Appraisal certification system, program, and appraisal certification method

Abstract

This invention provides an appraisal certification system, program, and information processing method capable of verifying the validity of verification information used to verify an object requiring appraisal. [Solution] The system includes a means for acquiring verification information about an object requiring appraisal, and a means for acquiring verification results about the legitimacy of the object requiring appraisal, based on the verification information and using a verification method.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an appraisal and certification system, a program, and an appraisal and certification method. [Background technology]

[0002] While technologies for managing data on blockchains are known, there is a so-called oracle problem: the reliability of the data to be recorded before it is recorded on the blockchain. In response to this, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that links learning activities conducted on the web with tokens issued using a blockchain, and by sequentially recording these tokens on the blockchain, it manages not only the outcome of the learning but the entire process in a way that makes it difficult to tamper with. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-28824 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] Even when managing verification information for verifying items requiring appraisal, the reliability of this verification information becomes a crucial issue.

[0005] This invention has been made with these points in mind, and aims to provide an appraisal certification system, program, and information processing method that can verify the legitimacy of an object requiring appraisal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The appraisal and certification system according to the present invention is A means for obtaining verification information to obtain verification information regarding an object requiring appraisal, A means for obtaining verification results that obtains verification results regarding the validity of the verification information subject to appraisal through verification using a verification model, It is characterized by having the following features.

[0007] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, The verification result acquisition means may acquire multiple verification results by performing verification using multiple verification models.

[0008] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, The system may further include a means for calculating a validity evaluation value by weighting the aforementioned multiple verification results to obtain a validity evaluation value.

[0009] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, Weights are set for the aforementioned multiple validation models, The aforementioned validity evaluation value calculation means may assign weights of the corresponding verification model to each verification result.

[0010] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, The recording means further includes recording the verification result in association with the information concerning the object to be examined in one or more storage units when the validity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, A determination model may be used to determine whether the aforementioned validity evaluation value is above a threshold.

[0011] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, The aforementioned verification information is classified into multiple categories by a classification model. For each of the aforementioned categories, the verification model to be used is predetermined. The verification result acquisition means may acquire verification results using the verification model corresponding to the category to which the verification information belongs.

[0012] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, The verification subject determination model determines the verification model that will perform the verification of the verification information. The verification result acquisition means may acquire the verification result by the determined verification model.

[0013] In the program according to the present invention, A program for causing a computer to function as verification information acquisition means and verification result acquisition means, The verification information acquisition means acquires verification information regarding the object to be authenticated, The verification result acquisition means acquires a verification result regarding the validity of the verification information of the object to be authenticated by verification using a verification model, which is characterized by this.

[0014] In the authentication method according to the present invention, An authentication method performed by a computer having a control unit, A step in which the control unit acquires verification information regarding the object to be authenticated, A step in which the control unit acquires a verification result regarding the validity of the verification information of the object to be authenticated by verification using a verification model Including, which is characterized by this.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the validity of the object to be authenticated can be verified.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an authentication system to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams for explaining the processing operation of digital property authentication. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process from digital property data to generating a transaction hash or a two-dimensional code of an NFT. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration required for analog property authentication. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of an analog goods appraisal certificate. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of blockchain data containing product information and transaction information, which are recorded on a dedicated platform for authenticating analog goods. [Figure 7] Figures 7(a) and 7(b) illustrate the processing operation of hybrid (analog-digital) authentication certificates. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart of ownership verification via a blockchain wallet. [Figure 9] Figures 9(a) and 9(b) illustrate an example of performing a hybrid authentication based on transaction hash or QR code along with ownership verification data (proof of ownership of the blockchain wallet). [Figure 10] Figures 10(a) and 10(b) illustrate an example of a hybrid appraisal certificate that combines identifiers and analog appraisal certificates. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is another diagram illustrating an example of a hybrid appraisal certificate that combines identifiers and analog appraisal certificates. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows the flow chart of an authentication and certification method using traceability. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified flow chart of an appraisal and certification method using traceability. [Figure 14] Figures 14(a) and 14(b) illustrate the processing operation of digital property authentication certificates in other embodiments. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the process for generating an identifier for a product requiring appraisal from digital asset data when storage is available, in another embodiment. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating the process for generating an identifier for a product requiring appraisal from digital asset data in another embodiment, when storage is unavailable. [Figure 17]Figure 17 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of an analog goods appraisal certificate in another embodiment. [Figure 18] Figures 18(a) and 18(b) illustrate the processing operation of a hybrid authentication certificate in another embodiment. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a flowchart of ownership verification through an identifier representing a user in another embodiment. [Figure 20] Figures 20(a) and 20(b) illustrate an example of a hybrid authentication process in another embodiment, where a transaction hash or two-dimensional code is used in conjunction with ownership verification data. [Figure 21] Figure 21 is a diagram illustrating the flow of an authentication and certification method using traceability in another embodiment. [Figure 22] Figure 22 is a diagram showing a modified example of an authentication method using traceability in another embodiment. [Figure 23] Figure 23 is an explanatory diagram illustrating analog goods, digital goods (physical objects that have been digitized), and digital goods that are digital from the start. [Figure 24] Figure 24 is a flowchart showing the process for entering product information. [Figure 25] Figure 25 shows an example of verification information.

[0017] Hereinafter, an example of an appraisal and certification system, program, and appraisal and certification method to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 shows the system configuration of the appraisal and certification system 1 to which the present invention is applied. The appraisal and certification system 1 is used by users (including manufacturers, authors, etc., as well as logistics companies, wholesalers, retailers, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "various businesses, etc."), owners, and consumers, etc., who are involved with the product requiring appraisal 5). The appraisal and certification system 1 consists of terminals 2 and 72 for operation by users (e.g., various businesses, etc.) and a distributed file server 3 for operation by administrators, etc., which are connected via a public communication network 10, such as the Internet, and constitute a dedicated platform 8 via this public communication network 10. The users who operate terminals 2 and 72 can be arbitrarily set according to the purpose, but below, as an example, we will explain the case in which various businesses, etc. operate terminal 2 and consumers operate terminal 72 as needed. The product requiring appraisal 5 is an example of an item requiring appraisal.

[0019] Terminal 2 consists of electronic devices such as personal computers (PCs), but may also be embodied in any other electronic device, such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet devices, or wearable devices. Various businesses operate Terminal 2 to perform various tasks to generate identifiers from the products requiring authentication 5. The products requiring authentication 5 can be broadly classified into analog goods and digital goods. For example, analog goods include all products that require authentication, such as bags, purses, clothing, watches, works of art and crafts, and automobiles. Digital goods include all digital content that requires authentication, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video. Digital goods also include information that has been digitized from information related to analog goods (e.g., product images, serial numbers, authentication certificates, etc.). Products requiring authentication 5 include not only new products but also used products (secondary market, tertiary market, and other nth-order markets (n is an integer of 4 or more)).

[0020] Similarly, terminal 72 is composed of electronic devices such as PCs, but it may also be embodied in any other electronic device, such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet devices, or wearable devices. The consumer operates terminal 72 and attempts to authenticate product 5.

[0021] The distributed file server 3 is a distributed file system intended to connect terminals 2 to the same file system, and is composed of, but is not limited to, so-called IPFS (Interplanetary File System). Various businesses that access the public communication network 10 via terminals 2 provide data to the distributed file server 3, and consumers can request this data in a P2P (Peer to Peer) format. The distributed file server 3 is a place to store all digital content of the product requiring authentication, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and simultaneously with this storage, a multi-digit string called an identifier is generated as described below. When identifying the identifier of the product requiring authentication 5, if it is new, the image will be exactly the same, but since unique supplementary information such as a product management number is added along with the digital content, a unique string of characters called an identifier is generated. Note that in the authentication authentication system 1 and authentication authentication method of this embodiment, the distributed file server 3 may be omitted.

[0022] Furthermore, in the case of used goods, each item becomes a unique digital asset characterized by individual scratches, scuffs, and other deformations, resulting in the generation of a one-of-a-kind identifier. This unique characteristic of used digital assets is extremely important in the resale industry for authentication and certification. For example, if someone who purchased a used watch returns it to the store with a counterfeit watch and requests a refund, if information based on an NFT (Non-fungible token) corresponding to the digital asset or the identifier described later is stored on the blockchain, it can be used as evidence to check the difference between the watch sold to the customer and the watch brought back by the customer.

[0023] The dedicated platform 8 is composed of an information processing unit and includes a control unit, a memory unit, a communication unit, etc. The control unit includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the operation on the dedicated platform 8. The memory unit 110 includes, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and SSD (Solid State Drive). The dedicated platform 8 performs various processes by having its control unit execute programs. The dedicated platform 8 refers to blockchain 8a. As blockchain 8a, a blockchain with a P2P network such as a distributed ledger can be used. On this blockchain 8a, product information of the product requiring authentication 5, transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product requiring authentication 5 is delivered to the consumer, and identifiers generated by hashing based on the digital asset data of the product requiring authentication 5 are recorded.

[0024] Furthermore, the term "blockchain 8a" used here refers to any type of blockchain, including not only blockchains with P2P networks such as distributed ledgers, but also public blockchains, private blockchains, consortium blockchains, and others.

[0025] Furthermore, the concept of recording on blockchain 8a also includes recording a sequence of hash values ​​used to prove specific data. Additionally, the concept of recording on blockchain 8a includes recording encrypted or digitally signed information, such as hash values. For example, information recorded on blockchain 8a may be recorded in a format appropriate to its application, such as encryption or digital signature technology.

[0026] The appraisal and certification system 1 to which the present invention is applied can realize appraisal and certification of two main types: digital property appraisal and certification, and hybrid appraisal and certification, as described below.

[0027] Digital Property Authentication Certificate First, let's explain the processing operation for digital asset authentication certification. As shown in Figure 2(a), digital asset data is acquired for the product 5 requiring authentication. This acquisition of digital asset data is performed on the object to be authenticated. This digital asset data consists of digital image data captured using terminal 2 or a digital camera, etc., on the product 5 requiring authentication. In addition to being composed of digital asset data obtained by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., through such terminal 2, it may also be used that was originally assigned to or linked to the product 5 and recorded on a recording medium. This digital asset data is any digital content requiring authentication certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and is assigned extensions such as jpg, png, gif, mp3, mov, etc.

[0028] Manufacturers, producers, and copyright holders register the digital asset data of the product requiring authentication 5 obtained in this manner on a dedicated platform 8. As a result, the dedicated platform 8 obtains NFT information based on NFTs issued via blockchain 8a, which it references, and automatically generates a transaction hash and a two-dimensional code corresponding to that NFT information. Through the transaction hash and two-dimensional code of the NFT information issued and generated in this way, it becomes possible to determine whether the product requiring authentication 5 is a counterfeit or a genuine product. Note that NFT information may refer to the publicly known NFT itself, or it may refer to information that has been processed based on publicly known technologies such as encryption or digital signing of the NFT. Furthermore, NFT information may include identifiers associated with the NFT.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2(b), digital asset data is recorded on a distributed file server, and an identifier is issued, from which a unique two-dimensional code A can be generated. Furthermore, a unique two-dimensional code B can be generated from the transaction hash obtained via the blockchain. Two-dimensional codes A and B are distinct from each other, but they can be used as one of the authentication elements of the multi-signature authentication of the appraisal and certification system 1. Two-dimensional code B is well known, but the addition of two-dimensional code A can enhance the security of the multi-signature authentication. Note that two-dimensional code A alone may be used as an authentication element of the multi-signature authentication, or two-dimensional code B alone may be used as an authentication element of the multi-signature authentication. Furthermore, to increase the strength of the multi-signature authentication, two-dimensional codes A and B together may be used as authentication elements of the multi-signature authentication.

[0030] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process of issuing transaction hashes and QR codes for NFT information from such digital asset data. Note that Figure 3 shows an example where NFTs are used as the NFT information.

[0031] First, in step S11, the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., acquires digital asset data for the product 5 requiring appraisal and registers it on the dedicated platform 8. This process for registering digital asset data is performed by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., accessing the dedicated platform 8 via terminal 2. In such cases, the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., may also access the dedicated platform 8 from within terminal 2 and perform the necessary procedures by installing the required applications in advance.

[0032] Next, the process moves to step S12, where the dedicated platform 8 accepts registration of digital asset data. The dedicated platform 8 may consist of a so-called NFT marketplace, etc. When the dedicated platform 8 accepts registration of digital asset data, it issues a registration number for that digital asset data, for example, an NFT marketplace registration number. Since this registration number is issued each time digital asset data is registered, it is unique.

[0033] Next, the process moves to step S13, where the digital asset data and issued registration number received in step S12, along with information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author, are compiled into a single folder and registered on the distributed file server 3. The details of the manufacturer, producer, and author information include name, corporate information, pen name, pseudonym, etc., while the artwork information includes the title of the work, year of production, year of publication, artwork specifications (size, format, technology used), copyright of the work, and rights information such as portrait rights and design rights included in the work. The method of compiling the digital asset data, registration number, and manufacturer, producer, and author information into a single folder during registration is just one example; any method may be used as long as the digital asset data, registration number, and manufacturer, producer, and author information (hereinafter collectively referred to as "ancillary information") are registered in a linked manner.

[0034] Next, the process moves to step S14, where the distributed file server 3 issues a unique ID for each piece of registered supplementary information. The ID issued for digital asset data is called the 1st ID, the ID issued for the registration number is called the 2nd IDa, and the ID issued for information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author is called the 2nd IDb.

[0035] Regarding digital asset data, if identical digital asset data already exists elsewhere, or if the digital asset data has been copied by another party, the same first ID may be issued. On the other hand, since the registration number is unique, the second IDa will also be unique. Information such as manufacturer, producer, author, etc., such as company name, date of birth, copyright holder's name, and title of the work, may not be unique depending on the content, but since it is possible to set up a unique ID for each, the second IDb can also be unique. For example, by attaching time information such as the date and time, and seconds, registered on the distributed file server 3, the certainty of uniqueness can also be increased. Furthermore, in this step S14, at least the digital asset data may be recorded on this distributed file server 3. Moreover, this distributed file server 3 employs a distributed form, and is configured to prevent the loss of digital asset data in multiple ways. Such configuration settings are also possible.

[0036] Next, the process moves to step S15, where a unique identifier is generated based on the associated supplementary information. This generated identifier can be linked to the supplementary information, thereby becoming the identifier held by that supplementary information. This identifier is generated based on the first ID, second IDa, and second IDb described above. Since second IDa is unique and second IDb is also unique, even if the same digital asset data (first ID) is identical or a copy, the newly generated identifier will always be unique. This hashed and generated identifier is called an identifier.

[0037] Furthermore, this identifier may be generated based on rules defined in the distributed file server 3, using the supplementary information placed within the folder.

[0038] Alternatively, a two-dimensional code may be generated based on the generated identifier (step S23).

[0039] The process moves to step S16, where the dedicated platform 8 receives an identifier from the distributed file server 3. If a two-dimensional code was generated in step S23, the dedicated platform 8 receives the two-dimensional code from the distributed file server 3.

[0040] Next, the process moves to step S17, where the dedicated platform 8 sends an identifier based on the accompanying information to blockchain 8a.

[0041] In step S18, blockchain 8a records NFT information issued based on an identifier transmitted from the dedicated platform 8. By recording NFT information associated with an identifier on blockchain 8a (for example, by writing it to blockchain data 8b), it is possible to completely prevent the NFT information from being tampered with. In other words, each block in blockchain 8a contains a timestamp and a link (hash value) to the previous block, making it impossible to retroactively change the data within a block.

