Patent ID: 8421593

Claim:
A method of authenticating objects, comprising: a) receiving an encrypted object identifier at a processor adapted to decrypt the encrypted object identifier, the encrypted object identifier being associated with an unknown object having multiple discrete components, wherein the object identifier includes encrypted object information including unknown identification data for each of a plurality of the multiple components, the unknown identification data including unknown object arrangement information indicative of a way in which the multiple components are arranged relative to each other; b) decrypting the encrypted object identifier using the processor and a first public key of a first public/private key pair to obtain decrypted unknown object information including decrypted unknown identification data for each of the plurality of the multiple components; c) inspecting the unknown object to obtain actual object information including actual identification data for each of the plurality of the multiple components, the actual identification data of the multiple components including actual arrangement information indicative of a way in which the multiple components are arranged relative to each other; and d) comparing the unknown identification data with the actual identification data, including comparing the unknown arrangement information with the actual arrangement information, to determine whether the unknown object is an authentic object, wherein the authentic object has an object identifier generated using a first private key of the first public/private key pair.