METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA CONTAINING A PROGRAM FOR IDENTIFYING WHETHER A PRODUCT IS GENUINE

• US 20110231316A1
• Filed: 03/09/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cummins Industries Incorporated (Cummins Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cummins Industries Incorporated (Cummins Incorporated)
• Inventors: CARROLL, John T. III
• Application Number:
  US13/044,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231316A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• 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 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Provided herein is a method, system and non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions related to receiving and storing product code information from plural surveyor surveillance devices and compensating a party associated with each surveyor device that provides information potentially related to a improper transacted sales of a product associated with a gathered product code. The information gathered from the surveillance devices can assist in investigating whether existing products are genuine or counterfeit by identifying non-valid and/or non-registered product codes and improper sales transactions associated with product codes received from the surveillance devices. In an embodiment, a determination is made whether received product code information corresponds to a registered product code stored in a data structure, and for a stored registered product code corresponding to the received product code information, a determination is made of a number of instances the product code information has been received. A party associated with the surveillance device is compensated, or rewarded if the determined number of instances is greater than a predetermined value or the received product code is determined not to correspond to a registered product code.

Claims

1. A method for identifying whether a product is genuine, comprising:

receiving product code information transmitted from a surveillance device, said product code information associated with a product and obtained by the surveillance device;

determining whether the received product code information corresponds to a registered product code stored in a data structure;

for a stored registered product code corresponding to the received product code information, determining a number of instances the product code information has been received; and

generating an electronic compensation to a party associated with the surveillance device if either the determined number of instances is greater than a predetermined value or the received product code is determined not to correspond to a registered product code.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising accumulating and storing a count value associated with the registered stored product code by incrementing the count value for each instance of receiving the registered product code information up to the predetermined value.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising incrementing the count value for each instance of a sales transaction involving the product code.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the party is compensated if the accumulated count value reflects more than two said instances.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtained product code information is encrypted and the method further comprises the step of decrypting the product code information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein compensating the party associated with the surveillance device comprises crediting a phone account of the party.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stored registered product code is stored with product description information associated with the product.

8. A system for identifying whether a product is genuine, comprising:

a code services provider adapted to receive product code information transmitted from a surveillance device, said product code information associated with a product and obtained by the surveillance device;

a product code manager adapted to determine whether the received product code information corresponds to a registered product code stored in a data structure, and for a stored registered product code corresponding to the received product code information, determine the number of instances the product code information has been received; and

a compensation module adapted to generate an electronic compensation to a party associated with the surveillance device if either the determined number of instances is greater than a predetermined value or the received product code is determined not to correspond to a registered product code.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the product code manager is adapted to accumulate a count value associated with the registered stored product code by incrementing the count value for each instance of receiving the registered product code information up to the predetermined value.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the product code manager is adapted to increment the count value for each instance of a sales transaction involving the product code.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the compensation module electronically compensates the party if the accumulated count value reflects more than two said instances.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the obtained product code information is encrypted and the code services provider further comprises a decryption module adapted to decrypt the product code information.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the compensation module is adapted to electronically compensate the party associated with the surveillance device by crediting a phone account of the party.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the stored registered product code is stored with product description information associated with the product.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive product code information transmitted from a surveillance device, said product code information associated with a product and obtained by the surveillance device;

determine whether the received product code information corresponds to a registered product code stored in a data structure;

for a stored registered product code corresponding to the received product code information, determine a number of instances the product code information has been received; and

compensate a party associated with the surveillance device if either the determined number of instances is greater than a predetermined value or the received product code is determined not to correspond to a registered product code.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to accumulate and store a count value associated with the registered stored product code by incrementing the count value for each instance of receiving the registered product code information up to the predetermined value.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to increment the count value for each instance of a sales transaction involving the product code.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the party compensates the party if the accumulated count value reflects more than two said instances.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the obtained product code information is encrypted and the method further comprises the step of decrypting the product code information.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein compensating the party associated with the surveillance device comprises crediting a phone account of the party.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the stored registered product code is stored with product description information associated with the product.