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| United States Patent |
6,463,541 |
| Hu |
October 8, 2002 |
Object authentification method using printed binary code and
computer registry
Abstract
A binary code printed upon documents and articles includes: an origin code
referring to pertinent data including category, creator identity, creation time;
and an algorithm derived authentification code based upon the origin code. A
world wide web (WWW) accessible registry provides authentification with input of
the origin and authentification codes. A third ownership code possesses status
which is similarly accessible. The authentification code is verified
algorithmically from the origin code. Ownership code status indicates, at
minimum, `home` or `field` for paper currency and `inventory` or `sold` for
goods which status is only modifiable by authorized access. For suitable
categories a secret code is available to the first purchaser after authorized
release from inventory with WWW input of the printed origin and authentification
binary code. This secret code is inaccessible without input of the full trinary
code including the secret code. Ownership is hence verifiable and subsequent
purchasers may replace the secret code with disclosure of the predecessor which
capability verifies registered ownership.
| Inventors: |
Hu; Michael (04463 Liddicoat Cir., Los
Altos Hills, CA 94022) |
| Appl. No.: |
761748 |
| Filed: |
January 18, 2001 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
726/27; 705/51; 705/67;
726/28; 726/29 |
| Intern'l Class: |
G06F 012/14 |
| Field of Search: |
713/200,201,188,190,176
380/201,202,203 283/70,102,58 705/50,51,57,58,67 |
References Cited [Referenced
By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 3829133 |
Aug., 1974 |
Smagala-Romano |
283/6. |
| 5267314 |
Nov., 1993 |
Stambler |
380/24. |
| 5380047 |
Jan., 1995 |
Molee et al. |
283/86. |
| 5912974 |
Jun., 1999 |
Holloway et al. |
380/51. |
| 6006328 |
Dec., 1999 |
Drake |
713/200. |
| 6185686 |
Feb., 2001 |
Glover |
713/190. |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 408130554 |
May., 1996 |
JP. |
|
Other References
Acacia Research Subsidiary Sells CR-Recording Product
to NTI Corp.; Jan. 17, 2001. |
Primary
Examiner: Elisca; Pierre E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Gibson;
Peter
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An object authentification method
comprising the following steps:
(a) printing upon each of a plurality of
objects each possessing a recognized creator an origin code component which is
unique to said recognized creator of said plurality of objects;
(b)
printing upon each of said plurality of objects an authentification code
component derived algorithmically from a base related to said origin code
component each of which is unique with respect to every other said
authentification code derived from said base related to said origin code
component;
(c) recording said origin code component in a computer memory
registry together with related information pertaining to the recognized creator
including the identity of the same;
(d) recording in said registry each
said authentification code component printed upon each of said plurality of
objects for, and in a manner related to, said origin code component;
(e)
recording in said registry, in a manner related to each said authentification
code component, an ownership code component including an ownership status which
has at least two conditions each indicative of a type of ownership including
that by the recognized creator of said plurality of objects initially and which
condition is variable by authorized access to said registry to reflect transfer
of ownership inclusive of declension of said ownership status to a condition
indicating the type of ownership anticipated in a recognized chain of ownership
types from creator to public as an indication of sale of an object bearing said
origin and authentification code components by an entity recognized as being of
the type of ownership indicated by the ownership status for said object;
whereby each said authentication code component may be verified as being
a valid, algorithmically derived, authentification code component printed upon
one of said plurality of objects possessing a single recognized creator, and the
ownership status indicating the type of ownership recognized for each said
authentification code component may be ascertained, both with reference to said
origin and authentification code components in said registry.
2. The
authentification method of claim 1 wherein said registry is accessible with
regard to verification of a given origin code component and authentification
code component pair to the public via the world wide web (WWW).
3. The
authentification method of claim 1 wherein said registry is accessible with
regard to the ownership status of a given origin code component and
authentification code component pair to the public via the world wide web (WWW).
4. The authentification method of claim 1 wherein said origin code
printed upon said plurality of objects by said recognized creator is inclusive
of a creation time subcomponent code corresponding to the time of creation.
5. The authentification method of claim 4 wherein said base related to
said origin code component is comprised of said creation time subcomponent code.
6. The authentification method of claim 1 wherein steps (a) and (b) are
performed utilizing alphanumeric characters.
7. The authentification
method of claim 6 wherein steps (a) and (b) result in alphanumeric characters
which are visible to the human eye.
8. The authentification method of
claim 1 wherein steps (a) and (b) are conducted with Machine Readable Rendering
(MRR) and result in printed origin and authentification code components which
are machine readable.
9. The authentification method of claim 8 wherein
said printed origin and authentification code components are comprised of bar
code.
10. The authentification method of claim 8 wherein said printed
origin and authentification code components are comprised of magnetic ink suited
for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR).
11. The authentification
method of claim 1 further including the step of printing a receipt of sales
bearing the origin and authentification code components.
12. The
authentification method of claim 11 wherein said receipt of sales further bears
an indication of said declension of ownership status.
13. The
authentification method of claim 1 wherein at least three different types of
ownership status are utilized including creator and public and at least two
declensions of ownership status are provided.
14. The authentification
method of claim 13 wherein at least four different types of ownership status are
utilized including creator and public and at least three declensions of
ownership status are provided.
15. The authentification method of claim
1 further including the step of recording into said registry a secret ownership
code subcomponent available only after declension of ownership status to public.
16. The authentification method of claim 15 wherein said secret
ownership code subcomponent is initially entered with reference to the origin
and authentification code components in said registry and after entry is
accessible only with the origin and authentification code components and the
secret ownership code subcomponent.
17. The authentification method of
claim 16 wherein entrance of said secret ownership code subcomponent with
reference to said origin and authentification code components is made over the
WWW.
18. The authentification method of claim 16 wherein said secret
ownership code subcomponent is initially entered with the origin and
authentification code components and after entry is alterable only with the
origin and authentification code components and the secret ownership code
subcomponent.
19. The authentification method of claim 16 wherein a
private ownership status indicating private registration of the object by a
member of the public accorded as the result of initial entrance of said seceret
ownership code subcomponent.
20. The authentification method of claim 19
wherein a reverse declension from private ownership status to another status is
effectable with the origin and authentification code components and the secret
ownership code subcomponent.
21. The authentification method of claim 19
wherein said reverse declension from private ownership status further results in
clearing of said secret ownership code subcomponent.
22. The
authentification method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of objects upon which
a printed origin and authentification code components are printed by a single
recognized creator is comprised of paper currency.
23. The
authentification method of claim 22 wherein both human and machine readable
origin and authentification code components are printed upon said paper
currency.
24. The authentification method of claim 23 wherein said
machine readable origin and authentification code components are printed
utilizing Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR).
25. The
authentification method of claim 22 wherein one said status condition is `home`
indicating ownership by an authorized entity including any government entity
involved in the printing and distribution of said paper currency.
26.
The authentification method of claim 25 wherein said `home` status condition
indicates ownership by an authorized entity including any government entity
involved in the printing and distribution of said paper currency and including
recognized Deposit Taking Institutions.
27. The authentification method
of claim 26 wherein said one said status condition is `public` indicating
ownership by any entity exclusive of any government entity involved in the
printing and distribution of said paper currency.
28. The
authentification method of claim 27 wherein said `public` status condition
indicates ownership by an authorized entity exclusive of any government entity
involved in the printing and distribution of said paper currency and recognized
Deposit Taking Institutions.
29. The authentification method of claim 28
wherein said one said status condition is `bank` indicating ownership by a
recognized Deposit Taking Institution.
