Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q30/00—Commerce
  • G06Q30/018—Certifying business or products
  • G06Q30/0185—Product, service or business identity fraud
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
  • G06V20/00—Scenes; Scene-specific elements
  • G06V20/80—Recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns

Definitions

• This invention relates primarily to articles, and; more particularly, to a unique and relatively simple system, and tools, to facilitate distinguishing between counterfeit and non-counterfeit articles.
• Articles, as herein referred to includes, products, goods, manufactures, and the like and includes labeling and packaging.
• An expectation of "quality” might include the product's ability to meet the performance levels promised by advertised product specifications. It might also include a purchaser's, consumers, etc., perception of the products color, finish, and other visually observable, aspects of physical appearance to an unaided eye.
• One universally accepted aspect of "quality” is the visually seen consistency of all the important aspects of a product from each individual product unit to the next; therefore, “consistency” is among several of the most important objectives of any good manufacturing process. In other words, all articles, products, etc., of the same type, (according to its SKU or stock keeping unit) are consistent to the purchaser, jobber, wholesaler, consumer, etc.
• Some anti-counterfeiting concepts involve embedding or adding product features, overtly or covertly, to the basic product design in order to help differentiate a bogus from the original.
• the most obvious problem with these techniques is that counterfeiters learn what they are, and then copy the anti- counterfeit feature itself, just like they copy the original product design. Most such anti-counterfeiting schemes appear to have had limited success
• This invention utilizes the random unit to unit physical differences, characteristics, inherent in any manufacturing process, especially such
• the key elements selected are those which facilitate detection of the unit to unit differences generated, in an uncontrolled manner, by the manufacturing process.
• the visual appearance to the naked eye of the unit to unit differences of such key elements usually falls below the threshold of human perception, but enables their use for ant-counterfeiting purposes.
• An "Anti-Counterfeit Detector” for use in determining whether an article is, or is not, counterfeit, is generated by combining a selected key element with a unique identifier.
• a counterfeiter may see, copy and apply the unique identifier and with appropriate tools observe the many unit to unit differences in the article, but has no way of determining which of the many differences was utilized as the applied key element, because there are too many possibilities to select from, and a potential counterfeiter is left with a quandary.
• the potential counterfeiter may decide to seek to target another Brand products or articles. Alternatively, the counterfeiter may take a chance and select a different portion of the article to utilize for the counterfeit article and thus the counterfeit may be detected
• Fig. 1 is a normal, regular size photo of the Brand markings of each shoe for a pair of Converse shoes of the same style and size;
• FIG. 2 is a highly magnified showing of one of the points, of the five pointed star, of the Brand marking of one of the shoes of Fig. 1 ;
• Fig. 3 is a highly magnified showing of another one of the points, of the five pointed star of Fig. 2; but could be of one of the points of a 5 pointed star of a different Converse shoe.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic sketch of an Anti-Counterfeit Detector
• FIG. 5 is a schematic of a Converse Company sneaker production line incorporating the anti-counterfeiting system of the instant invention.
• Fig. 1 shows a pair of shoes 30 of the same style and size. In these normal regular size photos, there is no discernable difference between the two units 32 and 34 of shoes 30.
• Each shoe 32, 34, of the pair of shoes 30, carries a Brand marker 40 consisting of the mark "ALL” 42 and the mark "STAR" 44 with a five pointed star 50 positioned between "ALL" and "STAR".
• Figs. 2 and 3 respectively, show at 60 (Fig. 2) and 70 (Fig. 3) magnified images of different star points of a 5 pointed star 50.
• image 60 and image 70 are different, at respective circled areas 62 (for image 60) and 72 (for image 70) even though they are of a same small area located in the same place on each unit. These obvious differences are easily visible due to the selected magnification.
• the respective images 62 and 72 illustrate differences, characteristics, of the articles (shoes) and constitute key elements 80 of the instant invention.
• Fig. 4 shows an anti-counterfeit detector 90 in the form of a tag, label, or the like, which is for application to an article, or a package for, or of, an article which has not previously been marked for counterfeit protection.
• Detector 90 may be made by printing, or other suitable process, but like the embodiments previously described, each detector 90 will be different from other detectors 90 under microscopic inspection and , will show deficiencies, characteristics suitable for purposes previously described.
• tag, label 90 may store a sub- perceivable image 88 and a locator 92 visible to the naked eye for use as described for the previously described embodiment and, if required, an image of a selected key element 88 but which is not to be visible to the naked eye.
• Fig, 5 shows an embodiment of an example of using the instant invention for the shoes 50 of Fig.1.
• shoes 50 are selected for anti-counterfeit treatment (marking) as the shoes move along a production line 90. In this way the shoes are so marked during their usual movement while being manufactured. It should be understood that shoes 50 could just as well have been previously manufactured and stored and subsequently removed from storage to be so marked, or that line 90 me be that of an offshoot of shoe manufacture.
• An imaging device, camera, or the like, 100 equipped with a magnification lens 102, is positioned to image a selected location 104 of each shoe 50 to obtain a sub-perception image such as images 80, Figs. 5 and 6.
• the respective sub-perceptionimages 80 are each assigned a unique locator 92, different for each such image.
• Each unique locator 92, along with the sub- perception image it had been assigned to, is entered into a data base 110 of a data storage facility 120 (Fig. 6)

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• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
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• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
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• Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
• Development Economics (AREA)
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• Finance (AREA)
• Marketing (AREA)
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• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Inspection Of Paper Currency And Valuable Securities (AREA)

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Publications (2)

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• 2015
  • 2015-10-22 WO PCT/US2015/000115 patent/WO2016064434A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2015-10-22 EP EP15852579.0A patent/EP3365834A4/de not_active Withdrawn

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