RU2534952C1 - Method of labelling product or articles for identification and counterfeit protection thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics, signalling.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to labelling means for identification of articles. In the method, an assigned unique number is converted to a two-dimensional bar code of a Data Matrix symbol. At least two said bar codes are placed on the surface of an article in the immediate vicinity of each other. The distance between said bar codes is random (arbitrary). The obtained label consists of a digital part which identifies the article and an analogue part which is defined by the mutual arrangement of the bar codes and which authenticates the article. When simultaneously reading said bar codes, coordinates of their corners in one coordinate system are calculated. An article is authenticated by simultaneously reading the bar codes and comparing with information contained in a data base.

EFFECT: safer labelling with authentication.

5 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to the field of development of optical and optoelectronic marking, analog-to-digital coding and decoding of various objects and products. More specifically, it relates to methods and systems for authenticating and identifying products based on the use of digital and analog information markings.

Currently, one of the main global problems is the problem of the distribution of counterfeit and counterfeit products. This is of particular importance in those areas of the economy where the use of counterfeit products can cause harm to health and result in loss of life. This forces the world community to develop a variety of measures to counter the production and distribution of counterfeit and counterfeit products. One of such measures is the identification of products and their protection from fakes.

The solution to this problem is currently being implemented using, in particular, special brands in the form of one- and two-dimensional barcodes, relief holograms or diffraction patterns, radio frequency identifiers and their various combinations. They are applied to the surface or to the volume of the protected object or its packaging.

As a rule, (with the exception of radio frequency identifiers), the protection effect is based on giving these brands specific properties that can be classified as protective because of the difficulty in imitating them. These difficulties arise due to the use of various marks in the composition of brands made of materials having properties that most often cannot be detected visually or organoleptically. Stamps (labels) can be made using special technologies that are not accessible to the general public, giving them a unique appearance or unique optical or other physicochemical characteristics.

Currently, the most common technologies used in security equipment are topographic stamps and bar coding.

Bar coding is a technology of automatic identification (the so-called machine-readable codes) and can be used both for constructing information-independent models when all product information is stored in a bar code, and for building information systems that store product information, the key to which access encoded in barcode. There are two main methods of bar coding information: linear (one-dimensional) and two-dimensional symbols of bar codes.

The use of barcodes is well known. Such codes, as a rule, are one-dimensional, are usually used, for example, on consumer goods and on household products, when reading can provide information on the price, series of the sample, and the origin of the product. Codes of this type can be used in the automated issuance of checks in supermarkets, in order to monitor the status of inventories, or to verify the conformity of the product and its packaging. More complex two-dimensional barcodes can be used to protect against counterfeiting, substitution and fraud as signs of protection on certain consumer goods, such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco products and the like, or on documents of important importance, such as banknotes, bonds, notes tax payment, travel documents and identification cards. There are many widely used different barcode symbologies; they include alphanumeric, linear barcodes and two-dimensional barcodes. Among the well-known barcodes are symbols: Data Matrix, PDF-417, Micro-PDF-417, QR Code, MaxiCode, Codabar, RSS, EAN 13, EAN 128, UPC, Pharmacode. The use of the Data Matrix and PDF 417 symbols as a cheap means of tracking and controlling passage is beginning to be tested in some consumer goods sectors. They have a sufficiently large capacity to carry primary information about the history of the release of a single copy, as well as its destination and the details of the buyer.

A big disadvantage of this type of code is the ease with which it can be copied. Another disadvantage is that the existing code can be decoded and constructed again, since the codes are based on algorithms that are available to everyone. Information that is encoded inside the code can be read without reference to any database, even if the information is encrypted. Data may be used or tampered with for prohibited purposes; this greatly reduces their effectiveness as protection devices or devices for tracking and controlling passage.

