Methods of marking products using natural materials having genetically controlled micromorphological structures as markers
First Claim
1. A method of marking products, comprising the steps of:
- selecting a natural material having a unique genetically controlled micromorphological structure that can be identified using microscopic examination; and
adding said natural material to a product unrelated to said natural material at a sufficiently low level so as not to have any significant effect on the product other than to serve as a marker for the product;
obtaining a sample of the marked product; and
determining by use of microscopic examination whether the sample contains said natural material;
wherein said natural material is selected from the group consisting of cellulosic plant materials and sporopollenin.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods of marking products and of determining the origin or authenticity of marked products are provided that use a variety of natural materials as markers. The natural materials have unique genetically controlled micromorphological structures that can be identified using enhanced visualization techniques. For example, cellulosic plant materials, sporopollenin and diatoms can be used as the natural materials. The natural materials are added to products at sufficiently low levels so as not to have any significant effect on the products other than serving as markers. Dyes and reactants can be added to the natural materials to provide secondary markers. The secondary markers can be vacuum infused into hollow interior spaces of the materials, or placed in surface voids of the materials to remain secured in the marker structures until examined. Sub-cellular particles or heat sensitive molecules can also be used to provide a molecular thermometer for the markers.
17 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of marking products, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a natural material having a unique genetically controlled micromorphological structure that can be identified using microscopic examination; and adding said natural material to a product unrelated to said natural material at a sufficiently low level so as not to have any significant effect on the product other than to serve as a marker for the product; obtaining a sample of the marked product; and determining by use of microscopic examination whether the sample contains said natural material; wherein said natural material is selected from the group consisting of cellulosic plant materials and sporopollenin. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of marking products, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a natural material having a unique genetically controlled micromorphological structure that can be identified using an enhanced visualization technique; and adding said natural material to a product unrelated to said natural material at a sufficiently low level so as not to have any significant effect on the product other than to serve as a marker for the product; wherein said natural material has hollow interior spaces, and further comprising the step of vacuum infusing a secondary marker into said hollow interior spaces. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of marking products, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a natural material having a unique genetically controlled micromorphological structure that can be identified using microscopic examination; and adding said natural material to a product unrelated to said natural material at a sufficiently low level so as not to have any significant effect on the product other than to serve as a marker for the product; obtaining a sample of the marked product; and determining by use of microscopic examination whether the sample contains said natural material; wherein said natural material has surface voids, and further comprising the step of securing a secondary marker within said surface voids. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. A method of marking products, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a natural material having a unique genetically controlled micromorphological structure that can be identified using an enhanced visualization technique; and adding said natural material to a product unrelated to said natural material at a sufficiently low level so as not to have any significant effect on the product other than to serve as a marker for the product; further comprising the step of adding sub-cellular particles or heat sensitive molecules to said natural material to provide a molecular thermometer for the marker. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of determining an origin or authenticity of a marked product, comprising the steps of:
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obtaining a sample of the marked product; determining by use of microscopic examination whether the sample contains a particular natural material having a unique genetically controlled micromorphological structure at a sufficiently low level so as not to have any significant effect on the marked product other than to serve as a marker for the product; and comparing the detected natural material with an information record to determine the origin or authenticity of the marked product; wherein said natural material is selected from the group consisting of cellulosic plant materials and sporopollenin.
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29. A method of determining an origin or authenticity of a marked product, comprising the steps of:
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obtaining a sample of the marked product; determining by use of microscopic examination whether the sample contains a particular natural material having a unique genetically controlled micromorphological structure at a sufficiently low level so as not to have any significant effect on the marked product other than to serve as a marker for the product; and comparing the detected natural material with an information record to determine the origin or authenticity of the marked product; further comprising the step of determining whether the marker contains a particular visual characteristic indicating the presence of a secondary marker for the marked product. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of determining an origin or authenticity of a marked product, comprising the steps of:
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obtaining a sample of the marked product; determining by use of microscopic examination whether the sample contains a particular natural material having a unique genetically controlled micromorphological structure at a sufficiently low level so as not to have any significant effect on the marked product other than to serve as a marker for the product; and comparing the detected natural material with an information record to determine the origin or authenticity of the marked product;
wherein said marked product is a food product containing starch, and further comprising the step of gelatinizing starch in the product sample before observing the sample using enhanced visualization to avoid confounding the observation by background polarized light from the starch.
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Specification