Obfuscated ID Scanner for Secure Package Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automation systems in warehouses and manufacturing environments face challenges in protecting sensitive information on packages, such as personal data, while routing and sorting items, as they rely on capturing and processing images that may contain private information.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a scanner system that assigns an obfuscated ID to packages, processes images to identify routing information without transmitting sensitive data, and uses a specialized machine communication protocol with strong and weak fields to securely transmit information between systems, ensuring that only necessary data is shared and protecting private information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If images of packages are captured to identify routing information, then routing accuracy is improved, but sensitive information security deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary routing information (barcode data, destination) from the captured package images while excluding sensitive information (personal names, addresses, phone numbers). The scanner system processes images to identify routing data without transmitting or storing sensitive personal data, thereby resolving the contradiction between accurate routing identification and sensitive information security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer (the scanner system with image processing algorithms) that acts as a mediator between the captured image and the routing system. This intermediary extracts only the necessary routing information while filtering out sensitive personal data before transmission to the inventory tracking system, thus protecting sensitive information while maintaining routing accuracy.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a specialized machine communication protocol with strong and weak fields is implemented, then information security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication protocol is segmented into strong fields (required, strictly validated) and weak fields (optional, flexible). This segmentation allows the system to enforce security-critical data transmission requirements while providing flexibility for optional information, thereby managing complexity through structured organization rather than uniform rigid rules.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the communication protocol are assigned different levels of strictness: strong fields have rigid validation and formatting requirements for security-critical information, while weak fields have more flexible requirements for optional data. This local differentiation of quality standards allows security to be enforced where needed without imposing unnecessary complexity throughout the entire communication system.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments herein describe a system that includes a scanner that captures images of a package. The scanner processes the image to identify a destination for the package. For example, the scanner may transmit bar code data identified in the image to an inventory tracking system which issues commands to an item-sortation machine for routing the package to its destination. The images of the package captured by the scanner may include private information that is not needed or used to determine the destination of the package. To protect private information in the package, the scanner assigns an obfuscated ID to the package which the scanner, inventory tracking system, and item-sortation machine can use to pass messages corresponding to the package. After processing the image to identify the destination (e.g., data encoded in a bar code), the scanner can erase the image.