Patent Application
20220318821
The subject of this patent application relates generally to authentication systems, and more particularly to a system and associated methods for authenticating tangible products.
Applicant(s) hereby incorporate herein by reference any and all patents and published patent applications cited or referred to in this application.
By way of background, the creation of counterfeit tangible products, from technology to consumer goods, is a massive problem that injures our economy, causes the loss of jobs, damages company reputations, and in some cases may even cause injury or death to the public. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in 2017 the intellectual property rights (“IPR”) seizures of confiscated counterfeit goods in the U.S. added up to a total estimated manufacturer's suggested retail price (“MSRP”) of approximately $1.2 trillion. As such, a device and system to authenticate and verify the brand origin of tangible products is critically needed to protect company assets and reputations, as well as consumer finances and health.
Counterfeit tangible products are often the cause of product failure in many industries, especially those with technology or engineered components, such as the automotive industry. As already noted, these inferior counterfeit products may expose a manufacturer to liability for damage or injuries to the public due to unauthorized component integration by third parties with mistaken attribution to the original manufacturer.
Current methods of counterfeit prevention for tangible products include: holograms, stickers, watermarks, adhesive seals, and other special identifying markers that are, unfortunately, easily bypassed by counterfeiters. Other authentication methods such as one-time passwords, and challenge-response protocols are commonly used for online user authentication. The ability to duplicate an identifying marker, barcode or other authentication code when a system is cracked or compromised allows counterfeiters to duplicate hundreds or thousands of instances of a specific brand model, severely impacting the legitimate brand entity's ability to profit from its intellectual property.
The general public also typically lacks the expertise to separate fake identifying markers from genuine ones, even if the fake markers are poorly made. This has spawned the creation of product authentication experts and platforms which attempt to identify and certify products by detailed examination of the goods. Well counterfeited goods, however, can defeat these attempts. A robust solution for the problem of mass counterfeiting is desperately needed. Static countermeasures, like holograms and stickers, and existing electronic systems and human identification experts, are not sufficient protection against sophisticated counterfeiters.
Near-field communication (“NFC”) devices that generate unique one-time codes for authentication currently exist; however they are primarily used in business-to-business (“B2B”) applications. These NFC tags can also be activated and read by any nearby enabled NFC reader, leading to potential privacy issues.
Thus, a new system and associated methods for authenticating tangible products, where the identity of the item's brand entity and ancillary information is authenticated through a device integrated or attached to the tangle product, is desired.
Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following summary.
It should be noted that the above background description includes information that may be useful in understanding aspects of the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Aspects of the present invention teach certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the exemplary advantages described below.
The present invention solves the problems described above by providing a product authentication system and associated methods of use. In at least one embodiment, upon a user desiring to authenticate a given product via a user application on a user device in the user's possession or control, an authentication request is initiated with an authentication device attached to the product. A device sequence value on the authentication device is advanced based on a sequence algorithm that is unique to at least one of 1) the corresponding product, 2) a manufacturer of the corresponding product, or 3) a model of the corresponding product, and the authentication device generates a data set containing at least one of a unique device identifier, a unique device key, a device count, and the device sequence value. The authentication device provides the data set and the device identifier to the user application. The user application transmits the data set and the device identifier to an authentication server, which maintains an at least one authentication table containing select data associated with the at least one product and associated authentication device. If the authentication server determines that the transmitted device identifier does not match any of the at least one device identifier stored in the at least one authentication table, the authentication server transmits an error message to the user application. Otherwise, if the authentication server locates the transmitted device identifier in the at least one authentication table, the authentication server obtains from the authentication table a server sequence value associated with the transmitted device identifier, and compares the server sequence value with the device sequence value. If the device sequence value is earlier in the sequence than the server sequence value, or in the same position in the sequence as the server sequence value, the authentication server transmits an error message to the user application. Otherwise, the authentication server transmits a success message to the user application, indicating that the authentication of said product has succeeded. The authentication server also sets the server sequence value to be equal to the device sequence value.
Other features and advantages of aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of aspects of the invention.
The accompanying drawings illustrate aspects of the present invention. In such drawings:
The above described drawing figures illustrate aspects of the invention in at least one of its exemplary embodiments, which are further defined in detail in the following description. Features, elements, and aspects of the invention that are referenced by the same numerals in different figures represent the same, equivalent, or similar features, elements, or aspects, in accordance with one or more embodiments.
Turning now to
At the outset, it should be noted that communication between each of the authentication server 24, at least one user device 26, and at least one authentication device 28 may be achieved using any wired- or wireless-based communication protocol (or combination of protocols) now known or later developed. As such, the present invention should not be read as being limited to any one particular type of communication protocol, even though certain exemplary protocols may be mentioned herein for illustrative purposes, such as the Internet or a local area network for example. Similarly, in at least one embodiment, communications between each of the authentication server 24, at least one user device 26, and at least one authentication device 28 may be encrypted using any encryption method (or combination of methods) now known or later developed. It should also be noted that the term “user device” is intended to include any type of computing or electronic device now known or later developed—such as desktop computers, mobile phones, smartphones, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal data assistants, gaming devices, wearable devices, etc.—capable of substantially carrying out the functionality described herein. As such, the present invention should not be read as being limited to use with any one particular type of computing or electronic device, even though certain exemplary devices may be mentioned or shown herein for illustrative purposes. It should also be noted that, in at least one embodiment, the term “product” is intended to generally include any type of tangible object, now known or later developed, that might be purchased by the at least one user.
