Patent ID: 8352744

Claim:
A method for authenticating an individual product of a manufacturer to a distribution level and to a third party, which comprises: generating a first code, said first code being specific to the individual product and serving to authenticate the individual product to the distribution level; generating a second code distinct from that of the first code, said second code being specific to the individual product and serving to authenticate the individual product to the third party; applying said first code to the individual product or packaging of the individual product; applying said second code to the individual product or packaging of the individual product; storing said first code in a publicly accessible database to create a stored first code; storing said second code in said publicly accessible database to create a stored second code; concealing said first code; concealing said second code; revealing said first code by the distribution level; reading said first code by the distribution level; submitting said first code to said publicly accessible database by the distribution level; determining if said first code is in said database; determining if said first code was previously submitted; revealing said second code by the third party; reading said second code by the third party; submitting said second code into the publicly accessible database by the third party; determining if said second code is in said database; and determining if said second code entered by the third party was previously submitted, wherein the second code can be used to authenticate the individual product if the first code is in the publicly accessible database and the first code was previously submitted for verification and the first code was not revealed by the distribution level.