Patent ID: 7677452

Claim:
A method for identifying at least one of a machine and a machine component, comprising: storing an algorithm for generating a machine signature value associated with the at least one of the machine and the machine component; receiving a first set of machine data from the at least one of the machine and the machine component, the machine data reflecting at least one operational characteristic of the at least one of the machine and the machine component; generating, using the algorithm, a first machine signature value based on the first set of machine data; storing the first machine signature value; accessing the stored first machine signature value to verify the identity of the at least one of the machine and the machine component; receiving a second set of machine data from the at least one of the machine and the machine component; generating, using the algorithm, a second machine signature value based on the second set of machine data; comparing the first machine signature value to the second machine signature value; and identifying the at least one of the machine and the machine component based on the comparison of the first and second machine signature values.