With continued reference to
In at least one embodiment, the at least one authentication device 28 is attached to or otherwise associated with one of the at least one product 22 (for simplicity purposes, the term “attached” is used herein to generally refer to the association between each authentication device 28 and the corresponding product 22, with said attachment being physical and/or digital). In other words, in at least one embodiment, the system 20 utilizes a one-to-one relationship between authentication devices 28 and products 22 (i.e., a separate authentication device 28 for each individual product 22). Thus, in at least one embodiment, the at least one authentication device 28 is physically attached or otherwise affixed to the corresponding product 22 in any form or method now known or later developed. For example, where a given product 22 is a retail item, such as a handbag, the corresponding authentication device 28 may be physically embedded within, or otherwise integrated with, the corresponding product 22. In at least one further example, the authentication device 28 may be incorporated into a hang tag or packaging. Typically, a given authentication device 28 is attached to the corresponding product 22 by the manufacturer of said product 22; however, in some cases, other individuals or entities—such as vendors, distributors, sales personnel, retail management, wholesale management or even consumers—may attach the authentication device 28 (especially since any or all of these individuals or entities can benefit from using the system 20).
In at least one embodiment, the various components of the at least one user device 26 may reside on a single computing and/or electronic device, or may separately reside on two or more computing and/or electronic devices in communication with one another. In at least one embodiment, the functionality provided by the user application 32 resides remotely in memory on the authentication server 24, with each user device 26 capable of accessing said functionality via an online portal hosted by the authentication server 24, either in addition to or in lieu of the user application 32 residing locally in memory 34 on the at least one user device 26. It should be noted that, for simplicity purposes, the functionality provided by the user application 32 will be described herein as such—even though certain embodiments may provide said functionality through an online portal, or through other means on the user device 26. Accordingly, it should also be noted that, for simplicity purposes, when discussing functionality and the various methods that may be carried out by the system 20 herein, the terms “user device” and “user application” are intended to be interchangeable, given that the various methods may be carried out by the user application 32 in at least one embodiment, and by the user device 26 via means other than the user application 32 in at least one alternate embodiment. It should also be noted that the term “memory,” as it relates to each of the at least one user device 26 and authentication device 28, is intended to include any type of electronic storage medium (or combination of storage mediums) now known or later developed, such as local hard drives, RAM, flash memory, secure digital (“SD”) cards, external storage devices, network or cloud storage devices, integrated circuits, etc.
With continued reference to
As illustrated in the architecture diagram of
Additionally, in at least one embodiment, as illustrated in
As discussed in detail below, the system 20 may be utilized in a variety of contexts, where it is desirable to allow the at least one user to verify the authenticity of the at least one product 22. It should be noted that the below described applications of the system 20 are merely exemplary and are being provided herein for illustrative purposes. As such, the system 20 and associated methods described herein should not be read as being so limited, but instead can be utilized in any context, now known or later conceived, where there is a need for verifying the authenticity of the at least one product 22.
In at least one embodiment, upon a new product 22 being registered with the system 20 (i.e., to allow the at least one user to subsequently verify the authenticity of the product 22), the authentication server 24 first creates an entry in the authentication table 54 for the associated authentication device 28, including at least one of the device identifier 44 and device key 46 of the authentication device 28, along with any desired product details 60 related to the corresponding product 22, as mentioned above. Additionally, the server count 56 associated with the authentication device 28 is initialized to be zero, while the server sequence value 58 is initialized based on the associated sequence algorithm 51. In at least one embodiment, where each of the device sequence values 50 in the entire sequence 49 is calculated at the time of initiating the associated authentication device 28, the sequence 49 may also be stored in the authentication table 54 for the associated authentication device 28. In at least one embodiment, the authentication device 28 and its associated product 22 are then made available/accessible to the at least one user (such as a consumer, for example).