30. The authentification method
of claim 27 wherein said `public` status condition is exclusive of indicating
ownership by a recognized business.
31. The authentification method of
claim 30 wherein one said status condition is `base` which is inclusive of
indicating ownership by a recognized business.
32. The authentification
method of claim 30 wherein at least one said creator maintains a web site
accessible from said registry.
33. The authentification method of claim
32 wherein at least one said web site is accessible from input of an origin code
component.
34. The authentification method of claim 32 wherein at least
one said web site is accessible from input of a creator code subcomponent.
35. The authentification method of claim 32 wherein at least one said
web site is accessible from a directory of recognized manufacturers.
36.
The authentification method of claim 32 wherein at least one said web site is
accessible from a directory for universal code subcomponents.
37. The
authentification method of claim 32 wherein at least one said web site provides
information about services provided by the creator.
38. The
authentification method of claim 37 wherein said information about services
provided by the creator is inclusive of information sufficient to place an order
for services.
39. The authentification method of claim 32 wherein at
least one said web site provides information about objects produced by the
creator.
40. The authentification method of claim 39 wherein said
information about services provided by the creator is inclusive of information
sufficient to place an order for new product.
41. The authentification
method of claim 39 wherein said information about services provided by the
creator is inclusive of information sufficient to place an order for replacement
parts.
42. The authentification method of claim 39 wherein said
information about services provided by the creator is inclusive of information
sufficient to place an order for refills.
43. The authentification
method of claim 1 wherein multiple creators are each recognized with a unique
origin code component.
44. The authentification method of claim 43
wherein multiple creators are each recognized with a unique origin code
component in the same registry.
45. The authentification method of claim
33 wherein multiple creators are each recognized with a unique origin code
component in a registry particular to one origin code component connected in a
network comprised of other registries.
46. The authentification method
of claim 43 wherein multiple creators are each recognized with a unique origin
code component in the same registry connected in a network with at least one
other registry.
47. The authentification method of claim 43 wherein each
said origin code component includes a universal code subcomponent relating to
the type of creator by category.
48. The authentification method of
claim 47 further including the step of recording in computer memory registry a
directory of universal code subcomponents with information relating to a
categorization of recognized creators.
49. The authentification method
of claim 43 wherein said plurality of objects upon which origin and
authentification code components is each printed is comprised of titled
financial notes.
50. The authentification method of claim 49 wherein one
said status condition indicates ownership by the recognized possessor of the
title.
51. The authentification method of claim 43 wherein said
plurality of objects upon which said origin and authentification code components
is each printed is comprised of works of art.
52. The authentification
method of claim 51 wherein three different status conditions are utilized:
`creator`; `dealer`, authorized purveyor; and `public`.
53. The
authentification method of claim 51 wherein four different status conditions are
utilized: `creator`; `dealer`, authorized purveyor; `public`; and `private`
which indicates registered ownership by entrance of said secret ownership code
subcomponent.
54. The authentification method of claim 43 wherein said
plurality of objects upon which origin and authentification code components is
each printed is comprised of mass produced manufactured goods.
55. The
authentification method of claim 54 wherein both human and machine readable
origin and authentification code components are printed upon said mass produced
manufactured goods.
56. The authentification method of claim 55 wherein
said machine readable origin and authentification code components are printed
utilizing Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MCR).
57. The
authentification method of claim 55 wherein said machine readable origin and
authentification code components are printed utilizing bar code.
58. The
authentification method of claim 54 wherein three different status conditions
are utilized: `manufacturer`, as creator; authorized purveyor; and public.
59. The authentification method of claim 58 wherein four different
status conditions are utilized: `manufacturer`, as creator; authorized purveyor;
public; and private which indicates registered ownership by entrance of said
secret ownership code subcomponent.
60. The authentification method of
claim 54 wherein four different status conditions are utilized: `manufacturer`,
as creator; distributor, retailer; and public.
61. The authentification
method of claim 60 wherein five different status conditions are utilized:
`manufacturer`, as creator; distributor, retailer; public; and private which
indicates registered
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to methods of identifying printed
matter, more particularly to fraud prevention or detection, and most
specifically to record activated printed matter authentification and fraud
prevention using a central trusted authority accessible via the world wide web.
2. General Background
Forgeries in four different broad
categories are considered: (a) paper currency; (b) cheques and other financial
notes; (c) manufactured goods; (d) works of art. Forgery in the first two groups
requires imitation in a printed medium while forgery in the latter two groups
requires imitation with appropriate means of manufacture. Paper currency is
issued only by governments while authorized financial institutions are licensed
in the issuance of cheques and other financial notes which are further
associated with a particular private entity and signature(s) in attaining
legitimacy. Manufactured goods are contrasted to works of art as being mass
produced instead of being made singly which necessitates the use of line
production rather than individual creation. Forgery is most commonly associated
with either counterfeit currency or fraudulent works of art but is considered
properly comprehensive of fake bond notes and `knock offs` of manufactured
goods.
The concern with forgery with regard to paper currency is readily
discernable in the lengths to which governments extend various printing
technologies including use of serial numbers, extremely fine lithography, use of
detectable materials, and regulation of the stock from which the currency is
made. The success of these methods is generally difficult to ascertain
objectively, even by parties authorized to investigate counterfeiting, but the
problem is considered persistent, with a long and rich history. Prior to the
U.S. Civil War banks issued paper currency and it is estimated that by 1860 one
third of all circulated paper currency was counterfeit. As a strategic economic
attack upon the British the Pound Sterling was counterfeited on a grand scale in
Operation Bernhardt by The Third Reich.
More recently it is conjectured
that the volume of counterfeit U.S. $100 bills produced largely by opposed
regimes has deterred the issuance of notes of greater value despite an inflation
of ten fold since notes of greater denomination were discontinued. One perceives
large cash transactions as being held in suspicion and indeed regulations
require registration of cash deposits of $10,000 or greater among other
measures. The fact that this amount requires one hundred notes of the largest
denomination of currently available legal U.S. currency is not unnoticed, nor
the observation that this is one but one third of the money required to buy an
automobile now for one of comparable quality which required only three notes
fifty years ago.
It is further observed that paper currency comprises a
decreasingly smaller proportion of other monies, particularly funds held and
transferred electronically, that electronically processed cards, charge, credit,
and debit along with other means of electronic transfer including automatic
teller assisted services, world wide web (WWW) accessible electronic banking,
electronic debits from checking and other accounts, have become ordinary and
routine in less than twenty years. It is considered publicly plausible that
currency of the conventional variety will be wholly replaced by electronic means
within another twenty years and that, at the present rate of marginalization,
conventional currency will be largely irrelevant by that time unless supported
by readily accessible electronic authentification means.
As regards the
second category, cheques and other financial notes, forgery is considered a less
pervasive problem than obtained with regard to paper currency, largely because
the parties involved usually have means of authentication available which are
simply considered worth the while in exercising. This is not to say that fraud
and forgery of financial notes is not a problem nor that the means of
authentification are considered wholly satisfactory but that this area is
distinguished over the forgery of currency wherein the identity of the valid
issuer is a given. It was mentioned earlier that paper currency in the form of
bank notes prior to consolidation under federal auspices experienced enormous
problems with forgery and that consolidation clearly operated to deter forgery.
The same principle is expected to apply to financial notes wherein benefit might
be obtained with a simpler system which would provide relatively quick and easy
positive identification of the issuer of the bond, certificate, or other note
concerned. A greater impetus to forgery is observed with regard to paper
currency as opposed to financial notes because paper currency is circulated
between people who do not routinely exercise much if any caution regarding the
acceptance of the note as genuine.
