Abstract:
This invention depicts a wireless authentication system in which an object&#39;s authenticity can be quickly obtained using a cell phone or any wireless web enable device.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is an original patent application based on provisional application Ser. No. 60/632,717, filed Dec. 3, 2004, and derives its priority there from. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a communication system for transmission and reception of data over a wireless network using wireless Web technology and transmission and reception of data over a local area wireless network.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Counterfeiting is one of the biggest problems facing manufacturers of goods. Every year billions of dollars of potential profits are lost due to this practice. The conventional way of stopping counterfeiting is primarily through law enforcement actions. Those who are caught counterfeiting or promoting counterfeiting are arrested and prosecuted. Due to the lucrative business of counterfeiting, law enforcement actions are ineffective in stopping counterfeiting. Today in spite of all the efforts of the justice system billions of dollars worth of goods are counterfeited. Another method used today by manufactures to deter counterfeiting of their goods is by sewing or adding an authentication tag to their goods. This method is not very effective since the counterfeiter makes a counterfeit tag and adds it to the counterfeit good. Also most tags are added within an object, not outside of such object since the tag interferes with the appearance of such object.  
         [0004]     The embodiments described hereinafter were developed in light of these and other disadvantages of existing means of stopping counterfeiting.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     An anti-counterfeiting method is disclosed utilizing a microchip transmitter, a wireless web enable device which receives a code word from the microchip transmitter, and a Code verification server that makes use of a database in order to authenticate the code word received by the wireless web enable device and relays the results back to such device. The purpose of this invention is not to eliminate counterfeiting. It is the intent of this invention to cut the sale volume of counterfeit goods by discouraging anyone from buying a counterfeit product. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0006]     These and other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a diagram a wireless authentication system, according to an exemplary embodiment, having a microchip, a wireless web enable device, a code verification server, a database and merchant terminals working in conjunction to authenticate a code word transmitted by the microchip.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is an exemplary view of a code word.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary view of a website accessed by a WAP enable device.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is an exemplary view of an authentication result. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0011]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a wireless authentication system  10  is illustrated. This system includes a microchip transmitter  12 , a wireless web enabled device such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)  18 , a wireless receiver  14 , a wireless network  20 , a code verification server  26 , the Internet  24 , a database  28  and merchant terminals  30 ( a ),  30 ( b ) and  30 ( c ).  
         [0012]     As described in details below, a wireless microchip transmitter  12  is a small chip which uses a low power radio frequency transmission method such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The transmitter continuously transmits a coded word  32 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The coded word  32  is composed of framing bits  32 ( a ) and data bits  32 ( b ). The framing bits  32 ( a ) are essential to identify the start of the data bits  32 ( b ). The data bits  32 ( b ) are a coded word which identifies the product and many of its qualities. The transmitted coded word  32  is received by a wireless receiver  14 .  
         [0013]     The wireless receiver  14 , is a low power radio frequency receiver using method such as Bluetooth or WiFi technology. The wireless receiver  14  can be either a stand alone device connected by a cable  16  from input/output port  14 ( b ) of the wireless transmitter  14  to input/output port  18 ( a ) of the wireless web enable device  18 . Cable  16  may be a serial, USB, or other appropriate connecting cable. The wireless receiver  14  can also be integrated within the wireless web enable device  18 . In such case, the wireless receiver  14  and the wireless web enable device  18  is one unit.  
         [0014]     The wireless web enable device  18  receives the code word  32  via the cable  16  which is connected to the wireless receiver  14 . The wireless web enable device  18  contains an operating system as found in all wireless telephone or handheld computer. The wireless web enable device  18  contains a web browser  34 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , using wireless web technology such as WAP or any other technology that allows a cell phone or handheld computer to access an Internet site. The wireless web enable device  18  using a wireless web technology such as WAP, transmits the code word via a wide area wireless network  20 .  
         [0015]     The wireless network  20  is not limited to the cell phone network but includes all types of wide area wireless network such as WiFi. The wireless network is connected to the internet via a base station contained within the wireless network  20 . The idea of a base station is well known to those skilled in the art.  