In at least one embodiment, as illustrated in the flow diagram of
In at least one embodiment, upon the user application 32 receiving the data set and the device identifier 44 (along with the MAC, where applicable), the user application 32 transmits the data set and the device identifier 44 (along with the MAC, where applicable) to the authentication server 24 (412). In at least one embodiment, before processing the data set and the device identifier 44 (along with the MAC, where applicable), the authentication server 24 first determines whether the user device 26 has authorization to access the system 20. If the user device 26 does not have authorization to access the system 20, the authentication server 24 transmits an error message to the user application 32, informing the user of the access denial. In at least one such embodiment, the authentication server 24 directs the user to install an authorized version of the user application 32 or otherwise properly register with the system 20. Once the authentication server 24 determines that the user device 26 has authorization to access the system 20 (or, alternatively, where such access authorization is not required), the authentication server 24 accesses the authentication table 54 based on the transmitted device identifier 44. In embodiments where the transmitted device identifier 44 was encrypted by the authentication device 28 (as discussed above), the authentication server 24 first decrypts the device identifier 44. If the device identifier 44 is not found in the authentication table 54 (414), the authentication server 24 transmits an error message to the user application 32 (416)—indicating that the device identifier 44 does not exist in the system 20—which is then presented to the user via the display screen 36 of the user device 26 (or via audible cues, tactile cues, or any other form of feedback, now known or later developed in at least one further embodiment). Otherwise, in at least one embodiment, if the device identifier 44 is found in the authentication table 54 (414), the authentication server 24 obtains the device key 46 associated with the device identifier 44, and uses the device key 46 to process the data set (420). In at least one such embodiment, processing the data set involves decrypting the data set (or at least any portions of the data set that have been encrypted) using the device key 46. In at least one alternate embodiment, where a MAC was transmitted, processing the data set involves using the device key 46 (or a different key, in at least one further embodiment) to authenticate the MAC. If processing of the data set is unsuccessful (422)—i.e., if the decrypted data set is an indecipherable sequence of bits or, alternatively, if the associated MAC cannot be authenticated—the authentication server 24 transmits an error message to the user application 32 (416)—indicating that the authentication of the associated product 22 has failed—which is then presented to the user via the display screen 36 of the user device 26 (or via audible cues, tactile cues, or any other form of feedback, now known or later developed in at least one further embodiment). In at least one further embodiment, if the processing of the data set is unsuccessful, the authentication server 24 further flags the device identifier 44 in the authentication table 54 as being suspicious (418), or alternatively locks the device identifier 44 temporarily or permanently. In at least one such embodiment, details associated with unsuccessful authentication attempts are stored by the authentication server 24 in an authentication attempts table, with said table containing select details including at least one of the device identifier 44 currently associated with each of the at least one authentication device 28 that has had an unsuccessful authentication attempt, the data set associated with each unsuccessful authentication attempt, and select details associated with user device 26 from which each unsuccessful authentication attempt originated. Based on these details, in at least one embodiment, the authentication server 24 is capable of determining whether a given authentication device 28, device identifier 44 and/or user device 26 should be flagged or locked as being suspicious. In at least one further embodiment, the authentication attempts table also stores details associated with successful authentication attempts.
In at least one embodiment, if the processing of the data set is successful (422), the authentication server 24 obtains the server count 56 associated with the device identifier 44 and compares the server count 56 against the device count 48. The server count 56 value represents the device count 48 value that was stored by the authentication server 24 after the last successful authentication of the associated product 22, prior to the current authentication attempt. As such, if the product 22 is authentic, then the associated device count 48 will be higher than the server count 56. In at least one embodiment, if the processing of the data is successful (422), the authentication server 24 obtains (or calculates) the server sequence value 58 associated with the device identifier 44, based on the provided device count 48, and compares the server sequence value 58 against the provided device sequence value 50. If the server sequence value 58 does not match the provided device sequence value 50 (meaning that the provided device sequence value 50 was not generated using the correct sequence algorithm 51), the authentication server 24 transmits an error message to the user application 32 (416)—indicating that the authentication of the associated product 22 has failed—which is then presented to the user via the display screen 36 of the user device 26 (or via audible cues, tactile cues, or any other form of feedback, now known or later developed in at least one further embodiment). In at least one further embodiment, if the processing of the data is successful (422), the authentication server 24 obtains (or calculates) the server sequence value 58 associated with the device identifier 44, based on the server count 56, and compares the server sequence value 58 against the provided device sequence value 50. The server sequence value 58 represents the device sequence value 50 that was stored by the authentication server 24 after the last successful authentication of the associated product 22, prior to the current authentication attempt. As such, if the product 22 is authentic, then the associated device sequence value 50 will be at least one one value later in the associated sequence 49 (based on the underlying sequence algorithm 51 used to advance each of the device sequence value 50 and server sequence value 58) than the server sequence value 58. In at least one still further embodiment, the authentication server 24 utilizes both the server count 56 and the server sequence value 58. If the authentication server 24 determines that the server count 56 is greater than or equal to the device count 48, or that the server sequence value 58 is one or more values later in the associated sequence 49, or in the same position in the sequence 49, as compared to the device sequence value 50 (424), the authentication server 24 transmits an error message to the user application 32 (416)—indicating that the authentication of the associated product 22 has failed—which is then presented to the user via the display screen 36 of the user device 26 (or via audible cues, tactile cues, or any other form of feedback, now known or later developed in at least one further embodiment). In at least one further embodiment, if the authentication has failed, the authentication server 24 further flags the device identifier 44 in the authentication table 54 as being suspicious (418), or alternatively locks the device identifier 44 temporarily or permanently. Otherwise, if the authentication server 24 determines that the server count 56 is less than the device count 48, or that the device sequence value 50 is later in the associated sequence 49 than the server sequence value 58 (424), the authentication server 24 transmits a success message to the user application 32 (428)—indicating that the authentication of the associated product 22 has succeeded—which is then presented to the user via the display screen 36 of the user device 26 (or via audible cues, tactile cues, or any other form of feedback, now known or later developed in at least one further embodiment). Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the server count 56 value is set to be equal to the device count 48, and the server sequence value 58 is set to be equal to the device sequence value 50 (where applicable) (432). In at least one further embodiment, if the authentication server 24 determines that the device count 48 is greater than the server count 56, or that the device sequence value 50 is later in the associated sequence 49 than the server sequence value 58 (where applicable) (424), but further determines that the difference between the device count 48 and the server count 56, or between the relative positions (i.e., addresses) of the server sequence value 58 and the device sequence value 50 in the associated sequence 49 (where applicable) exceeds a pre-defined threshold (426), the authentication server 24 transmits an error message to the user application 32 (416)—indicating that the authentication of the associated product 22 has failed or is otherwise questionable—which is then presented to the user via the display screen 36 of the user device 26 (or via audible cues, tactile cues, or any other form of feedback, now known or later developed in at least one further embodiment). In at least one further embodiment, if the authentication has failed, the authentication server 24 further flags the device identifier 44 in the authentication table 54 as being suspicious (418), or alternatively locks the device identifier 44 temporarily or permanently. In embodiments where the encrypted data includes a MAC, the MAC may be used by the authentication server 24 to verify the identity of the authentication device 28 and the integrity of the data set. In still further embodiments that utilize a MAC, the data set (including the MAC) and device identifier 44 may be unencrypted or partially encrypted when transmitted to the user application 32, and subsequently transmitted to the authentication server 24. In still further embodiments, select portions of the data set may be encrypted, while other portions of the data set remain unencrypted.