With regard to forgeries of
manufacture the distinction between mass production and works of art has been
proposed as a basis for useful categorization. With regard to the magnitude of
the problems involved in these two areas it is suggested that the level of
concern with fraudulent manufacture in mass produced product is commensurate
with the importance of the patent system. For while patents are intended to
protect and thereby promote innovation, the benefit to the patent holder is a
monopoly limited in time to the product developed. The trademark system clearly
reflects the extent of the damage which would obtain without the ability to
identify one company from another with respect to their products and services.
Design patents protect only the appearance of a product, and copyright only
against verbatim reproduction, but both are considered valuable defenses against
`knock off` product which pretends to be of a manufacture it is not.
Works of art are perhaps the most dramatic if most difficult category to
assess with respect to the magnitude of the problem posed by forgery. The
practice is obviously prevalent as the common epigram `buyer beware` connotes.
Aside from forgery outright the question of rightful ownership is considered
another vast problem endemic to all areas concerned if more readily recognizable
in the areas of mass produced goods and works of art. In cases of establishing
rightful ownership the identities of the parties may be peripherally involved
but the identity of the object is considered central. One may easily insure a
valuable painting by a well known artist or a valuable automobile of which only
a few thousand were made and the thief of the object may have a considerable
problem in selling the stolen object unless the identify of the same can be
obscured. The most frequently stolen cars in the U.S. are among those models
with the highest sales figures because these cars can be taken apart in a `chop
shop` and sold piecemeal while essentially obliterating the identity of the
vehicle. Rather than stealing a painting by a famous artist, for another
example, the prospect of imitating the work of the same and affixing a facsimile
of that famous artist's signature upon the forgery may become a relatively
attractive prospect. These observations are considered to point to the main
problem underlying all areas of forgery and fraud: the difficulty in positively
identifying the object, i.e. authentification of an object, not the parties
involved.
3. Discussion of the Prior Art
In accordance with the
emphasis placed upon authentification of an object, as opposed to identification
of a person, resulting from the above consideration of the background of the
present invention in general terms it is considered that while the latter is
often relied upon in attaining the former, art which is only capable of
establishing personal identification, without any ability to identify an object,
which ability is understood herein by the term `authentification`, is considered
beyond the scope of the present discussion. It is next considered that as a
practical necessity in authentification some means of marking the object must be
utilized and that these means may be considered in four categories: (a) physical
marking as a result of manufacture which is visible; (b) physical marking as a
result of manufacture which is invisible; (c) application of visible markings;
(d) application of invisible markings.
The markings, moreover, may
either comprise conventional alphanumeric characters which may either utilize
one or more codes or rely upon characteristics of the marking material. The
present invention is concerned with and restricted to the use of codes,
particularly visible, printed, codes which is a subset of category (c)
application of visible markings. It is also noted that in order for codes to be
useful a record or registry must be maintained and public access to that
registry is necessary. Personal identification numbers (PINs) are well known
secret codes which are expressly intended to never to be available to the public
in visible form. Methods utilizing PINs for identification of a person only are
hence excluded from the present consideration but methods utilizing a PIN as
auxiliary to the use of a code printed upon an object, i.e. auxiliary to
authentification, are comprehended.
REFERENCES CITED Patent No. Inventor Date Title
U.S. Pat. No. Smagala-Romanoff 8/13/74 Coded Checks and
3,829,133 Methods of Coding
GB 2 101 376 A McNeight et al. 1/12/81 Method and
apparatus for use
against counter-
feiting
U.S. Pat. No. Koza et al. 2/16/88 Lottery Ticket
4,725,079 Integrity Number
U.S. Pat. No. Fehr 8/6/91 Pet Locator System
5,036,610 And Method
U.S. Pat. No. Stambler 11/30/93 Secure Transaction
5,267,314 System And Method
Utilized Therein
U.S. Pat. No. Molee et al. 1/10/95 Authentification
5,380,047 System
U.S. Pat. No. Apte 7/7/98 Mechanism for
5,778,173 Enabling Secure
Electronic Trans-
actions On The
Open Internet
U.S. Pat. No. Kruckemeyer 4/14/98 Method For
5,737,886 Determining
Forgeries And
Authenticating
Signatures
U.S. Pat. No. Kruckemeyer 2/29/00 Method For
6,030,001 Determining
Forgeries And
Authenticating
Signatures
Discussion of the References Cited
Smagala-Romanoff
discloses a system whereby at least one masked individual number and another
clearly visible number included with the serial number are printed on cheques
and the `code` providing conversion of one to the other is memorized by the
cheque bearer. This `code` may also be printed on the cheque, preferably using
at least two different characters each alternately visible or masked and related
to each other with a predetermined position of each in the respective series of
digits. The masking of the `drawer's` signature is also disclosed which
apparently would be of use only if the issuer and `drawer` are the same person
while the use of multiple code is suggested also to enable more than one
authorized bearer or "drawer".
McNeight el al. disclose:
"a
method for identifying genuinely produced or properly sold mass produced
articles from fake or diverted articles that may be identical or apparently so,
comprising applying to said produced articles a coded identifying mark generated
by a secret algorithm, and which is unique for each article of all such articles
produced or which is applicable to only a small subset of such articles, the
algorithm being such that the gamut of marks is under utilised. (Page 1, lines
50-60)
Use of the code to describe the article is suggested, with a
central computer directory to which queries may be made by local inspectors,
i.e. police. The use of `check digits` inconspicuously contained in the printed
code in predetermined positions which are the most significant or least
significant values of a number produced by treating the other numbers in the
printed code with a certain algorithm is recommended.
Koza et al.
disclose the use of two printed numbers, `book` and `integrity`, on the front
and back, respectively, of a lottery ticket. The book number refers to a
particular packet from which the ticket originated. The book and integrity
numbers of the winning tickets are related by an algorithm known only to the
manufacturer and the lottery administration. The book number is further
preferably covered with a foil or other lamination removable after purchase.
Means for simultaneous printing of both the front and back of the tickets with
computer control is further disclosed.
Fehr discloses:
A system
for identifying a lost pet and locating its owner (including) a central clearing
house and a pet collar or tag having a telephone number and a unique code number
imprinted thereon. Information about the pet and its owner is stored at the
central clearing house under the unique number and is retrievable in response to
a telephone call from a finder of the pet. (Abstract)
Stambler discloses
use of a `joint code` from information associated with one or more of the
parties involved in a particular transaction requiring authentification of a
document or other `thing`. The joint code is used to produce a `variable
authentification number` or VAN, associated with the transaction and the item
concerned. Subsequently only:
parties capable of reconstructing the
joint code will be able to uncode the VAN properly in order to re-derive the
information. The joint code serves to authenticate the parties, and the
comparison of the re-derived information against the information recorded on the
document serves to authenticate the accuracy of that information. (Abstract)
Molee et al. disclose `an authentification system` utilizing a unique
code number which is fixed to the article "with a tamper-proof adhesive"
(Abstract). A certificate is provided bearing the same unique code number. "A
list of unique code numbers is maintained to enable a purchaser of the article
to register that article such that the purchaser or a subsequent purchaser can
verify the authenticity of the authenticated article".
Apte discloses a
method for securing internet transactions which utilizes an `isolated trusted
directory server` (computer) which is accessible through a modem by a customer
through a `communication network` which is `isolated` from the `open` internet
and which is accessible to the merchant through a `proprietary secure protocol`
protected line. A `transaction identification number` is issued and verified
through the secure protocol line and this number is verified.
