Secure product identification and verification

• US 10,115,068 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2017
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Solutions Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Solutions Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Vivier, Clement
• Primary Examiner(s): Vetter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tungate, Scott M
• Application Number:
  US15/414,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20180211213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A device may receive an indication that a product has arrived at a destination. The product may have been shipped by an entity to the destination. The device may perform an analysis on the product to determine an attribute of the product. The device may perform a comparison of information identifying the attribute of the product and information included in an encrypted record, for the product, of a blockchain, to verify the attribute of the product. The information included in the encrypted record may be related to attributes of the product. The attributes of the product may have been determined by the entity that shipped the product to the destination. The device may determine whether the attribute of the product is verified based on performing the comparison. The device may perform an action based on determining whether the attribute of the product is verified.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by one or more devices, first information regarding an item at a first location to be shipped to a destination;

performing, by the one or more devices, a first item analysis on the item to determine a first identifier of the item,

an item analysis including at least one of;

a spectral analysis,

a chemical analysis, or

a molecular analysis;

determining, by the one or more devices and from the first identifier, an attribute of the item;

creating, by the one or more devices, an encrypted record in a blockchain for the item,

the encrypted record including;

the first information regarding the item,

information identifying the attribute, and

information identifying a term of a contract,

the blockchain to be accessible during transportation of the item to the destination, and

the blockchain to be analyzed, at a plurality of stages during transportation of the item to the destination, to verify the blockchain;

receiving, by the one or more devices, second information regarding the item at a second location;

performing, by the one or more devices based on receiving the second information, a second item analysis on the item to determine a second identifier of the item;

obtaining, by the one or more devices, the encrypted record from the blockchain;

verifying, by the one or more devices, whether the second identifier matches the first identifier using the encrypted record;

determining, by the one or more devices and based on the second identifier not matching the first identifier, that tampering of the item occurred during a time period,

the time period including one or more of;

a first time when the item is at the first location,

a second time when the item is at the second location, or

a third time that is after the first time and before the second time; and

performing, by the one or more devices, an action based on determining that tampering of the item occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a message to a robot or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to perform the first item analysis; and

where performing the first item analysis comprises;

performing the first item analysis based on sending the message to the robot or the UAV.

3. The method of claim 1, where the encrypted record is a first encrypted record;

and

where the method further comprises;

receiving an indication that the item has arrived at the destination;

performing a third item analysis on the item;

performing a comparison of results of the first item analysis and the third item analysis based on performing the third item analysis,

the comparison being used to verify the blockchain; and

creating a second encrypted record in the blockchain for the item based on a result of performing the comparison.

4. The method of claim 1, where the blockchain is to include a plurality of encrypted records created at the plurality of stages during the transportation of the item,

a particular encrypted record of the plurality of encrypted records being created based on analyzing the blockchain.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a message to a driverless or autonomous vehicle to cause the item to be shipped to the destination.

6. The method of claim 1, where the item includes a product, a commodity, medicine, food, an organism, or cosmetics.

7. The method of claim 1, where the action is a first action;

and

where the method further comprises;

performing a second action based on verifying that the second identifier matches the first identifier,

the second action including at least one of;

generating a work order to have the item processed for acceptance,

scheduling a meeting, or

sending a message to dispatch an investigator.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive first information regarding an item at a first location to be shipped to a destination;

perform a first item analysis on the item to determine a first identifier of the item,

an item analysis including at least one of;

a spectral analysis,

a chemical analysis, or

a molecular analysis;

determine, from the first identifier, an attribute of the item;

create an encrypted record in a blockchain for the item,

the encrypted record including;

the first information regarding the item,

information identifying the attribute, and

information identifying a term of a contract,

the blockchain to be accessible during transportation of the item to the destination, and

the blockchain to be analyzed, at a plurality of stages during transportation of the item to the destination, to verify the blockchain;

receive second information regarding the item at a second location;

