ITAN20120078U1 - ANTI-COUNTERFEITING SYSTEM BASED ON THE USE OF ELECTRONIC LABELS WITH PROXIMITY READING AND DIGITAL SIGNATURE - Google Patents

Description

Description of the utility model entitled:

ANTI-COUNTERFEITING SYSTEM BASED ON THE USE OF ELECTRONIC LABELS WITH PROXIMITY READING AND

ON THE DIGITAL SIGNATURE

The present invention relates to the creation of an anti-counterfeiting system based on the use of electronic labels with proximity reading and digital signature.

At present, counterfeit or pirated goods, as defined by EC Regulation no. 1383 of the Council of 22 July 2003, produce very considerable economic damage. A research by the Ministry of Economic Development with Censis showed that, in Italy, without counterfeiting there would be 110,000 more jobs and 1.7 billion in revenue for the tax authorities. The techniques and tools available today allow, with reasonable ease, the unauthorized reproduction of trademarks, objects and packaging in many cases identical to those validly registered.

The purpose of the present invention is to create a product originality control system through the use of electronic labels, with proximity reading, combined with the digital signature process.

In the past, there have already been some attempts to use digital labels to combat counterfeiting but none had used the authentication process based on digital signature; in this way the digital content is perfectly replicable, thus nullifying the guarantee of the uniqueness of the label and therefore of the product on which it is applied.

To create a digital signature it is necessary to have software that, using a certificate issued by a Certification Authority, through asymmetric cryptographic algorithms, produces a document of guaranteed authenticity and integrity.

The invention therefore consists in the transfer of the aforementioned concepts in the creation of a label, to be applied to original products, so that, by reading it, using special tools and software, reliable data can be obtained on the authenticity of the product itself and its brand.

The digital label will be created in such a way as to constitute a real cryptographic token, associated with a specific certificate issued by a recognized Certification Authority.

The recognition software, installed in the mobile phone, will activate the proximity reading of the label, using the private key and the certificate associated with it, for asymmetric cryptography operations.

Through a verification of the reliability and status of the certificate, to be carried out, again by means of the same software, at the issuing Certification Authority, the program will be able to assess the authenticity of the label and, consequently, of the product. on which it is applied.

A great advantage of this system lies in the possibility of suspending or revoking the certificate at any time, making the label no longer valid. This makes the consignments of goods more controllable, for example in the event of theft, loss, etc.

With the aforementioned system, in addition to ascertaining the authenticity of a product, it is also possible to return countless information about it such as the materials used for manufacturing, the washing instructions, the date of creation, the name of the product. buyer and so on.

A proximity reading technology called Near Field Communication (NFC) is being developed recently, which many would like to use for micropayments and the like.

Many of the recently released mobile devices and mobile operating system updates, implement NFC technology and therefore support this communication system that will give greater importance to the mobile phone and its use.

For this reason, it is easy to understand that a large number of mobile phone owners will be able to query the electronic labels in question, using their mobile phones to check the authenticity of the brand or a product.

In summary, the system described in this document consists of the following elements:

- digital label with proximity reading / writing capabilities such as Near Field Communication (NFC) or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID);

writing device of the above label;

- digital certificate, issued by a recognized Certification Authority, to be included in the electronic label.

- mobile phone that supports proximity reading and equipped with specific software to perform the necessary checks.

For the above, it is believed that the invention possesses the requisites of:

NEW: in terms of the state of the art, no anti-counterfeiting systems related to the digital signature process using proximity reading labels are implemented;

INVENTIVE ACTIVITY: since an anti-counterfeiting system has never been created that simultaneously uses proximity reading with mobile phones that implement NFC technology and digital signature guaranteed by a Certification Authority;

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION: since the invention can, by its nature, be used in the production chain of the objects to be protected;

LAWFULNESS: since the finding is not contrary to the law, public order and morality.

Characteristics and uses of the present invention will be better highlighted through the analysis of the description of a chosen, but not exclusive, embodiment and application of the aforementioned system, illustrated in an indicative but not limiting manner, with the aid of the attached table, in the which:

Figure A of Table 1 - represents the scheme of the preparation of the label. A PC (Table 1, Fig. A, n. 1), to which the appropriate writing device is connected (Table 1, Fig. A, n. 2), is responsible for configuring the digital cryptographic token inserted in the inside of a label (Plate 1, Fig. A, n. 3).

Figure B of Table 1 - represents the indicative diagram of the common use of the invention. In practice, a cell phone that implements the proximity reading functionality (Tab.

1, Fig. B, n. 6).

The software present in the reading device (Tab. 1, Fig. C, n. 7), queries, through the Internet (Tab. 1, Fig. C, n. 8), the databases of the Certification Authority (Tab. 1, Fig. . C, n. 9), to verify the reliability and validity of the certificate inserted inside the label, as previously described in Fig. A.

The device software retrieves other information of the product to which the certificate is associated (Table 1, Fig. D, n. 10) such as product type, brand, composition, expiry date.

From what has been written above, it can be understood how the invention achieves the intended aim and objects.

The same invention as conceived is susceptible of variations and modifications such as the shape and type of the supports, such as, by way of non-exhaustive example, technology of electronic labels and of the respective proximity readers / writers, material of the labels , technology and methods of digital signature, etc. all falling within the scope of the inventive concept.

The construction of the invention can be of any kind and nature, provided that they allow the realization of the same, guaranteeing the performances, the guarantees and the characteristics described above.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1 anti-counterfeiting system based on the use of proximity reading electronic labels of the Near Field Communication (NFC) or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) type on which a digital signature certificate must be inserted, issued by a recognized Certification Authority; 2. system, as per the previous claims, but which uses proximity reading labels of a type other than Near Field Communication (NFC) or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID); 3. system, as per the previous claims, but which uses labels of different shapes (such as bars, cylinders, discs), of different materials (such as fabric, paper, metal, plastic) and inserted and / or glued in different ways (such as sewn inside, or hot stamped); 4. system, as per the previous claims, but which uses any device (such as smartphones, PDAs, keys, e-books) act or adapted to interact with labels as an information reading device; system, as per the previous claims, but which uses a cryptographic support other than labels such as memory cards, Micro Secure Digital, smartcard and USB Mass Storage.