         [0016]     The code word  32  is routed through the Internet  24 , which is a global networking system comprising of numerous sub-network and connecting computers, to its destination code verification server  26 . cables  22 ( a )- 22 ( e ) are high speed internet lines. These lines may be T1, T3 or above which transmit data at speeds of 1.44 Mbs or higher.  
         [0017]     The code verification server  26 , is a specialized computer with specialized software which takes input from client computers or other servers, process the input and return a result to the client. The code verification server  26  receives the client request which is the code word  32 . The code verification server  26  looks up an entry for the code word  32  in database  28  via high speed data line  22   f  which may be an Ethernet connection. The code verification server  26  decodes the code word  32  with a deciphering software. The code verification server  26  sends the result  36 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , back to the client, wireless web enable device  18 , via the internet  24  and wireless network  20 . the wireless enable device  18  displays the complete description of the object and authentication status.  
         [0018]     Merchant terminals  30 ( a )- 30 ( c ) are exemplary manufacturer client computers. Each manufacturer is given a guideline on how to encode the microchip  12 . When the manufacturer has encoded the microchip  12 , the manufacturer has to register the code word  32  with code verification server  26 . The manufacturer A via merchant terminal  30 ( a ) sends security data including the code word  32  to code verification server  26  via the internet  24 . The code verification server  26  after verifying the security data from the manufacturer, stores the code word in the database  28 .  
         [0019]     Now, exemplary method of authenticating an object using the authentication system  10  will be discussed. First, the manufacturer of goods, in this case manufacturer A, makes a product. Manufacturer A has a guideline and encodes microchip  12 . The manufacturer then embeds microchip  12  in the product. The manufacturer using merchant terminal  30 ( a ) registers the code word  32  by sending the information to code verification server  26  via the internet  24  using high speed data line  22 ( c ). The code verification server  26 , after verification of the data sent by the manufacturer, registers the code word  32  in database  28 . Registration of the code word is complete.  
         [0020]     A consumer buys the good with the wireless microchip transmitter  12  embedded within the product. Anyone with a wireless enable device  18  and wireless receiver  14  is able to verify the authenticity of the product.  
         [0021]     In order for a user of a wireless web enable device  18  and wireless receiver  14  to authenticate a product, the user puts the wireless web enabled device  18  in close proximity to the object. The wireless web enabled device  18  is equipped with a wireless receiver  14  that picks up the coded signal  32  from the wireless microchip transmitter  12  which is embedded in the product by the manufacturer. The wireless enable device  18  has the software as mentioned earlier that allows the user to access a website  34  that verifies the authenticity of the code word  32 . The wireless enable device  18  accesses the website  34  which resides on code verification server  26  via the wireless network  20  and the Internet  24 . The code verification server  26  looks up an entry for the code word  32  in the database  28 . If an entry exists, the code verification server  26  deciphers the code word  32  and extracts all the description of the product. The code verification server  26 , sends the description of the product to the wireless enable device  18 , via the internet  24 , the wireless network  20  and the software within the wireless enable device  18 . The user of the wireless enable device is able to compare the description received by the code verification server  26  and the product description. If a product does not contain the wireless microchip transmitter  12 , the wireless enable device  18  would show a message to that effect. In such case the product is a fake. In case someone is trying to counterfeit the wireless microchip transmitter  12 , the encoding would not match and the result would be that the product is not authentic. Again in such case the product is a fake.  
         [0022]     Due to the lucrative business of counterfeiting, counterfeiters are able to produce exact duplicate of authentic objects. The counterfeiters know if their counterfeit goods are not exactly like the original, they will not get anyone to buy it. A buyer of a counterfeit good, buy the object because it looks exactly like the original object with no superficial distinction. The buyers try to pass the counterfeit good as an original work, yet they have brought the object at a fraction of the price. The above described invention makes it possible for anyone with a wireless enable device  18  to authenticate any product. Therefore, no matter how closely a counterfeit product resembles the original work, the wireless authentication system  10  can always set them apart. Now that a buyer knows that anyone can easily authenticate their product, he/she will be discouraged to purchase a counterfeit good, since the best thing about buying a counterfeit good is to fool everyone while paying less for the object. One skilled in the art, in light of this disclosure, will recognize other benefits associated with the described embodiments.  
         [0023]     Various other modifications to the present invention may occur to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Accordingly, it is the following claims, including all equivalents, which define the scope of the present invention.