Printer for printing packaging

• US 20080013124A1
• 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 8,111,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• 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 printer for printing packaging associated with a pharmaceutical product. The printer determines visible information to be provided on the packaging and an identity associated with the pharmaceutical product. The printer uses this to generate coded data including a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of the identity. The printer then prints the packaging by printing the coded data and the visible information.

Claims

1. A printer for printing packaging associated with a pharmaceutical product, the printer being for:

determining visible information to be provided on the packaging;

determining an identity associated with the pharmaceutical product;

generating coded data using the identity, the coded data including a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of at least the identity of the pharmaceutical product; and

,

printing the packaging by printing the coded data and the visible information.

2. A printer according to claim 1, wherein each 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 printer:

determines the signature; and

,

generates the coded data using the signature.

3. A printer according to claim 2, wherein printer includes:

a secure data store data; and

,

a processor which generates the signature using data stored in the data store.

4. A printer according to claim 2, wherein the printer encodes the entire signature within a plurality of coded data portions.

5. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer:

determines a layout, the layout being at least one of;

a coded data layout, the layout being indicative of the position of each coded data portion on the packaging; and

,

a document description, the document description being indicative of the position of the visible information on the packaging; and

,

prints, using the layout, at least one of the coded data and the visible information.

6. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer 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; and

,

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.

7. A printer according to claim 6, wherein the printer, at least one of:

updates at least some of the data relating to the pharmaceutical product; and

,

generates the coded data using at least some of the data relating to the pharmaceutical product.

8. A transaction terminal 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.

9. A printer 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 printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer:

receives the packaging;

scans the packaging to determine information indicative of at least one of;

a source of the pharmaceutical product;

a pharmaceutical product type;

the identity of the pharmaceutical product; and

,

the serial number of the pharmaceutical product; and

,

generates using the determined information, at least part of the coded data.

11. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is indicative of a plurality of reference points such that sensing of at least one coded data portion, by a sensing device, allows for determination of at least one of:

the identity;

at least one signature part;

a position of the sensing device relative to the packaging; and

,

movement of the sensing device relative to the packaging.

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

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

15. A printer according to claim 1, 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 printer according to claim 15, 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 printer 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 printer according to claim 2, 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 printer 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 printer 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.