Kruckemeyer discloses use of an electronic fingerprint (EF) unique to
each document bearing the `Principal`s signature and containing an invariant PIN
selected by a the principal. Prior to registration of the EF the principal
acknowledges physical possession of the document bearing the EF with use of
their PIN. A record of transfer of the document or item is further maintained by
a central registry. The more recent patent broadens the EF to include bar code.
Statement of Need
While the use of codes both printed and
derivable from a printed code by algorithm in verification along with use of a
PIN for identification of a person as associated with a code assigned to a
document or other object is known as discussed above and while registration of
such codes assigned to objects is also known the capability of altering that
registration is unknown and at least one principal and several ancillary
problems are discerned in an application of known methods in an attempt to
provide this capability. The use of a PIN, which identifies a person, as
auxiliary to a code which identifies an object, is restricted by its necessarily
invariant nature. Transfer of ownership is not accommodated. The PIN must remain
secret and substitution of one for another must be effected by a third party to
the two parties relinquishing and acquiring ownership. Information contained in
the code is inherently invariant in order to provide verification and no
provision is known for recognizing changes in the status of the object with
regard to the type of ownership a opposed to the identity of the owner.
With practical consideration of the problems encountered in
identification of an object, as opposed to parties involved in a transaction,
several areas of difficulty in the application of known methods of
authentification may be recognized as facilitating a useful perspective upon the
scope of the need addressed. In order to deter fraudulent manufacture generally
and including forgery both special, i.e. expensive, methods and materials are
necessary. Secondly, special equipment for detection is required along with
expertise in detection. Thirdly, the verification of authenticity inevitably
requires human interpretation which is considered subject to errors in
judgement. A certain vicious cycle is recognized. Since imitation is to be
avoided more sophisticated means of applying codes or other identifying marks
have been pursued. But the more difficult the identifier is to imitate, the more
difficult it becomes to exercise the capabilities required of authentification,
and the less likely these capabilities will be commonly exerted.
A long
felt but unresolved need is therefore recognized for an authentification method
which, without the use of any special equipment or the exercise of any
particular expertise, provides for positive identification of an object based
upon a code printed thereupon in accordance with a registry which enables change
in type of ownership to be recognized and effectable directly between two
parties in a manner verifiable by both.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Objects of the Invention
The encompassing object of the present
invention is a method for authentification which enables the possessor of a
physical object to read a code affixed thereto and verify authenticity by
consulting a registry which further indicates a ownership status reflecting type
of ownership.
A primary object of the present invention is a method for
authentification which enables the possessor of a physical object to read a code
affixed thereto and verify authenticity by consulting a registry and which
facilitates transfer of ownership between two parties in a manner verifiable by
both.
An auxiliary object of the present invention is a method for
authentification which enables the possessor of a physical object to read a code
affixed thereto and verify authenticity by consulting a registry and which
automatically effects appropriate changes in ownership status reflecting type of
ownership.
Another auxiliary object of the present invention is a method
for authentification which enables the possessor of a physical object to read a
code affixed thereto and verify authenticity by consulting a registry and which
is capable of verifying ownership by a particular person.
An first
ancillary object of the present invention is a method for authentification which
enables the possessor of a physical object to read a code affixed thereto and
verify authenticity by consulting a registry accessible on the World Wide Web
(WWW).
A second ancillary object of the present invention is a method
for authentification which enables the possessor of a physical object to read a
code affixed thereto and verify authenticity by consulting a registry and which
further enables a party recognized as the owner to effect an automatic change in
ownership status in association with selling the object concerned.
A
third ancillary object of the present invention is a method for authentification
which enables the possessor of a physical object to read a code affixed thereto
and verify authenticity by consulting a registry and which further enables an
individual to register as the owner of the object.
A fourth ancillary
object of the present invention is a method for authentification which enables
the possessor of a physical object to read a code affixed thereto and verify
authenticity by consulting a registry and which further enables a registered
individual owner to provide proof of ownership through disclosure of a secret
code selected by the owner.
A fifth ancillary object of the present
invention is a method for authentification which enables the possessor of a
physical object to read a code affixed thereto and verify authenticity by
consulting a registry which is applicable to paper currency.
A sixth
ancillary object of the present invention is a method for authentification which
enables the possessor of a physical object to read a code affixed thereto and
verify authenticity by consulting a registry which is applicable to financial
notes.
A seventh ancillary object of the present invention is a method
for authentification which enables the possessor of a physical object to read a
code affixed thereto and verify authenticity by consulting a registry which is
applicable to mass produced manufactured goods.
An eighth ancillary
object of the present invention is a method for authentification which enables
the possessor of a physical object to read a code affixed thereto and verify
authenticity by consulting a registry which is applicable to works of art.
Principles Relating to the Present Invention
In obtainment of
the objectives given above it is suggested that a trinary code possessing three
components be utilized wherein the first is related to origin, the second to
authentification, and the third to ownership. It is suggested that the origin
code possess invariant assignation to the creator and that the authentification
code possess an assignation in accordance with an algorithmic rendering related
to the origin code. And it is suggested that the ownership code possess a status
reflective of the type of ownership which is variable in accordance with
recognized changes thereof. It is further suggested that the origin code and
preferably the authentification code also be affixed to the object preferably by
printing directly upon the article concerned and that the same be held in a
registry accessible via the world wide web (WWW). This enables anyone in
possession of an article so coded to verify authenticity by entering both the
origin and authentification codes. A two phased encoding is also facilitated
whereby the creator may apply either the origin code alone and a second party
taking authorized possession may enter the authentification code. The creator
may, alternatively, assign both the origin and authentification codes.
Recognition of ownership and authorized changes in ownership in stages
is facilitated. In addition to the implicit change in ownership possible from
the authorized assignment of the authentification code by a party other than the
creator the ownership code component reflects at least one of two states and
accommodates changing from one state to another. The ownership code is variable
and is not printed on any article. Ownership status reflecting the type of
ownership is available in response to query of a registry containing the origin
and authentification code and hence is normally available to anyone in
possession of the article concerned. The ownership status may be simply `home`
or `field` indicating possession by authorized entities or otherwise. This
status may be trinary between `creator's inventory`, `authorized purveyor's
inventory`, and `sold` and may be expanded to include as many types of
authorized entities as considered desirable.
It is considered desirable
to enable recognition of ownership by a private party as well as one or more
types of authorized entities. With a binary ownership status, wherein `home` and
`field` categories alone are recognized, it may further be preferred that this
constitute the full extent of recognition of ownership by a private party which
in this case corresponds to the public at large which is opposed to authorized
entities. A relatively simple trinary ownership status might also simply
recognize the article as being in the public without the capability of a private
owner registering the article. Ownership status may also reflect registered
ownership by a private entity with the use of a secret ownership code
subcomponent selected by the private entity. The ownership status is still
available to any party entering the origin and authentification codes and it
reflects not only ownership by a private party, e.g. sold by an authorized
purveyor, but indicates that the article concerned has been registered by the
private owner with a secret ownership code subcomponent.
Registered
transfer of ownership at all levels is encompassed in a manner appropriate to
every category of physical object. In categories in which registered private
ownership is desirable a transfer of that registered ownership is effected by
changing the secret ownership code subcomponent which is disclosed to a
purchaser who may then access that secret ownership code subcomponent in
verification of ownership and also substitute another secret ownership code
subcomponent unknown to the seller. Ownership status, available to anyone in
possession of the printed origin and authentification code, may indicate that
the article concerned has been registered a second, or third, et cetera, time.
It is understood that computer technology is involved in both the generation of
algorithmically derived authentification codes, registry of all codes and code
subcomponents and that posting of the registry on the WWW is the preferred
manner of access to the registry.
