Providing a path-based identifier

• US 9,183,533 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Serra, Bill, Pradhan, Salil, Deolalikar, Vinay, Lyon, Geoff, Badillo, Jorge, Caban, Alipio
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US11/264,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,661 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A path-based identifier is provided. An entity identifier is generated at an entity of a supply chain and the entity identifier is based on a reliability of the entity of the supply chain at which the entity identifier is generated. In addition, an updated path-based identifier is stored based on a predetermined function, where the entity identifier is an input to the predetermined function.

Claims

1. A method of determining reliability and providing authentication of a package against counterfeit or contaminated products based upon a path-based identifier of the package, said method comprising steps performed by a processor of:

in the processor, reading the path-based identifier of the package to identify a path taken by the package, wherein the path-based identifier includes a reliability value;

determining a reliability of the path taken by the package through a supply chain based upon the path-based identifier by comparing the reliability value of the path-based identifier of the package to a predetermined minimum reliability value;

authenticating the package by comparing the path-based identifier of the package to a path-based identifier stored in a server in association with a package identifier of the package,

wherein the path taken by the package includes at least one entity and a next entity directly following the at least one entity on the path,

wherein the at least one entity is assigned a point value representing a reliability of the at least one entity and the next entity and is based on whether counterfeit or contaminated products have been found among products having traveled through the at least one entity, and

wherein the reliability value of the path-based identifier of the package is based on the point value of the at least one entity;

reading the package identifier from the package and submitting the package identifier to the server, wherein the server provides a next or previous entity based on the submitted package identifier; and

generating a new path-based identifier for the package based on the next or previous entity received from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reading the path-based identifier further comprises reading the path-based identifier from at least one of a printed material, a label, an RFID tag, an embedded microprocessor, an electronic substrate or a type of electronic active device with memory capabilities and internal power.

3. A system for providing a path-based identifier, the system comprising:

a memory storing,

an entity identifier generating module to generate an entity identifier at an entity of a supply chain, the entity identifier being based on the entity of the supply chain at which the entity identifier is generated; and

an identifier affixing module configured to affix a path-based identifier to a package based on a predetermined function, wherein the entity identifier is an input to the predetermined function;

a reliability checking module configured to make a reliability assessment for the package against counterfeit or contaminated products, wherein the reliability checking module is configured to

determine a reliability value of a path taken by the package through a supply chain based upon the path-based identifier of the package, wherein the reliability value of the path is based on a point value assigned to at least one entity on the path taken by the package, wherein the path taken by the package further includes a next entity directly following the at least entity in the path, and wherein the point value assigned to the at least one entity is based on whether counterfeit or contaminated products have been found among products having traveled through the at least one entity and a reliability of the next entity; and

compare the determined reliability value of the path to at least one predetermined reliability value; and

an authentication module configured to determine authenticity of the package by comparing the path-based identifier of the package to a path-based identifier stored in a server in association with a package identifier of the package; and

a reading module configured to read the package identifier of the package and submit the package identifier to the server,

wherein the server generates a next or previous entity based on the submitted package identifier, and

wherein the path-based identifier to be affixed to the package is generated by a path-based identifier generating module based on the next or previous entity received from the server.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the path-based identifier of the package comprises metadata representing the reliability of the path taken by the package along the supply chain.

5. A computer readable storage device storing a computer program for determining reliability and providing authentication of a package against counterfeit or contaminated products based on a path-based identifier, said computer program comprising a set of instructions to be executed by a processor to:

read the path-based identifier of the package to identify a path taken by the package, wherein the path-based identifier includes a reliability value;

determine a reliability of the path taken by the package through a supply chain based upon the path-based identifier by comparing the reliability value of the path-based identifier of the package to a predetermined minimum reliability value;

authenticate the package by comparing the path-based identifier of the package to a path-based identifier stored in a server in association with a package identifier of the package,

wherein the path taken by the package includes at least one entity and a next entity directly following the at least one entity on the path,

wherein the at least one entity is assigned a point value representing a reliability of the at least one entity, and

wherein the reliability value of the path-based identifier of the package is based on the point value of the at least one entity and the next entity and is based on whether counterfeit or contaminated products have been found among products having traveled through the at least one entity;

read the package identifier from the package and submit the package identifier to the server, wherein the server provides a next or previous entity based on the submitted package identifier; and

generate a new path-based identifier for the package based on the next or previous entity from received the server.