[0042] Next, the process moves to step S19, where a transaction hash and / or a QR code corresponding to the NFT information is generated. This generation of the transaction hash and / or QR code may be performed simultaneously with the recording to blockchain 8a. The transaction hash here is a string of approximately 64 characters, for example, in the case of Ethereum, used to identify the NFT information. This transaction hash may be replaced by a combination of a contract address and a token ID. The contract address here refers to the unique address on the blockchain where the contract is deployed. The token ID refers to the NFT information identified by the contract address. The QR code is a code used to identify the transaction hash. The issued transaction hash and QR code are sent to a dedicated platform 8 (for example, a marketplace) and received (step S20).

[0043] Blockchain 8a also transmits this NFT information to various businesses as needed (step S21). This transmitted NFT information may be replaced by the issued transaction hash or QR code. Various businesses receive this NFT information (step S22). Various businesses can receive such transaction hashes or QR codes via terminal 2.

[0044] Furthermore, the authority to acquire digital asset data and register it on the dedicated platform 8 is limited to various businesses and other entities. For example, in the case of products requiring appraisal 5 such as bags, handbags, clothing, watches, works of art and crafts, and automobiles, the authority to register digital asset data on this dedicated platform 8 may be granted only to various businesses and other entities or those authorized to act as sales agents for such products.

[0045] Various businesses, or consumers who purchase a new or used product 5 requiring authentication as a genuine product, receive this transaction hash or QR code along with the product 5 from the business or the dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). The businesses or consumers who receive the transaction hash or QR code can use it to access blockchain 8a on the dedicated platform 8 and read the NFT information of product 5 recorded there. This allows only genuine businesses or consumers who possess the transaction hash or QR code to easily perform reliable authentication. Therefore, third parties who do not possess these transaction hashes or QR codes cannot perform such authentication.

[0046] In this way, in digital authentication and certification, unique NFT information derived from a unique identifier is sequentially written to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8 for only the genuine products 5 requiring authentication by various businesses, etc. This ensures that the NFT information itself is accurately recorded and completely prevents tampering with the NFT information itself. Therefore, various businesses, etc. that handle products requiring authentication 5, or consumers who purchase products requiring authentication 5 that are distributed through complex distribution channels or sold via the internet, can easily provide highly reliable authentication certificates.

[0047] It should be noted that the digital asset appraisal certificate is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in step S13, we described a case where an identifier is generated by registering supplementary information together with the digital asset data, but it is not limited to this, and any method that links at least some information to the digital asset data and registers it may be used. The information referred to here consists of any information or data that is related to or generated in conjunction with the digital asset data, such as the registration number and information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author mentioned above. The supplementary information may consist of only one of the registration number or the information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author. Alternatively, the supplementary information may not include either the registration number or the information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author, but instead consist of any information or data that is related to or generated in conjunction with the digital asset data.

[0048] Hybrid Appraisal Certificate Next, we will explain the processing operation of the hybrid appraisal certificate. In the hybrid appraisal certificate, in addition to the digital appraisal certificate mentioned above, an analog appraisal certificate is also combined to perform a more accurate appraisal of the product requiring appraisal 5.

[0049] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the product to be authenticated 5 and the guarantee card 24 that is sold and distributed together with it in an analog goods authentication certificate. The product to be authenticated 5 has a small recording medium (a1) 51a attached or incorporated thereto that records information including a secret key α1 and product information (product name, part number, manufacturer / author, place of manufacture, date of manufacture, etc.), and the guarantee card 24 has a small recording medium (b) 52a attached or incorporated thereto that records information including a secret key β1 and product information. Depending on the shape, structure, size, etc. of the product to be authenticated 5 and the guarantee card 24, small recording media such as IC chips, two-dimensional codes, and digital watermarks can be used as appropriate for the small recording media (a1) 51a and small recording media (b) 52a.

[0050] Here, "private key" refers to information necessary to authenticate the product 5 requiring authentication, and for example, the integrity of the "private key" itself may be determined during the authentication process. The "private key" represents information that can only be known by a specific user, and may be recorded on the "small recording medium" mentioned above, or it may be recorded in a configuration used in the authentication system 1, such as a terminal 72 or a dedicated platform 8.

[0051] Furthermore, a "public key" may be generated as a pair with a "private key," for example. In this case, known encryption and digital signature technologies can be implemented using the "private key" and "public key." Also, during authentication and certification, whether or not a "public key" was generated as a pair with a "private key" may be considered as consistency and used for determination. The "public key" can be recorded on the "small recording medium" mentioned above, for example, or it can be arbitrarily recorded in a configuration used in the authentication and certification system 1, such as a dedicated platform 8, depending on the application. Furthermore, the "private key" and "public key" can be generated using known technologies and can be arbitrarily generated depending on the application using a configuration used in the authentication and certification system 1, such as a dedicated platform 8 or a distributed file server 3.

[0052] The product information for the small recording medium (a1) 51a of product requiring authentication 5 and the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is entered by various vendors, etc., at the time of shipment of product requiring authentication 5.

[0053] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of analog goods authentication certification. In performing analog goods authentication certification, in addition to the components necessary for digital goods authentication certification as described above, the system consists of a dedicated platform 8 that records product information of the product to be authenticated 5 and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product to be authenticated 5 is delivered to the consumer as blockchain data 8b of blockchain 8a, a terminal 2a connected to the dedicated platform 8 via the public communication network 10 by application [A] 9, and a terminal 2b connected to the dedicated platform 8 via the public communication network 10 by application [B] 11.

[0054] Various businesses and other entities write product information and transaction information to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8 using application [A]9.

[0055] Consumers can use application [B]11 to read product information and transaction information of product 5 that has been written to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8, using the private key α1 assigned to product 5 that requires authentication and the private key β1 assigned to guarantee card 24, thereby enabling consumers to easily obtain reliable authentication certificates.

[0056] Application [A]9 is downloaded and operated on terminal 2a, and various businesses can use it to write product information and transaction information to blockchain data 8b on the dedicated platform 8. Similarly, application [B]11 is downloaded and operated on terminal 2b, and consumers can read product information and transaction information of products requiring authentication 5 that have been written to blockchain data 8b on the dedicated platform 8. For example, application [A]9 may have the same functions as application [B]11, and application [B]11 may have the same functions as application [A]9.

[0057] The reading of the information including the secret key α1 and product information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product requiring authentication 5, and the reading of the information including the secret key β1 and product information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24, can be achieved via wireless communication by bringing a reader 25 connected to terminal 2a or terminal 2b configured as a smartphone into close proximity. In such cases, it can also be done contactlessly using short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or RFID (Radio Frequency IDenticifier).

[0058] Figure 6 shows an example of blockchain data 8b in which various businesses and other entities record product information and transaction information for products 5 requiring appraisal on a dedicated platform 8 when conducting analog goods appraisal and certification.

[0059] Product 5 requiring authentication is manufactured by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., and then shipped with a guarantee card 24. Before shipping, the person in charge of the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., first uses application [A]9 to write the following product information, including 5W1H information (who, when, where, what, why, how), such as product name, product number, manufacturer, place of manufacture, and date of manufacture, into the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8.

[0060] Next, the person in charge, such as the manufacturer, producer, or author, uses application [A]9 to write the inspection results of the product information recorded by the person in charge, the manufacturer, producer, or author, and the information including 5W1H information, into the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8.

[0061] Next, after the product requiring authentication 5 is shipped from the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., the logistics company uses application [A] 9 to write information including the date and time the product was received from the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., the date and time it was delivered to the wholesaler, and 5W1H information into the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8.

[0062] After the product requiring authentication 5 is received from the logistics company, the wholesaler uses application [A] 9 to write information including, for example, the date and time the product was delivered from the logistics company, the date and time the logistics company transported it to the retailer, and 5W1H information, into the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8.

[0063] In this way, product information and transaction information from various businesses are sequentially written to the blockchain data 8b on the dedicated platform 8.

[0064] Furthermore, the authority to write product information and transaction information to blockchain data 8b is limited to each of the various businesses and entities involved in this information. For example, each of these businesses and entities may only be granted the authority to write product information.

[0065] In this way, various businesses and other entities sequentially record product information and transaction information for product 5 requiring authentication. Therefore, even if product 5 requires authentication follows a complex distribution route or is sold via the internet, its product information and transaction information can be accurately recorded.

[0066] Furthermore, by writing product information and transaction information to blockchain data 8b on the dedicated platform 8, it is possible to completely prevent tampering with product information and transaction information. In other words, each block in blockchain data 8b contains a timestamp and a link (hash value) to the previous block, making it impossible to retroactively change the data within a block.

[0067] Consumers who purchase a new or used product requiring authentication 5 can use terminal 2b to read product information and transaction information of product requiring authentication 5, which have been written to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8, using application [B] 11, with the private key α1 assigned to product requiring authentication 5 and the private key β1 assigned to guarantee card 24. This allows only genuine consumers who own product requiring authentication 5 and guarantee card 24 to easily provide reliable authentication proof.

[0068] Similarly, in this analog goods authentication system, consumers who purchase products requiring authentication 5, which are distributed through complex distribution channels or sold via the internet, can easily obtain highly reliable authentication certificates. In this analog goods authentication system, various businesses and other parties sequentially write the product information and transaction information of the products requiring authentication 5 to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8. This ensures accurate recording of product information and transaction information, and completely prevents tampering with the product information and transaction information. Therefore, the reliability of authentication certificates can be further enhanced.

[0069] Furthermore, in the case of analog product authentication certification, by using the private key α1 assigned to the product requiring authentication 5 and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24, and reading the product information and transaction information of the product requiring authentication 5 written to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8, only the true consumer who owns the product requiring authentication 5 and the guarantee card 24 can perform the authentication certification. For this reason, a third party who does not possess the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card 24 cannot perform such authentication certification.

[0070] Furthermore, in order to authenticate analog goods, the product to be authenticated 5 includes a small recording medium (a1) and a small recording medium (a2) containing information including the secret key α2. n A small recording medium (a) that contains information including n ) can be attached or incorporated into n small recording media (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2). This allows for the storage of not only secret keys α1 and β1, but also, for example, secret keys α2~α n At least two of all the private keys (for example, private key α1 and private keys β1, α2~α) n Multi-signature authentication can be adopted, where the authentication certificate is valid if at least one of the following is present, making the authentication accuracy more reliable. Furthermore, n small recording media (a1)~(a n By attaching or incorporating the ) to each part of product 5 requiring authentication, it is possible to detect if some of the parts have been replaced with counterfeits. For example, if product 5 requiring authentication is an automobile, authentication certification can be performed for all parts by attaching or incorporating small recording media to the car body and each tire.

[0071] Furthermore, in the authentication certification system 1, preferably, a small recording medium (a1) to (a n ) and at least one of the above-mentioned small recording media (b) may be equipped with a GPS function. This makes it easy to locate any part of the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card 24 even if they are lost or stolen.

[0072] When performing a hybrid appraisal certificate that combines such an analog appraisal certificate with the digital appraisal certificate described above, as shown in Figure 7(a), three items are prepared: the product to be appraised 5 and the guarantee card 24 required for the analog appraisal certificate, and the transaction hash or two-dimensional code required for the digital appraisal certificate.

[0073] Then, using terminal 72, the private key α1 attached to product 5 requiring authentication and the private key β1 attached to guarantee card 24 are used to read the product information and transaction information of product 5 recorded on blockchain 8a of the dedicated platform 8. Simultaneously, the transaction hash or QR code is used to access the application installed on terminal 72 and perform authentication. The application can determine the integrity of the transaction hash or QR code, and can also determine whether both the read product information and transaction information of product 5 requiring authentication are correct. Only when all of these authentication results in multi-signature authentication are determined to be correct can product 5 requiring authentication be determined to be genuine.

[0074] Even if the private key α1 attached to the product 5 to be authenticated, used in the analog authentication certificate, and the private key β1 attached to the guarantee card 24 were forged or illegally duplicated, this hybrid authentication certificate cannot be overlooked unless authentication is performed through the transaction hash or two-dimensional code used in this digital authentication certificate. In other words, this hybrid authentication certificate, by combining analog authentication certificates with digital authentication certificates, makes it possible to provide a more reliable authentication certificate system 1.

[0075] Although the present invention has been explained using the example of preparing three items in addition to the product requiring authentication 5 and the guarantee card 24, as shown in Figure 7(a), it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 7(b), a hybrid authentication certificate can be similarly performed by preparing only two items in addition to the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card 24, such as a transaction hash or a two-dimensional code.

[0076] In other words, in analog product authentication, the private key α1 assigned to the product 5 to be authenticated, or the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24, is used to read the product information and transaction information of the product 5 recorded on the blockchain 8a of the dedicated platform 8. In addition, the integrity can be determined via an application installed on the terminal 72 using a transaction hash or a two-dimensional code. Only when all of the authentication results in these multi-signature authentications are determined to be correct can the product 5 to be authenticated be judged to be genuine.

[0077] Furthermore, as an alternative to the analog appraisal certificates mentioned above, ownership verification may be performed through a blockchain wallet for storing tokens such as Ethereum, as described below. The blockchain wallet ownership verification described below is just one example; other options include DID (Decentralized Identity, or Decentralized Identifier), SSI (Self-Sovereign Identity), or DIW (Digital Identity Wallet). In addition, verifiable credentials (VCs) certified by national governments and public institutions, such as Japan's gBizID or My Number (individual number), can be used as an alternative, and it is of course possible to substitute any other means of ownership verification without being limited to these.

[0078] As an alternative to the aforementioned guarantee card 24, a microchip (IC chip), a two-dimensional code, a digital watermark, etc., may be used as appropriate, depending on their shape, structure, size, etc.

[0079] Figure 8 shows a flowchart of ownership verification through a blockchain wallet.

[0080] In step S31, owner 41 first requests a one-time token from backend 42. Here, owner 41 is, for example, the owner of a blockchain wallet that can be used as a web browser extension or a smartphone app, and is shown as an example of a user as described above. Owner 41 sends and receives information through the frontend, which is the element that directly exchanges data with owner 41, and in web development, it refers to the web browser side (client side). Backend 42 refers to server-side processing and generally refers to the mechanisms, functions, and components such as servers, databases, functions, and programs or modules that are responsible for processing and are not visible to owner 41.

[0081] Next, the process moves to step S32, where the backend 42 returns a one-time token to the owner 41. The validity period of this one-time token may be, for example, a few seconds to a few minutes.

[0082] Next, the process moves to step S33, where owner 41 sends a signature creation request to blockchain wallet 43. This blockchain wallet 43 is, for example, a program that handles crypto assets. In this blockchain wallet 43, addresses and their private keys are not stored on an external server, and all transaction processing can be performed within the browser.

[0083] Next, we move to step S34, where the signature is returned from the blockchain wallet 43 to the owner 41.

[0084] Next, the process moves to step S35, where owner 41 sends the message, one-time token, signature data, and blockchain wallet address to backend 42. That is, before signing, the owner requests a one-time token for owner authentication from backend 42, which can then be used for signing. The aforementioned one-time token is sent along with the signature data to backend 42. Backend 42 verifies the signature data and the one-time token.

[0085] Backend 42 converts the signed message into hash data according to the standard. Then, it sends the hash message and signature data to smart contract 44 (step S36). Smart contract 44 here is a mechanism that automatically executes contracts on blockchain 8a and operates on the blockchain 8a server.