In addition to the secret ownership
code subcomponent it is recommended that the origin and authentification codes
possess subcomponents. It is specifically suggested that the origin code contain
a subcomponent which is invariant to the creator and a subcomponent which
reflects information including time and location of origin. The authentification
code may be derived algorithmically from the origin code and it is recommended
that at least a portion of the authentification code be the direct result of an
algorithm applied to a certain portion of the origin code. The algorithm
utilized however, may be determined by a separate authorized access registry
related to the origin code. And the authentification code may contain two or
more subcomponents which each may be algorithmically derived from a subcomponent
of the origin code.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The four categories suggested for consideration of fraudulent activity:
(a) paper currency; (b) cheques and other financial notes; (c) manufactured
goods; (d) works of art; are first reconsidered in view of a more fundamental
damage than intimated previously. To wit, it is considered that fundamental
issues regarding the recognition, and enforcement in defense, of intellectual
property are involved which are readily appreciated with consideration of the
fine line between suggested categories (c) & (d) above observed in certain
industries which are perhaps most sensitive to infringement. The motion picture,
video cassette recording (VCR), compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD),
computer software, clothing and other fashion consumer goods industries are all
considered to be characterized by a concern for intellectual property protection
which is more sensitive than that for traditional manufacturers of goods which
are readily protectable by full, utility, and design patents.
These more
modern industries rely heavily upon protection of artistic content which is only
protectable by copyright and in areas where patent protection is available, such
as computer software, the protection comprises a relatively recent improvement
over the copyright protection previously relied upon. It is further considered
that relevant legal process has generally lagged technological development in
the last twenty years as evidenced by the U.S. Supreme Court taking ten years to
decide the VCR case involving Sony.TM. by which time the ruling necessarily
accommodated the widespread but essentially illegal taping of copyrighted
material for personal use. It was only twenty years ago that computer hardware
became patentable subject matter and only in the last ten that software has been
similarly recognized. The development of technology, moreover, is seen as
generally facilitative of fraudulent activity for these more modern industries
and hence the importance of addressing this broader underlying concern
considered paramount.
Digital commodities may have a printed code
affixed thereto in a conventional manner upon the packaging or by digital coding
of the material itself A CD, for example, is a physical product possessing a
relatively smooth hard exterior surface which is perfectly suited for printing
upon with ink a code in conventional alpha-numeric characters which is readily
visible to anyone in possession of the CD. The physical product, moreover, may
be protected by patent and fraudulent manufacture and sales prohibited thereby.
The content of the CD, however, which is recognized as having value independent
of the physical object, is protectable only by copyright and therefore unless
profits are derived from copying for distribution, as current copyright law as
understood by the present author requires, no damages for infringement can be
readily sought. The content of the CD may be downloaded to a personal computer
(PC) and transferred via the World Wide Web (WWW) to a friend's computer for
their enjoyment and that friend may encode their own CD with that copyrighted
content using a widely available accessory to their PC.
The question of
legal ownership of content is hence recognized as a difficult one which is not
wholly unrelated to the existence of a physical object taken independently of
the digital content held thereby. The only purpose of the CD is to hold digital
content in a manner which is freely transferable. The legal possessor of the
content is primarily the copyright holder with licensing through sales to the
public. But unless a profit is derived the licensing is essentially extended to
accommodate any usage desired by a licensee.
The problem seems rooted in
the nature of copyright which is implicit to artistic creation but which
requires submission of a physical representation for registration. The original
work existed in a particular physical form and prohibiting reproduction in that
form of the content is perhaps the primary intent behind recognizing copy
rights. In the case of a CD the original work comprising the content is likely
to have been magnetic ink on tape. The tape can have a code printed thereupon in
conventional, visible, printed alpha-numeric characters. A voice over could read
these characters onto a header for the audio content, much in the manner of the
visual warning regarding copyright found at the beginning of a VCR, and the same
approach is considered applicable to the content of the CD, but it is doubted
that the market would tolerate such an intrusion. It is therefore recognized
that certain practical circumstances apply to enforcement of certain
intellectual property rights.
With regard to the present invention it is
stressed that fulfillment of the principles relating thereto is considered to be
comprehensive of all owner's rights to property and that authentification of a
work of art is expressly included regardless of physical form. The printed
binary origin and authentification code of the present invention has been
restricted to use of visible conventional alpha-numeric characters affixed to
the article concerned so that the possessor of the same may readily read the
same and verify authenticity over the WWW with a query conveying a valid code.
If the object is essentially digital it is still considered practical to present
conventional, alpha-numeric, code visible to the possessor of the object for the
essential purpose of verifying authentification of the object. Even if the
manner of presentation is not strictly printed in conventional manner with
publisher's ink the code is visibly printed for the possessor of the object with
regard to satisfaction of the principles relating to the present invention.
The question, moreover, of what is considered a suitable object in
utilization of a fulfillment of the principles relating to the present invention
is considered cardinal to a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of
those principles because it is considered that one of the cardinal features of
the present invention is the versatility obtained by proper exercise of said
principles in adopting features of said invention in a manner appropriate to the
type of object addressed. The preferred embodiment of said principles has a
universal code subcomponent to the origin code related to information which
categorizes the object in a universal manner and which is hence necessarily
comprehensive of all types of objects to be encompassed and preferably is
associated with a directory listing of all categories with each associated code
which is publicly available via the WWW.
The attempts to categorize
types of objects to be encompassed by an authentification method in accordance
with the principles relating to the present invention are, moreover, considered
to be merely demonstrative of said principles in setting forth what is
considered to be the best known manner of embodying the same. It is believed
that the categories chosen for this exemplary exercise provide useful indicators
of rules regarding the preferred fulfillment of the principles relating to the
present invention. These rules are obtained with contrast of the characteristics
of the different categories chosen for exemplary reasons and are hence not so
much dependent upon any specifics regarding any category but with recognition of
such differences which recognition is the basis for determining an appropriate
structure for the necessarily variable ownership status with regard to different
types of objects.
The first category considered, (a) paper currency, is
considered actually to possess a relatively more complex distribution system
than for the other categories because paper currency is issued by a government
and is recycled whereby the direction of anticipated ownership is reversed from
government down to public to public up to government. This is done in the United
States through the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Reserve Banks & Regional
Offices (FRB) as well as through cooperating deposit taking institutions (DTIs)
inclusive of regulated bands which are `charged back` by the Federal Reserve
Board for counterfeit currency if detected in return of the same during
recycling. The DTI may similarly `charge back` the depositor, if traceable,
along with appropriate fees. DTIs are charged back more than depositors and of
those nearly all are businesses as opposed to private individuals. The fact that
current statute requires "passing counterfeit currency knowingly" for fines of
up to $5,000, or imprisonment up to fifteen years, to be applied is considered
the most salient known condition determining this situation and the appropriate
application of the principles relating to the present invention with regard to
this category.
Paper currency is considered, moreover, to comprise an
extreme condition for a preferred embodiment in accordance with the principles
relating to the present invention wherein certain restrictions are imposed by
the characteristics distinguishing this category from the others. Because paper
currency is recycled, both with regard to anticipated direction of ownership and
literally with periodic `retiring` of old bills and issuance of new, use of only
two conditions of ownership status may be considered appropriate, namely, `home`
and `field`, wherein `home` indicates possession by the government which in the
U.S.A. includes the U.S. Dept. of Treasury & Bureau of Engraving and
Printing as putative `creator`, and the FRB, with `field` being comprised of the
DTIs and the public with an estimated sixty per cent of the currency being
actually outside the United States.
