Systems, methods, and apparatus for marking, verifying, and authenticating consumer products

• US 9,069,069 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Communications, Inc (Middleby Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Standard Register Company (Middleby Corporation)
• Inventors: Freund, Robert, McElwee, Steven, Thaxton, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi
• Assistant Examiner(s): PLECHA, THADDEUS J
• Application Number:
  US13/836,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20140122889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

Methods for marking a consumer good at a distribution point are described that enable field authentication of the consumer good at an authentication point without connection to a remote database. Methods for authenticating a marked consumer good are described by scanning encrypted indicia without connecting to a remote database are described. Authentication methods for marked consumer goods, apparatus for carrying out the authentication methods, and systems based on the authentication methods are described.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating a marked consumer good at a final point of sale with a verification apparatus that comprises a processor, a camera, and a location device that communicates to the processor a geographic location of the verification apparatus at a verification time, the method comprising:

identifying the marked consumer good at the final point of sale, the marked consumer good comprising a package label at a label position on a package surface of the marked consumer good, the package label comprising encrypted indicia inside boundaries of the package label, the encrypted indicia comprising geographic coordinates of a permissible destination area for the consumer good, the permissible destination area including a valid retail location, the marked consumer good further comprising outside the boundaries of the package label a brand feature unique to a specific brand of the consumer good, the brand feature having dimensions and a distance from the package label;

verifying the encrypted indicia using the verification apparatus and without connecting to a remote database, wherein the verifying comprises;

photographing with the camera an authentication portion of the marked consumer good to form an authentication image of the authentication portion that is sent to the processor, the authentication image containing the encrypted indicia and the brand feature;

decrypting the encrypted indicia contained in the authentication image with the processor to produce decrypted data;

comparing the geographic location of the verification apparatus at the verification time as determined by the location device with the geographic coordinates of the permissible destination area contained in the decrypted data;

comparing, using the processor and without any connecting to a remote database, the authentication image with a reference image of a known authentic consumer good stored in the processor of the verification apparatus, the reference image containing a reference feature having known dimensions and a reference package label having a known position and a known distance from the reference feature;

verifying, using the processor and without connecting to a remote database, that at least one authenticating feature is present in the authentication image, the at least one authenticating feature chosen from;

a match of the dimensions of the brand feature in the authentication image with the known dimensions of the reference feature in the reference image;

a match of the label position of the package label in the authentication image with the known position of the reference package label in the reference image; and

a match of the distance of the package label from the brand feature in the authentication image with the known distance of the reference package label from the reference feature in the reference image;

determining, using the processor and without connecting to a remote database, whether the final point of sale is at the valid retail location within the permissible destination area based on the comparison of the geographic location of the verification apparatus at the verification time with the geographic coordinates of the permissible destination area contained in the decrypted data; and

determining, using the processor and without connecting to a remote database, an authenticity of the marked consumer good based on at least the determination that the final point of sale is at the valid retail location within the permissible destination area and the verification that the at least one authenticating feature is present in the authentication image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic coordinates are GPS coordinates and the location device is a GPS reader.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the encrypted indicia further comprise a unique serial number for the marked consumer good being authenticated;

the verification apparatus further comprises a serial number database containing a list of serial numbers expected to be present on consumer goods at the geographic coordinates of the permissible destination area;

the method further comprises verifying that the unique serial number for the marked consumer good being authenticated matches a serial number on the list contained in the serial number database; and

determining authenticity of the marked consumer good is additionally based on at least the verification that the unique serial number matches a serial number on the list contained in the serial number database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the encrypted indicia further comprise a product identifier code;

the verification apparatus further comprises a display;

a product code database stored in the processor contains product information linked to the product identifier code; and

the method further comprises;

displaying product information from the product code database on the display based on the product identifier code contained in the encrypted indicia; and

confirming authenticity of the consumer good based on a visual comparison of the displayed product information with physical aspects of the consumer good.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the authentication image with a reference image comprises:

determining an overlap area of an authentication area of the reference image with a capture area of the authentication image;

scaling the authentication image based on dimensions of features common to both the authentication image and the reference image;

computing a color profile of the overlap area in both the authentication image and the reference image; and

comparing the color profile of the overlap area of the authentication image to the color profile of the reference image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the package label is the encrypted indicia covertly printed directly on a package surface of the marked consumer good, whereby the position of the package label is not evident to the user of the verification apparatus until a schematic picture or instructions are displayed on the display, the method further comprising before the verifying of the encrypted indicia:

photographing the marked consumer good with the camera to form a comparison image of the marked consumer good;

comparing the comparison image of the marked consumer good with reference images of known authentic consumer goods stored in the verification apparatus to determine an identity of the consumer good and an expected location of encrypted indicia; and

displaying on a display of the authentication apparatus the expected location of the encrypted indicia with instructions to a user of the verification apparatus to include the location in the authentication portion when the authentication portion is photographed during the verification of the encrypted indicia.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the brand feature unique to a specific brand of consumer good comprises additional indicia chosen from artwork, solid colors, text, trademarks, brand logos, color profiles, edge profiles, or curvatures.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that at least one authentication feature is present in the authentication image comprises verification of:

the match of the label position of the package label in the authentication image with the known position of the reference package label in the reference image; and

the match of the distance of the package label from the brand feature in the authentication image with the known distance of the reference label from the reference feature in the reference image; and

the match of the dimensions of the brand feature in the authentication image with the known dimensions of the reference feature in the reference image.