[0086] Next, the process moves to step S37, where the smart contract 44 returns the verification address to the backend 42. The backend 42 verifies the verification address. In this case, the backend 42 confirms the consistency between the blockchain wallet address and the verification blockchain wallet address.

[0087] Next, the process moves to step S38, where the backend 42 sends the blockchain wallet owner certificate to owner 41. If owner 41 wishes to provide owner certificate for product 5 requiring authentication, this can be done by reading the owner certificate data (blockchain wallet owner certificate) recorded in the smart contract (blockchain 8a).

[0088] Therefore, as an alternative to the analog appraisal certificates mentioned above, it is possible to read the owner verification data (blockchain wallet owner verification) recorded on blockchain 8a and, as shown in Figure 9(a), perform a hybrid appraisal certificate based on the transaction hash or two-dimensional code issued from the dedicated platform 8.

[0089] In addition, when using such blockchain wallet ownership verification, it is also possible to combine it with analog item authentication verification, as shown in Figure 9(b). In such cases, the private key α1 assigned to the item to be authenticated 5 in the analog item authentication verification and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 may be used, or either private key α1 or private key β1 may be used. Based on ownership verification data (blockchain wallet ownership verification), transaction hash or QR code, as well as private key α1 and / or private key β1, it becomes possible to perform hybrid authentication verification.

[0090] Furthermore, according to the present invention, authentication via NFT is not mandatory; as shown in Figure 10, authentication may be performed via an identifier. Since the identifier itself is unique, authentication can be performed through it.

[0091] Consumers or manufacturers / producers / authors obtain an identifier from the dedicated platform 8. In addition to the identifier, if a two-dimensional code corresponding to the identifier is generated in step S23, consumers or manufacturers / producers / authors may also obtain that two-dimensional code.

[0092] When providing authentication certification, in addition to the acquired identifier or the two-dimensional code corresponding to that identifier, the private key α1 assigned to the product requiring authentication 5 as shown in Figure 10(a), or the private key α1 and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 as shown in Figure 10(b), are prepared.

[0093] Then, using terminal 2, the private key α1, or private keys α1 and β1, is used to read the product information and transaction information of product requiring authentication 5 recorded on blockchain 8a via the dedicated platform 8. At the same time, the identifier, or a two-dimensional code corresponding to that identifier, is used to access the dedicated platform 8 or the distributed file server 3, and the identifier of product requiring authentication 5 recorded there is read. Only when the read product information, transaction information, and identifier of product requiring authentication 5 are all determined to be correct can product requiring authentication 5 be judged to be genuine. Note that the criteria for determining whether a product is genuine may be, for example, if at least one of the product information, transaction information, and identifier of product requiring authentication 5 is correct, and can be arbitrarily set according to the application.

[0094] In the example shown in Figure 10, a hybrid authentication method may be implemented that further combines ownership verification data (blockchain wallet ownership verification).

[0095] Furthermore, in the case of digital goods, for example, as shown in Figure 11, a hybrid authentication certificate may be performed using the acquired identifier, or a two-dimensional code corresponding to that identifier, in addition to the private key β1 attached to the guarantee card 24. Since digital goods are not materialized as physical items and the small recording medium a itself cannot be attached, the private key α1 is omitted, and the hybrid authentication certificate is performed using only the private key β1. In this example in Figure 11, a hybrid authentication certificate may be further performed by combining it with owner verification data (blockchain wallet owner verification).

[0096] Appraisal certificate by count-up The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may also be implemented by incorporating appraisal certification by counting up.

[0097] This count-up authentication process sequentially records the time of authentication on blockchain 8a each time an authentication is performed. For example, if authentication is performed at 10:15 AM on August 19th, the time of 10:15 AM on August 19th will be recorded on blockchain 8a. If authentication is performed again at 9:54 PM on September 23rd, the time of 9:54 PM on September 23rd will be recorded on blockchain 8a. If authentication is performed again at 1:34 PM on November 4th, the time of 1:34 PM on November 4th will be recorded on blockchain 8a. As a result, each time point in time when authentication is recorded will be sequentially accumulated on blockchain 8a.

[0098] Authentication certificates based on count-up are issued based on the time recorded in this blockchain 8a. For example, if multiple authentication certificates are recorded in blockchain 8a at the same time, it is clear that one of the products requiring authentication 5 is genuine and the other is counterfeit. In such cases, notification to that effect may be provided.

[0099] Furthermore, if the time difference between the appraisal certificates is several tens of seconds, several minutes to several tens of minutes, or several hours, it may be questionable because it is rare to frequently appraise the same item. In such cases, it may be advisable to also notify the relevant parties.

[0100] In this way, the authenticity is determined based on the time of the authentication certificate recorded sequentially on blockchain 8a. At this time, a threshold may be set at the interval between the time points recorded on blockchain 8a, and the authentication certificate may be performed based on whether or not it is below that threshold.

[0101] Furthermore, in addition to the time of the appraisal certificate, location information related to the place where the appraisal certificate was made may also be linked and recorded on Blockchain 8a. For example, if the time of the appraisal certificate is 10:15 AM on August 19th, and the location where the appraisal certificate was made is "Marunouchi, Tokyo," then the time of 10:15 AM on August 19th and the location information "Marunouchi, Tokyo" will be recorded on Blockchain 8a. Next, if the time of the appraisal certificate is 2:09 PM on December 21st, and the location where the appraisal certificate was made is "address XX in Paris," then the time of 2:09 PM on December 21st and the location information "address XX in Paris" will be recorded on Blockchain 8a. As a result, each time point in time when an appraisal certificate is recorded, along with its location information, will be sequentially accumulated on Blockchain 8a.

[0102] In this case, if, in blockchain 8a, the location information at the time of the first authentication certificate is recorded as Tokyo, and the location information at the time of the subsequent authentication certificate is recorded as Paris, and the interval between those times is only 2 hours, it is impossible to travel from Tokyo to Paris by plane in 2 hours, so it is clear that one of the products requiring authentication 5 is genuine and the other is counterfeit. In such cases, notification to that effect may be provided. Specifically, a notification of fraud detection may be sent to the registered email address, or an alert pop-up may be displayed via an application implemented on terminal 2, or a warning may be displayed in red on the screen.

[0103] In this way, the authenticity of the authentication certificate is determined based on the time and location information of the authentication certificates recorded sequentially on blockchain 8a. When setting a threshold for the interval between the time points recorded on blockchain 8a, the threshold may be set in relation to the location information.

[0104] Furthermore, this determination of credibility may be based not only on whether the appraisal certificate was made at a distance that makes travel impossible within a predetermined time, but also on whether an appraisal certificate was made more than a predetermined number of times in a day, or whether the total number of appraisal certificates exceeded a predetermined number, regardless of location information. In other words, the credibility will be determined based on the number of appraisal certificates made within a predetermined period. The credibility will be determined based on whether the number of appraisal certificates made within a predetermined period exceeds a threshold. If the number of appraisal certificates made within a predetermined period exceeds a threshold, it is considered unnatural for so many appraisal certificates to be made in such a short period, so the credibility may be judged as questionable, and an alert may be issued.

[0105] Furthermore, if the product requiring authentication (item 5) is a cosmetic product, and an IC chip-embedded tamper-evident seal is attached, the seal will be damaged upon use. Therefore, it becomes impossible for multiple authentication certificates to be issued. If multiple authentication certificates are issued, it clearly indicates the presence of counterfeit products. In such cases, determining authenticity based on the number of authentication certificates issued within a specified period becomes advantageous.

[0106] Table 1 shows an example of the time and location information of appraisal certificates sequentially recorded on blockchain 8a. The number of appraisal result displays indicates the number of appraisal certificates. The time is displayed via year, month, day, and time. Location information is displayed at the country, prefecture, and city / town level, but is not limited to these.

[0107] [Table 1]

[0108] Incidentally, location information acquisition is implemented, for example, on terminal 2 and / or terminal 72, which are attempting to perform appraisal certification.

[0109] This may involve obtaining current location information through an application, or obtaining such information by tracing the accessed IP address.

[0110] Authentication certificate using traceability The following explains how to use traceability to provide authentication certification.

[0111] Figure 12 shows the flow of the authentication and certification method using traceability. In the authentication and certification method, multiple users involved with the product requiring authentication 5 possess the first verification information. The first verification information includes at least one of the following: the blockchain wallet address, the public key used to generate the blockchain wallet address, the private key used to generate the blockchain wallet address, DID, SSI, DIW, or VC (e.g., G-Biz ID or My Number).

[0112] For example, if DID is used as the primary verification information, the information used can be set for each user. This makes it possible to suppress the use of unnecessary information. In addition to the above, G-BizID or My Number can be positioned as more reliable information than DID. Therefore, by using G-BizID, My Number, or DIW as the primary verification information, it is possible to improve the reliability of the authentication and certification method.

[0113] Furthermore, during authentication and certification, the first verification information held by the user as the authenticator is treated as the first signature information and used to determine its consistency with the first verification information recorded on blockchain 8a, etc. The authentication and certification method can achieve consistency determination by, for example, performing the "signing" and "signature verification" processes in electronic signature technology.

[0114] The following explains the case where a blockchain wallet address is used as the first verification information and first signature information. Note that the same applies when at least one of DID, SSI, DIW, or VC (e.g., G-Biz ID or My Number) is used as the first verification information and first signature information, so the explanation is omitted.

[0115] As a prerequisite for starting this flow, it is assumed that each user, such as manufacturers, authors, logistics companies, and consumers, has been pre-assigned the aforementioned blockchain wallet address. This blockchain wallet address may be assigned by the operator of this system. The private and public keys associated with this blockchain wallet address may be distributed to users such as manufacturers, authors, logistics companies, and consumers who possess the blockchain wallet address, or they may be recorded in a configuration used in the authentication and certification system 1, such as the dedicated platform 8 mentioned above, or they may be included in a small recording medium (e.g., a two-dimensional code) or as part of NFT information, and can be arbitrarily set according to the application. Furthermore, each entity, such as a manufacturer, author, logistics company, or consumer, may independently acquire a blockchain wallet address.

[0116] First, in step S41, digital asset data is acquired for the product requiring appraisal 5. This acquisition of digital asset data is performed on the item to be appraised. As mentioned above, this digital asset data may consist of digital asset data obtained by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., through such terminal 2, or it may also be data originally assigned to or linked to the product requiring appraisal 5 and recorded on a recording medium. This digital asset data includes all digital content requiring appraisal and certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and each is assigned an extension such as jpg, png, gif, mp3, mov, etc. At this time, the aforementioned supplementary information and all product information related to the product requiring appraisal 5 may also be acquired together with this digital asset data. In such cases, the digital asset data, registration number, supplementary information, product information, etc. may be written to a CSV file and acquired.

[0117] Next, the process moves to step S42, where such digital asset data, associated information, product information, etc., are registered on the dedicated platform 8. As described above, NFT information is acquired, and a transaction hash corresponding to that NFT information is automatically generated. This transaction hash may be embodied as data such as an ID (also called a TxID), or it may be embodied as a blockchain address.

[0118] Then, a new first hash is generated by further hashing this transaction hash. Note that, in addition to generating the first hash based on the transaction hash, the transaction hash itself may be used as the first hash.

[0119] Furthermore, the issued NFT information is, of course, linked to the transaction hash, but it is also linked to the first hash generated from this transaction hash. This NFT information is recorded on blockchain 8a.

[0120] Next, the process moves to step S43, where, similar to the analog appraisal certificate described above, information including the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be appraised 5, and / or information including the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is read. Then, a second hash is obtained for recording the read information on blockchain 8a.

[0121] Furthermore, Guarantee Card 24 includes not only physical guarantee cards that are materialized as actual card-shaped items, but also logical guarantee cards that exist as digital information without being materialized as physical items.

[0122] Next, the process moves to step S44, where a new third hash is generated based on the obtained first and second hashes. This third hash may be generated by calculating the product or sum of the first and second hashes, or by any other well-known method. The generated third hash is recorded on blockchain 8a. At this time, the third hash may be recorded in conjunction with the aforementioned NFT information and the transaction hash corresponding to that NFT information, along with a two-dimensional code.

[0123] The pre-processing steps S41 to S44 described above may be carried out in advance by the operating company, or by other relevant parties (manufacturers, authors, logistics companies, consumers, etc.). The process by which the product requiring appraisal 5 is distributed from the manufacturer, authors, logistics companies, and consumers is described below starting from step S45.

[0124] In this invention, blockchain wallet addresses may be assigned using a so-called centralized Web 2.0 architecture, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be implemented using Web 3.0, where all of an individual's digital assets are stored in a blockchain wallet without the input of personal information (gender, nationality, race, age, etc.), and no one can delete them. In other words, Web 3.0 may be a so-called decentralized architecture that does not rely on centralization.

[0125] In step S45, the product requiring authentication 5, which was first generated by the manufacturer / producer / author, is transferred to the logistics company. In other words, in step S45, ownership of product requiring authentication 5 is transferred from the manufacturer / producer / author to the logistics company. At the same time, the small recording media (a1) and small recording media (b) associated with product requiring authentication 5 are also transferred. In addition, ownership of the NFT information of product requiring authentication 5 is also transferred in the same manner.

[0126] Each time a transfer occurs, the blockchain wallet address of the owner of the transfer destination is recorded and linked to the NFT information. Before the transfer, the blockchain wallet addresses of the manufacturer, producer, and author were recorded and linked to the NFT information, but upon transfer, the blockchain wallet address of the logistics company is newly recorded and linked to the NFT information. In such cases, various businesses may record this blockchain wallet address at the time of transfer on blockchain 8a of the dedicated platform 8 using application [A] or the like.

[0127] In other words, in step S45, for example, application [A]9 can be used as a recording means to record the first verification information (in this case, blockchain wallet address) held by each of the multiple users involved with the product to be authenticated 5, linked to the NFT information, in the order in which the multiple users are involved. In step S45, for example, instead of application [A]9, terminals 2, 72 owned by the users or a dedicated platform 8 may be used as a recording means. Furthermore, the destination where the recording means records various information such as the first verification information may be a distributed file server 3 or other databases, in addition to the blockchain 8a.

[0128] Furthermore, in step S45, the logistics company receives the transaction hash or QR code along with the product requiring authentication 5 from various vendors or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). Upon receiving the transaction hash or QR code, the logistics company can use the transaction hash or QR code to access the blockchain 8a on the dedicated platform 8 and read the NFT information of the product requiring authentication 5 recorded therein.

[0129] The process moves to step S46, where product 5 requiring authentication is transferred from the logistics company to the consumer. At the same time, the small recording media (a1) and small recording media (b) associated with product 5 are also transferred. The ownership of the NFT information of product 5 is also transferred.

[0130] Each time an NFT is transferred, the blockchain wallet address of the new owner is linked to and recorded with the NFT information; therefore, the blockchain wallet address of the new owner is linked to and recorded with the NFT information.

[0131] Furthermore, in step S46, the consumer receives the transaction hash or QR code along with the product requiring authentication 5 from various vendors or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). Upon receiving the transaction hash or QR code, the consumer can use the transaction hash or QR code to access the blockchain 8a on the dedicated platform 8 and read the NFT information of the product requiring authentication 5 recorded therein.

[0132] Such consumers can attempt to authenticate the product 5 requiring authentication via the dedicated platform 8. Step S47 is described below as an example of the operation during authentication, and the user, such as a consumer, who attempts this authentication will be referred to as the authenticator.