In contrast to (a) paper currency
and (b) financial notes, which are also intended to be recycled with regard to
issuer and buyer if not physically replaced, (c) manufactured goods and (d)
works of art typically follow an anticipated one directional ownership transfer
from creator to private individual which is further typically through recognized
purveyors inclusive of distributors and retailers. It is considered that such
non-financial goods rarely are found traveling the other direction. Defective
product may be taken back to the retailer or distributor or manufacturer and it
is suggested that the ownership status of a non-financial object also be
reversible but that the anticipated direction of ownership be used as the basis
of a rule whereby ownership status undergoes declension reflecting sales in a
recognized chain beginning with creator and terminating with the public. If the
creator is a mass production manufacturer of goods which normally goes through
at least one distributor and then to a number of retailers thence to the public
the ownership status structure considered appropriate would be: manufacturer to
distributor to retailer to public; wherein three declensions of ownership status
are effected automatically with registered sales from one type of owner to the
succeeding type of owner.
As in the contrast of financial notes with
paper currency a more subtle distinction between works of art and mass produced
manufactured goods is observed wherein artists might commonly sell through a
single dealer directly to the public in which case only three conditions of
ownership status, and two declensions, are appropriate. More than four
conditions of ownership status are also readily considered appropriate but it is
also considered desirable to minimize the number of conditions of ownership
status necessary to encompass all forms of ownership for reasons of simplicity.
The ownership status is not a tracking code though it exhibits similar
characteristics.
The ownership status is, fundamentally, an indicator of
the type of ownership. In the extreme case only two ownership status conditions,
`home` and `field` may be considered appropriate, especially for paper currency
as discussed above. For cheques, particularly, if not other financial notes, use
of a similar binary ownership status is considered appropriate while for other
financial notes including bonds and stock certificates a third status condition
for institutional underwriter between entity issuing and entity purchasing is
considered appropriate. Financial notes are also generally contrasted to paper
currency in being `titled` which provides traceable transfer of ownership. The
current title may be reflected by the ownership status and related to the binary
origin and authentification code.
The ownership status alone, regardless
of the number of recognized conditions indicating type of current ownership,
cannot enable personal registration of the object by any owner or purchaser. The
third major code component, the ownership code, is inclusive of both the
ownership status and a secret ownership code subcomponent which utilization is
considered undesirable in the case of existing paper currency, especially U.S.
`greenbacks` of current denominations and value, but which utilization is
considered desirable for future paper currency, especially for considerably
larger denominations then current in the U.S.A. of a value commensurate with the
larger denominations available in previous U.S. history. A one thousand dollar
bill from 1930 conveyed a value well over ten thousand dollars in current terms
and while it seems impractical to permit private registration of one hundred
dollar bills the same practice seems eminently feasible for and ten and twenty
thousand dollar bills given current values for these denominations.
The
ownership code is, with regard to the principles relating to the present
invention, necessary to the extent that a variable ownership status is provided.
Preferably the ownership code is further possessed of a secret code subcomponent
that is available only to a private purchaser or the last anticipated form of
ownership status. Changes in ownership status are properly an automatic
consequence of a change in type of ownership. When an object is purchased from a
retailer which is of a value considered sufficient to permit profitable
provision of ownership registration it is considered appropriate to provide the
option of the secret ownership code subcomponent. This option and all other
expenses of the system may be borne by subscription which is considered the
basis for a profitable system. Whether the private owner and each subsequent
owner pays a subscription directly or whether the subscription is included in a
prior type of ownership is hence considered a matter of choice between design
elements. If a government desires control of the system the tax payers of the
relevant political entity might be the subscribers.
It is emphasized
that the ownership code necessarily is variable and necessarily indicates
ownership status which is related to the type of ownership as described above.
The secret ownership code subcomponent is optional but included in a preferred
embodiment of the principles relating to the present invention. The use of a
trinary code inclusive of an origin code, an authentification code, and a
ownership code is necessary and printing of the binary origin and authentication
code upon the object is necessary. The origin code relates to information
concerning the origin and preferably contains a universal code subcomponent
which identifies a category for the creator or object. It is preferred that the
origin code further be related to information concerning the identity of the
creator and the time of creation.
The authentification code must contain
a portion which is algorithmically derived from a portion of the origin code.
The algorithmic derivation is held in memory of a computer utilized for
verification of a valid authentification code based upon the origin code which
facilitates authentification of an object bearing this binary code with a proper
query containing this binary code made of the registry. This query is preferably
conductable via the WWW but may be otherwise handled at greater expense by other
means including human personnel answering a telephone and consulting the
registry with input of the binary code and determination of whether the
authentification code is valid in being derivable from an algorithm recognized
as properly assigned to that origin code in the generation of authorized
authentification codes. The registry consulted, however, is necessarily held in
computer memory as it must encompass all authorized algorithms for all the
origin codes encompassed by that particular server and have an internal registry
between these two banks of memory, for authorized algorithms and for origin
codes, as well as the capability of running every algorithm authorized for each
origin code encompassed for determining whether the authentification code
concerned could have been generated by an authorized algorithm assigned to that
origin code.
In a preferred embodiment of the principles relating to the
present invention the internal algorithm registry relating authorized algorithms
to recognized origin codes utilizes a portion of the latter as a reference for
the former. This portion may consist of the entire origin code but preferably
comprises a subcomponent which is wholly separate from the universal code
subcomponent and which may be independent of, though preferably related to, a
creator identification subcomponent code. Time of creation is an indicia which
may comprise this subcomponent to the origin code which is further suggested as
an appropriate basis, preferably in combination with information identifying the
creator if not an identification subcomponent code, for algorithmic derivation
of authentification codes authorized for that creator.
Use of an origin
time subcomponent code as a basis for determining the applicable algorithm
enables use of one invariant unique code pertaining to the creator in
conjunction with another necessarily variant and serial code which together are
readily used for generation and verification of a practically unlimited number
of valid algorithmic authentification codes. Which algorithm(s) are authorized
may further be determined, if desired, by recognition of thresholds in the
serial advance of the origin time subcomponent code. In other words, use of
multiple algorithms is facilitated in addition to ensuring that a single
algorithm assigned to a given creator will generate unique authentification
codes simply by utilizing an increment for the serial progression of the origin
time subcomponent code lesser than the time required to produce an object
whereby every object is guaranteed a unique binary code which is readily
authenticated.
In further detailed discussion of a preferred embodiment
of the principles relating to the present invention two opposed examples are
utilized, one for a mass produced consumer product, and another for paper
currency. As an arbitrary choice of a specific product a book is selected. The
creator of the object in this case is a publisher, though the author is the
content creator, and the anticipated chain of ownership is from publisher to
distributor to retailer to a private individual, i.e. three declensions, though
the distributor may sell directly to private individuals, i.e. two declensions.
An appropriate ownership status hence reflects ownership by four different
types: publisher, distributor, retailer, and public. Whether a secret ownership
code subcomponent is desired or not may depend upon the value of the book but in
either case the publisher, distributor, retailer, and public are all
beneficiaries in that authentification of the book as the genuine article is
ensured and fraudulent practices are deterred. Each owner has a means of
verifying authenticity if desired and further has automatic proof of ownership
with regard to type of entity.
The ownership status is automatically
changed with a sale by an entity recognized as being of the correct ownership
status and authorized to change that status as an indication of sale to an
entity of the next anticipated status condition. This is known herein as
declension of the ownership status. It is not necessary that any particular
entity, including the creator, be identified though this attribute may be
considered desirable. Most saliently perhaps with practical regard to common
fraudulent practice concerning books, which principle is considered applicable
to mass produced objects generally, anyone considering purchase of a book
containing the binary origin and authentification code components which, in a
proper query of the registry, reveals the current ownership status cannot be
readily fooled into believing that the book is `new` or uncirculated because the
ownership status is changed only in consequence of recognized transfers of
ownership exclusive of any secret ownership code subcomponent.
