Method for identifying and authenticating goods using codes, barcodes and radio frequency identification

• US 20050199723A1
• Filed: 12/08/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Barcode Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Barcode Corporation
• Inventors: Lubow, Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,322,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/18 by transferring data from one type of record carrier on to another type of record carrier, e.g. from magnetic tape to punched card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• 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 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence

Abstract

Methods are provided for identifying and authenticating goods. A code or checksum based on information or an image relating to a good is derived and associated with a barcode to include on a label. The label is scanned by a recipient to authenticate the goods. Scanable code are provided based on an image by distilling an image into its hue components and using a grid to create a pattern. The pattern is readable by a scanner to obtain a code directly, or by consulting a look-up table. The code, barcode, digital barcode or scanable code can be included on a label or tag, such as an RFID tag.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating the authentication of items, comprising:

obtaining a code based on an image; and

associating the image and a machine-readable symbol comprising the code with one or more items to be authenticated.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the machine-readable symbol is a bar code.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image is a photograph.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image comprises textual information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the machine-readable symbol comprises a Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) bar code.

6. A method of authenticating items, comprising:

obtaining a first code based on an image associated with one or more items;

obtaining a second code based on a machine-readable symbol associated with the one or more items; and

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first and second codes.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein determining the authenticity of the one or more items comprises determining whether the first code matches the second code.

15. The symbol according to claim 6, further comprising a label including the machine-readable symbol and image formed thereon for application to the one or more items.

8. A symbol for facilitating the authentication of one or more items, the symbol comprising:

an image associated with the one or more items; and

a machine-readable symbol associated with the one or more items, wherein the machine-readable symbol comprises a code that is based on the image.

9. The symbol according to claim 8, wherein the image comprises a first and a second guard bar for reading the first code associated with the image.

10. The symbol according to claim 8 wherein the image comprises a photograph.

11. The symbol according to claim 8, wherein the image comprises a portrait.

12. The symbol according to claim 8, wherein the image comprises textual information.

13. The symbol according to claim 8, wherein the machine-readable symbol comprises a Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) bar code.

14. The symbol according to claim 8, wherein the machine-readable symbol comprises data associated with at least one of the group consisting of shipping information, inventory information, invoice information, product type information, purchase order information, and signature information.

16. A method of facilitating the authentication of items, comprising:

associating a machine-readable symbol with one or more items to be authenticated; and

associating a memory and a transceiver with the one or more items, wherein the memory is coupled to the transceiver, and wherein the memory stores an image of the machine-readable symbol.

17. A method of authenticating items, comprising:

obtaining a first code based on a first machine-readable symbol associated with one or more items;

processing an image of a second machine readable-symbol stored in a memory to obtain a second code, wherein the memory is coupled to a transceiver and both are associated with the one or more items; and

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first and second codes.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein determining the authenticity of the one or more items comprises determining whether the first code matches the second code.

19. A method of facilitating the authentication of items, comprising:

associating a machine-readable symbol and an image with one or more items to be authenticated; and

associating a memory and a transceiver with the one or more items, wherein the memory is coupled to the transceiver, and wherein the memory stores the machine-readable symbol and the image.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the machine-readable symbol comprises machine-readable data.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the machine-readable symbol comprises a machine-readable symbol image.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the transceiver transmits the stored machine-readable symbol and image to a receiver for authentication.

23. A method of authenticating items, comprising:

processing a machine-readable symbol stored in a memory to obtain a first code, wherein the memory is coupled to a transceiver and both are associated with the one or more items;

processing an image stored in the memory to obtain a second code; and

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first and second codes.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein determining the authenticity of the one or more items comprises determining whether the first code matches the second code.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein obtaining the first code comprises reading the machine-readable symbol.

26. A method of facilitating the authentication of items, comprising:

obtaining a code based on an image that comprises a plurality of regions, wherein the code is related to at least one of the plurality of regions; and

associating the image and a machine-readable symbol comprising the code with one or more items to be authenticated.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the code comprises a checksum.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the code comprises encoding one or more pixels associated with the plurality of regions.

29. A method of authenticating items, comprising:

obtaining a first code based on an image associated with one or more items, wherein the image comprises a plurality of regions and the first code is related to at least one of the plurality of regions;

obtaining a second code based on a machine-readable symbol associated with the one or more items; and

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first and second codes.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein determining the authenticity of the one or more items comprises determining whether the first code matches the second code.

