WO2002001513A1 - Method to check the authenticity of the marking of a product - Google Patents
Method to check the authenticity of the marking of a product Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2002001513A1 WO2002001513A1 PCT/IB2000/001544 IB0001544W WO0201513A1 WO 2002001513 A1 WO2002001513 A1 WO 2002001513A1 IB 0001544 W IB0001544 W IB 0001544W WO 0201513 A1 WO0201513 A1 WO 0201513A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- marking
- macroimage
- macroimages
- product
- data base
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
- G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
- G06K19/08—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means
- G06K19/083—Constructional details
- G06K19/086—Constructional details with markings consisting of randomly placed or oriented elements, the randomness of the elements being useable for generating a unique identifying signature of the record carrier, e.g. randomly placed magnetic fibers or magnetic particles in the body of a credit card
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
- G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
- G06K19/08—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means
- G06K19/10—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards
- G06K19/14—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards the marking being sensed by radiation
Definitions
- the present invention concerns a method to check the authenticity of a marking and, in particular, a marking applied onto a product or onto a label thereof.
- marking is meant, hereinafter, the identification of any product under the name or under other trademarks of the producer, independently from the fact that the distinctive signs forming said marking may be applied directly onto the product itself, or onto a label applied on the product.
- the object of the present invention is to thus supply a new method to check the authenticity of the marking of any type of product, namely a method which does not involve the above drawbacks and which allows to distinguish, in a positively unequivocal manner, an original marking from a counterfeited marking.
- the inventors of the present invention abandoning the traditional approach to the problem, have instead concentrated their attention on the possibility to trace, in a marking conceived in a fully normal way, any possible intrinsic elements which could make said marking - though apparently equal to all the other markings of the same series - unique and distinguishable. Namely, the inventors have searched for a sort of "fingerprint" on the marking, which could be detected by fast and economic means and through which it may be possible to unmistakably reckon the authenticity of the product marked thereby.
- the above search probably thanks to the very fact of having been pointed in a fully opposite direction to that followed up-to-date - has soon given extremely positive results, on the basis of which the present invention has finally been conceived.
- the invention thus concerns a method to check the authenticity of a marking - said marking being of the type in which one or more distinctive signs are casually applied onto a support - characterized in that it comprises the following steps: before the marking is placed on the market: a) - a detection step, in which a macroimage of the marking is detected, said macroimage including data concerning said distinctive signs as well as data concerning the structure of the support onto which said signs are applied; b) - a recording step, in which said macroimage is stored as original macroimage into a data base; and after the marking has been placed on the market: c) - a checking step, in which the macroimage of the marking of a generic product, of which one wishes to check the authenticity, is compared to the original macroimages stored in said data base. . ,
- Such intrinsic elements of the marking have been traced and identified, by the inventors, in the combination between the design of the basic structure of the support and the design of the distinctive signs which form the marking, said combination being fully casual and different for each single marking. It is in fact quite evident how each physical support for a marking, whether consisting of the actual product or of a label applied thereon, has its own physical structure. To the naked eye, said structure often appears to be substantially homogeneous, but its lack of homogeneity can be easily placed in evidence if one is able to obtain a sufficiently enlarged image thereof by means of a suitable optical detection device.
- the special combination design formed between the structure of the support and the distinctive signs of the marking is detected by using a photomacrography technique, that is, taking a photograph on an enlarged scale in respect of the 1 : 1 scale.
- the required magnifying ratio varies according to the type of support used; however, except in special cases, said ratio is normally included in the range between 2 and 10 magnifications and, preferably, in the range between 5 and 7 magnifications.
- the aforecited photomacrography has to be taken in the most suitable lighting conditions for the marking, to show up as far as possible the structure of the support on which the marking is applied.
- the label E is lighted both with a light source C, which lights up its front surface onto which the marking is applied, and with a light source D which lights up the rear surface of the label showing up, in transparency, the weave of the fabric forming the label.
- a suitable optical shooting apparatus A for instance a videocamera or a photocamera, it is thus possible to take the image of the label E with the required magnifying ratio.
- the image thus obtained - which, as a result of the above procedure, will include both the data concerning the image of the support structure and the data concerning the image of the distinctive sign of the marking, as well as the space relationship between the first and second data - is finally stored into a record file or data base B, equipped with retrieval and comparison systems, to allow comparing the image thus stored with other images of the same type, for the purposes and with the modes described hereunder.
- Such an image will be defined hereinafter as "original macroimage” and, independently from the detection techniques, which may indifferently be of the analog or digital type, it will preferably be stored in digital format, so as to be able to carry out quick and easy transfers of the macroimages by telematic means, as well as to allow a quick comparison between images, through suitable computer programs.
- the macroimages thus collected can be catalogued in the data base B in a casual order, or according to alphanumeric codes allowing to divide the data bank into a plurality of homogeneous sectors, for example according to the date or production site, or even according to a sequential alphanumeric code.