9. A method for providing consumer information to a retailer after purchase of a verified authentic marked consumer good by a customer using an authentication apparatus, the method comprising:

packaging a marked article having an article marking on an article surface of the marked article in a marked package having a package marking on a package surface of the marked package, the package marking comprising encrypted package indicia that enable authentication of the marked consumer good by the authentication apparatus, the authentication apparatus having a location device, a processor, and a camera, without requiring connection of the authentication apparatus to a remote database, the encrypted package indicia comprising a unique serial number of the marked consumer good, a product identifier, and geographic coordinates of a permissible destination area for the marked consumer good, the article marking comprising encrypted article indicia, the encrypted article indicia comprising the unique serial number, the product identifier, and a hyperlink to a manufacturer website that authenticates the marked consumer good from an image of the article marking;

scanning, by the retailer, the package marking to obtain the unique serial number from the package marking when the marked consumer good is sold to the customer;

verifying authenticity of the marked consumer good after the retailer scans the package marking;

uploading, by the retailer, the unique serial number from the scan of the package marking to a manufacturer database;

scanning, by the customer using the camera of the authentication apparatus, the article marking to obtain the encrypted unique serial number from the article marking, decrypting the encrypted unique serial number by the processor, and directing the customer to the manufacturer website to enter registration data to the manufacturer database;

matching the unique serial number from the package marking obtained from the scan of the package marking by the retailer with the unique serial number from the article marking obtained from the scan of the article marking by the customer; and

providing the registration data to the retailer through the manufacturer website.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein authenticity of the marked consumer good is verified by comparing the geographic coordinates in the encrypted package indicia with a location of the retailer when the marked consumer good is sold.

11. A method for authenticating a marked consumer good at a final point of sale with a verification apparatus that comprises a processor, a display, a camera, and a location device that communicates to the processor a geographic location of the verification apparatus at a verification time, the method comprising:

identifying the marked consumer good at the final point of sale, the marked consumer good comprising a package label at a label position on the marked consumer good, the package label comprising encrypted indicia, the encrypted indicia comprising geographic coordinates of a permissible destination area for the consumer good, the permissible destination area including a valid retail location;

photographing the marked consumer good with the camera to form a comparison image of the marked consumer good;

comparing the comparison image of the consumer good with at least one reference image of a known authentic consumer good stored in the verification apparatus to determine an identity of the marked consumer good;

displaying on the display of the authentication apparatus a schematic picture or instructions indicating an expected location for the encrypted indicia of the marked consumer good based on a known location for encrypted indicia on the known authentic consumer good of the at least one reference image;

verifying the encrypted indicia using the verification apparatus and without connection to a remote database, wherein the verifying comprises;

photographing with the camera the location of the marked consumer good indicated by the schematic picture or instructions displayed on the display to capture an authentication image of an authentication portion of the marked consumer good that is sent to the processor, the authentication image containing the encrypted indicia;

decrypting the encrypted indicia contained in the authentication image with the processor to produce decrypted data;

comparing the geographic location of the verification apparatus at the verification time as determined by the location device with the geographic coordinates of the permissible destination area contained in the decrypted data;

determining, using the processor and without connecting to a remote database, whether the final point of sale is at the valid retail location within the permissible destination area based on the comparison of the geographic location of the verification apparatus at the verification time with the geographic coordinates of the permissible destination area contained in the decrypted data; and

determining, using the processor and without connecting to a remote database, authenticity of the marked consumer good based on at least the determination that the final point of sale is at the valid retail location within the permissible destination area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the package label is the encrypted indicia covertly printed directly on a package surface of the marked consumer good, whereby the position of the package label is not evident to a user of the verification apparatus until the schematic picture or instructions are displayed on the display.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the package label is the encrypted indicia printed directly on a package surface of the marked consumer good.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the encrypted indicia further comprise a unique serial number for the marked consumer good being authenticated;

the verification apparatus further comprises a serial number database containing a list of serial numbers expected to be present on consumer goods at the geographic coordinates of the permissible destination area;

the method further comprises verifying that the unique serial number for the marked consumer good being authenticated matches a serial number on the list contained in the serial number database; and

determining authenticity of the marked consumer good is based on at least the determination that the final point of sale is at the valid retail location within the permissible destination area and the determination that the unique serial number for the marked consumer good matches the serial number on the list contained in the serial number database.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the marked consumer good further comprises a brand feature unique to a specific brand of consumer good outside the package label, the brand feature having dimensions and a distance from the package label;

the comparison image or the authentication image contains the brand feature;

the method further comprises verifying using the processor an authenticity of the brand feature by comparing dimensions of the brand feature in the authentication image with known dimensions of a known authentic brand feature in the reference image; and

determining authenticity of the marked consumer good is based on at least the determination that the final point of sale is at the valid retail location within the permissible destination area and the verification of the authenticity of the brand feature.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

comparing, using the processor, the authentication image with the at least one reference image of a known authentic consumer good stored in the processor, the reference image containing a reference feature having known dimensions and a reference package label having a known position and a known distance from the reference feature; and

verifying, using the processor, that at least one authenticating feature is present in the authentication image, the at least one authenticating feature chosen from;

a match of the dimensions of the brand feature in the authentication image with the known dimensions of the reference feature in the reference image;

a match of the label position of the package label in the authentication image with the known position of the reference feature in the reference image; and

a match of the distance of the package label from the brand feature in the authentication image with the known distance of the reference label from the reference feature in the reference image;

wherein determining the authenticity of the marked consumer good is based on at least the determination that the final point of sale is at the valid retail location within the permissible destination area and the verification that the at least one authenticating feature is present in the reference image.