Enabling country of origin labeling and verification for livestock products
First Claim
1. A method of tracking transfers of groups of animals with animal passports, the method comprising:
- creating an animal passport to represent a transfer of a first group of animals from a transferor to a transferee at a location, the first group comprising at least two animals and the location comprising at least one of a city and a state;
assigning a unique passport identifier to the created animal passport, thereby providing a unique identifier for the transfer, the unique passport identifier being distinct from a timestamp;
recording, for the created animal passport using a processor of a computer, the unique passport identifier assigned to the passport, a count of the animals in the first group, the location, an individual animal identification for each individual one of the animals in the first group, an identification of the transferor, and an identification of the transferee; and
repeating the creating, the assigning, and the recording for each of at least one subsequent transfer of any of the animals in the first group as a subsequent group, wherein;
the subsequent group for at least one of the at least one subsequent transfer contains different animals than the animals in the group of a next-preceding transfer;
repeating the creating for each of the at least one subsequent transfer comprises creating a new animal passport for the each subsequent transfer;
repeating the assigning for each of the at least one subsequent transfer comprises assigning a new unique passport identifier to the created new animal passport; and
repeating the recording for each of the at least one subsequent transfer comprises recording, in addition to the new unique passport identifier assigned to the created new animal passport, the unique passport identifier assigned, by the assigning or a prior iteration of the repeating, to the animal passport created, by the creating or the prior iteration of the repeating, to represent the next-preceding transfer of any of the animals in the subsequent group.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques are disclosed that enable country of origin labeling and verification. A source verification or “animal passport” procedure and system are disclosed, whereby each transfer of one or more animals is documented and recorded in a repository. An animal passport (i.e., certificate) is used for tracking transfers. A new passport is issued for every transfer, and a unique number (or other unique identifier) is assigned to each such passport. At the same time, each passport carries the passport number of the preceding transfer (or transfers), such that a sequence of passport numbers identifies all transfers occurring throughout the lifetime of the associated animal or animals. Animal passports may also be used to track transfers of animal products.
18 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of tracking transfers of groups of animals with animal passports, the method comprising:
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creating an animal passport to represent a transfer of a first group of animals from a transferor to a transferee at a location, the first group comprising at least two animals and the location comprising at least one of a city and a state; assigning a unique passport identifier to the created animal passport, thereby providing a unique identifier for the transfer, the unique passport identifier being distinct from a timestamp; recording, for the created animal passport using a processor of a computer, the unique passport identifier assigned to the passport, a count of the animals in the first group, the location, an individual animal identification for each individual one of the animals in the first group, an identification of the transferor, and an identification of the transferee; and repeating the creating, the assigning, and the recording for each of at least one subsequent transfer of any of the animals in the first group as a subsequent group, wherein; the subsequent group for at least one of the at least one subsequent transfer contains different animals than the animals in the group of a next-preceding transfer; repeating the creating for each of the at least one subsequent transfer comprises creating a new animal passport for the each subsequent transfer; repeating the assigning for each of the at least one subsequent transfer comprises assigning a new unique passport identifier to the created new animal passport; and repeating the recording for each of the at least one subsequent transfer comprises recording, in addition to the new unique passport identifier assigned to the created new animal passport, the unique passport identifier assigned, by the assigning or a prior iteration of the repeating, to the animal passport created, by the creating or the prior iteration of the repeating, to represent the next-preceding transfer of any of the animals in the subsequent group. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16)
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14. A method of providing country of origin claims, the method comprising:
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completing, for every transfer of groups of animals from transferors to transferees, each group comprising at least two animals, a passport document to represent the transfer, wherein; a first transfer of a first group of the animals is represented by a first passport document; for each subsequent transfer of any of the first group of animals, as a subsequent group, the subsequent transfer is represented by a subsequent passport document, wherein at least one subsequent group contains at least one animal different from the animals in the group of a next-preceding transfer; and each of the passport documents has associated therewith a unique passport identifier, thereby providing a unique identifier for the transfer, the unique passport identifier being distinct from a timestamp, the completing further comprising; specifying, on each of the passport documents, a count of the animals transferred, an individual animal identification for each individual one of the animals transferred, and a location of the transfer, the location comprising at least one of a city and a state; specifying, on the first passport document, the unique passport identifier associated therewith; specifying, on each subsequent passport document, the unique passport identifier associated therewith as well as at least one next-preceding unique passport identifier, each of the at least one next-preceding unique passport identifier associated with a corresponding next-preceding transfer of any of the animals transferred in the subsequent group; and signing the passport document, by the transferor and the transferee, to certify the transfer; recording, using a processor of a computer, each of the transfers in a repository maintained by a third party who is distinct from the transferors and the transferees, further comprising; creating an entry in the repository for each of the transfers, each of the entries comprising the unique passport identifier associated with the passport document representing that transfer, the count of the animals transferred, the individual animal identification for each individual one of the animals transferred, the location of the transfer, and for the subsequent passport documents, each of the at least one next-preceding unique passport identifier specified thereon for the corresponding next-preceding transfer; and using the entries in the repository to determine, for a selected one of the animals using the processor of the computer, whether a country of origin claim can be made stating that the selected one was always physically located, from its birth to its death, in a particular country by comparing, in each of the entries that pertains to transferring the selected animal, the location to the particular country. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification