Method for transponder access control
View Patent ↗A method for transponder access control is disclosed, in which a first identification is stored in the transponder, which is transmitted to a reader unit upon appropriate request by the unit. At least one second identification and an identification selection criterion are stored in the transponder, during a request by the reader unit depending on the identification selection criterion either the first identification or the at least second identification is transmitted and, when the second identification is transmitted, access to the transponder, particularly to the first identification, is released by the transponder when the reader unit transmits a password assigned to the second identification to the transponder.
1. A method for access control to a transponder, in which a first identification is stored in the transponder, the method comprising the steps of:
storing at least one second identification, which is a pointer to the first identification, in the transponder;
storing an identification selection criterion in the transponder, a value of the identification selection criterion being settable;
transmitting to a reader unit, upon a request by the reader unit, based on the value of the identification selection criterion, either the first identification or the at least one second identification; and
when the at least one second identification is transmitted, releasing access to the first identification of the transponder only when the reader unit transmits a first password, which is assigned to the at least one second identification, to the transponder.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first identification identifies a product tagged with the transponder.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one second identification and/or the identification selection criterion is set during operation of the transponder, after the reader unit transmits the first password assigned to the at least one second identification to the transponder.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a second password is assigned to the first identification, whereby a change in the first identification and/or a release or blocking of the memory areas for read and/or write access of the transponder is made after the second password assigned to the first identification is transmitted to the transponder.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the second password assigned to the first identification and/or the first password assigned to the at least one second identification are each assigned an associated public password, whereby the first and second passwords and the associated public passwords are assigned to one another on the basis of a cryptographic algorithm.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein at least one parameter of the cryptography algorithm is stored in a rewritable, nonvolatile memory of the transponder.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first identification, the at least one second identification, a public password assigned to the first identification, and/or a public password assigned to the at least one second identification are stored in a nonvolatile memory of the transponder.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one second identification is stored with the first identification in a memory area allocated to the first identification.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the public password assigned to the at least one second identification is stored in the memory area allocated to the first identification together with the first identification and the at least one second identification.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transponder is deactivated, when the reader unit transmits a kill password to the transponder, the kill password being stored in a memory area of the transponder.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the public password assigned to the second identification is stored in the memory area allocated to the kill password when the kill password is deactivated.
12. The method according to any claim 1 , wherein the identification selection criterion is stored as a bit value in a nonvolatile memory of the transponder.
13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a number of faulty transmissions of the first password assigned to the at least one second identification is counted in the transponder and when a settable counter threshold is reached, a clock supply of the transponder is deactivated.
14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transponder is a passive and/or backscatter-based transponder.
15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, when access to the transponder is released, the first identification is accessible.
16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein, upon receipt of the kill password, the transponder is permanently deactivated.
17. A transponder comprising:
a first memory area for storing a first identification, the first identification identifying a product associated with the transponder; and
a second memory area for storing a second identification, which is a pointer to the first identification,
a cryptographic unit
wherein after a request by a reader unit, the second identification is provided to the reader unit, and access to the first identification is provided upon transmission by the reader unit and receipt by the transponder of a private password that is associated with the second identification,
wherein said private password is input to said cryptographic unit, and
wherein the association of the private password with the second identification is determined by an output of said cryptographic unit.