Patent ID: 7388481

Claim:
A method for managing assets in an open environment, comprising: detecting at least one Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) associated with at least one of said assets at an access point, wherein said detecting said at least one RFID associated with said at least one of said assets at said access point is performed using encrypted communication comprising: transmitting a challenge response comprised of a random string of data to an RFID chip on said at least one of said assets in response to detecting said at least one RFID associated with said at least one of said assets; and receiving an encryption challenge response from said RFID chip, wherein said encryption challenge response is generated in accordance with said random string of data; determining whether a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) associated with an individual who is correlated with said at least one of said assets is also detected at said access point; and generating an alarm signal if said Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) associated with said individual is not detected at said access point.