[0133] In step S47, the appraiser first accesses the dedicated platform 8, and by extension the blockchain 8a, to perform the task of writing to the log. This task of writing to the log can be performed from the application's user interface, and the appraiser enters personal information such as their name and date of birth, or any other information, following the guidance on the user interface. Even without guidance from the user interface, any information entered by the appraiser, or any string of characters that does not have meaning as information, may be considered as this task of writing to the log.

[0134] In such a case, if the authenticator has been assigned a private key when allocating a blockchain wallet address, they may access the log via this private key. Of course, the authenticator may also generate and use their own blockchain address. Upon signing via the private key, the blockchain wallet address can be automatically obtained on blockchain 8a. Alternatively, the private key may be entered on the user interface, and the dedicated platform 8 may verify whether a blockchain wallet address has been assigned to that private key. If a blockchain wallet address has been assigned to the private key, the dedicated platform 8 will sign it. If this signature is made, the log writing is considered successful; otherwise, the log writing is considered a failure. This signature may be performed automatically by a program.

[0135] To write logs, you might configure the system to require a signature via a private key, for example. Once signed, the blockchain wallet address can be automatically obtained on blockchain 8a. Therefore, by prompting the authenticator to write logs through the user interface, the blockchain wallet address can be obtained. For example, the public key could be identified through the private key, and the blockchain wallet address could be obtained through this public key.

[0136] The dedicated platform 8 can determine whether it is the owner of the blockchain wallet address. On the other hand, if it fails to write the log, it can determine that it is not the owner of the blockchain wallet address. If it is determined that it is the owner of the blockchain wallet address, it reads out the determined blockchain wallet address (hereinafter referred to as the second blockchain wallet address or first signature information).

[0137] Furthermore, the method for obtaining the second blockchain wallet address is not limited to the method described above; it may be obtained by any other method. This second blockchain wallet address may also be obtained by having the certifying party directly input it.

[0138] Furthermore, in step S47, the blockchain wallet address linked to the NFT information corresponding to the transaction hash or the corresponding two-dimensional code obtained from the authenticator is read from blockchain 8a. This blockchain wallet address read from blockchain 8a is hereinafter referred to as the first blockchain wallet address (or first verification information).

[0139] Next, the consistency between the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address is determined. If the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address are identical, the verification is complete. Through this verification, it can be determined that product 5 requiring authentication is genuine and not a counterfeit. On the other hand, if the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address are not identical, it can be determined that the person providing the authentication is not the owner of product 5 requiring authentication.

[0140] The reason for this is that each time ownership of NFT information is transferred, the first blockchain wallet address, which is recorded and linked to it, serves as proof that it is genuine. The holder of the second blockchain wallet address, which is identical to the first blockchain wallet address, serves as proof that the person holding the authentic product 5 currently possesses it. Therefore, by determining the consistency between the first and second blockchain wallet addresses, it is possible to certify the authenticity of product 5.

[0141] For example, the first verification information, such as the first blockchain address, read in step S47 is consistent with the first signature information held by the most recent user involved with product 5 among multiple users. In this case, only the most recent user can perform the authentication as the authenticator in step S47. Therefore, it becomes easy to identify the user who currently owns or manages product 5.

[0142] Furthermore, the first verification information, such as the first blockchain address, read in step S47 is consistent with the first signature information held by, for example, a user who was involved with product 5 before the most recent user involved (i.e., a past user). In this case, in step S47, a past user can act as an authenticator and perform the authentication. This makes it possible to identify users who have been involved with product 5.

[0143] For example, step S47 may perform a process that grants a user who has met the authentication requirements for product 5 the authority to view at least a portion of the information related to product 5 (e.g., product information and transaction information used when recording on blockchain 8a).

[0144] In addition to this, in step S47, you may also make a decision by combining this with, for example, the appraisal certificate described later.

[0145] In step S47, a fourth hash is generated based on the transaction hash obtained from the authenticator or the transaction hash linked to the NFT information corresponding to the two-dimensional code. The method for generating this fourth hash is the same as the method for generating the first hash described above.

[0146] Furthermore, in step S47, information including the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5, and / or information including the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is read. Then, a fifth hash is obtained, which is generated when recording the read information on blockchain 8a.

[0147] Next, a new sixth hash is generated based on the obtained fourth and fifth hashes. The method for generating this sixth hash is the same as the method for generating the third hash described above.

[0148] The consistency between the sixth hash and the third hash obtained in this way is then determined.

[0149] If product 5 requiring authentication is genuine, the fifth hash generated when recording the information read from the small recording medium (a1) 51a and small recording medium (b) 52a onto blockchain 8a will be identical to the second hash. Furthermore, if the authenticator possesses the genuine product, the fourth hash generated based on the transaction hash received from the dedicated platform 8 (e.g., the marketplace) or the transaction hash linked to the QR code will be identical to the first hash.

[0150] Therefore, by checking whether the sixth hash generated based on the fourth and fifth hashes is identical to the third hash, it is possible to determine whether the product requiring authentication 5 is genuine or not. Specifically, after generating the sixth hash, a search is performed to check whether an identical third hash is stored on blockchain 8a. In this way, by performing the determination not only using the first and second hashes, but also using the third hash generated based on them, confidentiality can be further improved. In addition, when recording on blockchain 8a, instead of recording both the first and second hashes, only one third hash reflecting them needs to be recorded, which improves the recording speed and speeds up processing.

[0151] Furthermore, in this invention, authentication of product 5 requiring authentication may be performed by determining both the consistency between the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address, and the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash. That is, if the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address are the same, and the third hash and the sixth hash are the same, the verification is completed. Through the completion of the verification, it is determined that product 5 requiring authentication is genuine. On the other hand, if either or both of the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address, or the third hash and the sixth hash are not the same, it can be determined that the person providing the authentication is not the owner of product 5 requiring authentication.

[0152] Thus, the present invention allows authentication and certification to be performed based on two completely different methods: the consistency between the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address, and the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash. Therefore, even if an item is successfully identified as genuine by one of the authentication methods, if it is identified as counterfeit by the other authentication method, that item 5 requiring authentication will not be identified as genuine. In this way, for items among the items requiring authentication 5 that require stronger authentication, a higher level of authentication accuracy can be achieved.

[0153] In addition to performing steps S43 to S47 described above using applications [A]9 and [B]11, steps S43 to S47 may also be performed using the dedicated platform 8, for example, at least in part.

[0154] In addition to the above, for example, the authentication method may perform authentication without generating the third and sixth hashes. In this case, the authentication uses the second to fourth verification information and the second to fourth signature information. Each piece of verification information and each piece of signature information may include, for example, information in hash format, as well as information obtained by encrypting or digitally signing (hereinafter described as encryption, etc.) the hash format information. Each piece of verification information and each piece of signature information may include, for example, at least one of a private key and a public key used for encryption, etc.

[0155] In this case, for example, as shown in Figure 13, in step S43a, which is a modified version of step S43, second verification information is recorded on blockchain 8a based on information including at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5. The second verification information may indicate information including at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information, or it may indicate information obtained by performing encryption or other processing using the private key α1 on information including at least one of the product information and transaction information. In addition to the above, the second verification information may indicate, for example, information in hash format obtained when recording at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information on blockchain 8a, or information obtained by performing encryption or other processing on the hash.

[0156] Furthermore, in step S43a, for example, third verification information is recorded on blockchain 8a based on information including at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24. The third verification information may indicate information including at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information, or it may indicate information obtained by encrypting or otherwise processing the information including at least one of the product information and transaction information using the private key β1. In addition to the above, the third verification information may indicate information in hash format obtained when recording at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information on blockchain 8a, or information obtained by encrypting or otherwise processing the hash.

[0157] Furthermore, in step S43a, for example, fourth verification information generated based on the transaction hash is recorded on the blockchain. The fourth verification information may indicate the transaction hash, or it may indicate information obtained by encrypting the transaction hash, for example. The fourth verification information may also be generated based on a two-dimensional code corresponding to the transaction hash, for example.

[0158] Step S43a can be performed using application [A]9, or, for example, at least some of the processing can be performed using the dedicated platform 8.

[0159] Subsequently, without performing step S44 described above, in step S47a, which is a variation of step S47, second signature information is obtained based on information including at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5 obtained from the authenticator. The second signature information may indicate information including at least one of the product information and transaction information, or it may indicate information in hash format generated when reading at least one of the product information and transaction information and recording the read information on blockchain 8a. The second signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fifth hash described above.

[0160] Furthermore, in step S47a, third signature information is obtained based on information including at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 obtained from the authenticator. The third signature information may indicate information including at least one of the product information and transaction information, or it may indicate information in hash format generated when reading at least one of the product information and transaction information and recording the read information on the blockchain 8a. The third signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fifth hash described above.

[0161] Furthermore, in step S47a, a fourth signature information is obtained, for example, based on a transaction hash obtained from the authenticator or a corresponding two-dimensional code. The fourth signature information may also be obtained, for example, by performing the same generation method as the fourth hash described above.

[0162] Subsequently, in step S47a, the consistency between the second verification information and the second signature information, the consistency between the third verification information and the third signature information, and the consistency between the fourth verification information and the fourth signature information are determined. The consistency between each piece of verification information and the signature information may be determined by, for example, information of the same format (e.g., information in hash format), or by one piece of information in hash format and the other piece of information that has undergone encryption or other processing. In either case, the determination can be made using publicly known techniques. Furthermore, as a method for determining the consistency between each piece of signature information and each piece of verification information, for example, after obtaining each piece of signature information, the determination of whether or not it is identical may be made based on the result of searching whether or not identical verification information is recorded on blockchain 8a.

[0163] In this case, for example, if at least one of the comparison results between the first verification information and the first signature information, the comparison result between the third verification information and the third signature information, and the comparison result between the fourth verification information and the fourth signature information is consistent, then the authentication of product 5 requiring authentication may be satisfied (i.e., genuine). This makes it possible to authenticate product 5 requiring authentication using other information even if some of the information used for authentication is defective, thereby expanding the possibilities of its application.

[0164] Step S47a can be performed using application [B]11, or, for example, at least some of the processing can be performed using the dedicated platform 8.

[0165] According to the authentication and certification system 1 in the embodiment described above, it is possible to perform highly reliable authentication and certification even when performing authentication and certification for digital goods. Furthermore, the authentication and certification method in the embodiment described above can be implemented, for example, using each component of the authentication and certification system 1, and it is possible to perform highly reliable authentication and certification even when performing authentication and certification for digital goods.

[0166] Furthermore, the electronic devices mentioned above, such as terminals 2 and 72, the distributed file server 3, the dedicated platform 8, application [A] 9, and application [B] 11, are equipped with, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory), and perform the various processes described above. In addition, these electronic devices are equipped with data storage devices such as HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) to store various types of information.

[0167] Although embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents.

[0168] Furthermore, this embodiment relates to multi-signature authentication, where authentication is established when multiple authentication elements are present. Here, "authentication is established when multiple authentication elements are present" strictly means that authentication is established when an integer number greater than half of the multiple authentication elements are present. However, this embodiment is not limited to this form, and in other forms, "authentication is established when multiple authentication elements are present" may mean "authentication is established when all authentication elements are present." Note that the above multi-signature authentication is an abbreviation for multi-signature authentication. Multi-signature (multi-signature) is one of the security technologies on the internet, and multi-signature refers to a state in which multiple digital signatures are required when sending information such as crypto assets. More specifically, the sender applies a function called a hash function to the data and obtains a hash value as the output. Next, the sender encrypts the hash with a private key known only to the sender, and sends the original data, the encrypted hash, and the public key to the recipient. The recipient first applies a hash function to the original data to obtain a hash, and then decrypts the encrypted hash with their public key. If the obtained hash and the decrypted hash match, it proves that the original data sent by the sender is from the sender themselves and has not been tampered with. Here, to address the issue of private key leakage, multi-signature requires multiple private keys when transmitting data.

[0169] Multi-signature authentication is a security method that requires multiple digital signatures to approve a specific action or transaction. The multiple authentication elements used to perform multi-signature authentication may include, for example, a combination of one or more product information and one or more transaction information, a combination of one or more verification information and one or more signature information, or a combination of multiple private keys. However, the authentication elements are not limited to these. In addition, "third-party authentication" may be added to the authentication element (ID). "Third-party authentication" can be an authentication objectively recognized by national governments, public institutions, experts, think tanks, non-profit organizations, etc. (for example, "gBizID" or "My Number (individual number)" in Japan), and is not limited to these, and can of course be substituted with any other authentication. These technical matters are described in detail below.

[0170] In the appraisal and certification system 1 shown in Figure 1, the appraisal and certification of the item to be appraised may be performed using multi-signature authentication, which requires multiple correspondences. This makes it possible to perform highly reliable appraisal and certification even when appraising analog or digital goods. The item to be appraised, i.e., the item to be appraised, may be the product (tangible object) itself, the digital asset data of the product (tangible object), or digital asset data without a tangible object (see Figure 23). Furthermore, at least one of the multiple authentication elements used to perform multi-signature authentication may be third-party certified. Furthermore, when providing authentication, as a multiple correspondence, authentication of the item to be authenticated may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the first identifier, which is individually assigned to the item to be authenticated based on the digital asset data of the item to be authenticated; or authentication of the item to be authenticated may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the second identifier, which is generated when the information of the item to be authenticated linked to the first identifier is recorded on the blockchain; or authentication of the item to be authenticated may be performed by multi-signature authentication using both the first and second identifiers.

[0171] Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those utilizing blockchain technology using so-called distributed ledger technology (DLT (a configuration in which the same data is recorded in all files)). When authenticating a product, product information relating to the product to be authenticated and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product to be authenticated reaches the consumer are read from a dedicated platform 8, and the authentication of the product to be authenticated is performed using the read transaction information and product information. In any case, it is not necessary for the same data to be recorded in all files; various other configurations may be used. In yet another configuration, verification information linked to the identifier of the product to be authenticated 5 is read from the dedicated platform 8, the consistency of the verification information and the signature information held by the authenticator is determined, and the authentication of the product to be authenticated 5 is performed by referring to the determined consistency of the verification information and the signature information. Product information refers to overall data or detailed information relating to the product, such as the basic characteristics, design, quality, price, usage method, market position, etc., and consists of one or more of these pieces of information. Furthermore, transaction information refers to a comprehensive collection of important data or information necessary for business operations, such as details of goods and services related to business transactions, prices, market trends, customer data, competitor information, supply chain management, and compliance with legal regulations, and consists of one or more of these pieces of information. Embodiments relating to other aspects of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 23. When describing embodiments relating to other aspects of the present invention using Figures 14 to 23, the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as those in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 13, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0172] The system configuration of the authentication and certification system according to another aspect of the present invention is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 1, except that the distributed file server 3 is not used. Instead of the distributed file server 3, storage 103 may be used (see Figure 15), or storage 103 may not be used at all (see Figure 16). Also, the dedicated platform 8 does not have a blockchain 8a, but instead has a database 108 (see Figures 15, 16, etc.). The database 108 does not need to be recorded in a single table; it is sufficient if the elemental data are linked to each other in some way. It is sufficient if elements recorded across multiple storage means are linked to each other in some way.

[0173] In other embodiments of the present invention, such as those shown in Figures 14 to 23, appraisal and certification systems can also realize two main types of appraisal and certification: digital appraisal and certification and hybrid appraisal and certification, as described below.