One type of machine-readable code of a modern level is described in UK patent No. 2383878 and is available for purchase under the brand name "FractureCode" (RTM). The advantages of this type of encoding method over other serial machine-readable code systems are the possibility of creating a very large number of pseudo-random individual codes, making it impossible to unravel the next code in the sequence. Another major advantage is that the code itself does not carry any information and no information is required to create the code while the code is being printed. These code images are meaningless or implicit until they are used.

These codes mark products such as consumer goods or their packaging. To obtain information about the product, the code must be read by a device that, firstly, performs a scan operation by scanning the image of the code in digital form. The image is then processed electronically for extraction by applying an algorithm, an alphanumeric descriptor, which can be used to retrieve information previously associated with it in the database.

The code is usually located on the surface of the product and contains an individual graphic pattern, such as lines, dots or ellipses, with the area of such a pattern bounded by a rectangular block or any other bounding contour to form a code window.

The well-known "Method for identifying the authenticity of a controlled object" (RU 2132569, 11/13/1998, G06K 9/00), which consists in the fact that information about the object is generated in digital form, including information about the type of object, manufacturer, production date, individual object number , text information in the form of accompanying documents to the object, sign this information with an electronic digital signature (EDS) of the marker, convert it into a bar code and put it on the object or on a label attached to the object. When reading information, the bar code is converted back to digital form, an electronic digital signature is isolated from it, and then the digital signature is authenticated. If the digital signature is identified as genuine, then the object is authenticated by comparing the read information about the object with the database of genuine objects. If this information matches, then the object is identified as genuine.

However, the use of this method in practice causes certain difficulties. The fact is that in each region there are markers who are authorized to label goods produced in this region. If the goods are delivered to other regions, then it is extremely difficult for state regulatory authorities to verify the authenticity of such goods. In order to verify the authenticity of goods marked in other regions, you must have information about the public keys of all markers to verify the authenticity of their digital signatures, as well as have all databases of genuine objects from all regions. If the supervisory authority does not have all the information about all the markers, then it needs to request the necessary information in writing from a specific marker located in another region, which greatly complicates and lengthens the time for identifying the authenticity of the object.

In addition, this method allows you to determine the authenticity of the information medium on which the bar code is applied, and does not allow to uniquely identify the object on which this medium is fixed. In this regard, the substitution of the object is possible, while an authentic label with a bar code can be applied to the non-authentic object and as a result of the verification the authenticity of the non-authentic object will be erroneously established.

The known "Method of confirming the authenticity of information" (RU 2165643, 19.04.2000, G06K 9/00), in which as the protected object use text information or part of the text information printed on paper. Text information is converted into digital form, signed by the EDS of the marker and the public key of the marker is added to verify the EDS, and then they are converted into a bar code, which is applied to a paper medium with text information. To verify the authenticity of textual information, the reverse conversion of the barcode is performed, the authenticity of the digital signature of the marker is verified using the public key located in the same barcode. If the digital signature is genuine, then a conclusion is drawn about the authenticity of the information.

The inventors argue that placing a public key of a marker in a bar code simplifies the verification process, since it eliminates the need for databases of public keys of markers located in different regions. In addition, the authors believe that the reliability of confirming the authenticity of textual information is increased.

However, placing the marker’s public key in the bar code leads to the fact that an attacker can simultaneously replace the digital signature and the marker’s public key, as well as modify text information. As a result of verification, such a substitution cannot be detected and the text information will be identified as genuine, since the digital signature of the marker will be erroneously identified as genuine. Thus, placing the public key of the marker and the digital signature of the marker in the bar code will result in the fact that the result of the authentication of the digital signature will always be positive and, accordingly, any object, even if modified by the attacker, will always be identified as genuine.

The well-known "Method of identifying the authenticity of a controlled object" (RU 2172015, 01.03.2000, G06K 9/00). The method consists in the fact that excisable goods are used as protected objects. In this case, information about the consumer properties of the goods, manufacturer's parameters and production characteristics are used as information about the protected object. The manufacturer’s code is the region code, manufacturer’s code, application number for the manufacture of a serial batch of goods. As consumer properties of the object, parameters are used that are controlled visually, by touch, by weight, by color and smell. As production characteristics, the code of the marking organization, the code of the supplier, the code of the manufacturer, the type of object, the date of manufacture of the goods are used.

