| CPC G06K 19/0723 (2013.01) [G06K 17/0029 (2013.01); H04L 9/0861 (2013.01); H04L 9/3226 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |

|
1. A method for an RFID reader system configured to identify and authenticate an RFID tag storing a tag key and associated with but not storing an item identifier, the method comprising:
at a processor block coupled to a reader module of the RFID reader system:
requesting and receiving, via the reader module, a first identifier from the tag;
sending, via the reader module, a challenge to the tag;
receiving, via the reader module, a cryptographic response from the tag;
determining a set of potential keys associated with the first identifier, wherein each potential key is associated with a different potential identifier;
identifying a correct key, wherein the correct key corresponds to the tag key, by:
failing to recover the challenge from the cryptographic response using a first one of the set of potential keys in a cryptographic algorithm, but
correctly recovering the challenge from the cryptographic response using a second one of the set of potential keys in the cryptographic algorithm; and
selecting the second one of the set of potential keys as the correct key;
using the correct key to authenticate the tag; and
identifying the tag using a potential identifier associated with the correct key as at least part of the item identifier.
|