In at least one embodiment, in addition to the user application 32 receiving a “success” or “failure” notification related to the authentication of the product 22, the user application 32 may receive further details (430) including, but not limited to, one or more timestamps of previous successful, or unsuccessful, authentication attempts, GPS coordinates of previous successful, or unsuccessful, authentication attempts, data recorded during previous successful or unsuccessful authentication attempts, images of the product 22 being authenticated, details of the product's 22 purchase, and additional product details 60 or brand/manufacturer information. Accordingly, in at least one such embodiment, the user is able to visually compare the displayed information against the product 22 to which the authentication device 28 is attached—and if the information corresponds to the product 22, then the authenticity of the product 22 has been further verified.
Aspects of the present specification may also be described as the following embodiments:
1. A method for authenticating tangible products, the method comprising the steps of:
implementing an authentication server configured for receiving and processing data related to the tangible products; initiating a plurality of authentication devices, each of the authentication devices associated with a one of the tangible products, each of the authentication devices configured for storing at least one of a unique device identifier, a unique device key, a device count which increments each time said authentication device is utilized to authenticate the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, a sequence algorithm that is used to generate a sequence of device sequence values corresponding to the incrementing device count values, said sequence algorithm unique to at least one of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, a manufacturer of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, or a model of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, as compared to other tangible products, manufacturers of said other tangible products, or models of said other tangible products to which other ones of the authentication devices are associated, each of the unique device identifier, unique device key, and unique sequence algorithm associated with each of the authentication devices being set by the authentication server upon each said authentication device being initiated; maintaining an at least one authentication table in communication with the authentication server, the at least one authentication table containing, for each of the authentication devices, the device identifier of said authentication device, a server count containing the value of the device count of said authentication device as of the latest successful authentication attempt of said authentication device, the sequence algorithm associated with said authentication device for generating a sequence of server sequence values identical to the sequence of device sequence values, the device key currently associated with said authentication device, and select product identifying details related to the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, said product identifying details comprising at least one of a unique product serial number, a brand name, a model name, and a product photo; implementing a user application residing in memory on an at least one user device under the control of an at least one user, the at least one user device in selective communication with each of the authentication server and the at least one authentication device; and upon an attempt to authenticate a one of the tangible products via a one of the at least one user device: initiating an authentication request with the associated authentication device; the authentication device incrementing the device count and advancing the device sequence value based on the device count and the sequence algorithm associated with the authentication device; the authentication device generating a data set comprising the device count and device sequence value; the authentication device providing the data set and the device identifier to the user application corresponding to said one of the at least one user device; the user application transmitting the data set and the device identifier to the authentication server; the authentication server accessing the authentication table based on the transmitted device identifier; upon the authentication server determining that the transmitted device identifier does not match any of the device identifiers stored in the at least one authentication table, the authentication server transmitting an error message to the user application; upon the authentication server locating the transmitted device identifier in the at least one authentication table: the authentication server obtaining the server sequence value associated with the transmitted device identifier; upon the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is earlier in the sequence than the server sequence value, or in the same position in the sequence as the server sequence value, the authentication server transmitting an error message to the user application; and upon the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value: the authentication server transmitting a success message to the user application; the authentication server setting the server count to be equal to the device count; and the authentication server setting the server sequence value to be equal to the device sequence value; whereby, during said attempt to authenticate said tangible product via said user device, no data is transmitted or written to the authentication device associated with said tangible product by either said user device or the authentication server.
2. The method according to embodiment 1, wherein the step of the authentication device providing the data set and the device identifier to the user application, further comprises the steps of: the authentication device encrypting an at least one portion of the data set using the device key; the authentication server obtaining the device key associated with the transmitted device identifier; the authentication server attempting to process the data set using the device key; and upon the authentication server determining that processing the data set was unsuccessful, the authentication server transmitting an error message to the user application.
3. The method according to embodiments 1-2, wherein the step of the authentication server attempting to process the data set using the device key, further comprises the step of decrypting the encrypted portions of the data set using the device key.
4. The method according to embodiments 1-3, wherein the step of initiating an authentication request with the associated authentication device further comprises the step of interacting with a switch provided by the authentication device.
5. The method according to embodiments 1-4, wherein the step of initiating an authentication request with the associated authentication device further comprises the step of the user application transmitting a signal via a user transceiver provided by the user device, said signal subsequently being received by an authentication transceiver provided by the authentication device.