In this
manner the simple difference between `home` and `field` considered appropriately
applicable to paper currency and cheques is further observed in all other
categories and defines a consistent rule for an embodiment in accordance with
the principles relating to the present invention: only authorized entities may
be connoted by a ownership status other than public and declensions, as defined
above, are automatically made in consequence of a recognized transfer of
ownership from an entity of the current ownership status to an entity of the
succeeding ownership status condition anticipated in the chain of ownership
recognized by the ownership status condition structure utilized. In the example
of a book these declensions might be from publisher to distributor, or
distributor to retailer, or retailer to public. The reverse change of status, up
the chain of anticipated ownership rather than down the same, is preferably
proscribed as requiring further authorization from another party which is
preferably the party which is taking back the inventory. In this manner returns
are accommodated and obviously manifold fraudulent practices otherwise
permissible are effectively eliminated.
A similar safeguard is included
in the required operation of the secret ownership code subcomponent which is
preferably available only in consequence of an ownership status change to public
or `field`. Input of the full trinary code including the secret ownership code
subcomponent is necessary to access and to modification inclusive of replacement
of each secret subcomponent. The first public purchaser of an object bearing the
binary origin and authentification code may verify authenticity with the same,
may also verify that the ownership status is correct, and preferably may enter a
secret ownership code subcomponent of their own selection. It is noted,
moreover, that this is expressly not a personal identification number (PIN)
which is invariant and identifies a person. The difference is readily
appreciated in consideration of the operation.
If a PIN were utilized
for the secret ownership code subcomponent all the objects so registered would
be vulnerable to theft and the means by which registered transfer of ownership
to another member of the public is facilitated would be wholly useless as
disclosure of the secret ownership code subcomponent is relied upon to verify
registered ownership to a new purchaser who can then replace that secret
ownership code subcomponent with one of their selection. This suggests that each
member of the public interested in registration of a plurality of objects
maintain a personal registry for the same which is further considered useful in
substantiating insurance claims.
In a preferred embodiment of the
principles relating to the present invention with regard to the transfer of
ownership of a book, as a specific example, and more generally to mass produced
goods as a category, the change in the ownership status reflecting a transfer of
type of ownership is preferably a consequence of scanning the binary code
printed upon the object. For this reason the binary origin and authentification
code is preferably replicated in both human readable, visible, alpha-numeric
characters and a machine readable rendering (MRR) including Magnetic Ink
Character Recognition (MICR) which is expressly preferred because of long use by
the banking industry. Two dimensional bar codes and programs for bulk transfer
comprise two other examples of MRR considered appropriate. Regardless of the
specific technology utilized to enable machine reading it is preferred that
scanning of the binary origin and authentification code as a part of selling the
object concerned by an authorized party of the correct ownership status will
automatically result in declension, i.e. a change in that status to the next
anticipated status as an indication of sale.
Public is distinguished
from all other conditions of ownership status in a manner consistent with the
rules regarding change of ownership status, including the option of a secret
ownership code subcomponent, and with the rules regarding access to registry
files. Access to files enabling change of ownership status are unavailable to
the public. Public access to all information necessary to authenticate a binary
origin and authentification code is necessary and public access further
preferably includes information in the format of directories for a universal
code and creator identity. These directories might further be explicative of a
creation time origin code subcomponent though this might be largely transparent
anyway. The algorithms authorized are not to be publicly known in any manner nor
accessible to any party save the creator or a creator authorized party.
It is also preferred that entrance of a given origin code will
optionally route Internet based access from a server computer receiving the
query to another maintaining information pertaining to that origin, preferably a
`web site` maintained by the creator. This option in public access enables any
owner of a typical major appliance to read the origin code from the appliance
and access information about troubleshooting problems, for example, which might
be similar to the printed owner's manual which is typically provided with the
product but which is readily updated and facilitative of a more extensive
format. The ordering of spare or replacement parts is readily facilitated as is
the ordering of new units, disposable parts, refills, et cetera. It is believed
that this convenience will be appreciated by both consumers and manufacturers as
a very effective marketing vehicle.
Preliminary to consideration of the
second example, paper currency, it is noted that for both this category and mass
produced manufactured goods, but not particularly for financial notes and not
for all works of art, the ability to scan the binary origin and authentification
code at a retail point of sale is considered highly desirable. In facilitation
of this ability it has been suggested that MICR or bar code or other MRR of the
binary origin and authentification code duplicative to a rendering of the code
in human readable form be utilized.
A preferred scanning means further
possesses WWW based authentification and counterfeit detection capabilities and
another input ability to a proprietary register for tracking sales which can be
downloaded automatically or periodically to a server computer either maintaining
or possessing authorized access to the ownership status of the product
encompassed. A device possessing a MRR, preferably MICR or bar code, reader, a
CPU, memory, graphic display, preferably liquid crystal diode (LCD) or light
emitting diode (LED), communication board, RS 232 port, and twelve button key
pad connectable to the Internet preferably with a direct subscriber line (DSL)
is specifically suggested for this purpose whereby scanning of the MRR with an
operable device enables recording of the binary origin and authentification code
in memory, communication of the same in the form of an authentification query to
the registry via the WWW if a charge back or verification of currency is
involved, and communication of a request to change the ownership status in
registry via the WWW for any good being sold, along with display the result of
this request. A receipt printing attachment is also suggested for printing this
result.
For purposes of detecting counterfeit currency it is suggested
that regulated use of a system employing a scanner as described above be made
wherein banks, recognized businesses, and other appropriate entities be
considered as a third ownership status condition, `base`, which is in addition
to the `home` and `field` ownership status conditions recognized as a minimum
necessity. This is in recognition of the observation that most `passing` of
counterfeit money is from the public or `field` in this trinary ownership status
structure to businesses comprising the `base`. As previously noted DTIs are
charged back by the FRB for counterfeit currency more frequently than DTIs
charge back businesses and far more frequently than DTIs charge back private
depositors. It is considered desirable to detect the passing of counterfeit
currency earlier, before detection by the FRB after deposit from DTIs, which was
after deposit by businesses who first were passed the counterfeit from the
public.
Since it is most likely that counterfeit paper currency would be
comprised of a plurality of identical notes each bearing an imitation of a
genuine binary origin and authentification code of a genuine note it is
considered advantageous to detect multiple notes of the same binary code. With
the `base` ownership status condition this detection is facilitated with a
current register which maintains a record of all binary codes for currency
recognized by scanning performed by businesses comprising the`base`. The DTIs,
moreover, are preferably included in the `base` for purposes of a current
register which is constantly updated. Paper currency in possession of the FRB
and possessing a `home` ownership status need not be concerned because this
currency is not in circulation.
This is aside from the automatic
recognition of an authentification code which could not be algorithmically
derived in accordance with the origin code which will appear on the display
screen of the scanning device suggested above. An invalid authentification code
means the paper currency is counterfeit. Detection of a valid authentification
code being passed from `field` to `base` which is a duplicate of another which
indicates `base` ownership status means that one of the notes is counterfeit and
that others may be expected. Notification of FRB is indicated and the passage of
bills bearing the duplicate valid authentification code becomes information
considered of use to any resulting investigation by the Secret Service which is
the pertinent investigative body in the U.S. The provision of this information
is hence considered of obvious utility.
