Random Number Authentication for Physical Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
Physical items, such as payment instruments, are vulnerable to unauthorized use and duplication due to lack of secure authentication and exposure of personal information, making it difficult to ensure that the intended recipient is the legitimate user and preventing counterfeiting.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates a random number and links it to both the physical item and the intended recipient, using a mobile application to dynamically generate and manage this link, replacing personal information on the item with the random number, and authenticating the recipient through a database comparison.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If personal information is included on the physical item for identification, then the recipient can be identified, but the risk of unauthorized duplication and exposure of personal information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts personal information from the physical item by replacing it with a random number. The random number generator creates a unique identifier that is placed on the physical item instead of sensitive personal data. This extraction removes the harmful element (personal information exposure) while maintaining the useful function (identification and authentication).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a random number as an intermediary between the physical item and personal information. This intermediary serves as a surrogate identifier that enables authentication without exposing sensitive data. The random number acts as a mediator that connects the item to the authentication system without revealing personal information.
2Reliability
If sequential numbers are used on payment instruments for identification, then the items can be tracked and identified, but the susceptibility to unauthorized duplication increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of identification from sequential numbers to randomly generated numbers. This parameter change disrupts the predictable pattern that enables duplication while maintaining the unique identification capability. The random number generator produces non-sequential, unpredictable identifiers that cannot be easily guessed or replicated.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by generating and assigning a random number to each physical item before it is distributed or used. This pre-generation of unique random identifiers ensures that each item has a distinct, unpredictable identification from the outset, preventing subsequent duplication attempts that rely on sequential patterns.
3Ease of operation
If identification methods are simplified for ease of use, then the authentication process is faster, but the security against deceptive identification decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a digital copy approach where the random number on the physical item is verified against a digital record in the database. This copying and comparison method enables quick authentication through simple number matching while maintaining high security through database verification. The process is both fast (simple comparison) and secure (centralized verification).
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication system enables self-service verification where the random number on the item serves as its own authentication key. The item inherently contains its verification credential, eliminating the need for complex external verification processes while maintaining security through the uniqueness and unpredictability of the random number.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for authenticating recipients of a physical item based on generating a random number and linking the random number to the physical item and the intended recipient. Once the intended recipient is in possession of the physical item and the generated random number, the intended recipient is authorized for the purpose of using/processing the physical item by presenting the random number for recipient authentication. In other specific embodiments of the invention, the physical item is generated with the random number included in place of personal information associated with the provider.