6. The method according to embodiments 1-5, further comprising the step of, upon the authentication device receiving the authentication request, the authentication device automatically powering on.
7. The method according to embodiments 1-6, further comprising the step of, upon the authentication device providing the encrypted data set and the device identifier to the user application, the authentication device automatically transitioning into one of a powered down state or low power state.
8. The method according to embodiments 1-7, wherein the step of the authentication device providing the data set and the device identifier to the user application further comprises the steps of: the authentication device converting the data set and the device identifier into a visual code; the authentication device displaying the visual code via a display screen provided by the authentication device; and the user application obtaining the visual code via a camera provided by the user device.
9. The method according to embodiments 1-8, wherein the step of the authentication device providing the data set and the device identifier to the user application further comprises the steps of: the authentication device converting the data set and the device identifier into an acoustic signal; the authentication device producing the acoustic signal using a speaker provided by the authentication device; and the user application obtaining the acoustic signal via a microphone provided by the user device.
10. The method according to embodiments 1-9, wherein the step of the authentication device providing the data set and the device identifier to the user application further comprises the steps of: the authentication device converting the data set and the device identifier into a digital signal; the authentication device transmitting the digital signal using an authentication transceiver provided by the authentication device; and the user application obtaining the digital signal via a user transceiver provided by the user device.
11. The method according to embodiments 1-10, wherein the step of determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value further comprises a step of, upon the authentication server determining that a difference between the relative positions of the device sequence value and the server sequence value within the sequence exceeds a pre-defined threshold value, the authentication server transmitting an error message to the user application.
12. The method according to embodiments 1-11, wherein the step of the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value, further comprises the step of the authentication server transmitting select details related to said product, as stored in the at least one authentication table, to the user application.
13. The method according to embodiments 1-12, wherein the step of the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value further comprises the steps of: the authentication server transmitting the product identifying details related to said product, as stored in the at least one authentication table, to the user application; and said user device displaying the product identifying details related to said product via a display screen of said user device; whereby, with the product identifying details displayed on said user device, the associated user is able to visually compare and confirm whether the product identifying details match said tangible product being authenticated.
14. The method according to embodiments 1-13, wherein the step of the user application transmitting the data set and the device identifier to the authentication server, further comprises the step of, upon the authentication server determining that the user device does not have authorization to communicate with the authentication server, transmitting an error message to the user application.
15. A product authentication system for authenticating tangible products, the system comprising: an authentication server configured for receiving and processing data related to the tangible products; a plurality of authentication devices, each of the authentication devices associated with a one of the tangible products, each of the authentication devices configured for storing at least one of a unique device identifier, a unique device key, a device count which increments each time said authentication device is utilized to authenticate the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, a sequence algorithm that is used to generate a sequence of device sequence values corresponding to the incrementing device count values, said sequence algorithm unique to at least one of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, a manufacturer of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, or a model of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, as compared to other tangible products, manufacturers of said other tangible products, or models of said other tangible products to which other ones of the authentication devices are associated, each of the unique device identifier, unique device key, and unique sequence algorithm associated with each of the authentication devices being set by the authentication server upon each said authentication device being initiated; an at least one authentication table in communication with the authentication server, the at least one authentication table containing, for each of the authentication devices, the device identifier of said authentication device, a server count containing the value of the device count of said authentication device as of the latest successful authentication attempt of said authentication device, the sequence algorithm associated with said authentication device for generating a sequence of server sequence values identical to the sequence of device sequence values, the device key currently associated with said authentication device, and select product identifying details related to the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, said product identifying details comprising at least one of a unique product serial number, a brand name, a model name, and a product photo; and an at least one user device under the control of an at least one user and in selective communication with each of the authentication server and the at least one authentication device, the at least one user device providing a user application residing in memory thereon; wherein, upon an attempt to authenticate a one of the tangible products via a one of the at least one user device, the system is configured for: receiving, via the authentication device associated with said tangible product, an authentication request; incrementing, via said authentication device, the device count; advancing, via said authentication device, the device sequence value based on the device count and the sequence algorithm associated with said authentication device; generating, via said authentication device, a data set comprising the device count and device sequence value; providing, via said authentication device, the data set and the device identifier to the user application corresponding to said one of the at least one user device; transmitting, via the user application, the data set and the device identifier to the authentication server; accessing, via the authentication server, the authentication table based on the transmitted device identifier; upon the authentication server determining that the transmitted device identifier does not match any of the device identifiers stored in the at least one authentication table, transmitting, via the authentication server, an error message to the user application; upon the authentication server locating the transmitted device identifier in the at least one authentication table: obtaining, via the authentication server, the server sequence value associated with the transmitted device identifier; upon the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is earlier in the sequence than the server sequence value, or in the same position in the sequence as the server sequence value, transmitting, via the authentication server, an error message to the user application; and upon the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value: transmitting, via the authentication server, a success message to the user application; setting, via the authentication server, the server count to be equal to the device count; and setting, via the authentication server, the server sequence value to be equal to the device sequence value; whereby, during said attempt to authenticate said tangible product via said user device, no data is transmitted or written to the authentication device associated with said tangible product by either said user device or the authentication server.
