Secure product packaging system

• US 7,034,689 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2004
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bertrand Teplitxky, Lawrence G. Martinelli
• Original Assignee: Bertrand Teplitxky, Lawrence G. Martinelli
• Inventors: Martinelli, Lawrence G., Teplitxky, Bertrand
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/767,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 340/572.8
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2401/05 Tearable non-integral strips
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 55/06 Deformable or tearable wires, strings, or strips containers specially constructed to be opened by tear-strips, strings or the like B65D17/00; caps or cap-like closures with tear-strips B65D41/32; Use of seals , e.g. destructible locking pins B65D55/022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07798 part of the antenna or the integrated circuit being adapted for rupturing or breaking, e.g. record carriers functioning as sealing devices for detecting not-authenticated opening of containers electronic seals G09F3/03

Abstract

A product security system includes an RFID chip and antenna that are polymerized onto separable parts of a commercial product package. The RFID chip includes a unique serial number that can be interrogated by a wireless reader. A database of such unique serial numbers associated with particular manufacturing production runs is used in a method to detect counterfeiting. The RFID chip and antenna are embedded such that attempts to remove or transfer them will be obvious to an inspector.

Claims

1. A product security system, comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip with an embedded unique serial number and responsive to wireless interrogation by a reader;

a tuned antenna connected to the RFID chip critically tuned to operate at a particular frequency and supporting said wireless interrogation; and

polymerized constituent monomers formed into long-chain cross-linked polymers that entangle said wireless RFID chip and tuned antenna with a product container;

wherein, any opening of said product container or removal of the wireless RFID chip and tuned antenna breaks the antenna and renders the RFID chip inoperable.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a reader for said wireless interrogation of the RFID chip via the antenna and able to wirelessly collect said unique serial number and sense a detuning of said tuned antenna.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a first product-packaging part to which the RFID chip is permanently attached by thermosetting cross-linked polymers which obviate attempts to remove the RFID chip;

a second product-packaging part to which the antenna is permanently attached by thermosetting cross-linked polymers which obviate attempts to remove the antenna;

a third product-packaging part which provides for access and that is bridged by the antenna connecting to the RFID chip; and

a database of unique serial numbers and their associations with particular protected products originally supplied in the product container.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor for placement inside said product container, and connected to the RFID chip, and providing for a physical measurement and wireless reporting of an attribute of an originally supplied protected product within.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor placed inside the product container, and connected to the RFID chip, and providing for a measurement and wireless reporting of a change in a particular characteristic physical attribute of said product.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a database of unique serial numbers and their associations with said physical measurement that provides for product-quality surveillance.

7. A secure product container, comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip with an embedded unique serial number and responsive to wireless interrogation by a reader;

an antenna connected to the RFID chip and being critically tuned to operate at a particular frequency and supporting said wireless interrogation;

a first product-packaging part to which the RFID chip is entangled by polymerized constituent monomers formed into long-chain cross-linked polymers and which will render obvious any attempts to physically access the RFID chip;

a second product-packaging part to which the antenna is entangled by polymerized constituent monomers formed into long-chain cross-linked polymers and which will render obvious any attempts to physically access the antenna; and

a third product-packaging part which provides for opening and that is bridged by the antenna connecting to the RFID chip;

wherein, an opening of the third product-packaging part breaks the antenna and renders the RFID chip inoperable.

8. A method for delivering products to consumers, comprising:

embedding a wireless RFID chip in a product package with a tuned antenna that will be damaged when the product package is entered;

polymerizing constituent monomers with heat into long-chain cross-linked polymers that entangle said wireless RFID chip, product package, and tuned antenna;

collecting a unique serial number from said RFID chip via wireless communication through said tuned antenna;

associating said unique serial number with a particular series of production runs during manufacture into a manufacturer'"'"'s database;

interrogating said unique serial number directly from a particular product package;

comparing said unique serial number obtained in the step of interrogating with data in said manufacturer'"'"'s database; and

accepting the product in said product package as safe or legitimate if said step of comparing results in a match.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the step of collecting will fail to report said unique serial number if said product package has been entered.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

inspecting said product package for evidence of tampering with said RFID chip or tuned antenna.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the step of collecting will fail to report said unique serial number if said product package has been tampered with enough to detune or ruin said tuned antenna.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the step of embedding said wireless RFID chip and tuned antenna is such that attempts to physically access them after manufacturing will be visually obvious to a consumer.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the step of embedding said wireless RFID chip and tuned antenna further includes placing a sensor in contact with a product enclosed by said product package.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

reporting a change in a physical characteristic of said product via said RFID chip as measured by said sensor.