Interface & Cartridge Architecture

44. Cartridge Digital Identity

Every System05 Cartridge shall possess a persistent digital identity linking the physical assembly to its authoritative engineering and lifecycle records.

The identity shall be created before the Cartridge enters authorized production and shall remain associated with the Cartridge through manufacturing, testing, transportation, installation, operation, maintenance, removal, refurbishment, reuse, and final material recovery.

The Cartridge Digital Identity shall contain or reference:

globally unique Cartridge Instance ID;

Cartridge Type ID;

manufacturer and manufacturing-facility identity;

product family, model, version, and configuration;

serial number, production batch, and manufacturing date;

Cartridge classification and criticality;

Interface Type IDs for every external interface;

declared capabilities and limitations;

material and subcomponent records;

applicable Engineering Profiles;

certification and conformance status;

software and firmware versions;

inspection and test results;

ownership and custody status where relevant;

current location and host identity;

lifecycle state;

maintenance and replacement requirements;

reuse and recycling information.

The physical Cartridge shall carry a durable machine-readable identifier in the designated Identification Zone. Depending on criticality and environmental exposure, identification may use:

permanent human-readable marking;

Data Matrix or equivalent optical code;

RFID or NFC;

embedded secure electronic identity;

geometric robotic marker;

multiple redundant identification methods.

The identifier shall provide access to essential offline information where network access is unavailable. Safety-critical Cartridges shall not depend exclusively upon a remote cloud service to communicate identity, hazards, isolation procedures, or compatibility class.

The identity record shall distinguish among:

manufacturer-declared information;

independently verified information;

certification data;

measured operational data;

maintenance observations;

AI-generated or inferred information;

superseded information.

Lifecycle records shall not overwrite historical states. Corrections, reclassification, software changes, capacity reductions, and ownership transfers shall be recorded as traceable events.

If the physical identifier is damaged or replaced, the Cartridge identity shall be recovered through an authorized verification procedure. A new identifier shall not be assigned in a way that breaks continuity with the original lifecycle record.

The universal identity syntax, registry governance, cryptographic requirements, and minimum offline dataset remain TBD.