Patent ID: 8737609

Claim:
An authentication tag, comprising: a substrate having a plurality of optically readable indicia disposed at random positions and having a fixed positional relationship with respect to a set of fiducials on a surface of the substrate; and an identification region comprising a 2D bar code on the substrate, proximate to the fiducials, associated with a message, the message being defined based on at least an encoding of the random positions of the plurality of indicia and comprising information sufficient to authenticate the plurality of indicia at the randomly disposed positions based on at least one measurable and irreproducible characteristic and to reveal counterfeiting attempts, wherein the 2D bar code, the set of fiducials, and the optically readable indicia are each configured to be recorded within an image from an electronic optical imager; and the substrate being configured to ensure a physical association with a physical object and to evidence tampering, such that an attempted association of the substrate with a different physical object is apparent as a counterfeit.