Method for tracking and tracing marked articles

• US 20050060171A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Molnar, Charles J.
• Application Number:
  US10/837,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060171A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/08 using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/10 at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards verification of coded identity or credit cards in mechanisms actuated by them G07F7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/003 Anti-theft control theft alarms G08B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for detecting the occurrence of fraud in commercial transactions. The present invention is a method of tracking and tracing marked articles through the flow of commerce wherein information obtained from markers is stored in a covert memory and analyzed as to authenticity. The present invention is also a method for determining trends in fraudulent activity relating to that marked article.

Claims

1. A method of commerce useful for determining fraud in commercial transactions comprising the steps:

(1) obtaining information from a marked article of commerce; and

(2) maintaining at least a portion of that information in a covert memory, wherein the article comprises at least one covert marker and at least one overt marker, and wherein each of the at least one markers is capable of emitting signals to a signal reading device.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of the method steps are repeated at least 3 times.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein one or more of the method steps are repeated in at least 3 different locations.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of the steps is repeated at least 10 different times, and wherein information can be added to the covert memory at each repetition of the one or more steps.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein one or more of the method steps is repeated in at least 10 different locations and further comprising the step of building a historical database with the information maintained in the covert memory.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein:

the information sent to the overt display is free of information that can authenticate the article;

the information sent to the covert memory includes information that can authenticate the article; and

the covert information is used to build at least one remote historical database having information relating to the authenticity of the product.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the method comprises the step of sending at least a portion of the covert information over the Internet to a remote historical database.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the article is an article selected from the group consisting of:

agricultural products;

agricultural chemical products;

alcoholic beverages;

automotive parts;

other automotive products;

beverage concentrates; and

pharmaceutical products;

aerospace parts;

mechanical parts;

military products;

electronic products;

or marked articles having displayed thereon one or more of a tradename, a trademark, or a logo.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein the covert marker comprises at least in part a RFID.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the RFID has a memory.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the RFID does not include an integrated circuit chip.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the RFID comprises an integrated circuit chip.

31. The method of claim 20 wherein the covert marker does not include a radio frequency antenna.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (1) and (2) are performed in real time.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (1) and (2) are performed simultaneously.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (1) and (2) are performed during a predetermined time period.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (1) and (2) are performed at least partially simultaneously.

2. A method of commerce comprising the steps of:

(1) marking an article of commerce with at least one overt marker that is capable of producing a signal that is readable by at least one signal sensing system and at least one covert marker that is capable of producing a signal that is readable by at least one signal sensing system;

(2) reading the signals from the at least one overt marker and the at least one covert marker with at least one signal sensing system;

(3) providing at least one processor having covert memory for storing and accumulating data obtained from the at least one overt marker and/or the at least one covert marker;

(4) analyzing the data from the at least one overt marker and/or at least one covert marker using processor readable instructions and the at least one processor;

(5) using the at least one processor to generate information about the article from the data obtained from the at least one overt marker and/or the at least one covert marker;

(6) sending a first portion of the information to an overt display;

(7) storing a second portion of the information in the covert memory.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the signals are analyzed using an algorithm implemented by the at least one processor.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the information stored in the covert memory is a combination of information obtained from the at least one overt marker and information obtained from the at least one covert marker.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the signal sensing system includes a global position indicator system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the global position indicator system is covert.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the covert memory includes information obtained from the global position indicator system.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the information sent to the overt display does not include information that can authenticate the article.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the covert memory includes information that can authenticate the article

10. The method of claim 7 wherein a means for accessing the covert memory is provided and wherein the means for accessing the covert memory comprise at least one step of providing a passcode.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the information stored in the covert memory has been encrypted prior to storage in the covert memory.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

accessing the covert memory using a second processor to evaluate information stored on a plurality of articles of commerce; and

, displaying on a second display the information and/or evaluation obtained from the information in the covert memory.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the sensing system further comprises at least one ASIC processor having access to ASIC processor readable instructions and an output device, wherein the processor readable instructions include an algorithm.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the method used to evaluate the information in the covert memory is selected from methods of:

statistical analysis;

neural network analysis;

artificial intelligence;

data mining; and

mathematical algorithm.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the method for evaluation comprises a mathematical algorithm.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the evaluation comprises a neural network.

17. The method of claim 2 wherein the sensing system is portable.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the sensing system comprises one unit for reading the signal.

26. A method of commerce comprising the steps of:

(1) marking an article of commerce with at least one overt marker that is capable of producing a signal that is readable by a means for sensing and reading the signal, and at least one covert marker that is capable of producing a signal that is readable by a means for reading and sensing a signal, and providing at least one signal sensing means for the purpose of reading the overt and covert signals;

(2) reading signals generated from the at least one overt marker and the at least one covert marker;

(3) providing at least one means for storing and accumulating, in a covert memory, data obtained from the at least one overt marker and/or the at least one covert marker;

(4) providing a means for analyzing the data from the at least one overt marker and/or at least one covert marker;

(5) generating information about the article obtained from the analyses of the data from the at least one overt marker and/or at least one covert marker;

(6) sending a first portion of the information obtained from the data to an overt display;

(7) storing a second portion of the information obtained from the data in the covert memory.