Secure, Differentiated Reading of Sensors and RFID Tags

Abstract

Secure access to inventory data concerning a supplier's product located at a seller's premises is provided by tagging units of product with a supplier identifier and a product identifier. The identifiers may be embedded in RFID tags or EPC labels. A secure VPN tunnel is established between a supplier and a seller. The VPN tunnel is associated with a particular supplier identifier such that only inventory data associated with the supplier identifier that matches the supplier is transmitted on the VPN tunnel, and inventory data associated with supplier identifiers that do not match the supplier are filtered out. Hence, the seller can provide the supplier with access to inventory data without exposing sensitive information related to the seller and other suppliers.

1 . A method of providing notification at a first location of information concerning physical items having a particular associated value for a particular variable at a second location without providing corresponding information concerning physical items not having the particular associated value for the particular variable at the second location, each item to be tracked at the second location carrying a physical marking identifying an associated value for the particular variable; the method comprising:
 capturing the associated value for the particular variable for each item to be tracked at the second location detected from the respective physical marking on each item to be tracked;   establishing a secure information channel associated with the particular value of the particular variable to the first location; and   sending, to the first location over the secure information channel, information concerning the items for which the particular value was detected for the particular variable at the second location while not sending over the secure channel information concerning items for which the particular value was not detected for the particular variable at the second location.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information concerning the physical items having a particular associated value for a particular variable comprises a count of the physical items having the particular associated value for the particular variable. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein particular variable is a supplier identity and the particular associated value is an identity of a particular supplier. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each item to be tracked at the second location carries a physical marking identifying associated values for plural variables and the information concerning the physical items having a particular associated value for a particular variable comprises information concerning associated values for at least one variable other than the particular variable for items having the particular associated value for the particular variable. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the particular variable is a supplier identity and the particular associated value is an identity of a particular supplier, and   the at least one variable other than the particular variable comprises a product identity.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the information concerning the physical items comprises a count of items having each respective product identity for all items having the particular supplier identity. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the information concerning the physical items comprises a count of items having each respective value of at least one other variable for all items having the particular value of the particular variable. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physical marking comprises a radio frequency tag. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physical marking comprises an electronic packaging code label. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein capturing the associated value comprises:
 reading the associated value from the physical marking using a reading device; and   sending the associated value from the reader to a database.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein capturing the associated value comprises storing in a database the associated value read from the physical marking. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein establishing a secure information channel comprises establishing a secure information channel between the database and the first location. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the database is connected to the reading device via a communication channel and a gateway. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein establishing a secure information channel comprises establishing a secure information channel between the database and the first location via the gateway. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein establishing a secure information channel comprises establishing a secure data communication tunnel associated with the particular associated value of the particular variable. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein establishing a secure information channel comprises establishing a virtual private network tunnel associated with the particular value of the particular variable. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 establishing another secure information channel associated with another particular value of the particular variable to a third location; and   sending, to the third location over the other secure information channel, information concerning the items for which the other particular value was detected for the particular variable at the second location while not sending over the secure channel information concerning items for which the other particular value was not detected for the particular variable at the second location.   
     
     
         18 . Apparatus for providing notification at a first location of information concerning physical items having a particular associated value for a particular variable at a second location without providing corresponding information concerning physical items not having the particular associated value for the particular variable at the second location, each item to be tracked at the second location carrying a physical marking identifying an associated value for the particular variable, the apparatus comprising:
 a database operable to capture the associated value for the particular variable for each item to be tracked at the second location from the respective physical marking on each item to be tracked; and   a communication gateway operable:
 to establish a secure information channel associated with the particular value of the particular variable to the first location; and 
 to send, to the first location over the secure information channel, information concerning the items for which the particular value was detected for the particular variable at the second location while not sending over the secure channel information concerning items for which the particular value was not detected for the particular variable at the second location. 
   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the information concerning the physical items having a particular associated value for a particular variable comprises a count of the physical items having the particular associated value for the particular variable. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein particular variable is a supplier identity and the particular associated value is an identity of a particular supplier. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein each item to be tracked at the second location carries a physical marking identifying associated values for plural variables and the information concerning the physical items having a particular associated value for a particular variable comprises information concerning associated values for at least one variable other than the particular variable for items having the particular associated value for the particular variable. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the particular variable is a supplier identity and the particular associated value is an identity of a particular supplier, and   the at least one variable other than the particular variable comprises a product identity.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the information concerning the physical items comprises a count of items having each respective product identity for all items having the particular supplier identity. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the information concerning the physical items comprises a count of items having each respective value of at least one other variable for all items having the particular value of the particular variable. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 at least one reading device operable to read the associated values from the physical markings;   a communication channel connecting the reading device to the database.   
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the communication channel connecting the reading device to the database connects the reading device to the database via the gateway. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the gateway is operable to establish a secure information channel by establishing a secure data communication tunnel associated with the particular associated value of the particular variable. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the gateway is operable to establish a secure information channel by establishing a virtual private network tunnel associated with the particular value of the particular variable. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the gateway is further operable:
 to establish another secure information channel associated with another particular value of the particular variable to a third location; and   to send, to the third location over the other secure information channel, information concerning the items for which the other particular value was detected for the particular variable at the second location while not sending over the secure channel information concerning items for which the other particular value was not detected for the particular variable at the second location.