Label for enabling verification of an object

• US 9,122,971 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2014
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Linksmart Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Linksmart Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• Inventors: Anand, Ashish
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US14/252,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20140217173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/494, 235/375, 235/487
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0614 the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/10 at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards verification of coded identity or credit cards in mechanisms actuated by them G07F7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation

Abstract

A label for enabling verification of an object includes a scannable region that enables determination of auto-acquired unique spatial orientation of the scannable region with respect to a reference thereby enabling determination of a spatial orientation of the label with respect to the reference. The label is applied onto the object and a change in the spatial orientation of the label indicates tampering of the label, thereby enabling verification of the object. Further, a method for detecting tampering of an object includes providing label on the object. The label has at least a portion which is scannable region with a plurality of patterns and is associated with an external reference point. Further, the method includes determining a first and a second spatial orientations of the label based on computation between the patterns and the reference point, and generating an alert on noticing a change between first and second spatial orientations.

Claims

1. A system to enable verification of an object, the system comprising:

a security label comprising;

a scannable region configured to enable determination of a spatial orientation of the scannable region with respect to a reference point external to the security label, wherein the security label comprises multiple layers, and wherein the scannable region is at a layer disposed between a first layer of the security label and a second layer of the security label;

wherein a change in the spatial orientation indicates tampering of the security label.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each layer of the multiple layers of the security label comprises a different color.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the security label comprises multiple scannable regions with varied dimensions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the scannable region is covered and a second portion is exposed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the scannable region comprises a radio opaque layer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the scannable region comprises a plurality of imprinted patterns.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of imprinted patterns comprises a pattern of interest, wherein the pattern of interest is visually indistinguishable from the other imprinted patterns.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the imprinted patterns vary in at least one dimension.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a difference in dimension between any two imprinted patterns is at most about 0.5 cm.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein at least two of the plurality of imprinted patterns are different colors.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the security label is associated with at least one of a barcode, qrcode, alphanumeric code or RFID.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the security label comprises multiple scannable regions and appears symmetrical on a surface where it is applied and thereby the spatial orientation is hidden during a first application.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a hard material disc having a diameter smaller than the security label and affixed to a surface below the security label, wherein the security label and the hard material disc are affixed to the surface to seal an opening edge of the surface, wherein the hard material disc is configured to enable detection of any intrusion by a center line cut along the opening edge of the surface without alteration of the spatial orientation of the scannable region on the security label.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising an optically variable device with dynamic color shift effect, wherein the optically variable device enables a scanner to differentiate from a print replica of the security label.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the security label further comprises an elastic strap configured with scannable reference markings, wherein the elastic strap and the reference markings are in different colors.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the reference markings are laminated with a semi-transparent tape;

and wherein the reference markings and the semi-transparent tape are different colors.

17. A method to enable verification, the method comprising:

affixing a security label on an object, wherein the security label comprises a pattern;

scanning the security label to obtain a reference spatial orientation, wherein the reference spatial orientation is based on a spatial relationship between the pattern and a reference point external to the security label, wherein the security label comprises multiple layers, and wherein the pattern is at a layer disposed between a first layer of the security label and a second layer of the security label, wherein the scanning the security label comprises determining an angle of pattern with respect to the reference point and determining a distance of the pattern with respect to the reference point to determine the reference spatial orientation; and

storing the reference spatial orientation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein scanning the security label to obtain the reference spatial orientation includes determining the reference spatial orientation with an X-ray.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the security label comprises multiple patterns and appears symmetrical on a surface where it is applied and thereby hiding the reference spatial orientation during a first application.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising affixing a hard material disc having a diameter smaller than the security label below the security label, wherein the security label and the hard material disc are affixed to the object to seal an opening edge, wherein the hard material disc is configured to enable detection of any intrusion by a center line cut along the opening edge of the object without altering the reference spatial orientation of the pattern on the security label.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising scanning a set of multiple adjacent labels and combining mathematical probability of the spatial orientation of each of the labels.

22. A method to enable verification of an object with a security label, wherein the security label comprises a pattern, the method comprising:

scanning the security label to obtain a field spatial orientation of the pattern, wherein the field spatial orientation is based on a spatial relationship between the pattern and a reference point external to the security label, wherein the security label comprises multiple layers, and wherein the pattern is at a layer disposed between a first layer of the security label and a second layer of the security label, wherein the scanning the security label comprises determining an angle of pattern with respect to the reference point and determining a distance of the pattern with respect to the reference point to determine the reference spatial orientation;

comparing the field spatial orientation of the pattern to a reference spatial orientation, wherein the reference spatial orientation is based on a computation between the pattern with respect to the reference point external to the security label; and

verifying the object based on the comparison.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein verifying the object comprises determining that the object is tampered when the reference spatial orientation and the field spatial orientation are different.

24. A method to enable verification of an object, the method comprising:

affixing a security label on the object, wherein the security label comprises a pattern;

scanning the security label to obtain a first spatial orientation, wherein the first spatial orientation is based on a spatial relationship between the pattern and a reference point on the object external to the security label;

determining a second spatial orientation, wherein the second spatial orientation is based on a spatial relationship that involves the reference point on the object external to the security label;

verifying the object in response to an image match between the first and second spatial orientations; and

failing verification of the object in response to an image mismatch between the first and second spatial orientations, the image mismatch being due to a removal of the security label from the object, reorientation of the security label on the object, or replacement of the security label on the object with another security label.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein affixing the security label on the object includes affixing the security label on packaging of the object.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein affixing the security label on the object includes affixing a security label that comprises multiple layers, wherein the pattern is at a layer disposed between a first layer of the security label and a second layer of the security label.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising affixing a hard material disc having a surface area smaller than the security label below the security label, wherein the security label and the hard material disc are affixed to the object to seal an opening edge, wherein the hard material disc is configured to enable detection of any intrusion by a cut along the opening edge of the object without altering the first spatial orientation of the pattern on the security label.