The above types of information about the object are converted into digital form, sign it with the EDS of the marker, add the public key of the marker for checking the authenticity of the EDS, and then they are converted into bar code that is applied on paper that is applied to the object or to a label attached to the object .

To verify the authenticity of the object, the reverse conversion of the barcode is carried out, checking the authenticity of the digital signature of the marker using the public key located in the bar code. If the digital signature is genuine, then a conclusion is drawn about the authenticity of the information, the authenticity of the information is judged on the authenticity of the protected object, and the organoleptic (taste, color, aroma, appearance) indicators of the object are compared with the read information from the bar code. And information about the marker, manufacturer and production characteristics of the object, read from the bar code, is compared with the information in the database about genuine objects.

This method has all the disadvantages that were described above when analyzing the method of RU 2165643.

The well-known "Method of determining the authenticity of the product" (RU 2213371, 08/10/2002, G06K 9/00, G07D 7/00), which consists in the fact that they generate information about the protected object in digital form, sign this information with an electronic digital signature of the marker, form digital form means for subsequent verification of the authenticity of the digital signature of the marker, form the individual number of the object in digital form and the address of the request for key information in digital form, and then encode using an individual key and information about the protected object, electronic digital signature of the marker and the means for subsequent verification of the digital signature of the marker, after which the individual number of the object, address for applying for key information and all encoded information is converted from digital form to a bar code, the bar code is applied directly to the object itself or on any tangible medium attached to the object or attached to it, and at the indicated address of the application for key information, remember the individual number object and individual key information, and to verify the authenticity of the object, a bar code is read, it is converted into digital form, information about the address for applying for key information and an individual number of the object are extracted, the address is addressed to the specified address and the individual number of the object is transmitted, receiving individual key information in response using which information about the protected object, electronic digital signature of the marker and means for verifying the electronic digital signature of the brand are decoded ovschika, check the authenticity of the digital signature of the marker, the result obtained by judging on the authenticity of the protected object information, and then on the authenticity of the information is judged on the authenticity of the protected object, the number of transmission of individual key information on the individual number object limit. At the same time, the number of requests for individual key information on this individual object number is read to obtain information about the possible number of counterfeit objects.

However, the method is characterized by the following disadvantages, which do not allow it to be widely used and guarantee the authenticity of the marking: the marking can be copied; instead of the storage address of the individual key information, an address confirming the authenticity of the fake marking can be encoded.

The well-known "Method for determining the authenticity of an object from information about this object" (RU 2207624, 12.27.2001, G06F 17/60), which consists in the fact that they generate information about the protected object in digital form, sign this information with an electronic digital signature of the marker, form digital form means for subsequent verification of the authenticity of the electronic digital signature of the marker, after which they are converted from digital form to a bar code, the bar code is applied directly to the object itself or to any tangible medium, attached to the object or attached to it, and to verify the authenticity of the object, they read the bar code, convert it into digital form, extract information about the protected object, the digital signature of the marker and means for verifying the electronic digital signature of the marker, verify the authenticity of the electronic digital signature of the marker , based on the result, they judge the authenticity of information about the protected object, after which the authenticity of the information judges the authenticity of the protected object, different t m, that as a means to verify the electronic digital signature of the marker, a public key certificate of the electronic digital signature of the marker is used, which includes at least information about the public key of the marker, the public key belonging to this marker, signed by the electronic digital signature of the issuing organization, and the quality of information about the protected object is used information that allows you to uniquely determine the authenticity of the object. The main disadvantage of this method is the need for authentication of the product by an expert with all associated costs.