31. A method of obtaining data from an image, comprising:

processing color characteristics of one or more pixels of a first image to obtain a second image; and

interpreting the second image as a machine-readable symbol to thereby obtain a code from the second image.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein interpreting the second image as a machine-readable symbol comprises interpreting the second image as a bar code.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein interpreting the second image as a bar code comprises interpreting the second image as a bar code according to a bar code format comprising a plurality of patterns and corresponding values where each of the plurality of patterns of the bar code format has a corresponding value.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein interpreting the second image as a bar code comprises interpreting the second image as at least part of a two-dimensional bar code.

35. A method of facilitating the authentication of items, comprising:

obtaining a machine-readable symbol based on an image by processing color characteristics of one or more pixels of the image; and

associating the image and the machine-readable symbol with one or more items to be authenticated.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein obtaining a machine-readable symbol based on an image comprises obtaining a bar code based on an image.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein obtaining a bar code based on an image comprises obtaining at least part of a two-dimensional bar code from an image.

38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising generating a second bar code encoding data related to the two-dimensional bar code, and

wherein associating the image and the machine-readable symbol with one or more items to be authenticated comprises associating the two-dimensional bar code and the second bar code with the one or more items so that the two-dimensional bar code and the second bar code form a composite bar code.

39. A method of authenticating of items, comprising:

obtaining a first machine-readable symbol based on an image associated with one or more items by processing color characteristics of one or more pixels of the image; and

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first machine-readable symbol and a second machine-readable symbol associated with the one or more items.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein determining the authenticity of the one or more items comprises:

obtaining a first code from the first machine-readable symbol;

obtaining a second code from the second machine-readable symbol; and

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first and second codes.

41. The method according to claim 39, wherein obtaining the first machine-readable symbol based on the image comprises obtaining a first bar code based on the image, and

wherein the second machine-readable symbol comprises a second bar code.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein obtaining the first bar code based on the image comprises obtaining a two-dimensional bar code from the image, wherein the two-dimensional bar code and the second bar code form a composite bar code, and

wherein determining the authenticity of the one or more items comprises determining whether the second bar code corresponds to the two-dimensional bar code.

43. A method of facilitating the authentication of items, comprising:

obtaining a machine-readable symbol based on an image by processing color characteristics of one or more pixels of the image;

obtaining a code based on the machine-readable symbol;

storing the code in a memory device coupled to a transceiver device; and

associating the image, the memory device, and the transceiver device with one or more items to be authenticated.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein determining the authenticity of the one or more items comprises determining whether the first code matches the second code.

43-1. A method of authenticating items, comprising:

obtaining a machine-readable symbol based on an image associated with one or more items by processing color characteristics of one or more pixels of the image;

obtaining a first code based on the machine-readable symbol;

obtaining a second code from a memory device associated with the one or more items, wherein the memory device is coupled to a transceiver device associated with the one or more items; and

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first and second codes.

45. A method of facilitating the authentication of items, comprising:

obtaining a machine-readable symbol based on a first image by processing color characteristics of one or more pixels of the first image;

storing an image of the machine-readable symbol in a memory device coupled to a transceiver device; and

associating the image of the machine readable symbol , the memory device, and the transceiver device with one or more items to be authenticated.

46. A method of authenticating items, comprising:

obtaining a first machine-readable symbol based on an image associated with one or more items by processing color characteristics of one or more pixels of the image;

obtaining a second machine-readable symbol from a memory device associated with the one or more items, wherein the memory device is coupled to a transceiver device associated with the one or more items;

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first and second machine-readable symbols.

47. The method according to claim 46, wherein determining the authenticity of the one or more items comprises:

obtaining a first code from the first machine-readable symbol;

obtaining a second code from the second machine-readable symbol; and

determining the authenticity of the one or more items based on the first and second codes.

48. A method of generating scanable code based on an image, the method comprising:

processing color characteristics of one or more pixels associated with the image; and

obtaining a first code for the one or more pixels, wherein the first code corresponds to a second code associated with a machine-readable symbol.

49. The method according to claim 48, wherein the second code is generated by applying the first code to a look-up table associated with the machine-readable symbol.

50. The method according to claim 48, further comprising adding a first indicator symbol for indicating a starting point for scanning the image, and adding a second indicator symbol for indicating an end point for scanning the image.

51. The method according to claim 48, further comprising applying the generated scanable code to the one or more items.

52. The method according to claim 48, wherein processing the color characteristics of the one or more pixels comprises varying the hue values of the one or more pixels such that hue values comprising more than 50% gray black are converted to hue values representing black, and the hue values comprising more less than 50% gray white are converted to hue values representing white.

53. The method according to claim 52, wherein the one or more pixels converted to hue values representing black are encoded as a first code value and the one or more pixels converted to hue values representing white are encoded as a second code value.