at least partially recalculated by the interrogation device upon each successful interrogation of the dynamic object tag, the recalculated authentication codes being communicated back to the hardware security module over the secure communication channel for storage in the secure memory storage of the secure processing unit and used during a subsequent interrogation.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interrogation device includes a hardware security module configured to establish the secure communication channel with the hardware security module of the dynamic object tag.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the product information includes one or more of a group of:

a unique product identifier;

product attributes written to the secure memory storage of the dynamic object tag at a time of manufacture;

product attributes updated by an authorized interrogation device; and

/or product attributes updated by events experienced by the product.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of the product information received over the secure communication channel is stored in the secure memory storage of the secure processing unit;

and

the product information is rewritable by the interrogation device, such that the product information may be updated by the interrogation device during a lifetime of the product.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic object tag includes one or more sensors for sensing events experienced by the product.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the dynamic object tag includes one or more actuators for activating a response to events experienced by the product.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic object tag is disposed in a tamper evidencing closure for a product container, the tamper evidencing closure comprising a body configured to be secured over and seal an opening of the container, the tamper evidencing closure including at least one sensor being in electrical communication with the dynamic object tag and operable to detect an event intimating a compromise of an integrity of the product and to communicate a detection of the event to the dynamic object tag, the dynamic object tag in turn being operable to store the detection of the event and to communicate the detection of the event to the interrogation device over the secure communication channel.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic object tag is secured to a storage medium for storing digital data, the dynamic object tag being configured to provide read access to the interrogation device such that the digital data is communicated to the interrogation device over the secure communication channel.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the digital data is stored on the storage medium in an encrypted format, the dynamic object tag being operable to decrypt the stored data and forward the decrypted data to the interrogation device over the secure communication channel.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the data is stored on the storage medium in an encrypted format, the dynamic object tag forwarding the encrypted data to the interrogation device over the secure communication channel for decryption and interpretation.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secure communication channel is established over a wireless communication or Ethernet interface on the interrogation device and/or dynamic object tag.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic object tag includes one or more electrophoretic ink (E-ink) regions, the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the interrogation device, instructions to the dynamic object tag over the secure communication channel to selectively expose and obscure selective electrophoretic ink regions.

23. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the predetermined incentive strategy is based on one or more of a group of:

a marketing strategy, a retailer'"'"'s or manufacturer'"'"'s analytics, and a consumer economic value.

24. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the public processing unit further comprises:

a first communication interface for communicating with the communication module of the dynamic object tag; and

a second communication interface for communicating with the secure processing unit, wherein requests to exchange information between the first communication interface and second communication interface are managed and responded to by a processor of the public processing unit.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the processor of the public processing unit runs an operating system for managing functionality and operations of the hardware security module, the functionality and operations managed by the operating system including one or more of:

responding to product information requests received from an interrogation device via the communication module;

sending encryption and decryption requests to the secure processing unit;

sending requests to the secure processing unit to create or verify MAC or hash values for at least a portion of messages sent to and from the communication module;

providing certificates for applications;

storing encrypted communications history; and

managing commands and information exchanges between the first and second communication interface.

26. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secure memory storage of the secure processing unit comprises a data storage separate from the cryptographic key storage and comprises the product information, and wherein contents of the cryptographic key storage are never transmitted outside of the secure processing unit and are inaccessible by the public processing unit.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the public processing unit of the hardware security module is configured to:

receive, from the communication module, a request from the interrogation device;

send the request to the secure processing unit;

determine that the secure communication channel is no longer operational; and

terminate communications with the communication module based on a determination that the secure communication channel is no longer operational.