A common drawback of the above methods of determining the authenticity is the storage together with the protected object in its marking of information about this object used to verify its authenticity. This allows attackers to replace information about the object (marking) together with the object, which leads to the erroneous identification of a fake object as genuine. Another disadvantage is that the barcode is applied to a material medium fixed to the object. In this case, we can only talk about the authenticity of the marking, but not the authenticity of the product. If a similar barcode is applied directly to an object, one must take into account that an increase in the amount of information encoded in a barcode leads to an increase in the size of the barcode, which may be undesirable when marking industrial products.

The well-known "Method for applying a graphic code and device for its implementation" (RU 2447501, 02/01/2008, G06K 19/06). A device has been developed for connecting information with the product, comprising: an application unit for applying to the product a graphic feature formed by a random arrangement of spots; a camera for electronically scanning an image of at least a portion of a graphic feature; a processor for processing the scanned image to extract the descriptor; an assignment device for assigning information to a descriptor; a storage device for storing communication. However, additional equipment and consumables for marking and additional equipment for reading markings are required for operation, in addition, each part of the code needs its own reader. All this is the disadvantages of the method and limits its widespread use.

The technical task of the claimed invention is to increase the degree of protection of products or products for their identification and protection against counterfeiting, is to simplify the identification of products (products) by involving the manufacturer himself in the authentication procedure of products or products, using open information channels to transmit data related to authentication products or products. The stated technical task and the achieved technical result are ensured by the method of product labeling, claimed as an invention, and their identification and protection against counterfeiting, which consists in assigning individual numbers to each unit of the product in alphanumeric form, after which the assigned individual number is converted into a two-dimensional bar code Symbols of Data Matrix containing this individual number, then at least two such barcodes are applied on the surface of the product in direct use each other, and the distance between them is arbitrary random, and the marking obtained in this way consists of a digital part identifying the product and an analog part determined by the relative position of the bar codes and determining the authenticity of the product, then, while reading these bar codes, they are calculated the coordinates of their angles in one coordinate system, and the assigned individual numbers, as well as the calculated coordinates of the angles of bar codes, are entered into the information database, and the authenticity of the product is determined by the simultaneous reading of bar codes and comparison with the information entered in the database. So, the technical result is achieved by the fact that in the marking method with identification of product authenticity, each product is assigned an individual number and a two-dimensional bar code symbolism Data Matrix is formed containing this number. Two such bar codes are applied to the surface of the product in close proximity to each other. The authenticity of the product is determined by the contents of the bar codes and their relative position. Marking consists of a unique digital part that identifies the product and a unique analog part that protects against counterfeiting, while the analog part is determined by the relative position of the bar codes, and the coordinates of the corners of the bar code are calculated during decoding. Significant differences of the proposed method are the simultaneous reading and decoding of both bar codes, which allows you to calculate the coordinates of their angles in one coordinate system (see figure 2), in contrast to sequential reading (see figure 3, 4).

The relative position (angle coordinates) of closely spaced two-dimensional barcodes (at least two barcodes) on the surface of the product (s) is an essential feature of the claimed method, i.e. marking. The relative position (coordinates of the corners) is the analog part of the marking. The digital part of the marking is the number (individual) of the product (or product) contained in barcodes. The combination of analog and digital parts of the marking is used in the authentication and identification of products (or products).

For applying a two-dimensional bar code on a product, in particular, shock-dot marking, laser marking is used.

As a decoding and reading device, an icReader DPM scanner is used, described, for example, in the RF patent for utility model No. 120 798 of 09/27/2012.

The unique digital part of the marking is the individual (serial) number of the product.

The unique analog part of the marking is the relative positioning of the bar codes.

The boundaries of the bar code are determined in accordance with clause 9, “Recommended Decoding Algorithm for Data Matrix Symbols,” GOST R ISO / IEC 16022-2008. The coordinates of the angles are calculated as the coordinates of the points of intersection of the boundaries of the barcode.

The number of applied barcodes is determined by many factors, for example, the size of the barcodes, the size of the marked surface, the quality of the marked surface, etc.