16. The product authentication system according to embodiment 15, wherein while providing, via the authentication device, the data set and the device identifier to the user application, the system is further configured for: encrypting, via the authentication device, an at least one portion of the data set using the device key; obtaining, via the authentication server, the device key associated with the transmitted device identifier; attempting to process the data set, via the authentication server, using the device key; and upon the authentication server determining that processing the data set was unsuccessful, transmitting, via the authentication server, an error message to the user application.
17. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-16, wherein while attempting to process the data set, via the authentication server, using the device key, the system is further configured for decrypting the encrypted portions of the data set, via the authentication server, using the device key.
18. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-17, wherein the authentication device provides a switch configured for being selectively triggered to initiate the authentication request.
19. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-18, wherein: the at least one user device provides a user transceiver; and the at least one authentication device provides an authentication transceiver; wherein, the user application of said user device is configured for transmitting a signal via the user transceiver when initiating an authentication request, said signal subsequently being received by the authentication transceiver.
20. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-19, wherein the authentication device is configured for automatically powering on upon receiving the authorization request.
21. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-20, wherein the authentication device is configured for automatically transitioning into one of a powered down state or low power state upon providing the data set and the device identifier to the user application.
22. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-21, wherein while providing, via the authentication device, the data set and the device identifier to the user application, the system is further configured for: converting, via the authentication device, the data set and the device identifier into a visual code; displaying, via the authentication device, the visual code via a display screen provided by the authentication device; and obtaining, via the user application, the visual code via a camera provided by the user device.
23. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-22, wherein while providing, via the authentication device, the data set and the device identifier to the user application, the system is further configured for: converting, via the authentication device, the data set and the device identifier into an acoustic signal; producing, via the authentication device, the acoustic signal using a speaker provided by the authentication device; and obtaining, via the user application, the acoustic signal via a microphone provided by the user device.
24. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-23, wherein while providing, via the authentication device, the data set and the device identifier to the user application, the system is further configured for: converting, via the authentication device, the data set and the device identifier into a digital signal; transmitting, via the authentication device, the digital signal using an authentication transceiver provided by the authentication device; and obtaining, via the user application, the digital signal via a user transceiver provided by the user device.
25. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-24, wherein while determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value, the system is further configured for transmitting, via the authentication server, an error message to the user application upon the authentication server determining that a difference between the relative positions of the device sequence value and the server sequence value within the sequence exceeds a pre-defined threshold value.
26. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-25, wherein while determining, via the authentication server, that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value, the system is further configured for transmitting, via the authentication server, select details related to said product, as stored in the at least one authentication table, to the user application.
27. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-26, wherein while determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value, the system is further configured for: transmitting, via the authentication server, the product identifying details related to said product, as stored in the at least one authentication table, to the user application; and displaying, via a display screen of said user device, the product identifying details related to said product; whereby, with the product identifying details displayed on said user device, the associated user is able to visually compare and confirm whether the product identifying details match said tangible product being authenticated.
28. The product authentication system according to embodiments 15-27, wherein while transmitting, via the user application, the data set and the device identifier to the authentication server, the system is further configured for transmitting, via the authentication server, an error message to the user application upon the authentication server determining that the user device does not have authorization to communicate with the authentication server.
29. A method for authenticating tangible products, the method comprising the steps of: implementing an authentication server configured for receiving and processing data related to the tangible products; initiating a plurality of authentication devices, each of the authentication devices associated with a one of the tangible products, each of the authentication devices configured for storing at least one of a unique device identifier, a unique device key, a device count which increments each time said authentication device is utilized to authenticate the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, a sequence algorithm that is used to generate a sequence of device sequence values corresponding to the incrementing device count values, said sequence algorithm unique to at least one of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, a manufacturer of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, or a model of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, as compared to other tangible products, manufacturers of said other tangible products, or models of said other tangible products to which other ones of the authentication devices are associated, each of the unique device identifier, unique device key, and unique sequence algorithm associated with each of the authentication devices being set by the authentication server upon each said authentication device being initiated; maintaining an at least one authentication table in communication with the authentication server, the at least one authentication table containing, for each of the authentication devices, the device identifier of said authentication device, a server count containing the value of the device count of said authentication device as of the latest successful authentication attempt of said authentication device, the sequence algorithm associated with said authentication device for generating a sequence of server sequence values identical to the sequence of device sequence values, the device key currently associated with said authentication device, and select product identifying details related to the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, said product identifying details comprising at least one of a unique product serial number, a brand name, a model name, and a product photo; implementing a user application residing in memory on an at least one user device under the control of an at least one user, the at least one user device in selective communication with each of the authentication server and the at least one authentication device; and upon an attempt to authenticate a one of the tangible products via a one of the at least one user device: initiating an authentication request with the associated authentication device; the authentication device incrementing the device count and advancing the device sequence value based on the device count and the sequence algorithm associated with the authentication device; the authentication device generating a data set comprising the device count and device sequence value; the authentication device providing the data set and the device identifier to the user application corresponding to said one of the at least one user device; the user application transmitting the data set and the device identifier to the authentication server; the authentication server accessing the authentication table based on the transmitted device identifier; upon the authentication server determining that the transmitted device identifier does not match any of the device identifiers stored in the at least one authentication table, the authentication server transmitting an error message to the user application; upon the authentication server locating the transmitted device identifier in the at least one authentication table: the authentication server obtaining the server sequence value associated with the transmitted device identifier; upon the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is earlier in the sequence than the server sequence value, or in the same position in the sequence as the server sequence value, the authentication server transmitting an error message to the user application; and upon the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value: the authentication server transmitting a success message to the user application; the authentication server transmitting the product identifying details related to said product, as stored in the at least one authentication table, to the user application; said user device displaying the product identifying details related to said product via a display screen of said user device; the authentication server setting the server count to be equal to the device count; and the authentication server setting the server sequence value to be equal to the device sequence value; whereby, with the product identifying details displayed on said user device, the associated user is able to visually compare and confirm whether the product identifying details match said tangible product being authenticated; and whereby, during said attempt to authenticate said tangible product via said user device, no data is transmitted or written to the authentication device associated with said tangible product by either said user device or the authentication server.