It is considered that the `base`
may be merged with the `home` with regard to a current register and that the
distinction between home and field is essentially shifted to include banks and
recognized businesses as part of `home` rather than `field`. The `home`
ownership status, however, is still considered useful in distinction with the
`base` ownership status because each entity would likely prefer to have separate
computer systems with the `base` network being informative of the FRB network
but without authorized access which the FRB would preferably have with regard to
the `base` network. Another preferred option is to distinguish DTIs from other
base members with regard to authorized access which may operate in conjunction
with a fourth ownership status, `bank`, in addition to `home`, `base`, and
`field`.
Or the DTIs could be essentially transferred from `base` to
`home` but this arrangement, although considered attractive in presenting a
trinary ownership status and in grouping authorized access entities together,
must still possess an internal distinction with regard to the FRB and the DTIs
which would necessarily include increased access authority for the FRB. And the
businesses possessing base ownership status still have limited access authority
not possessed by the public. Therefore it is recognized that the ownership
status is necessarily related to the pertinent access authority which is hence
determined, in a preferred embodiment of the principles relating to the present
invention, by the ownership status condition. Several considerations are noted:
the ownership status is related to access and authority in a preferably
hierarchial structure from creator down to public; authority is limited to:
downward revision of the ownership status condition as an indication of a
recognized transfer of ownership; or to acceptance of an implicit offer of
upward revision of ownership status by the owner as a condition of tender.
In the example for paper currency a member of the public receives from a
DTI a ten thousand dollar U.S. Treasury Note, hereinafter known as a ten
thousand dollar bill, possessing a binary origin and authentification code which
enable authentification, verification of ownership status, and utilizing a
preferred embodiment of the principles relating to the present invention, also
permits use of a secret ownership code subcomponent. The binary origin and
authentification code is scanned in the withdrawal and the ownership status
condition automatically changed from `bank` to `public` with a receipt in record
of this action preferably bearing the printed binary origin and authentification
codes of all the bills concerned in the withdrawal. The ten thousand dollar bill
is authenticable by the receiving member of the public via the WWW and is
further now automatically open to entrance of a secret ownership code
subcomponent.
The owner may elect to enter this or not. Once entered
access to and the authority to alter or replace the secret ownership code
subcomponent is limited to entrance of the full trinary origin,
authentification, and ownership code including this secret subcomponent. And the
ownership status preferably further changes from `field` to `private` which are
both public with regard to other authorized access but which indicates that the
object has been registered by a member of the public. It is considered necessary
to indicate a change in ownership status with the first entrance of a secret
ownership subcomponent so that a prospective recipient may ascertain if the
object has been registered and hence requires the secret ownership code
subcomponent in addition to the binary origin and authentification code
components prior to acceptance as payment. Transfer of registered ownership is
automatically effected with replacement of the secret ownership code
subcomponent which action is enabled by disclosure of the same to the
prospective owner who, in verifying registered ownership, may effect the
transfer.
The ten thousand dollar bill withdrawn from a bank is used by
the proper owner to purchase goods from a business. If entrance of a secret
ownership code subcomponent has been made scanning of the ten thousand dollar
bill indicates this condition in the ownership status. Provision of the correct
secret ownership code subcomponent as the condition for acceptance of the bill
must be required by the business in order for the business to clear the
ownership code subcomponent which is necessary for access to and authority to
change the ownership status condition from `private` to `base`.
If the
secret ownership code subcomponent has not been entered the business has no bar
to either access or authority to change the ownership code from `field` to
`base`. The ten thousand dollar bill may be authenticated by the business and
may additionally be checked against a current register of authenticated binary
codes currently possessing `base` status, if not `bank` and `home` status, by
request which enables no access to the current register but simply indicates
whether or not the binary origin and authentification code is duplicative of one
in that database. The current register database, moreover, needn't necessarily
be comprehensive of all businesses authorized to change ownership status as an
indication of sales which comprise the `base` in this case. The comprehensive
current register for the entire `base` preferably comprises a cooperative
network of various server computers each maintained by a single business or
group of businesses. Even if the entire comprehensive current register where to
be maintained by the same entity it would necessarily be comprised of various
server computers working in cooperation with each other.
It is hence
considered, in an appropriate organization of databases comprising a current
register in a preferred embodiment of the principles relating to the present
invention, to recognize different levels of networks each corresponding to a
ownership status condition and authority pertaining to that network with regard
to changes in ownership status condition. Within each network it is recommended
that individual server computers and groups of server computers each recognized
as being maintained by a single entity cooperate in exchange of information to
comprise a component current registry for that ownership status condition and
that this information from each component current registries further preferably
be made available to the others in response to queries specifying particular
binary origin and authentification codes. The largest current register including
`home`, `bank`, and `base` is still basically known as opposed to the `field`
inclusive of `private` ownership status.
The ten thousand dollar bill,
after being accepted as payment for goods by a business has a ownership status
condition of `base` and the secret ownership code subcomponent is cleared
regardless of prior condition. The ten thousand dollar bill is now deposited by
the business with a bank and the binary origin and authentification code is
verified as authentic and non-duplicative. The ownership status condition is
changed from `base` to `bank` and the business preferably receives a receipt
bearing evidence of this action. The ten thousand dollar bill is similarly
recycled upward to the FRB and downward from the same with periodic recreations
when desired. With regard to the full ownership status, the condition has
changed from field, with a subcondition of either public or private depending
upon whether the single private withdrawer in this example has exercised the
option of entering the secret ownership code subcomponent, to `base` generally
and `bank` and `home` more particularly, with the acceptance as payment by the
registered business, DTI, and the FRB, respectively.
This completes a
full cycle from FRB to DTI to public back up through a registered business to a
DTI and to the FRB. The cycle is comprised of two directions of movement each
characterized by a corresponding change in the ownership status condition,
downward from FRB to public, and upward from public to FRB. Each transaction in
the downward direction of movement results in declension of the ownership status
condition generally from `home` to `field` and particularly from `home` to
`bank`, optionally to `base`, and to `field`. The last declension, to `field`,
may or may not further provide the option of entering a secret ownership code
subcomponent and if so `field` is comprised of `private` and `public` depending
on whether the option has, respectively, been exercised or not.
Regardless of whether the option of the secret ownership code
subcomponent is provided or not, and regardless also of whether the object
concerned in an authentification method in accordance with the principles
relating to the present invention is paper currency or a manufactured good or a
work of art or any other object, the ownership condition indicated by the
ownership status is considered to change in one of two directions from creator
to a member of the public usually through intermediaries which can be readily
recognized and authorized for effecting automatic, i.e. unilateral, declension
of ownership status while transfer of ownership in the reverse direction, from
public to creator, usually through intermediaries, requires the implicit offer
of change in status accepted in verification of authenticity.
It is
emphasized that the public, which lacks the recognized authority to alter the
ownership code status, is still protected by the ability to authenticate an
object, preferably via the WWW, and may further preferably demand a printed
receipt bearing a trinary code inclusive of the origin, authentification, and
the ownership code components with the last clearly indicating the declension
effected by the sale or withdrawal or other form of receivership in transfer of
the ownership of the object. The public is further preferably protected with the
secret ownership code subcomponent which cannot be changed by any authorized
entity except by clearing that memory in reverse declension from public to base
or other ownership status condition authorized to alter the ownership status
which authorization is restricted to changing the condition to that held by that
entity.
The foregoing is intended to provide one practiced in the art to
which the present subject matter most closely pertains with what is considered
the best manner of fulfilling a preferred embodiment of the principles relating
to the present invention and is in not to be construed in any manner as
restrictive of said invention nor of the rights and privileges obtained by
granting of letters patent for which I claim:
* * * * *
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