Patent ID: 7840439

Claim:
In a system that uses electronic tags on products for storing information related to the products, a method of managing and using the information in a manner that reduces privacy concerns for purchasers of said products, said method comprising: loading information on an electronic tag that relates to a product to which the tag is to be attached; upon purchase of the product by a consumer: reading the information from the tag, generating an associated unique identifier that uniquely identifies the product relative to other similar products, storing the information read from the tag in an electronic database, together with the associated unique identifier that uniquely identifies the product relative to other similar products, and erasing the product information from the electronic tag at the point of sale; storing the unique identifier on the electronic tag and maintaining the electronic tag on the product after purchase; reading the unique identifier on the electronic tag in connection with a post sale transaction or inquiry, and accessing the information on the product in the electronic database using the unique identifier in order to assist with processing of the post sale transaction or inquiry.