The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 15, 2008
Filed:
May. 02, 2002
Albertus Jacobus Pretorius, Pretoria, ZA;
Albertus Jacobus Pretorius, Pretoria, ZA;
Centralised Authentication of Products (Pty) Ltd., Gauteng, ZA;
Abstract
A method of authenticating an article includes the steps of, at an issuing station, selecting an inherent feature of the article and converting the feature into digital data to form an identification code for the article. An encryptor is used to encrypt the identification code utilizing a secret private key of an asymmetric encryption key pair and associated with the issuing party. The encrypted code is made available on a label accompanying the article. During a subsequent phase and at an authentication station, digital data relating to the feature is determined directly from the article and the code is decrypted utilizing a public key of the pair obtained from a third party in accordance with rules of a public key infrastructure. The determined data and the data relating to the feature retrieved from the decrypted code are compared to authenticate the article.