[0174] Digital Property Authentication Certificate First, let's explain the processing operation for digital asset authentication certification. Digital asset authentication certification can be performed by acquiring digital asset data for the product 5 requiring authentication, as shown in Figure 14(a), or the object of authentication certification may be any digital content itself that requires authentication certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, or digital video, which are intangible objects that do not originate from tangible objects. This acquisition of digital asset data is performed on the object of authentication certification, whether tangible or intangible. Figure 23 shows analog goods, digital goods obtained by digitizing tangible objects, and digital goods that are digital from the beginning. Analog goods refer to the tangible object itself. Digital goods obtained by digitizing tangible objects are digital image data consisting of digital asset data captured using terminal 2 or a digital camera, etc., on the product 5 requiring authentication as a tangible object. In addition to digital goods obtained by digitizing the product 5 requiring authentication as a tangible object, digital goods that are digital from the beginning may also be used as digital goods. Digital asset data may consist of digital asset data obtained by manufacturers, producers, authors, etc., through such terminal 2, or it may also consist of data originally attached to or linked to the product requiring appraisal 5 and recorded on a storage medium. This digital asset data includes all digital content requiring appraisal and certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and may have extensions such as jpg, png, gif, mp3, mov, etc.

[0175] Manufacturers, producers, authors, etc., may record the digital asset data of the product requiring appraisal 5 obtained in this manner on a dedicated platform 8. The platform on which the digital asset data of the product requiring appraisal 5 is recorded is not limited to the dedicated platform 8, but may be a platform used for both purposes. As a result, the dedicated platform 8 may obtain an identifier individually assigned to the product requiring appraisal. In this case, a hashed identifier may be obtained, and a two-dimensional code corresponding to that identifier may be automatically generated. Through the identifier of the product requiring appraisal 5 issued and generated in this manner, it becomes possible to determine whether the product requiring appraisal 5 is genuine or not. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14(b), digital asset data is recorded in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8, and an identifier is issued, from which a unique two-dimensional code A can be generated. This unique two-dimensional code A can be one of the authentication elements of a multi-signature authentication system according to another aspect of the present invention.

[0176] Figures 15 and 16 are flowcharts showing the process from digital asset data to issuing a two-dimensional code. Figure 15 is a flowchart for the case where storage 103 is present, and Figure 16 is a flowchart for the case where storage 103 is not present.

[0177] If storage 103 is available, as shown in Figure 15, first in step S111, various businesses such as manufacturers, producers, and copyright holders (hereinafter referred to as "various businesses") acquire digital asset data for the product 5 to be appraised and record it on the dedicated platform 8. This processing operation for recording digital asset data is performed by the various businesses accessing the dedicated platform 8 via terminal 2. In such cases, the various businesses may also access the dedicated platform 8 from within terminal 2 and perform the necessary procedures by installing applications in advance.

[0178] Next, the process moves to step S112, where the dedicated platform 8 receives the digital goods data. When the dedicated platform 8 receives the digital goods data, it issues a registration number for that digital goods data, such as a marketplace registration number. Since this registration number is issued each time digital goods data is received, it is unique.

[0179] Next, the process moves to step S113, where the digital asset data and issued registration number received in step S112, along with information on various businesses, etc., are compiled into a single folder and recorded in storage 103. Details of the information on various businesses, etc., include names, corporate information, pen names, pseudonyms, etc., while the artwork information includes artwork title, year of creation, year of publication, artwork specifications (size, format, technology used), copyright of the artwork, and rights information such as portrait rights and design rights included in the artwork. The method of compiling the digital asset data, registration number, and information on various businesses, etc., into a single folder during this recording is just one example; any method is acceptable as long as the digital asset data, registration number, and information on various businesses, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "ancillary information") are recorded in a way that links them together. Note that product information and transaction information each include ancillary information.

[0180] Next, the process moves to step S114, where storage 103 issues a unique ID for each piece of recorded supplementary information. The ID issued for digital asset data is called the first ID, the ID issued for registration numbers is called the second IDa, and the ID issued for information on various businesses, etc., is called the second IDb.

[0181] Regarding digital asset data, if identical digital asset data already exists elsewhere, or if the digital asset data has been copied by another party, the same first ID may be issued. On the other hand, supplementary information such as registration numbers is unique, so the second IDa will be unique. Information on various businesses, such as company names, dates of birth, copyright holders' names, and titles of copyrighted works, may not be unique depending on the content, but since it is possible to set up a unique ID for each, the second IDb can also be unique. For example, by adding time information such as the date and time and seconds recorded in storage 103, the certainty of uniqueness can be increased. Note that at least the digital asset data may be recorded in storage 103 in this step S114.

[0182] Next, the process moves to step S115, where a unique identifier α is generated based on the associated supplementary information. This generated identifier α can be linked to the supplementary information, thereby becoming the identifier α held by that supplementary information. This identifier α may also be generated based on the first ID, second IDa, and second IDb described above. Since second IDa is unique and second IDb is also unique, even if the same digital asset data (first ID) is identical or a copy, the newly generated identifier α will always be unique. This hashed and generated identifier may also be called identifier α. Note that the generation of this identifier α may be based on rules defined in storage 103 based on the supplementary information placed in the folder. Alternatively, a two-dimensional code may be generated based on the generated identifier α (step S123).

[0183] The process moves to step S116, where the dedicated platform 8 receives identifier α from storage 103. If a two-dimensional code was generated in step S123, the dedicated platform 8 may also receive the two-dimensional code from storage 103. Next, the process moves to step S117, where the dedicated platform 8 sends identifier α, based on the accompanying information, to database 108. In step S118, database 108 records identifier α, which was sent from the dedicated platform 8, in database 108. By recording identifier α in database 108 in this way, it is possible to completely prevent, for example, tampering with identifier α. Recording identifier α in database 108 may also include temporarily storing the data of identifier α in a cache.

[0184] Next, the process moves to step S119, where identifier β for product 5 requiring appraisal is generated. This generation of identifier β may be performed simultaneously with the recording of identifier α in database 108. The issued identifier β is sent to a dedicated platform 8 (for example, a marketplace) to receive it (step S120).

[0185] The database 108 also transmits the identifier β of the product requiring appraisal 5 to various businesses, etc., as needed (step S121). The various businesses, etc., receive this identifier β (step S122).

[0186] If storage 103 is not available, as shown in Figure 16, in step S111, various businesses may first acquire digital asset data for the product to be appraised 5 and record it on the dedicated platform 8. Next, the process may proceed to step S112, where the dedicated platform 8 records the digital asset data. The recorded data may be transmitted from the dedicated platform 8 to the database 108.

[0187] Next, the process moves to step S118, where the data transmitted from the dedicated platform 8 is recorded in the database 108. Then, the process moves to step S119, where the identifier γ of the product requiring appraisal 5 is generated. The generation of this identifier γ may be performed simultaneously with the recording of the data in the database 108.

[0188] The database 108 also transmits the identifier γ of the product requiring appraisal 5 to various businesses, etc., as needed (step S121). The various businesses, etc., receive this identifier γ (step S122).

[0189] Furthermore, the authority to acquire digital asset data and record it on the dedicated platform 8 may be limited to various businesses and other entities. For example, if the products requiring appraisal 5 include bags, handbags, clothing, watches, works of art and crafts, automobiles, etc., the authority to record digital asset data on this dedicated platform 8 may be granted only to various businesses and other entities or those authorized to act as sales agents for such products.

[0190] Various businesses, or consumers who purchase a new or used product 5 requiring authentication as a genuine product, receive the identifiers β and γ of the product 5 along with the product 5 from the business or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). The businesses or consumers who receive the identifiers β and γ can access the dedicated platform 8 and retrieve the identifiers β and γ of the product 5 recorded there. This allows only genuine businesses or consumers who possess the identifiers β and γ of the product 5 to easily perform reliable authentication. Specifically, as shown in Figure 15, if storage 103 is available, authentication of the product 5 can be performed using either identifier α or identifier β, or using both identifiers α and β. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 16, if storage 103 is unavailable, authentication of the product 5 can be performed using identifier γ. Therefore, third parties who do not possess the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 cannot perform such authentication.

[0191] In this way, in digital appraisal and certification, unique identifiers α, β, and γ are sequentially written to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8 for each genuine product 5 requiring appraisal by various businesses, etc. This ensures that the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 requiring appraisal are accurately recorded, and completely prevents tampering with the identifiers α, β, and γ. Therefore, various businesses, etc., that handle the product 5 requiring appraisal, or consumers who purchase the product 5 that has been distributed through complex distribution channels or sold via the internet, can easily provide highly reliable appraisal and certification.

[0192] It should be noted that the digital asset appraisal certificate is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in step S113, we described a case where ancillary information is recorded together with the digital asset data to generate identifiers α, β, and γ, but it is not limited to this, and any method that records at least some information linked to the digital asset data is acceptable. The information referred to here consists of any information or data that is related to or generated in conjunction with the digital asset data, such as the registration number and ancillary information of various businesses mentioned above. The ancillary information may consist of only one of either the registration number or the information of various businesses. Alternatively, the ancillary information may not include either the registration number or the information of various businesses, but instead consist of any information or data that is related to or generated in conjunction with the digital asset data.

[0193] As described above, in an appraisal and certification system according to another aspect of the present invention, the system includes a server that generates identifiers β and γ (first identifiers) individually assigned to the digital asset to be appraised based on the digital asset data to be appraised, a platform (dedicated platform 8) that records the generated identifiers β and γ, and recording means that records verification information held by each of the multiple users related to the asset to be appraised, linked to the identifiers, and the appraisal and certification of the asset to be appraised may be performed by multi-signature authentication that requires multiple correspondences. Even with such an appraisal and certification system, it is possible to perform appraisal and certification with high reliability. In this case, the appraisal and certification system may further include a storage 103 that generates identifiers α (second identifiers) individually assigned to the digital asset data to be appraised based on the digital asset data to be appraised. Furthermore, during the appraisal and certification process, the appraisal and certification of the asset to be appraised may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the first identifier, only the second identifier, or both the first and second identifiers as multiple correspondences. In addition, at least one authentication element used to perform multi-signature authentication may be subject to third-party authentication.

[0194] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, an appraisal and certification system includes a server that generates identifiers β and γ, which are individually assigned to the item to be appraised, based on the digital asset data of the item to be appraised; a platform (dedicated platform 8) for recording the generated identifiers β and γ; and recording means for recording product information relating to the item to be appraised and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the item reaches the consumer, linked to the identifiers β and γ. At the time of appraisal and certification, the product information and transaction information linked to the identifiers β and γ are read from the platform, and the appraisal and certification of the item to be appraised is performed using the product information and transaction information. Even with such an appraisal and certification system, it is possible to perform appraisal and certification with high reliability.

[0195] Hybrid Appraisal Certificate Next, the processing operation of the hybrid authentication certificate will be explained. In the hybrid authentication certificate, in addition to the digital authentication certificate described above, an analog authentication certificate may be combined to perform an authentication of the product 5 requiring authentication with higher accuracy. In such an analog authentication certificate, a guarantee card 24 that is sold and distributed together with the product 5 requiring authentication, as shown in Figure 4, may be used. The product information on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product 5 requiring authentication and the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 may be entered by various vendors, etc., at the time of shipment of the product 5 requiring authentication.

[0196] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of analog goods authentication certification. In performing analog goods authentication certification, in addition to the components necessary for digital goods authentication certification as described above, the system consists of a dedicated platform 8 that records product information of the product to be authenticated 5 and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product to be authenticated 5 reaches the consumer in a database 108, a terminal 2a connected to the dedicated platform 8 via a public communication network 10 using application [A] 9, and a terminal 2b connected to the dedicated platform 8 via a public communication network 10 using application [B] 11. Various businesses may write product information and transaction information to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8 using application [A] 9.

[0197] Consumers can use application [B]11 to read product information and transaction information of product 5 that has been written to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8, using the private key α1 assigned to product 5 requiring authentication and the private key β1 assigned to guarantee card 24, thereby enabling consumers to easily obtain reliable authentication certificates.

[0198] Application [A]9 is downloaded and operated on terminal 2a, and various businesses can use it to write product information and transaction information to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. Application [B]11 is downloaded and operated on terminal 2b, and consumers can read product information and transaction information of the product requiring appraisal 5 that has been written to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. For example, application [A]9 may have the same functions as application [B]11, and application [B]11 may have the same functions as application [A]9.

[0199] The reading of the information including the secret key α1 and product information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product requiring authentication 5, and the reading of the information including the secret key β1 and product information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24, can be achieved via wireless communication by bringing a reader 25 connected to terminal 2a or terminal 2b configured as a smartphone into close proximity. In such cases, it can also be done contactlessly using short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or RFID (Radio Frequency IDenticifier).

[0200] After the product requiring authentication 5 is manufactured by various companies, etc., it is shipped together with a guarantee card 24. When shipping, the person in charge of the various companies, etc. may first use application [A] 9 to write the following product information, including some or all of the 5W1H information (who, when, where, what, why, how), such as product name, product number, various companies, place of manufacture, date of manufacture, etc., into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0201] Next, representatives of various vendors may use application [A]9 to write information including the inspection results of product information recorded by the representatives of various vendors, and some or all of the 5W1H information, into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0202] Next, after the product requiring appraisal 5 has been shipped from various suppliers, the logistics company may use application [A] 9 to write information including the date and time the product was received from the suppliers, the date and time it was delivered to the wholesaler, and some or all of the 5W1H information into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0203] After the product requiring appraisal 5 is received from the logistics company, the wholesaler may use application [A] 9 to write information including the date and time the product was delivered from the logistics company and 5W1H information into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0204] In this way, product information and transaction information from various vendors are sequentially written into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0205] Furthermore, the authority to write product information and transaction information to database 108 may be limited to each of the various businesses involved in this information. For example, each of the various businesses may only be granted the authority to write product information.

[0206] In this way, various businesses and other entities sequentially record product information and transaction information for product 5 requiring authentication. Therefore, even if product 5 requires authentication follows a complex distribution route or is sold via the internet, its product information and transaction information can be accurately recorded.

[0207] Consumers who purchase a new or used product requiring authentication 5 can use terminal 2b to retrieve product information and transaction information for product requiring authentication 5, which have been written to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8, using application [B] 11, with the private key α1 assigned to product requiring authentication 5 and the private key β1 assigned to guarantee card 24. This allows only genuine consumers who own product requiring authentication 5 and guarantee card 24 to easily provide reliable authentication certificates.

[0208] Similarly, in such analog property authentication, consumers who purchase the authentication target product 5 that has circulated through complex distribution channels or has been sold via the Internet can easily obtain highly reliable authentication. In this analog property authentication, various merchants and the like may sequentially write the product information and transaction information of the authentication target product 5 into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. Thereby, the product information and transaction information can be accurately recorded, and it is possible to completely prevent the product information and transaction information from being tampered with. Therefore, the reliability of the authentication can be further enhanced.

[0209] Also, in analog property authentication, by using the private key α1 given to the authentication target product 5 and the private key β1 given to the warranty card 24 to read the product information and transaction information of the authentication target product 5 written in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8, only the legitimate consumers who own the authentication target product 5 and the warranty card 24 can perform the authentication. Therefore, a third party who does not possess these authentication target products 5 or warranty cards 24 cannot perform such authentication itself.

[0210] In performing analog property authentication, on the authentication target product 5, in addition to the small recording medium (a1), n (n is an integer of 2 or more) small recording media (a2) recording information including the private key α2 to the private key α n including the information recorded in the small recording medium (a n ) can be attached or incorporated. Thereby, not only the private key α1 and the private key β1, but also at least two of all the private keys such as the private key α2 to α n (for example, the private key α1, and at least one of the private keys β1, α2 to α n ) are available, and multi-signature authentication in which the authentication is established can be adopted, and the authentication accuracy can be made more reliable. As described above, multi-signature authentication refers to a security method that requires multiple digital signatures when approving a specific action or transaction. Furthermore, the n small recording media (a1) to (a nBy attaching or incorporating the ) to each part of product 5 requiring authentication, it is possible to detect if some of the parts have been replaced with counterfeits. For example, if product 5 requiring authentication is an automobile, authentication certification can be performed for all parts by attaching or incorporating small recording media to the car body and each tire.