perform, based on receiving the second information, a second item analysis on the item to determine a second identifier of the item;

obtain the encrypted record from the blockchain;

verify whether the second identifier matches the first identifier using the encrypted record;

determine, based on the second identifier not matching the first identifier, that tampering of the item occurred during a time period,

the time period including one or more of;

a first time when the item is at the first location,

a second time when the item is at the second location, or

a third time that is after the first time and before the second time; and

perform an action based on determining that tampering of the item occurred.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

send a message to a robot or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to perform the first item analysis; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to perform the first item analysis, cause the one or more processors to;

perform the first item analysis based on sending the message to the robot or the UAV.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the encrypted record is a first encrypted record;

and

where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to;

receive an indication that the item has arrived at the destination;

perform a third item analysis on the item;

perform a comparison of results of the first item analysis and the third item analysis based on performing the third item analysis,

the comparison being used to verify the blockchain; and

create a second encrypted record in the blockchain for the item based on a result of performing the comparison.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the blockchain is to include a plurality of encrypted records created at the plurality of stages during the transportation of the item,

a particular encrypted record of the plurality of encrypted records being created based on analyzing the blockchain.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

send a message to a driverless or autonomous vehicle to cause the item to be shipped to the destination.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the item includes a product, a commodity, medicine, food, an organism, or cosmetics.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the action is a first action;

and

where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to;

perform a second action based on verifying that the second identifier matches the first identifier,

the action including at least one of;

generating a work order to have the item processed for acceptance,

scheduling a meeting, or

sending a message to dispatch an investigator.

15. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive first information regarding an item at a first location to be shipped to a destination;

perform a first item analysis on the item to determine a first identifier of the item,

an item analysis including at least one of;

a spectral analysis,

a chemical analysis, or

a molecular analysis;

determine, from the first identifier, an attribute of the item;

create an encrypted record in a blockchain for the item,

the encrypted record including;

the first information regarding the item,

information identifying the attribute, and

information identifying a term of a contract,

the blockchain to be accessible during transportation of the item to the destination, and

the blockchain to be analyzed, at a plurality of stages during transportation of the item to the destination, to verify the blockchain;

receive second information regarding the item at a second location;

perform, based on receiving the second information, a second item analysis on the item to determine a second identifier of the item;

obtain the encrypted record from the blockchain;

verify whether the second identifier matches the first identifier using the encrypted record;

determine, based on the second identifier not matching the first identifier, that tampering of the item occurred during a time period,

the time period including one or more of;

a first time when the item is at the first location,

a second time when the item is at the second location, or

a third time that is after the first time and before the second time; and

perform an action based on determining that tampering of the item occurred.

16. The device of claim 15, where the one or processors are further to:

send a message to a robot or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to perform the first item analysis; and

where the one or more processors, when performing the first item analysis, are to;

perform the first item analysis based on sending the message to the robot or the UAV.

17. The device of claim 15, where the encrypted record is a first encrypted record;

and

where the one or more processors are further to;

receive an indication that the item has arrived at the destination;

perform a third item analysis on the item;

perform a comparison of results of the first item analysis and the third item analysis based on performing the third item analysis,

the comparison being used to verify the blockchain; and

create a second encrypted record in the blockchain for the item based on a result of performing the comparison.

18. The device of claim 15, where the blockchain is to include a plurality of encrypted records created at the plurality of stages during the transportation of the item,

a particular encrypted record of the plurality of encrypted records being created based on analyzing the blockchain.

19. The device of claim 15, where the one or more processors are further to:

send a message to a driverless or autonomous vehicle to cause the item to be shipped to the destination.

20. The device of claim 15, where the action is a first action;

and

where the one or more processors are further to;

perform a second action based on verifying that the second identifier matches the first identifier,

the action including at least one of;

generating a work order to have the item processed for acceptance,

scheduling a meeting, or

sending a message to dispatch an investigator.