Blockchain Product Authentication System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The opacity of commodity supply chains makes it difficult for end users to verify assertions about products, such as organic or responsibly sourced claims, as they cannot accurately confirm the authenticity of these labels.
Innovation Solution
An authentication system that includes remote data sources, a storage device for authentication data, and an authentication device with sensors and a processor to verify product authenticity based on sensor data and user input, using a blockchain to track and verify metadata throughout the supply chain, ensuring transparency and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If product authentication relies on manual verification of supply chain documentation, then human subjectivity and error rates increase, but automation infrastructure and computational resources are not fully utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system enables self-service through automated sensor-based verification. Sensors automatically capture product data and compare it against blockchain-stored reference data, eliminating the need for manual human verification and reducing subjectivity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical verification processes are replaced with electronic sensor-based detection and automated computational comparison. The system substitutes human inspection with sensor arrays that automatically measure product characteristics and validate them against stored reference data.
2Measurement precision
If the system performs full authentication analysis for every product, then authentication accuracy is maintained, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs partial authentication by comparing only critical sensor measurements against reference data. Rather than analyzing every possible product attribute, the system identifies and verifies key characteristics that are sufficient to determine authenticity, reducing processing time while maintaining adequate accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication process focuses on local verification of specific critical attributes rather than global analysis of all product properties. Sensors target specific measurements that are most indicative of authenticity, allowing rapid verification without comprehensive analysis.
3Measurement precision
If the system stores comprehensive authentication data for all products, then verification accuracy is improved, but data storage requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and stores only the essential reference data needed for authentication comparisons. Rather than storing complete product documentation and all possible measurement data, the system identifies and retains only the critical reference measurements that enable effective authentication decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of storing all possible product data and filtering during verification, the system inverts the approach by storing only essential reference data and comparing against it. This reduces storage requirements by keeping only what is necessary for verification rather than everything and selecting what is needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses, and methods directed to authentication. Authentication data may be determined by previous authentications of a plurality of products. Sensor data, related to a first product, may be received. A current authentication of the first product may be executed based on the sensor data and at an authentication device. The execution may include identifying the first product based on the sensor data. The execution may further include identifying whether the current authentication is substantially similar the previous authentications based on whether the first product is substantially similar to the plurality of products. The execution may further include that when the current authentication is identified as not being substantially similar to the one or more of the previous authentications, authenticating the first product according to remote data and the sensor data. Otherwise, the first product may be authenticated according to the authentication data.