Fragile Anti-Copy Marks for Certificate-Independent Object Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing certificate-based authentication systems for objects and documents with long life cycles face challenges due to expired certificates, large storage needs, and limitations in placing visible electronic stamps within small surface areas, making verification of authenticity difficult and costly.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that utilize a fragile anti-copy mark and segmented 2D barcode to encode a signature and physical object information, allowing verification of authenticity even after certificate expiry, with the fragile anti-copy mark acting as a trusted third party and the segmented barcode ensuring all data is readable within limited space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If certificates are stored in databases after expiry for verification purposes, then authenticity verification is maintained, but storage costs and database size increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential verification information (signature and certificate hash) from the full certificate and stores only this condensed form in the fragile anti-copy mark. This allows verification to be performed without storing complete expired certificates in databases, significantly reducing storage requirements while maintaining verification capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of storing original certificates, the system creates a simplified copy containing only the signature and hash values needed for verification. This copy is embedded in the fragile anti-copy mark, enabling verification without accessing the original certificate or requiring large database storage.
2Loss of information
If the entire visible electronic stamp is encoded in a 2D barcode, then complete authentication data is stored, but the barcode size exceeds available surface area on the object
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential authentication elements (signature and certificate hash) from the complete visible electronic stamp data. This condensed information set fits within the 2D barcode's storage capacity while maintaining the core verification functionality, avoiding the need to store the entire authentication dataset.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication system is segmented into two parts: essential verification data (signature and hash) stored in the 2D barcode, and supplementary certificate information stored remotely or in the fragile anti-copy mark. This segmentation allows the barcode to remain compact while still providing complete verification capability through multiple sources.
3Quantity of substance
If a single certificate is used for several million objects, then storage costs are reduced, but verification becomes complicated and costly at scale
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a portable copy of the verification capability by embedding the signature and certificate hash directly in the fragile anti-copy mark on each object. This allows verification to be performed independently for each object without requiring access to centralized certificate storage or complex batch verification processes, simplifying scale-up.
Solution Approach 2:
Each object carries its own verification data (signature and hash) in the fragile anti-copy mark, enabling self-verification without requiring external certificate databases or complex centralized verification infrastructure. This self-contained approach reduces both storage requirements and verification complexity as the system scales.
Data Source
AI summary
The method (100) for securing an object comprises:a step of encoding a first message (301) in a two-dimensional barcode (303), the first message comprising at least a header identifying a certification resource and a signature produced by means of this resource;a step of generating a fragile anti-copy mark (304) encoding a second message (302) representative of the signature produced, the second message comprising redundancies; anda step of marking the object with the first 2D barcode and the fragile anti-copy mark.