[0211] Furthermore, in the authentication certification system 1, preferably, a small recording medium (a1) to (a n ) and at least one of the above-mentioned small recording media (b) may be equipped with a GPS function. This makes it easy to locate any part of the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card if they are lost or stolen.

[0212] When performing a hybrid appraisal certificate that combines such an analog appraisal certificate with the digital appraisal certificate described above, as shown in Figure 18(a), in addition to the product 5 to be appraised and the guarantee card 24 required for the analog appraisal certificate, identifiers α, β, γ, or a two-dimensional code for the product 5 to be appraised required for the digital appraisal certificate may also be prepared.

[0213] Furthermore, using terminal 72, the private key α1 assigned to the product requiring authentication 5 and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 may be used to read the product information and transaction information of the product requiring authentication 5 recorded in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. In addition, the identifiers α, β, γ or the two-dimensional code of the product requiring authentication 5 may be used to access the application installed on terminal 72 and perform authentication certification. The application can determine the integrity of the identifiers α, β, γ or the two-dimensional code, and can also determine whether the read product information and transaction information of the product requiring authentication 5 are correct. Only when all of the authentication results in these multi-signature authentications are determined to be correct can the product requiring authentication 5 be determined to be genuine.

[0214] Even if the private key α1 assigned to the product 5 to be authenticated used in the analog product authentication certificate, and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24, were forged or illegally duplicated, this hybrid authentication certificate cannot be overlooked unless authentication is performed through the identifiers α, β, γ, or QR code of the product 5 to be authenticated used in the digital product authentication certificate. In other words, this hybrid authentication certificate, by combining analog product authentication certificates with digital product authentication certificates, makes it possible to provide a more reliable authentication certificate system.

[0215] Other embodiments of the present invention have been described using the example shown in Figure 18(a), where, in addition to the product requiring authentication 5 and the guarantee card 24, identifiers α, β, γ, or a two-dimensional code for the product requiring authentication 5 are prepared. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 18(b), a hybrid authentication certificate can be similarly performed by preparing only a combination of the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card 24, and identifiers α, β, γ, or a two-dimensional code for the product requiring authentication 5.

[0216] In other words, in analog product authentication, the private key α1 assigned to the product 5 to be authenticated, or the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24, is used to read the product information and transaction information of the product 5 recorded in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. In addition, the identifiers α, β, γ or a two-dimensional code of the product 5 to be authenticated can be used to determine authenticity via an application installed on the terminal 72. Only when all of the authentication results in these multi-signature authentications are determined to be correct can the product 5 to be authenticated be judged to be genuine.

[0217] As an alternative to the aforementioned guarantee card 24, a microchip (IC chip), a two-dimensional code, a digital watermark, etc., may be used as appropriate, depending on their shape, structure, size, etc.

[0218] Figure 19 shows a flowchart of ownership verification through an identifier δ representing a user, in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0219] In step S131, owner 41 first requests a one-time token from backend 42. Owner 41 sends and receives information through the frontend. The frontend is the element that directly exchanges data with owner 41, and in web development, it refers to the web browser side (client side). Backend 42 refers to server-side processing, and generally refers to the mechanisms, functions, and components such as servers, databases, functions, and programs or modules that are responsible for processing, which are not visible to owner 41.

[0220] Next, the process moves to step S132, where the backend 42 returns a one-time token to the owner 41. The validity period of this one-time token may be, for example, a few seconds to a few minutes.

[0221] Next, the process moves to step S133, where the owner 41 requests the identifier δ143, which represents the user, to create a signature. Then, the process moves to step S134, where the identifier δ143, which represents the user, returns the signature to the owner 41.

[0222] Next, the process moves to step S135, where the owner 41 sends the message, one-time token, signature data, and user identifier δ143 to the backend 42. That is, before signing, the owner requests a one-time token for owner authentication from the backend 42, which can then be used for signing. The one-time token mentioned above is also sent along with the signature data to the backend 42. The backend 42 verifies the signature data and the one-time token.

[0223] Backend 42 may convert the signed message into hash data according to the standard. Then, it sends the hash message and signature data to the automated response program 144 (step S136). The automated response program 144 is a mechanism that automatically executes contracts on the database 108 and may run on the database 108 server. Next, the process moves to step S137, where the automated response program 144 returns the verification address to backend 42. Backend 42 verifies the verification address.

[0224] Next, the process moves to step S138, where the backend 42 sends a certificate of ownership for the user identifier δ143 to the owner 41. If the owner 41 wishes to provide a certificate of ownership for the product requiring authentication 5, this can be done by reading the certificate of ownership data recorded in the database 108 in this manner.

[0225] Therefore, as an alternative to the analog appraisal certificates mentioned above, a hybrid appraisal certificate can be performed by reading the owner certification data (owner certification for user identifier δ143) recorded in the database 108, and based on the identifiers α, β, γ, or two-dimensional codes of the product 5 to be appraised issued from the dedicated platform 8, as shown in Figure 20(a).

[0226] In addition to this, when using the owner certification of the identifier δ143 that indicates such a user, an analog appraisal certificate may be further combined with it, as shown in Figure 20(b). In such a case, the private key α1 assigned to the product to be appraised 5 in the analog appraisal certificate and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 may be used, or private key α1 or private key β1 may be used. Based on the owner certification data (owner certification of the identifier δ143 that indicates the user), the identifiers α, β, γ or two-dimensional code of the product to be appraised 5, and private key α1 and / or private key β1, a hybrid appraisal certificate can be performed.

[0227] Authentication certificate using traceability The following explains how to use traceability to provide authentication certification. Figure 21 shows the flow of the authentication and certification method using traceability. In the authentication and certification method, multiple users involved with the product requiring authentication 5 possess the first verification information. The first verification information is read from the dedicated platform 8 and is linked to an identifier obtained from the authentication and certification provider. The first verification information includes the identifier δ143 that indicates the user mentioned above.

[0228] Furthermore, during the authentication and certification process, the first verification information held by the user as the authenticator is treated as the first signature information and used to determine its consistency with the first verification information recorded in database 108. The authentication and certification method can achieve consistency by, for example, performing the "signing" and "signature verification" processes in electronic signature technology.

[0229] The following explanation describes the case where the user identifier δ143 is used as the first verification information and the first signature information. In the following explanation, a two-dimensional code may be used instead of the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring authentication 5.

[0230] First, in step S141, digital asset data is acquired for the product requiring appraisal 5. This acquisition of digital asset data is performed on the item to be appraised. As mentioned above, this digital asset data may consist of digital asset data obtained by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., through such terminal 2, or it may also be data originally assigned to or linked to the product requiring appraisal 5 and recorded on a recording medium. This digital asset data includes all digital content requiring appraisal and certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and is assigned extensions such as jpg, png, gif, mp3, mov, etc. At this time, the aforementioned supplementary information and all product information related to the product requiring appraisal 5 may also be acquired together with this digital asset data. In such cases, the digital asset data, registration number, supplementary information, product information, etc. may be written to a CSV file and acquired.

[0231] Next, the process moves to step S142, where the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5 are obtained by recording such digital asset data, associated information, and product information on the dedicated platform 8. Then, a new first hash is generated by further hashing based on these identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5.

[0232] Next, the process moves to step S143, where, similar to the analog appraisal certificate described above, information including the secret key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be appraised 5, and / or information including the secret key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is read. Then, a second hash is obtained, which is generated when recording the read information in the database 108.

[0233] Furthermore, Guarantee Card 24 includes not only physical guarantee cards that are materialized as actual card-shaped items, but also logical guarantee cards that exist as digital information without being materialized as physical items.

[0234] Next, the process moves to step S144, where a new third hash is generated based on the obtained first and second hashes. This third hash may be generated by calculating the product or sum of the first and second hashes, or by any other well-known method. The generated third hash is recorded in the database 108.

[0235] The pre-processing steps S141 to S144 described above may be carried out in advance by the operating company, or by other relevant parties (manufacturers, authors, logistics companies, consumers, etc.) themselves. The process by which the product requiring appraisal 5 is distributed from the manufacturer, authors, logistics companies, and consumers is described below starting from step S145.

[0236] In step S145, the product requiring authentication 5, which was first generated by the manufacturer / producer / author, is transferred to the logistics company. In other words, in step S145, ownership of product requiring authentication 5 is transferred from the manufacturer / producer / author to the logistics company. At the same time, the small recording media (a1) and small recording media (b) associated with product requiring authentication 5 are also transferred. In addition, ownership of the identifiers α, β, and γ of product requiring authentication 5 is also transferred in the same manner.

[0237] Each time a transfer occurs, the identifier δ143 indicating the user of the owner at the transfer destination is recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5. Before the transfer, the identifier δ143 indicating the user of the manufacturer, producer, and author was recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5. However, upon transfer, a new identifier δ143 indicating the user of the logistics company is recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5. In such cases, various businesses may record this identifier δ143 indicating the user at the time of transfer in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8 using an application [A] or the like.

[0238] In other words, in step S145, for example, using application [A]9 as a recording means, the first verification information (in this case, an identifier δ143 indicating the user) held by each of the multiple users involved with the product 5 to be examined can be linked to the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 to be examined and recorded in the order in which the multiple users are involved. Note that in step S145, for example, instead of application [A]9, terminals 2, 72 owned by the users or a dedicated platform 8 may be used as recording means.

[0239] Furthermore, in step S145, the logistics company receives the product requiring authentication 5 along with its identifiers α, β, and γ from various vendors or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). The logistics company, having received the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring authentication 5, can use these identifiers to access the database 108 on the dedicated platform 8 and read the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring authentication 5 recorded therein.

[0240] The process moves to step S146, where product 5 requiring authentication is transferred from the logistics company to the consumer. At this time, the small recording media (a1) and small recording media (b) associated with product 5 requiring authentication may also be transferred. The owners of the identifiers α, β, and γ of product 5 requiring authentication may also be transferred.

[0241] Each time an item is transferred, the identifier δ143, which indicates the user of the new owner, is recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the item requiring appraisal 5. Therefore, the identifier δ143, which indicates the user of the new owner, is recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the item requiring appraisal 5.

[0242] Furthermore, in step S146, the consumer receives the product requiring authentication 5 along with its identifiers α, β, and γ from various vendors or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). Upon receiving the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring authentication 5, the consumer can use these identifiers to access the database 108 on the dedicated platform 8 and retrieve the identifiers α, β, and γ recorded therein.

[0243] Such consumers can attempt to have their product requiring authentication 5 authenticated via the dedicated platform 8. Step S147 is described below as an example of the operation during authentication, and the user, such as a consumer, who attempts this authentication will be referred to as the authenticator.

[0244] In step S147, the appraiser first accesses the dedicated platform 8 and, consequently, the database 108, to perform the task of writing to the log. This task of writing to the log can be performed from the application's user interface, and the appraiser may enter personal information such as their name and date of birth, or any other information, following the guidance on the user interface. Even without guidance from the user interface, any information entered by the appraiser, or any string of characters that does not have meaning as information, may be considered as this task of writing to the log.

[0245] In such a case, the authenticator may, when assigning the user identifier δ143, access the log via the private key if a private key has been assigned to them. Of course, the authenticator may also generate the user identifier δ143 themselves and use it. At the stage of signing through the private key, the user identifier δ143 can be automatically retrieved from the database 108. Alternatively, the private key may be entered on the user interface, and the dedicated platform 8 may verify whether or not a user identifier δ143 has been assigned to that private key. If, as a result, a user identifier δ143 has been assigned to the private key, the dedicated platform 8 signs it. If this signature is made, the log writing is considered successful; otherwise, the log writing is considered a failure. This signature may be performed automatically by a program.

[0246] To write logs, the system may be configured to require a signature via a private key, for example. Once signed, the user identifier δ143 can be automatically retrieved from database 108. Therefore, by prompting the authenticator to write logs via the user interface, the user identifier δ143 can be obtained. For example, the public key can be identified through the private key, and the user identifier δ143 can be retrieved through this public key.

[0247] The dedicated platform 8 can determine whether it is the owner of the user identifier δ143. On the other hand, if writing the log fails, it can determine whether it is not the owner of the user identifier δ143. If it is determined that it is the owner of the user identifier δ143, it reads the user identifier δ143 (hereinafter referred to as the first signature information).

[0248] The first verification information of the user identifier δ143 read in step S147 is consistent with the first signature information held by the most recent user involved with the product 5 requiring authentication among multiple users. In this case, in step S147, only the most recent user can perform authentication as the authentication certifier. Therefore, it becomes easy to identify the user who currently owns or manages the product 5 requiring authentication.

[0249] Furthermore, the first verification information read in step S147 may be consistent with the first signature information held by, for example, a user who was involved with product 5 before the most recent user involved with it (i.e., a past user). In this case, in step S147, a past user can act as the authenticator and perform the authentication. This makes it possible to identify users who have been involved with product 5.

[0250] Furthermore, for example, step S147 may perform a process that grants a user who has met the authentication requirements for product 5 the authority to view at least a portion of the information related to product 5 (for example, product information and transaction information used when recording in database 108).

[0251] In addition to this, in step S147, you may also make a decision by combining this with, for example, the appraisal certificate described later.

[0252] In step S147, a fourth hash is generated based on the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product to be authenticated 5 obtained from the authentication certifier. The method for generating this fourth hash is the same as the method for generating the first hash described above.

[0253] Furthermore, in step S147, information including the secret key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5, and / or information including the secret key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is read. Then, a fifth hash is obtained, which is generated when the read information is recorded in the database 108.

[0254] Next, a new sixth hash is generated based on the obtained fourth and fifth hashes. The method for generating this sixth hash is the same as the method for generating the third hash described above.

[0255] The consistency between the sixth hash and the third hash obtained in this way is then determined.

[0256] If product 5 requiring authentication is genuine, the fifth hash generated when recording the information read from the small recording medium (a1) 51a and small recording medium (b) 52a in the database 108 will be identical to the second hash. Also, if the authentication certifier possesses the genuine product, the fourth hash generated based on the identifiers α, β, and γ of product 5 receiving from the dedicated platform 8 (e.g., the marketplace) will be identical to the first hash.

[0257] Therefore, by checking whether the sixth hash generated based on the fourth and fifth hashes is identical to the third hash, it is possible to determine whether the product requiring authentication 5 is genuine or not. Specifically, after generating the sixth hash, a search may be performed to check whether an identical third hash is stored in the database 108. In this way, by performing the determination not only using the first and second hashes, but also using the third hash generated based on them, confidentiality can be further improved. In addition, when recording in the database 108, instead of recording both the first and second hashes, only one third hash reflecting them needs to be recorded, which improves the recording speed and speeds up processing.

[0258] In another aspect of the present invention, the authenticity verification of the product to be verified 5 may be performed by determining both the consistency between the transaction information and the product information and the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash. That is, if the consistency between the transaction information and the product information is confirmed and the third hash and the sixth hash are the same, the verification ends. Through the end of the verification, it may be determined that the product to be verified 5 is an authentic product. On the other hand, if either one or both of the transaction information and the product information and the third hash and the sixth hash are not the same, it can be determined that the authenticity verifier is not the owner of the product to be verified 5.

