NFC Tag and Distributed Ledger Product Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
The expansion of online commerce has increased the risk of customers purchasing counterfeit or defective products, as they cannot verify the authenticity or condition of the product before receipt.
Innovation Solution
A method and system using a distributed ledger architecture with NFC tags to track and authenticate products, allowing for secure recording of transactions and product characteristics across a network of computing devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If distributed ledger technology is implemented for product tracking and authentication, then product authenticity and transaction security are improved, but system complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces NFC tags as intermediary devices attached to physical products, which store and transmit product identification data. These tags act as mediators between the physical product and the distributed ledger system, enabling authentication without requiring direct integration complexity in the product itself. The NFC tags contain encrypted product identifiers that can be read by mobile devices and verified against the blockchain ledger, thus improving authenticity verification while keeping the implementation relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates digital copies of product information and transaction records on the distributed ledger. Each product transaction, ownership change, and authentication event is recorded as an immutable digital copy on the blockchain. This copying mechanism ensures authenticity and traceability without requiring complex physical tracking infrastructure, as the digital twin of each product's lifecycle is maintained on the distributed ledger.
2Reliability
If blockchain ledger is used to record all product transactions, then transparency and security are improved, but data storage requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential authentication data from product transactions and stores it on the blockchain ledger. Specifically, only product identifiers, ownership transfer events, and authentication stamps are recorded on the distributed ledger, while detailed product specifications, images, and transaction metadata are stored off-chain in traditional databases. This extraction approach maintains transaction security and transparency on the blockchain while significantly reducing storage requirements and processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments product data into two categories: critical authentication data stored on the blockchain and supplementary information stored in traditional databases. The NFC tags contain segmented product identifiers that link to both the blockchain record and the detailed product database. This segmentation allows the system to maintain security through blockchain verification while avoiding the performance overhead of storing all product data on the distributed ledger.
3Measurement precision
If NFC tags are integrated with all products for tracking, then product traceability and authentication capability are improved, but manufacturing cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs inexpensive NFC tags that can be easily integrated into products during manufacturing. These tags are designed as low-cost, disposable components that store product identification data and can be read multiple times but are not intended to be written to repeatedly. The use of cheap NFC tags rather than expensive RFID tags or complex tracking devices significantly reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining accurate product identification and traceability capabilities throughout the product lifecycle.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a secure, reliable, and transparent method for tracking and authenticating products, reducing the risk of counterfeit goods and improving customer confidence in online transactions.
Implementation Method 1
Near-field communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless communication technology enabling one-way or two-way wireless communications between two electronic devices
Data Source
AI summary
Copies of a distributed ledger with multiple blocks are stored on multiple computing devices. A first computing device coming into proximity with a particular object triggers generation of a new block to the distributed ledger, the new block identifying a characteristic of the object and including a hash of a previous block of the distributed ledger. The new block is optionally verified before it is appended onto the distributed ledger and transmitted out to each of the multiple computing devices so that each copy of the distributed ledger includes the new block.