The distance between the bar codes is determined by the characteristics of the scanner camera and the lighting system.

For efficient operation, it is recommended that the distance between the centers of the bar codes L is from one and a half to two lengths of the side of the bar code (see figure 1).

The following is a description of the application of the invention in the form of examples illustrating it, but not limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which depict:

Figure 1 shows an example of the relative position of two barcodes, where L is the distance between the applied barcodes.

Figure 2 shows an example of simultaneous scanning of all barcodes.

Figure 3, 4 shows an example of sequential scanning of bar codes.

Here X, Y are the coordinate axes.

, $$Y_0^{\ast }$$

, $$X_1^{\ast }$$

, $$Y_1^{\ast }$$

, $$X_2^{\ast }$$

, $$Y_2^{\ast }$$

, $$X_3^{\ast }$$

, $$Y_3^{\ast }$$

- координаты углов первого декодированного штрихового кода в системе координат X0Y. $${\mathrm{<figure-callout\; id="0"\; label="X"\; filenames="00000011.png,00000012.png"\; state="\{\{state\}\}">X</figure-callout>}}_0^{\ast }$$

, $${\mathrm{<figure-callout\; id="0"\; label="Y"\; filenames="00000011.png,00000012.png"\; state="\{\{state\}\}">Y</figure-callout>}}_0^{\ast }$$

, $$X_{\mathrm{one}}^{\ast }$$

, $$Y_{\mathrm{one}}^{\ast }$$

, $$X_2^{\ast }$$

, $$Y_2^{\ast }$$

, $$X_3^{\ast }$$

, $$Y_3^{\ast }$$

- the coordinates of the angles of the first decoded bar code in the coordinate system X0Y.

X ₀ , Y ₀ , X ₁ , Y ₁ , X ₂ , Y ₂ , X ₃ , Y ₃ are the coordinates of the angles of the second decoded bar code in the coordinate system X0Y.

Figure 5 shows an example of direct application marking, consisting of two identical two-dimensional barcodes located in close proximity to each other.

Example 1 (marking)

On a metal plate using a device for applying shock-dot marking is applied marking (see figure 5), consisting of two identical bar codes. The barcode contains the serial number. The dimensions of the bar code are 12 × 12 mm, the distance between the centers of the bar codes is 23 mm.

The marking is scanned (simultaneously all barcodes (see Fig. 2)) by the icReader scanner. Using the coordinate values of the angles of the barcodes, the value of the parameter characterizing the relative position of the barcodes is calculated. The serial number and the corresponding value of the parameter characterizing the relative position of the bar codes are entered into the database.

Example 2 (product authentication)

The icReader scanner reads the entire marking of the part (all barcodes at the same time (see figure 2)). Check for the presence of parts with the same serial number as decoded in the database. Using the coordinate values of the angles of the barcodes, the value of the parameter characterizing the relative position of the barcodes is calculated and compared with the corresponding value from the database. Based on the data obtained, a conclusion about coincidence / mismatch is made and the probability of error is calculated.

The accompanying drawings (figures 1-5) show the marking obtained by the claimed method, the location of bar codes containing the individual product numbers.

Claims (1)

A method of marking products or products for their identification and protection from counterfeiting, which consists in assigning individual numbers to each unit of the product in alphanumeric form, after which the assigned individual number is converted into a two-dimensional bar code Symbol Data Matrix containing this individual number, on at least two such bar codes are applied to the surface of the product in close proximity to each other, while the distance between them is arbitrary random, and thus obtained the marking consists of a digital part identifying the product and an analog part determined by the relative position of the bar codes and determining the authenticity of the product, then when these bar codes are read simultaneously, the coordinates of their angles are calculated in one coordinate system, and the assigned individual numbers, as well as the calculated coordinates angles of bar codes are entered into the information database, and the authenticity of the product is determined by the simultaneous reading of bar codes and comparison with containing appear in the database with the entered information.

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