Method and system for preventing parallel marketing of wholesale and retail items

• US 6,817,538 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Afzali-Ardakani, Ali, Schrott, Alejandro Gabriel, Feger, Claudius, Tresser, Charles P., Martens, Marco, Moskowitz, Paul Andrew, von Gutfeld, Robert Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walsh, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US10/147,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20020143671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 308/54, 283/72, 283/82, 283/89, 283/92, 283/74, 283/83, 283/84, 283/85, 283/86, 283/91, 283/107, 283/109, 283/110, 427/1, 427/7, 427/165, 427/157, 427/275, 427/287, 427/307, 427/309, 427/258, 427/162, 106/31-3-, 380/54, 235/462.01, 235/462.04, 235/462.42, 235/491, 235/494, 235/454, 252/301.4 F, 348/241, 348/243, 348/697, 327/310
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/00 Labels, tag tickets, or similar identification or indication means medals or badges A44C3/00; making labels B31D1/02; sheets temporarily attached together B42F; labelling B65C; labels on record carriers G11B23/38, G11B23/40; Seals; Postage or like stamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1405 Capsule or particulate matter containing [e.g., sphere, flake, microballoon, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1467 Coloring agent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24934 including paper layer

Abstract

A system and method for detecting parallel marketing of an item, include forming at least one of a coating and a code on the item, interrogating the at least one of the coating and said code, and determining from the interrogating whether the item has been transferred from an authorized merchant to an unauthorized merchant.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

scribing a code onto an item;

applying a coating to said item, said coating including at least one rare earth element, wherein an index of refraction of said coating is substantially the same as that of said item, and said coating covers said code, wherein said code cannot be substantially viewed under ordinary visible light conditions; and

assigning said code to a merchant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said code is encrypted.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said item comprises glass.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said scribing comprises at least one of laser etching, chemical etching, and mechanical etching.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said scribing comprises scribing said code onto said item at a plurality of locations, and

wherein a number of said plurality of locations and positions of said plurality of locations are contained within said code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one rare earth element comprises two or more rare earth elements not present in said item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of said coating is within a range of 0.1 to 10 microns.