30. A method for authenticating tangible products, the method comprising the steps of: implementing an authentication server configured for receiving and processing data related to the tangible products; initiating a plurality of authentication devices, each of the authentication devices associated with a one of the tangible products, each of the authentication devices configured for storing at least one of a unique device identifier, a unique device key, a device count which increments each time said authentication device is utilized to authenticate the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, a sequence of device sequence values corresponding to the incrementing device count values and generated based on a sequence algorithm unique to at least one of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, a manufacturer of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, or a model of the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, as compared to other tangible products, manufacturers of said other tangible products, or models of said other tangible products to which other ones of the authentication devices are associated, each of the unique device identifier, unique device key, and unique sequence algorithm associated with each of the authentication devices being set by the authentication server upon each said authentication device being initiated; maintaining an at least one authentication table in communication with the authentication server, the at least one authentication table containing, for each of the authentication devices, the device identifier of said authentication device, a server count containing the value of the device count of said authentication device as of the latest successful authentication attempt of said authentication device, the sequence algorithm associated with said authentication device for generating a sequence of server sequence values identical to the sequence of device sequence values, the device key currently associated with said authentication device, and select product identifying details related to the corresponding tangible product to which said authentication device is associated, said product identifying details comprising at least one of a unique product serial number, a brand name, a model name, and a product photo; implementing a user application residing in memory on an at least one user device under the control of an at least one user, the at least one user device in selective communication with each of the authentication server and the at least one authentication device; and upon an attempt to authenticate a one of the tangible products via a one of the at least one user device: initiating an authentication request with the associated authentication device; the authentication device incrementing the device count and advancing the device sequence value based on the device count and the sequence algorithm associated with the authentication device; the authentication device generating a data set comprising the device count and device sequence value; the authentication device providing the data set and the device identifier to the user application corresponding to said one of the at least one user device; the user application transmitting the data set and the device identifier to the authentication server; the authentication server accessing the authentication table based on the transmitted device identifier; upon the authentication server determining that the transmitted device identifier does not match any of the device identifiers stored in the at least one authentication table, the authentication server transmitting an error message to the user application; upon the authentication server locating the transmitted device identifier in the at least one authentication table: the authentication server obtaining the server sequence value associated with the transmitted device identifier; upon the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is earlier in the sequence than the server sequence value, or in the same position in the sequence as the server sequence value, the authentication server transmitting an error message to the user application; and upon the authentication server determining that the device sequence value is later in the sequence than the server sequence value: the authentication server transmitting a success message to the user application; the authentication server setting the server count to be equal to the device count; and the authentication server setting the server sequence value to be equal to the device sequence value; whereby, during said attempt to authenticate said tangible product via said user device, no data is transmitted or written to the authentication device associated with said tangible product by either said user device or the authentication server.
In closing, regarding the exemplary embodiments of the present invention as shown and described herein, it will be appreciated a product authentication system and associated methods are disclosed and configured for authenticating an at least one tangible product via an authentication device attached to said product. Because the principles of the invention may be practiced in a number of configurations beyond those shown and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not in any way limited by the exemplary embodiments, but is generally directed to a product authentication system and is able to take numerous forms to do so without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the particular geometries and materials of construction disclosed, but may instead entail other functionally comparable structures or materials, now known or later developed, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Certain embodiments of the present invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventor(s) for carrying out the invention. Of course, variations on these described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventor(s) expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventor(s) intend for the present invention to be practiced otherwise than specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described embodiments in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Groupings of alternative embodiments, elements, or steps of the present invention are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member may be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other group members disclosed herein. It is anticipated that one or more members of a group may be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing a characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, term, and so forth used in the present specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” As used herein, the term “about” means that the characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, or term so qualified encompasses a range of plus or minus ten percent above and below the value of the stated characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, or term. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical indication should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and values setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical ranges and values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical range or value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Recitation of numerical ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate numerical value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value of a numerical range is incorporated into the present specification as if it were individually recited herein. Similarly, as used herein, unless indicated to the contrary, the term “substantially” is a term of degree intended to indicate an approximation of the characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, or term so qualified, encompassing a range that can be understood and construed by those of ordinary skill in the art.
