Handheld pharmaceutical product scanner

• US 20080011847A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/435
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/20 Manipulating the length of blocks of bits, e.g. padding or block truncation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A sensing device for use with a pharmaceutical product associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions. Each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the pharmaceutical product. The sensing device includes a housing adapted to be held by a user in use, a radiation source for exposing at least one coded data portion, a sensor for sensing the at least one exposed coded data portion and a processor for determining, using the at least one sensed coded data portion, a sensed identity.

Claims

1. A sensing device for use with a pharmaceutical product, the pharmaceutical product being associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the pharmaceutical product, the sensing device including:

a housing adapted to be held by a user in use;

a radiation source for exposing at least one coded data portion;

a sensor for sensing the at least one exposed coded data portion; and

,

a processor for determining, using the at least one sensed coded data portion, a sensed identity.

2. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device includes a communication system and wherein the processor:

generates indicating data at least partially indicative of the sensed identity; and

,

transfers the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data to perform an action including at least one of;

authentication of the pharmaceutical product;

approval of the transaction;

determination of transaction details; and

,

updating of tracking information relating to the pharmaceutical product.

3. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor uses the sensed identity to perform at least one of:

authentication of the pharmaceutical product;

approval of the transaction;

determination of transaction details; and

,

updating of tracking information relating to the pharmaceutical product.

4. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the identity is formed at least in part from at least one of:

a serial number of the pharmaceutical product;

an identity of the pharmaceutical product;

an EPC;

an identity of the packaging; and

,

an identity of a region of the packaging.

5. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein coded data portion is indicative of at least part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity, and wherein the processor:

determines, using the at least one sensed coded data portion, at least one sensed signature part;

causes authentication of the pharmaceutical product using the sensed identity and the at least one sensed signature part.

6. A sensing device according to claim 5, wherein the pharmaceutical product is authenticated by at least one of the processor and a computer system, which:

determines, using the sensed identity, a key;

determines, using the sensed identity and the key, a determined signature; and

,

compares the at least one sensed signature part and the determined signature to thereby authenticate the pharmaceutical product.

7. A sensing device according to claim 5, wherein the entire signature is encoded within a plurality of coded data portions, the processor determines, from a plurality of sensed coded data portions, a sensed signature, and wherein pharmaceutical product is authenticated by at least one of the processor, and a computer system, which:

determines, using the sensed identity, a key;

determines, using the sensed signature and the key, a determined identity; and

,

compares the determined identity and the sensed identity to thereby authenticate the pharmaceutical product.

8. A sensing device according to claim 5, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of layouts, each layout defining the position of a plurality of first symbols encoding the identity, and a plurality of second symbols defining at least part of the signature.

9. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein packaging includes at least one of:

a blister pack;

a bottle;

a bottle lid;

a label;

a box; and

,

a leaflet.

10. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device includes a communication system for communicating with a database, the database storing data relating the pharmaceutical product, including at least one of:

authentication data, including at least a key associated with a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity;

tracking data, the tracking data being at least partially indicative of tracking information including at least one of;

an owner of the pharmaceutical product;

one or more transactions performed using the pharmaceutical product;

a location of the pharmaceutical product; and

,

a location of the sensing device.

product data, the product data being at least partially indicative of product information including at least one of;

a product cost;

a patient identifier;

a user identifier;

an owner identifier;

manufacture date;

batch number;

product manufacturer;

product distributor;

product supplier;

issue country;

ingredients;

storage conditions;

disposal conditions;

serial number;

expiry date;

effects;

side-effects;

conditions for use;

instructions for use;

links to further information;

contra-indications; and

,

dosage.

11. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device includes a display for displaying at least one of:

results of authentication;

tracking information; and

,

product information.

12. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is substantially invisible to an unaided human.

13. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is printed on the surface using at least one of:

an invisible ink; and

,

an infrared-absorptive ink.

14. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is provided substantially coincident with visible human-readable information.

15. A sensing device according to claim 5, wherein the coded includes a number of coded data portions, and wherein at least some of the coded data portions encode at least one of:

a location of the respective coded data portion;

a position of the respective coded data portion on the surface;

a size of the coded data portions;

a signature part;

a size of a signature;

an identity of a signature part;

units of indicated locations; and

,

at least part of a data object, the entire data object being encoded at least once by a plurality of coded data portions.

16. A sensing device according to claim 14, wherein the data object includes at least one of:

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) data;

text data;

image data;

audio data;

video data;

application data;

contact data;

information;

business card data; and

,

directory data.

17. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data includes at least one of:

redundant data;

data allowing error correction;

Reed-Solomon data; and

,

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) data.

18. A sensing device according to claim 5, wherein the digital signature includes at least one of:

a random number associated with the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity and a random number; and

,

cipher-text produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key.

19. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a centre of rotation, at least one sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes that sub-layout from each other sub-layout.

20. A sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding orientation-indicating data comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a centre of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation-indicating data, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation-indicating data and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout.