GB2413206A

GB2413206A - Encrypting two-dimensional bar codes on articles

Info

Publication number: GB2413206A
Application number: GB0408473A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Martin Domaradzki
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-04-16
Filing date: 2004-04-16
Publication date: 2005-10-19
Also published as: GB0408473D0

Abstract

A method of securely marking an article (which may be e.g. a drugs container or postal package) with identification information about its contents, comprises placing on the article a printed two-dimensional bar code in which the data represented by the bar code is securely encrypted. By using a two-dimensional bar code, all the information about the article can be contained within the bar code itself obviating the need to link the reader to a database; by encrypting the information, security is assured as decryption is required (using the known encryption algorithm) to make sense of the data.

Description

24 1 3206 - 1 Secure Article Identification The present invention relates

to method and apparatus for marking an article in such a manner that it can only be identified by authorized personnel.

It is sometimes desirable to provide an article with secure identification with regard to its contents. An example of this is medicinal drugs, where ready recognition lo of the drug can lead to misuse or theft. Another example is containers and postal packages while they are in transit.

Hitherto, it has been known to mark an article with a bar code. A conventional bar code can contain a code which of itself is meaningless but which can be linked into a database to provide information on the article. Such a bar code can of course only be used in conjunction with a computer storing the database and in some instances a computer is not available.

It has also been proposed previously to use a two- dimensional bar code in which much more information appertaining to the article can be contained within the bar code itself, obviating the need to link into a database.

There has been developed a standard for two dimensional bar codes (EDF417) which is currently in use in a wide variety of applications, including logistics & transportation, retailing, healthcare, government, identification, and manufacturing. However, the disadvantage in this case is that the information is not secure and can be accessed by any person with a suitable and commercially available two- dimensional bar code reader.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of marking an article which comprises placing on the article a printed two-dimensional - 2 bar code, characterized in that the data represented by the bar code is securely encrypted.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a twodimensional bar code reader comprising means for optically reading a bar code, means for analysing the optical signal to reproduce the data represented by the bar code, means for deciphering the data represented by the bar code using a predetermined encryption algorithm and means lo for displaying the deciphered data.

The invention proposes adding secure encryption, which is itself known, to two-dimensional bar codes to allow large amounts of information relating to an article to be passed securely to an end user without the end user having the need to access a separate database.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a flow chart of the logic steps followed in creating a secure two-dimensional bar code, and Figure 2 is a flow chart of the logic steps followed to read a two-dimensional bar code.

All the hardware needed to implement the invention, both in creating the two-dimensional bar codes and reading them, is conventional and currently available. For this reason, it is not believed necessary to describe it in great detail.

In particular, to create secure two-dimensional bar codes, one can use a conventional personal computer operating under any suitable operating system, such as Windows, Mac, Linux or Unix and connected to a suitable graphics printer. The computer will include means for entering data relating to the article. Such data can either - 3 be entered manually, using a keyboard or imported from another program, such as a word processing, database or spreadsheet program. The computer must also be capable of running an encryption program to encrypt data in accordance with a secure encryption algorithm.

The nature of the algorithm used for data encryption is not fundamental to the present invention and the necessary level of security will be dictated by the sensitivity of the lo encrypted data. As programs for secure encryption of data are well known and used for example in conducting financial transactions on the Internet, it is not believed necessary to describe them and the complex mathematical procedures which they employ within the present context.

To read the bar code, a conventional two-dimensional bar code reader can be modified to implement the invention.

Conventional bar code readers have means for optically reading a bar code, means for analysing the optical signal to reproduce the data represented by the bar code, and means for displaying the deciphered data. To implement the invention, the data represented by the bar code must first be deciphered using the same encryption algorithm as used when the bar code was created before it is sent to the display or the printer.

The flow charts in the drawings further explain the logical steps performed in the creation and reading of two- dimensional bar codes in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 1 relates to the creation of a secure two-dimensional bar code and commences in block 10 where data relating to the article is entered in the manner previously described into a computer. In block 12, the entered data is encoded in accordance with the chosen algorithm and in block 14 the encoded data is passed on to the two-dimensional bar code printing program where it is converted into a PDF417 two dimensional bar code and printed onto a label which is affixed to the article.

In the bar code reader, the first step 20 (see Fig. 2) is to read the encrypted bar code affixed to the article. If a conventional PDF417 bar code reader were used to do this, the resulting displayed data would be meaningless to the reader. However, in a reader modified to implement the present invention, the data is decrypted in block 22 using lo the known encryption algorithm to recover the original data and it is this that is passed on to block 24 for display or printing.

It can thus be seen that by combining encryption with two-dimensional bar codes, the invention allows significant quantities of data to accompany an article, without impairing security, while obviating the need for the bar code reader to be connected to a database. - 5

Claims

1. A method of marking an article which comprises placing on the article a printed two-dimensional bar code, characterized in that the data represented by the bar code is securely encrypted.

2. A two-dimensional bar code reader comprising means for optically reading a bar code, means for analysing the lo optical signal to reproduce the data represented by the bar code, means for deciphering the data represented by the bar code using a predetermined encryption algorithm and means for displaying the deciphered data.