Use of the terms “may” or “can” in reference to an embodiment or aspect of an embodiment also carries with it the alternative meaning of “may not” or “cannot.” As such, if the present specification discloses that an embodiment or an aspect of an embodiment may be or can be included as part of the inventive subject matter, then the negative limitation or exclusionary proviso is also explicitly meant, meaning that an embodiment or an aspect of an embodiment may not be or cannot be included as part of the inventive subject matter. In a similar manner, use of the term “optionally” in reference to an embodiment or aspect of an embodiment means that such embodiment or aspect of the embodiment may be included as part of the inventive subject matter or may not be included as part of the inventive subject matter. Whether such a negative limitation or exclusionary proviso applies will be based on whether the negative limitation or exclusionary proviso is recited in the claimed subject matter.
The terms “a,” “an,” “the” and similar references used in the context of describing the present invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Further, ordinal indicators — such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. — for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number of such elements, and do not indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically stated. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the present invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the present specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
When used in the claims, whether as filed or added per amendment, the open-ended transitional term “comprising” (along with equivalent open-ended transitional phrases thereof such as “including,” “containing” and “having”) encompasses all the expressly recited elements, limitations, steps and/or features alone or in combination with un-recited subject matter; the named elements, limitations and/or features are essential, but other unnamed elements, limitations and/or features may be added and still form a construct within the scope of the claim. Specific embodiments disclosed herein may be further limited in the claims using the closed-ended transitional phrases “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of” in lieu of or as an amendment for “comprising.” When used in the claims, whether as filed or added per amendment, the closed-ended transitional phrase “consisting of” excludes any element, limitation, step, or feature not expressly recited in the claims. The closed-ended transitional phrase “consisting essentially of” limits the scope of a claim to the expressly recited elements, limitations, steps and/or features and any other elements, limitations, steps and/or features that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter. Thus, the meaning of the open-ended transitional phrase “comprising” is being defined as encompassing all the specifically recited elements, limitations, steps and/or features as well as any optional, additional unspecified ones. The meaning of the closed-ended transitional phrase “consisting of” is being defined as only including those elements, limitations, steps and/or features specifically recited in the claim, whereas the meaning of the closed-ended transitional phrase “consisting essentially of” is being defined as only including those elements, limitations, steps and/or features specifically recited in the claim and those elements, limitations, steps and/or features that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter. Therefore, the open-ended transitional phrase “comprising” (along with equivalent open-ended transitional phrases thereof) includes within its meaning, as a limiting case, claimed subject matter specified by the closed-ended transitional phrases “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of.” As such, embodiments described herein or so claimed with the phrase “comprising” are expressly or inherently unambiguously described, enabled and supported herein for the phrases “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of.”
Any claims intended to be treated under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) will begin with the words “means for,” but use of the term “for” in any other context is not intended to invoke treatment under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). Accordingly, Applicant reserves the right to pursue additional claims after filing this application, in either this application or in a continuing application.
It should be understood that the logic code, programs, modules, processes, methods, and the order in which the respective elements of each method are performed are purely exemplary. Depending on the implementation, they may be performed in any order or in parallel, unless indicated otherwise in the present disclosure. Further, the logic code is not related, or limited to any particular programming language, and may comprise one or more modules that execute on one or more processors in a distributed, non-distributed, or multiprocessing environment. Additionally, the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, methods, and sequence algorithm processes and sequences described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, and process actions have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. The described functionality can be implemented in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of this document.
The phrase “non-transitory,” in addition to having its ordinary meaning, as used in this document means “enduring or long-lived”. The phrase “non-transitory computer readable medium,” in addition to having its ordinary meaning, includes any and all computer readable mediums, with the sole exception of a transitory, propagating signal. This includes, by way of example and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable mediums such as register memory, processor cache and random-access memory (“RAM”).
The methods as described above may be used in the fabrication of integrated circuit chips. The resulting integrated circuit chips can be distributed by the fabricator in raw wafer form (that is, as a single wafer that has multiple unpackaged chips), as a bare die, or in a packaged form. In the latter case, the chip is mounted in a single chip package (such as a plastic carrier, with leads that are affixed to a motherboard or other higher level carrier) or in a multi-chip package (such as a ceramic carrier that has either or both surface interconnections or buried interconnections). In any case, the chip is then integrated with other chips, discrete circuit elements, and/or other signal processing devices as part of either (a) an intermediate product, such as a motherboard, or (b) an end product. The end product can be any product that includes integrated circuit chips, ranging from toys and other low-end applications to advanced computer products having a display, a keyboard or other input device, and a central processor.
All patents, patent publications, and other publications referenced and identified in the present specification are individually and expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for the purpose of describing and disclosing, for example, the compositions and methodologies described in such publications that might be used in connection with the present invention. These publications are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing in this regard should be construed as an admission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention or for any other reason. All statements as to the date or representation as to the contents of these documents is based on the information available to the applicants and does not constitute any admission as to the correctness of the dates or contents of these documents.
While aspects of the invention have been described with reference to at least one exemplary embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the inventor(s) believe that the claimed subject matter is the invention.
This is a continuation-in-part application and so claims the benefit pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 120 of a prior filed and co-pending U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 17/283,156, filed on Apr. 6, 2021, which itself is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 US national stage entry of international application number PCT/US2019/055425, filed on Oct. 9, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/744,644, filed on Oct. 12, 2018. The contents of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62744644 | Oct 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17283156 | Apr 2021 | US |
| Child | 17844218 | US |
