Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Business processing using cryptography – Secure transaction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-11
2003-07-08
Elisca, Pierre E. (Department: 3621)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Business processing using cryptography
Secure transaction
C705S072000, C705S017000, C705S058000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06591252
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for authenticating one-of-a-kind, or one-of-a limited number of collectibles, memorabilia, or other unique items and in particular to a method and apparatus for registering, authenticating, and archiving data representing one-of-a-kind or one-of-a limited number of unique items and/or memorabilia. Archived data particularly includes ownership history.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 And 1.98
There is an enormous market for one-of-a-kind or one-of-a limited number of memorabilia or collectibles, hereinafter referred to as unique items.
“Memorabilia” as defined by Webster (and as used herein) means “Things worth remembering, gathered as a hobby.” This terminology encompasses an unlimited number of categories, including but not limited to, trading cards, sports apparel and equipment, dolls, plates, die cast products, paintings, and the like.
Further, the term “aftermarket”, as used herein, means the established venue for the reselling of any item (beyond original purchase) by collectors/investors. As stated earlier, there is an enormous market for such unique items. For instance, well-known companies such as the Franklin Mint will produce a limited number of some type of memorabilia such as plates, statutes, pictures, and the like. Each of these items may be sold as “one of n” number of such items and the number of the item is printed on or associated with the item or memorabilia. As an example, if a limited edition of a thousand prints of a particular picture are produced and numbered, the sequential notation on each one will read “1 of 1000, 2 of 1000, 3 of 1000, . . . 1000 of 1000”.
In addition, trading cards for almost every conceivable subject exists. Particularly, trading cards are a large market in the sports field. There are limited editions of pictures of various athletes in various fields of sport, such as football, baseball, basketball, and the like. Some of these pictures have great value because they are printed in limited numbers.
In addition, a celebrity (sports, movies, music, etc.) or sometimes a group of celebrities will hold an autograph session where they will sign almost any item a fan or collector puts in front of them. It is not unusual for a business to enter a contract with the celebrity(s) where, for a fee, they will sign a limited number of items either provided by the business or brought to the signing location by the fan. Since such autographed item often has great value it, would also be desirable to register and archive the details surrounding such an autographed item.
Several concerns exist with this type of unique collectible item. First, if you purchase one of such unique items from a dealer, another person, or from any other source and it states that this item is number “2 of 1000”, there is no way to know (1) if the object or item is the real item or if it is a forgery, (2) whether all items or memorabilia in the set have been sold (i.e., 1000 out of 1000 or just 5 out of 1000), (3) the approximate value of the items or memorabilia without knowing the answer to (1) and (2) above, or (4) even if the item is clearly authentic, is the seller the true owner or authorized agent or was the item stolen.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a method and system for registering, authenticating, and archiving relevant and accurate data associated with each unique item, or one of a limited number item especially if the system is credible and not easily corrupted by fraudulent intent or by error. According to the present invention, when one of the unique items or memorabilia is purchased, encoded data associated therewith is sent to the authenticating system or central clearing house where it is compared with the data registered and archived therein for that particular unique item or memorabilia. From such data or information it can be determined if the item is a genuine one-of-a-kind or one-of-a limited number item or whether it is a forgery or fake. One can also determine the number of the memorabilia in a set that has been sold and archived and, thus, have an idea of the value of the memorabilia just purchased. In addition, the ownership history of each archived item can be tracked and reviewed if desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an authentication system or “central clearing house” that receives uniquely coded identifying data from an owner or manufacturer representing a unique item, including autographed items or individual ones of a particular set of collectibles or memorabilia. The uniquely coded identification data is also attached to or associated with each of the unique items in some manner. For instance, a magnetic strip containing the encoded identifying data as well as a manufacturer's code may be placed on individual cards, or a bar code containing the encoded data and the manufacturer's identifying data may be placed on a one-of-a-kind object. Alternatively, either a bar code or a magnetic strip may be placed on a tag, card, or other item associated with or attached to each of the one-of-a-kind or one of a limited number unique items for identifying the same. In addition, secure personal information specifically related to the manufacturer or owner such as a PIN or personal identification number may also be associated with each unique item.
Thus, the owner, manufacturer of the unique items or items, or business hosting an autograph session may send the encoded data representing each individual item along with the secure personal identification number to the authentication system or to a central clearing house for such purposes as registering, archiving, authentication, ownership tracking and buying or selling.
According to one embodiment, when the product is originally sold or about to be sold or authenticated, the purchaser may contact the authentication system or central clearing house of this invention and provide the uniquely coded identification of the one-of-a limited number or unique item. This may be done by any suitable manner such as, keying in by computer or touch tone telephone or even by reading (such as by a Veriphone) a bar code or magnetic strip located on the item or a tag associated with the item. At this time or at any point during communications with the authentication system of this invention, selected purchaser information could also be added to the encoded data to form combined data. The combined data (purchaser data plus unique object identification) can then be compared with the registered and archived encoded data for that particular unique item and an authentication signal or non-authentication signal is then provided by the authentication system or central clearing house.
In addition, the authentication system of this invention is equally effective for use with the after market or subsequent sale of unique items already registered and archived in the system. That is, a seller and buyer both having access to the authentication system of this invention may carry out a transaction by providing encoded personal security information in addition to the encoded data representation of the unique item. After the process is complete, the buyer will then be registered in the system as the new owner and will have control over any future change in the recorded or registered ownership data related to the item. In a preferred embodiment, a fee will be required by the authentication system before a change in the registered ownership is effected. Typically, a copy of the transaction will be provided at least to the buyer indicating that he is now the registered owner of the item. Preferably, a copy of the transaction will also be provided to the seller. Selected details of the transaction such as the name of the buyer and seller and the transaction date are then a part of the archived information such that a complete record of the ownership history of the item is available for review no matter how many past sales have been
Day Jones
Elisca Pierre E.
LandOfFree
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