Method and apparatus for identifying, authenticating, tracking and tracing manufactured items

A method for authenticating manufactured items allocated to containers for shipping, the method executed by at least one processor connected to a memory device and a communication network for communicating information related to the manufactured items, the memory device configured according to a memory requirement for storing first shipping information, the method comprising:

• generating, at the at least one processor, a plurality of container identifiers, each container identifier being a first code;
• generating, at the at least one processor, a plurality of unit identifiers, each unit identifier being a second code that (i) corresponds to a respective manufactured item among one of a plurality of manufactured items produced on a respective production line during a respective time period, and (ii) is an encrypted version of first production details associated with the respective manufactured item, the first production details including a production information code and a counter value indicative of a production run of the respective production line, wherein the second code for the respective manufactured item is generated by
• combining the production information code and the counter value to obtain an item identifier for the respective manufactured item,
• combining the item identifier with a noise code to obtain a resulting code, the noise code being generated based on a dynamic secret code and a static code matrix, and
• obfuscating the resulting code to obtain the second code for the respective manufactured item;
• adjusting, at the respective production line via the at least one processor, a current time period during which the plurality of manufactured items are produced on the respective production line, wherein the current time period is adjusted based on a rate at which the plurality of manufactured items are produced;
• calculating, at the at least one processor, a memory requirement for storing second shipping information in the memory device, the second shipping information being linked with at least one production range of manufactured items stored in a container and including (i) the first code for the container, (ii) first production details common to manufactured items of a respective production range among the at least one production range, and (iii) unique production details among the first production details of first and second manufactured items of the respective production range, wherein
• the second shipping information is linked with the respective production range using only the unique production details of the first and second manufactured items, and
• the respective production range includes manufactured items having non-sequential first production details;
• storing the second shipping information in the memory device;
• receiving, over the communication network, second production details for a third manufactured item stored in a remote container, the second production details for the third manufactured item extracted from a unit identifier of the third manufactured item;
• and
• authenticating, at the at least one processor, the third manufactured item by comparing the second production details for the third manufactured item against the second shipping information stored in the memory device to determine whether unique production details among the second production details of the third manufactured item are within the respective production range,
• wherein the memory requirement of the first shipping information is determined for storing the first code of one of the containers and the second code of each manufactured item stored in the one of the containers, and
• wherein the memory requirement for storing the second shipping information is smaller than the memory requirement for storing the first shipping information.