System and methods for authenticating tangible products

Abstract

A system and associated methods for authenticating an at least one tangible product are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, upon a user desiring to authenticate a given product via a user application on a user device, an authentication request is initiated with an authentication device attached to the product. A device variable count on the authentication device is incremented based on an underlying algorithm, and the authentication device generates a data set containing at least one of a unique device identifier, a unique device key and the device variable count. The authentication device provides the data set and the device identifier to the user application, which then transmits the data to an authentication server. If the authentication server locates the device identifier in an authentication table, and subsequently processes the data set successfully, the authentication server obtains from the authentication table a server variable count associated with the device identifier. If the device variable count is greater than the server variable count, the authentication server transmits a success message to the user application and sets the server variable count to be equal to the device variable count.