Marking of products to establish identity and source

• US 5,429,952 A
• Filed: 08/20/1993
• Issued: 07/04/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Authentix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Biocode, Inc. (Authentix, Inc.)
• Inventors: Britton, David W., Wraith, Michael J., Martin, Carl N., Garner, Ronald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell, Carol E.
• Application Number:
  US08/109,938
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 436/518, 436/501, 436/543, 436/2, 436/8, 436/20, 436/22, 436/23, 436/24, 436/29, 436/822, 435/9, 283/95, 283/96, 283/97
• US Class Current: 436/518
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6813 Hybridisation assays
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6816 characterised by the detection means C12Q1/6804 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2563/185 Nucleic acid dedicated to use as a hidden marker/bar code, e.g. inclusion of nucleic acids to mark art objects or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2882 Markers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/53 Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5308 for analytes not provided for elsewhere, e.g. nucleic acids, uric acid, worms, mites
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/58 involving labelled substances G01N33/53 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/822 Identified hapten

Abstract

In general, the invention features a method of marking a product for identification in which a low molecular weight hapten is associated with the product as a marker, where the hapten is non-deleterious to the product, inert with respect to the product, and not already associated with the product.

Claims

1. A method of marking a product and subsequently detecting the marker in the product as a means of identifying the product comprising the steps of:

associating a hapten as a marker with the product, wherein the hapten is non-deleterious to the product, inert with respect to the product, and not already associated with the product; and

detecting the hapten in the product at a later point in time as a means of identifying the product by specifically binding the hapten to a complementary binding member.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said hapten marker is added directly to said product.

3. The method of claim 2 in which said hapten marker is mixed with said product.

4. The method of claim 3 in which said product is a liquid.

5. The method of claim 4 in which said product is a petroleum product.

6. The method of claim 2 in which said product is a solid and said hapten is applied to the surface of the product.

7. The method of claim 1 in which said hapten marker is added or attached to a tag or packaging associated with said product.

8. The method of claim 1 in which said hapten marker is m-phenoxybenzoic acid.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said complementary binding member is an antibody to said hapten.

10. A marked product comprising:

(a) a commercial petroleum product having mixed with it

(b) a hapten marker not normally associated with said petroleum product.