[0259] Thus, in the present invention, authenticity verification can be performed based on completely different methods, namely the consistency between the transaction information and the product information and the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash. Therefore, even if a product is successfully determined to be authentic by bypassing the authenticity verification of one of the methods, if it is determined to be a counterfeit by the authenticity verification of the other method, the product to be verified 5 will not be determined to be authentic. In this way, for the product to be verified 5, a higher level of authenticity verification accuracy can be achieved for the items with stronger authenticity verification.

[0260] In addition to the above, the above-described steps S143 to S147 may be implemented using the application [A] 9 and the application [B] 11. For example, at least a part of them may also be implemented using the dedicated platform 8.

[0261] In addition to the above, for example, the authenticity verification method may perform authenticity verification without generating the third hash and the sixth hash. In this case, the second to fourth verification information and the second to fourth signature information are used for the authenticity verification. Each verification information and each signature information may include, for example, information in hash format, and may also include information obtained by performing processing such as encrypting or electronically signing the information in hash format (hereinafter referred to as encryption, etc.). Note that each verification information and each signature information may include at least one of, for example, a secret key and a public key used for encryption, etc.

[0262] In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 22, in step S143a, which is a modification of step S143, second verification information based on information including at least any one of the secret key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5 is recorded in the database 108. The second verification information may indicate information including at least any one of the secret key α1, product information, and transaction information, and may also indicate information obtained by performing processing such as encryption on information including at least any one of the product information and transaction information using the secret key α1. In addition to the above, the second verification information may indicate, for example, information in hash format obtained when recording at least any one of the secret key α1, product information, and transaction information in the database 108, or information obtained by performing processing such as encryption on the hash.

[0263] Also, in step S143a, for example, third verification information based on information including at least any one of the secret key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is recorded in the database 108. The third verification information may indicate information including at least any one of the secret key β1, product information, and transaction information, and may also indicate information obtained by performing encryption or the like on information including at least any one of the product information and transaction information using the secret key β1. In addition to the above, the third verification information may indicate, for example, information in hash format obtained when recording at least any one of the secret key β1, product information, and transaction information in the database 108, or information obtained by performing processing such as encryption on the hash.

[0264] Also, in step S143a, for example, fourth verification information generated based on the identifiers α, β, γ of the product to be authenticated 5 is recorded in the database 108. The fourth verification information may indicate the identifiers α, β, γ of the product to be authenticated 5, and may also indicate information obtained by performing encryption or the like on the identifiers α, β, γ of the product to be authenticated 5, for example.

[0265] Note that step S143a can be implemented using the application [A] 9, and can also be implemented using, for example, a dedicated platform 8 for at least some of the processing.

[0266] Subsequently, without performing step S144 described above, in step S147a, which is a variation of step S147, second signature information may be obtained based on information including at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5 obtained from the authenticator. The second signature information may indicate information including at least one of the product information and transaction information, or it may indicate hash-format information generated when reading at least one of the product information and transaction information and recording the read information in the database 108. The second signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fifth hash described above.

[0267] Furthermore, in step S147a, for example, third signature information may be obtained based on information including at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 obtained from the authenticator. The third signature information may indicate information including at least one of the product information and transaction information, or it may indicate hash-format information generated when, for example, at least one of the product information and transaction information is read and the read information is recorded in the database 108. The third signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fifth hash described above.

[0268] Furthermore, in step S147a, fourth signature information is obtained, for example, based on the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product to be authenticated 5 obtained from the authenticator. Note that the fourth signature information may also be obtained, for example, by performing the same generation method as the fourth hash described above.

[0269] Subsequently, in step S147a, the consistency between the second verification information and the second signature information, the consistency between the third verification information and the third signature information, and the consistency between the fourth verification information and the fourth signature information may be determined. The consistency between each piece of verification information and the signature information may be determined by, for example, information of the same format (e.g., information in hash format), or by one piece of information in hash format and the other piece of information that has undergone encryption or other processing. In either case, the determination can be made using known techniques. Furthermore, as a method for determining the consistency between each piece of signature information and each piece of verification information, for example, after obtaining each piece of signature information, the determination of whether or not it is identical may be made based on the result of searching whether or not identical verification information is stored in the database 108.

[0270] In this case, for example, if at least one of the comparison results between the first verification information and the first signature information, the comparison result between the third verification information and the third signature information, and the comparison result between the fourth verification information and the fourth signature information is consistent, then the authentication of product 5 requiring authentication may be satisfied (i.e., genuine). This makes it possible to authenticate product 5 requiring authentication using other information even if some of the information used for authentication is defective, thereby expanding the possibilities of its application.

[0271] Step S147a can be performed using application [B]11, or, for example, at least some of the processing can be performed using the dedicated platform 8.

[0272] In the authentication and certification system of other embodiments of the present invention that do not use blockchain as described above, product information relating to the product requiring authentication 5 and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product requiring authentication 5 reaches the consumer are linked to the identifiers β and γ of the product requiring authentication 5 and recorded on a dedicated platform 8 in the order in which multiple users involved with the product requiring authentication 5 are involved. At the time of authentication and certification, the product information and transaction information linked to the identifiers β and γ of the product requiring authentication 5 are read from the dedicated platform 8, and the authentication and certification of the product requiring authentication 5 is performed based on the product information and transaction information. This makes it possible to perform highly reliable authentication and certification even when performing authentication and certification for digital goods.

[0273] In yet another embodiment, the recording means may record verification information held by each of the multiple users involved with the product requiring authentication 5, linked to the identifiers β and γ of the product requiring authentication 5, in the order in which the multiple users are involved. At the time of authentication, the verification information linked to the identifiers β and γ of the product requiring authentication 5 may be read from the dedicated platform 8, and the authentication of the product requiring authentication 5 may be performed using the verification information and the signature information held by the authenticator. In this case as well, it is possible to perform highly reliable authentication when performing authentication on digital goods.

[0274] As with the so-called oracle problem, which has been known for some time, in order to provide highly reliable authentication and certification, the authenticity of the information handled by the authentication and certification system 1 of this embodiment must be guaranteed. The following describes the process for achieving this.

[0275] The dedicated platform 8 of the authentication certification system 1 calculates a validity evaluation value for each piece of information input to the dedicated platform 8, based on authentication results from an external verification entity or a device that performs verification using a verification model, and records this value in association with the target information. Examples of verification information subject to validity evaluation by the verification entity include product information (product specifications, manufacturing history, distribution channels, transaction information, guarantee card accompanying the product), owner information, and contract information regarding the product 5 requiring authentication. Verification by the verification entity may be performed on the information input to the dedicated platform 8 using a binary true / false value, or it may be performed using a judgment other than a binary value, such as evaluating the likelihood on a 10-point scale.

[0276] In the following, referring to Figure 24, the processing on the dedicated platform 8 will be explained using the example of when product information is input to the dedicated platform 8. In step S200, the dedicated platform 8 acquires product information and verification information corresponding to the product information (verification information acquisition process). Figure 25 is a diagram showing an example of verification information for product information. For product information, the verification information for the product requiring authentication 5 includes, for example, a product DID that identifies the product, a factory DID that identifies the factory where the product is manufactured, and a component DID that identifies the components that make up the product.

[0277] Following the processing in step S200 of Figure 24, in step S202, the dedicated platform 8 identifies multiple verification entities based on the categories of verification information. Specifically, the verification information is classified into multiple categories. Examples of categories include whether the verification information is an analog or digital good, and whether it is contract information, product information, or transaction information. Furthermore, it is assumed that verification entities to be performed are pre-configured for each category. The dedicated platform 8 then identifies the categories of the verification information and identifies multiple verification entities associated with those categories. Alternatively, the dedicated platform 8 may identify multiple verification entities by using a learning model for identifying multiple verification entities from the categories of the verification information. Thus, the processing for classifying the verification information into multiple categories is not limited to this embodiment. Another example is that the same verification entity may be associated with multiple categories.

[0278] Verification entities can be broadly categorized into external verification entities such as national institutions, financial supervisory bodies, specialized companies, and individuals, and different entities that operate the verification models. The latter verification models are generated using machine learning with multiple training datasets. Various known machine learning methods, such as deep learning, can be used. Multiple different verification models are, for example, multiple verification models generated using different training datasets.

[0279] Next, in step S204, the dedicated platform 8 obtains the verification results from the verifications of the multiple verification entities identified in step S202 (verification result acquisition process). For example, if verification requests to verification entities C1, C2, and C3 are identified in step S202, the dedicated platform 8 requests verification from these verification entities and obtains the verification results from them. The verification results include the evaluation values ​​for each of the multiple verification items and the overall evaluation value obtained based on these. In other cases, there may be only one verification item. In this case, the item evaluation value becomes the overall evaluation value. Here, the item evaluation value may be on a 10-point scale.

[0280] Next, in step S206, the dedicated platform 8 calculates a validity evaluation value based on the overall evaluation value shown in the verification results from each verification entity's verification (validity evaluation value calculation process). Here, the validity evaluation value is an evaluation value that evaluates the validity of the verification information, and in this embodiment, it is calculated from the verification results obtained from verification by multiple verification entities.

[0281] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the calculation of the validity evaluation value takes into account the weights set for each verification entity. The weights are determined according to the reliability of each verification entity. For example, among external verification entities, verification by a national institution is more reliable than verification by a specialized company. Therefore, a higher weight is set for verification by a national institution than for verification by a specialized company. Weights are also pre-set for verification using a verification model. Similarly, weights are set for each different entity that operates the verification model. For example, the weights are set in descending order of weight: national institution, specialized company, verification model A, verification model C, and individual. Thus, weights are pre-set for each verification entity. As another example, the weights set for a verification entity may be determined by using a learning model that identifies weights based on the verification entity. The process for setting weights is not limited to this embodiment. Weights may also be set for each verification item.

[0282] The dedicated platform 8 calculates a weighted average value as the validity evaluation value, for example, using the overall evaluation value obtained based on the verification of each verification entity and the weights set for each evaluation entity. In this way, by using multiple verification results and further weighting each verification result, a more accurate validity evaluation value can be obtained. Note that the item evaluation value, overall evaluation value, and validity evaluation value may be values ​​on a 5-point scale, for example, or values ​​out of 100 points. Furthermore, the validity evaluation value only needs to be determined based on the overall evaluation value and the weights, and the specific processing for this is not limited to the embodiment. For example, it may be determined by using a learning model that evaluates the validity evaluation value based on the overall evaluation value.

[0283] As another example, the item evaluation value, overall evaluation value, and validity evaluation value may be binary values ​​of true or false. In this case, the overall evaluation value may be determined by a majority vote of each item evaluation value, and the validity evaluation value may be determined by adding weights to each value of the overall evaluation value.

[0284] Next, in step S208, the dedicated platform 8 determines whether the validity evaluation value obtained from the verification result satisfies predetermined conditions. Here, the predetermined conditions are, for example, that the validity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a preset threshold. Another example of a predetermined condition is that, if the validity evaluation value is a binary value of true or false, the validity evaluation value is true. If the validity evaluation value satisfies the predetermined conditions (Y in step S208), the dedicated platform 8 proceeds to step S210 and records the verification result in association with the verification information. Specifically, verified information, which indicates that verification has been performed by the verification entity, is recorded in association with the verification information. For example, as shown in Figure 25, the dedicated platform 8 records the verification information, verified information (VC: Verifiable Credentials), and the verification entity in one or more storage units in association with the DID that identifies the verification information (recording process).

[0285] Here, examples of the one or more storage units include a distributed ledger, storage, and a database. Specifically, examples include a blockchain 8a, a distributed file server 3 such as IPFS, and a storage unit installed in one device. It is assumed that the verified information includes item evaluation values, comprehensive evaluation values, and validity evaluation values. Further, the verification information and the verified information are associated with the NFT of the product 5 to be appraised.

[0286] When the validity evaluation value satisfies a predetermined condition (N in step S208), the dedicated platform 8 proceeds with the process to step S212 and presents the missing information that is lacking in the verification (presentation process). Specifically, the dedicated platform 8 causes the missing information to be displayed on the display unit of the terminal 2a used by the manufacturer or the like who is the provider of the verification information. Thereby, the manufacturer or the like can grasp the missing information and input them additionally.

[0287] Note that the dedicated platform 8 identifies the missing information by using a specific model for identifying the missing information (identification process). The specific model is a model for identifying the missing information from the input verification information and is generated by machine learning using a plurality of learning data. As another example, the dedicated platform 8 may receive a notification of the missing information from the verification subject and identify the missing information in response to the notification. The specific process for identifying the missing information is not limited to the embodiment.

[0288] Furthermore, the dedicated platform 8 may give a reward to the provider of the verification information in response to obtaining the verification result (reward management process). The dedicated platform 8 may adjust the amount of the reward according to the comprehensive evaluation value obtained from the verification information. Also, the dedicated platform 8 may give a reward to the verification subject that provided the verification result.

[0289] As another example, the dedicated platform 8 may determine the legitimacy evaluation value by selecting the verification result obtained by the majority of multiple verification entities. For example, if all of the multiple verification entities are companies, the legitimacy evaluation value may be determined by majority vote among the verification results obtained by the multiple companies. In this way, in the process of determining the legitimacy evaluation value, weighting of each overall evaluation value may be performed, a simple majority vote may be adopted, or a learning model may be used.

[0290] Another example is that, in step S202 as described with reference to Figure 24, the dedicated platform 8 may select only one verification entity and make a judgment of legitimacy based on the verification results of the selected single verification entity. In this case, the verification results of the selected single verification entity are obtained as an overall verification result regarding legitimacy, i.e., a legitimacy evaluation value. Furthermore, in this case, the dedicated platform 8 may also take into account the weights set for each verification method. This means, for example, that the verification results of a national agency will be given a greater weight than the verification results of a specialized company.

[0291] Furthermore, in step S208, as described with reference to Figure 24, the dedicated platform 8 may determine whether the verification result obtained in step S204 satisfies predetermined conditions. For example, the predetermined condition may be set as the verification result indicating that the verification information contains predetermined information. In this way, the dedicated platform 8 only needs to identify and present the missing information if the pre-set conditions (predetermined conditions) are not met, and the predetermined conditions are not limited to the embodiment.

[0292] Furthermore, as another example, the dedicated platform 8 may perform each process in collaboration with artificial intelligence such as AI agents or AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Examples of such artificial intelligence include, but are not limited to, specialized AI, ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), symbolic AI / classical AI, connectionist AI / neural network-based AI, evolutionary computation models, reinforcement learning models, and generative AI.

[0293] For example, on the dedicated platform 8, artificial intelligence may be used as a classification model to perform categorical classification of the verification information for the processing in step S202. In this case, it is assumed that the artificial intelligence has been trained using the verification information and categories as training data.

[0294] Furthermore, the dedicated platform 8 may be used to process the artificial intelligence as a verification entity determination model, and to identify the verification entity that should verify the verification information. In this case, the artificial intelligence is assumed to have been trained with the verification information and the verification entity as training data.

[0295] Furthermore, for example, the weights assigned to each verification entity's verification may be updated as appropriate by artificial intelligence. In addition, the verification results of each verification entity may be corrected by artificial intelligence. In this case, the artificial intelligence is assumed to have learned from the verification results of each verification entity and the correct information of the verification results as feedback. Furthermore, in AGI, any missing information may be obtained from an external device, and the verification entity may be identified by referring to that information.

