Tamper-indicating barcode and method

• US 6,869,015 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sandia National Laboratories (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Simmons, Blake A., Dentinger, Paul Michael, Cummings, Eric B., Even, William R. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US10/265,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20030098357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/462.1, 235/462.11, 235/462.16, 235/462.25, 235/462.24
• US Class Current: 235/462.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1473 error correction

Abstract

A novel tamper-indicating barcode methodology is disclosed that allows for detection of alteration to the barcode. The tamper-indicating methodology makes use of a tamper-indicating means that may be comprised of a particulate indicator, an optical indicator, a deformable substrate, and/or may be an integrated aspect of the barcode itself. This tamper-indicating information provides greater security for the contents of containers sealed with the tamper-indicating barcodes.

Claims

1. A tamper-indicating barcode comprising a barcode component having at least one tamper-indicating means attached thereto, wherein the barcode component is a pixel-based spread-spectrum barcode and the tamper-indicating means has pre-determined characteristics, and further wherein user data is modulated in a distributed fashion across a data bearing barcode image so that each pixel of image, on average, contains an equal fraction of all the encoded information.

2. The barcode of claim 1, wherein the tamper-indicating means is selected from the group consisting of particulate indicators, deformable substrates, optical indicators, and combinations thereof.

3. The barcode of claim 2, wherein the tamper-indicating means is a particulate indicator.

4. The barcode of claim 3, wherein the particulate indicator is printed with the barcode component.

5. The barcode of claim 2, wherein the particulate indicator is a particulate containing gel.

6. The barcode of claim 2, wherein the particulate indicator is a particulate containing pressure adhesive used to attach the barcode to a desired substrate.

7. The barcode of claim 2, wherein the tamper-indicating means comprises more than one particulate indicator.

8. The barcode of claim 1, wherein the tamper-indicating means is a deformable substrate, and the barcode component is printed thereon.

9. The barcode of claim 6, wherein the deformable substrate is selected from the group consisting of polymeric materials, cellulosic materials, metallic materials, and combinations thereof.

10. The barcode of claim 1, wherein the tamper-indicating means comprises an optical indicator that is attached to a visible surface of the barcode component.

11. The barcode of claim 10, wherein the optical indicator is selected from the group consisting of holographic materials, prismatic materials, geometric materials, refractive materials, polarizing materials, and combinations thereof.

12. The barcode of claim 1, wherein the tamper-indicating means comprises a particulate indicator and an optical indicator.

13. The barcode of claim 12, wherein the tamper-indicating means further comprises a deformable substrate.

14. The barcode of claim 1, wherein the barcode component is produced by the steps of:

a. encoding a set of user data to form an encoded user data array;

b. modulating the user data array using a pseudo-random kernel K_m, to form a modulated data array;

c. formatting the modulated data array to produce a pixel-based barcode array; and

d. transferring the barcode array onto a portion of a recording medium, wherein the transferred user data are distributed evenly across said portion of the recording medium.

15. The barcode of claim 14, wherein the user data are encoded so that the user data array additionally comprises a fiducial signature that acts as the tamper-indicating means.

16. The barcode of claim 15, wherein the fiducial signature comprises a recognizable signature texture and a signature pattern.

17. The barcode of claim 14, the method further comprising step (e) superimposing onto the barcode array a signature array.

18. The barcode of claim 17, wherein in step (a), the user data are encoded so as to have a signature texture incorporated therein and the signature array contains a signature pattern bitmap modulated using a two-dimensional pseudo-random kernel K_c.

19. The barcode of claim 18, wherein the two-dimensional kernels K_m and K_c are the same.

20. The barcode of claim 17, wherein the signature array comprises a signature texture array modulated using pseudo-random kernel K_c.

21. The barcode of claim 20, wherein in step (a) the user data are encoded so as to have a signature pattern incorporated therein.

22. The barcode of claim 21, wherein pseudo-random kernels K_c and K_m are the same.

23. The barcode of claim 14, further comprising in combination with step (c) formatting and superimposing onto the modulated data array at least one additional modulated data arrays, wherein each additional modulated data array is produced by modulating an additional user data array with an additional pseudo-random kernel, Kⁱ_m, where i is the number of the additional array, and the barcode array is produced by the superimposition of the additional modulated data arrays onto the modulated data array formed in step (b).

24. A method for ascertaining if a pixel-based spread-spectrum barcode has been tampered with comprising the steps of:

a. providing a tamper-indicating barcode comprising a pixel-based barcode component having at least one tamper-indicating means attached thereto, wherein the tamper-indicating means has pre-determined characteristics, and wherein user data is modulated in a distributed fashion across a data bearing barcode image so that each pixel of image, on average, contains an equal fraction of all the encoded information;

b. examining the barcode to determine the current characteristics of the tamper-indicating means; and

c. comparing the current characteristics with the reference characteristics to ascertain if the barcode has been tampered with.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the tamper-indicating means is selected from the group consisting of particulate indicators, deformable substrates, optical indicators, and combinations thereof.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the tamper-indicating means comprises a particulate indicator and the predetermined and current characteristics comprise the location of particles.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the tamper-indicating means comprises a deformable substrate upon which the barcode component is printed and the predetermined and current characteristics comprise the physical condition of the deformable substrate.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the tamper-indicating means comprises an optical indicator that is affixed to a visible portion of the barcode component and the predetermined and current characteristics comprise the optical properties of an image viewed through the optical indicator.