[0296] Furthermore, the dedicated platform 9 may instruct the artificial intelligence, acting as a judgment model, to determine whether the validity evaluation value is above a threshold, and to record this determination in the memory unit.

[0297] Furthermore, a specific model for identifying missing information may be implemented by an AI agent or AGI. In addition, the dedicated platform may, in the processing of step S208, cause the artificial intelligence to determine whether the validity evaluation value satisfies predetermined conditions. In this case, the artificial intelligence is assumed to have learned the verification information and predetermined conditions as training data.

[0298] The verification method and the object of verification (authentication element) in the authentication certification system 1 are not limited to the embodiment. Other examples of verification methods and authentication elements are shown below. 1. Facial recognition (verification of user identity, prevention of unauthorized access) 2. Voice authentication (identity verification in telephone authentication systems, customer authentication in call centers) 3. Document Authentication (Verification of digital signatures, verification of document authenticity, detection of tampering with contracts) 4. Email authentication (spam email filtering, phishing scam detection) 5. Transaction Authentication (Fraud detection in financial transactions, transaction authentication for cryptocurrencies) 6. Digital Content Authentication (Verification of ownership of digital art, protection of copyrights for music and video) 7. Supply chain certification (product tracking and traceability, ensuring transparency throughout the supply chain) 8. Data Authentication (Verification of the authenticity of sensor data, data authentication from IoT devices) 9. Biometric authentication (fingerprint recognition, iris recognition) 10. Access Authentication (Physical access control, access control to IT systems) 11. Insurance claim authentication (verification of the legitimacy of insurance claims, detection of fraudulent claims) 12. Health data authentication (verification of the authenticity of medical data, identity verification in telemedicine) 13. Accreditation of educational institutions (certification of degrees and qualifications, verification of learning outcomes) 14. Social media authentication (detection of bot accounts, prevention of the spread of misinformation) 15. E-commerce authentication (identity verification for online shopping, verification of review reliability) 16. Immigration and customs authentication (verification of passport authenticity, identity verification upon entry and exit) 17. Cloud service authentication (access management of cloud data, verification of the authenticity of documents on the cloud) 18. Vehicle Authentication (Authentication of autonomous vehicles, verification of vehicle ownership, vehicle authentication in parking lots) 19. Logistics authentication (tracking of shipments, verification of delivery drivers' identities, authentication of logistics routes) 20. Communication Authentication (Security verification of electronic communications, verification of the legitimacy of call content, user authentication for messaging apps) 21. Real Estate Transaction Authentication (Authentication of sales contracts, identity verification for lease agreements, verification of the authenticity of real estate title deeds) 22. Authentication of official documents (verification of identity documents, authentication of passports and visas, verification of residence certificates and family registers) 23. Financial Transaction Authentication (Identity Verification for Bank Transactions, Authentication of Credit Card Transactions, Authentication of Cryptocurrency Wallets) 24. Online voting authentication (verification of voter identity, confirmation of the legitimacy of voting results, and assurance of the security of the voting system) 25. Healthcare Authentication (Patient authentication for telemedicine, data authentication for medical devices, authenticity verification of electronic medical records) 26. Smart Home Authentication (Smart lock user verification, home appliance user authentication, security system authentication) 27. Cybersecurity Authentication (Detection of cyberattacks, authentication of network access, prevention of data breaches) 28. Employee Authentication (Identity verification in the attendance management system, authentication for access to internal systems, and enhanced security of the badge system) 29. Event entry authentication (verification of ticket authenticity, verification of event participant identity, facial recognition at the entrance gate) 30. Cloud Gaming Authentication (Verification of gamer identity, assurance of game data security, detection of cheating) 31. Agricultural data certification (traceability of agricultural products, data certification of agricultural equipment, data verification of production processes) 32. Food Certification (Verification of food origin, ensuring transparency in the supply chain, food certification for consumers) 33. Sports event authentication (athlete identity verification, doping test result verification, ticket authenticity verification) 34. Travel Verification (Identity verification for hotel reservations, verification for flight check-in, user verification for rental cars) 35. Research data authentication (verification of the authenticity of research results, authentication of data sharing in collaborative research, verification of the reliability of datasets) 36. Energy Authentication (Smart meter data authentication, renewable energy tracking, verification of the authenticity of energy transactions) 37. Environmental data certification (verification of the authenticity of environmental sensor data, verification of environmental reports, and confirmation of the legitimacy of emissions data) 38. Supply Chain Certification (product tracking and traceability, ensuring transparency throughout the supply chain) 39. Patent Verification (Verification of the legitimacy of patent applications, authentication of intellectual property rights, verification of patent databases) 40. Publication Authentication (Author authentication of publications, verification of the authenticity of digital books, protection of publishing rights) 41. Transportation Authentication (Verification of the authenticity of driver's licenses, authentication of vehicle registration, traceability of transportation data) 42. Customer Authentication (Customer data authentication in customer management systems, identity verification for subscription services, and verification of the reliability of customer reviews) 43. Educational Accreditation (authentication of online course participants, identity verification for exams, digital authentication of degrees and certificates) 44. Job Verification (Verification of job applicants' work history, verification of reference checks, verification of employee qualifications) 45. Project Management Authentication (Verification of project data authenticity, verification of team member identities, verification of project progress) 46. ​​Building Certification (Traceability of building materials, data certification of construction projects, completion certificates for buildings) 47. Media Authentication (Copyright protection for video and audio, verification of news article reliability, detection of tampering with media content) 48. Tourism Certification (Verification of tour guide qualifications, verification of tourist destination data, verification of the reliability of tourism service reviews) 49. IoT device authentication (firmware authentication for IoT devices, authentication of data communication between devices, verification of the authenticity of IoT sensor data) 50. Smart City Certification (Verification of urban data reliability, data certification of smart infrastructure, digital certification of citizen services) 51. Authentication of local government services (identity verification for administrative procedures, user authentication for public services, data verification for local governments) 52. Religious facility authentication (authentication of management data for religious facilities, verification of the authenticity of donation data, verification of participants in religious events) 53. Authentication of works of art (authentication of works of art, verification of ownership of digital art, authentication of exhibits in galleries and museums) 54. Sports Certification (Verification of athlete qualifications, authentication of match results, traceability of sports equipment) 55. Blockchain Authentication (Verification of the authenticity of blockchain transactions, verification of smart contracts, security of decentralized applications) 56. Marketing Verification (verification of the authenticity of advertisements, verification of promotional data, verification of the reliability of customer data) 57. Manufacturing certification (product quality assurance, production process data certification, ensuring transparency in the manufacturing supply chain) 58. Healthcare certification (certification of medical practice records, certification of drug supply chains, certification of medical device data) 59. Legal document authentication (verification of the authenticity of contracts, detection of tampering with judicial documents, authentication of legal consultation data) 60. Research paper authentication (verification of the authenticity of academic papers, verification of the reliability of citation data, verification of the originality of research results) 61. Music Authentication (Copyright protection for music files, authentication of live performance recordings, authentication of music for streaming services) 62. Agricultural certification (quality certification of agricultural products, data traceability of production processes, data verification of pesticide use) 63. Cultural Heritage Authentication (Verification of the authenticity of cultural properties, data authentication of restoration processes, verification of cultural heritage databases) 64. Logistics Service Certification (Quality certification of delivery services, driver identity verification, data traceability of delivery routes) 65. Pet Verification (Pet identity verification, veterinary record data verification, pet insurance claim verification) 66. Game Authentication (Player authentication for online games, verification of the authenticity of game data, authentication of ownership of in-game items) 67. Temporary Staffing Certification (Identity verification of dispatched workers, verification of skills and qualifications, data verification of client companies) 68. Digital Archive Authentication (Verification of the authenticity of archived data, protection of digital records, verification of historical data) 69. Emergency Service Authentication (Data authentication for emergency calls, verification of paramedic qualifications, authentication of medical data in emergencies) 70. Financial product authentication (verification of the authenticity of investment products, data authentication of financial transactions, application verification of insurance products) 71. Cloud storage authentication (verification of data authenticity, authentication of access logs, verification of data backup reliability) 72. Rural Development Certification (Data authentication of rural development projects, tracking of development fund usage, and verification of local residents' data) 73. Public transport authentication (passenger identity verification, ticket authenticity verification, data traceability of the transport system) 74. Hotel Service Certification (Verification of the authenticity of reservation data, verification of guest identity, certification of the quality of hotel services) 75. Virtual Event Authentication (Participant verification for online events, data authentication for event content, exhibitor verification for virtual exhibitions) 76. Childcare Service Certification (Verification of childcare worker qualifications, data authentication of childcare facilities, quality assurance of childcare services) 77. Welfare Service Certification (Verification of welfare service recipients, certification of service providers' qualifications, verification of the authenticity of welfare data) 78. Affiliate Marketing Verification (Verification of the authenticity of affiliate links, verification of marketing data, verification of the reliability of affiliate commissions) 79. Privacy Data Authentication (Authentication of personal data protection, confirmation of compliance with privacy policy, verification of the reliability of data sharing) 80. Inheritance Authentication (Verification of the authenticity of wills, verification of the qualifications of heirs, data traceability of inherited assets) 81. Online Education Authentication (Identity verification for online exams, authentication of learning progress data, verification of the authenticity of submitted assignments) 82. Event Management Authentication (Identity verification of event participants, verification of ticket authenticity, authentication of event staff) 83. Health and Fitness Certification (Training data verification, fitness tracker data validation, personal trainer qualification verification) 84. Travel agency certification (verification of the authenticity of the travel plan, verification of the traveler's identity, verification of travel insurance claims) 85. Home appliance authentication (authentication of purchase history of home appliances, data verification of smart home appliances, verification of warranty data for home appliances) 86. Apparel Industry Certification (Verification of the authenticity of branded products, certification of product supply chain data, verification of clothing production process data) 87. Construction Industry Certification (Data verification of construction projects, tracking of the supply chain of building materials, verification of the qualifications of construction workers) 88. Animal protection certification (data certification for animal shelters, data tracking of protected animals, verification of the reliability of animal protection activities) 89. Art Market Authentication (Verification of the authenticity of artworks, verification of the artist's identity, verification of auction data) 90. Consulting Certification (Verification of consultant qualifications, data authentication of consulting projects, verification of consultant history data) 91. Online forum authentication (user account authentication, verification of the reliability of posted content, detection of spam and fraudulent accounts) 92. Public Service Authentication (Identity verification of public service users, verification of service provision data, quality certification of public services) 93. Freelancer Verification (Verification of freelancer's work history, project data verification, and reliability verification of payment data) 94. Security Authentication (Data authentication of security systems, verification of the authenticity of security patches, data verification of cybersecurity incidents) 95. Entertainment Authentication (Authentication of streaming data for movies and dramas, verification of ticket sales data, copyright protection of entertainment content) 96. Mortgage Approval (Credit check of mortgage applicants, verification of loan contract data, verification of the reliability of payment history) 97. Insurance Business Authentication (Data authentication of insurance contracts, verification of the legitimacy of insurance claims, verification of insurance product data) 98. Tourist facility authentication (data authentication of tourist facilities, identity verification of facility users, verification of facility management data) 99. Research Data Authentication (Data authentication for research projects, verification of the reliability of research results, and validation of the validity of data analysis) 100. Volunteer Activity Verification (Volunteer identity verification, activity data verification, and reliability certification of volunteer programs)

[0299] The appraisal certification system, program, and appraisal certification method of this embodiment, having the configuration described above, includes a verification information acquisition means for acquiring verification information concerning the object to be appraised, and a verification result acquisition means for acquiring verification results regarding the validity of the verification information of the object to be appraised by verification using a verification model. This makes it possible to verify the validity of the object to be appraised.

[0300] Furthermore, in the appraisal and certification system, program, and appraisal and certification method of this embodiment, the verification result acquisition means acquires multiple verification results by performing verification using multiple verification models. This makes it possible to verify the legitimacy of the object to be appraised from multiple perspectives.

[0301] Furthermore, the appraisal and certification system, program, and appraisal and certification method of this embodiment further include a means for calculating a validity evaluation value by weighting multiple verification results. This makes it possible to verify the validity of the verification information for verifying the object to be appraised from multiple perspectives.

[0302] Furthermore, in the appraisal and certification system, program, and appraisal and certification method of this embodiment, weights are set for multiple verification models, and the validity evaluation value calculation means assigns the weight of the corresponding verification model to each verification result. This makes it possible to verify the validity of the verification information for verifying the object to be appraised from multiple perspectives.

[0303] Furthermore, the appraisal and certification system, program, and appraisal and certification method of this embodiment further include recording means for recording the verification result in association with the information of the object to be appraised in one or more storage units when the validity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, and a judgment model is used to determine whether or not the validity evaluation value is equal to or greater than the threshold. This makes it possible to implement processing using a judgment model.

[0304] Furthermore, in the appraisal and certification system, program, and appraisal and certification method of this embodiment, the verification information is classified into multiple categories by a classification model, and the verification model to be used is predetermined for each category. The verification result acquisition means acquires the verification result using the verification model corresponding to the category to which the verification information belongs. This enables automatic category classification.

[0305] Furthermore, in the appraisal and certification system, program, and appraisal and certification method of this embodiment, the verification model for verifying the verification information is determined by the verification entity determination model, and the verification result acquisition means acquires the verification results from the determined verification model. This enables the determination of the verification entity to be performed automatically. [Explanation of symbols]

[0306] 1. Authentication and Certification System 2, 72 terminals 3. Distributed file server 5 Products requiring appraisal 8 Dedicated platform 8a Blockchain 8b Blockchain data 10 Public telecommunications network 24 Guarantee Card 25 Leaders 43 Blockchain Wallets

Claims

1. A means for obtaining verification information to obtain verification information regarding an object requiring appraisal, The system includes a means for obtaining verification results, which obtains multiple verification results regarding the validity of the verification information subject to appraisal through verification using multiple verification models, An appraisal and certification system further comprising a means for calculating a validity evaluation value by weighting the aforementioned multiple verification results.

2. Weights are set for the aforementioned multiple validation models, The appraisal and certification system according to claim 1, wherein the validity evaluation value calculation means assigns weights of the corresponding verification model to each verification result.

3. The appraisal and certification system according to claim 1, further comprising recording means for recording the verification result in association with the information relating to the object to be appraised when the validity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, in one or more storage units.

4. The appraisal and certification system according to claim 3, wherein a determination model is used to determine whether the validity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a threshold.

5. The aforementioned verification information is classified into multiple categories by a classification model. For each of the aforementioned categories, the verification model to be used is predetermined. The authentication certification system according to claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining the verification result obtains the verification result using the verification model corresponding to the category to which the verification information belongs.

6. The verification subject determination model determines the verification model that will perform the verification of the verification information. The authentication certification system according to claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining the verification result obtains the verification result using the determined verification model.

7. A program for causing a computer to function as a means for acquiring verification information, a means for acquiring verification results, and a means for calculating a validity evaluation value, The aforementioned verification information acquisition means acquires verification information relating to the object to be appraised, The means for obtaining the verification results obtains multiple verification results regarding the validity of the verification information to be examined by verifying each of the multiple verification models, The validity evaluation value calculation means is a program that calculates a validity evaluation value by weighting the multiple verification results.

8. A method of authentication and certification performed by a computer having a control unit, The control unit performs the step of acquiring verification information regarding the object to be examined, The control unit performs the step of obtaining multiple verification results regarding the validity of the verification information to be examined by verifying each of the multiple verification models. The control unit performs a process of determining a validity evaluation value by weighting the plurality of verification results. Methods of authentication and certification, including those mentioned above.

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