- a code preferably corresponds to a code previously applied onto the label together with the marking.
- the choice between the different aforecited storage modes depends on the overall dimensions of each single data base, and/or on the searching times deemed optimal to gain access to said base and compare any external data with the data stored therein.
- the macroimages thus taken from the different labels of the checked products are subsequently compared with those stored in the data base, to check the identity or non-identity thereof, thereby allowing to directly and positively ascertain the authenticity of the marking or, viceversa, the counterfeiting thereof. It is in fact evident that a response on the authenticity of the marking, and thus of the product marked thereby, will be obtained only in the case of a total identity of all the details of the combination design appearing in the compared macroimages, while any even slight differences between the two macroimages will form a positive index of counterfeiting of the marking.
- the scanning will be sequential over the entire data base if the data has been stored without any coding; the scanning will be sequential merely on predetermined sectors of the data base according to the product manufacturing data, such as production date and site, or other like variables detected on the label; or, finally, the access will be direct, using the code of the desired macroimage, when the macroimages have been recorded and stored under a single alphanumeric identification code of their own.
- This last method is of course preferable when using a particularly extensive data base, as it happens in the case of products sold on a large scale, and if one simultaneously wishes to reduce to a minimum the times required for the operations to compare and check the authenticity of a marking.
- the method according to the present invention is by no means limited to such a specific case and can thus be adopted in all those circumstances in which a marking is applied onto a label or directly onto a product, whatever the material used to form said label or product, provided that a structure of the support can be placed in evidence and that said structure has a random space relationship with the marking.
- the technique adopted to take the image of the marking and, in particular, the lighting thereof, will obviously vary according to the different types of supports.
- use can be made, for example, of different light sources (white light, infrared light, monochromatic or polarized light) and of different light-screening techniques (colour screens, interference screens, polarized screens, correction screens, antireflection screens, and the like), and it is moreover possible to vary the angle of incidence and the setting of the light source or sources, so as to place in better evidence the structure of the marking support and the combination design of said structure with the distinctive sign of the marking.
- this result may be achieved by mere transparency, or by placing in evidence the surface pattern of the support, or else by combining these two techniques, always remaining within the scope of the present invention.
- Particularly homogeneous supports - thus not apt to show up an intrinsic differentiated structure, not even as a macroimage - can equally be used within the scope of the present invention, by being subjected to a previous surface treatment allowing to place in evidence a structure inherent in the support, for example through a mechanical machining or through a selective etching, or else by providing the support with an additional layer having a non-homogeneous structure and being permanently applied thereon, for instance by rolling, glueing, coextrusion, or other like processes.
- the material forming the same may be a plastic material, a papery or mixed material, a textile fiber or a metallic material - suitable fillers, such as microparticles, threads and other special similar products, apt to form a surface design quite visible on a macroimage, namely a non-homogeneous basic structure of the support, in the sense already pointed out further above.
- suitable fillers such as microparticles, threads and other special similar products, apt to form a surface design quite visible on a macroimage, namely a non-homogeneous basic structure of the support, in the sense already pointed out further above.
- the present invention in fact, in order to determine the authenticity of a marking, it is simply necessary to check whether the combination design formed by a marking and by the support structure on which said marking is applied, is identical - or is not identical - to the "sample" of the combination design originally stored in the data base, i.e. before the products or the labels on which said marking is applied have been put on the market. Said checking can thus indifferently be carried out over the entire marking, or merely over a portion thereof, according to the convenience from the practical point of view. Furthermore, the original macroimage and the macroimage being checked need not have the same size, it being already sufficient for them to have at least a sufficiently large area in common.
- the method according to the invention allows to place in evidence a unique and unrepeatable design deriving from the casual combination of the design of the support structure with the identification marks of the actual branding.
- Said macroimage can be stored into a proper data base and be subsequently compared with the macroimage of the combination design of brandings drawn by way of sample on the market; this will allow to check - according to the exactness, or non-exactness, of said macroimage with the corresponding original macroimage stored in the data base - whether the brandings found on the market are genuine or forged.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)
- Developing Agents For Electrophotography (AREA)
- Magnetic Ceramics (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP00968174A EP1297499A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-10-25 | Method to check the authenticity of the marking of a product |
AU2000278123A AU2000278123A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-10-25 | Method to check the authenticity of the marking of a product |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
IT2000BI000001A ITBI20000001A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-06-28 | SYSTEM TO CERTIFY THE ORIGINALITY OF ANY OBJECT, BASED ON APPROPRIATE LIGHTING METHODS AND MACROPHOTOGRAPHY. |
ITBI2000A000001 | 2000-06-28 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2002001513A1 true WO2002001513A1 (en) | 2002-01-03 |
Family
ID=11437942
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/IB2000/001544 WO2002001513A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-10-25 | Method to check the authenticity of the marking of a product |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1297499A1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2000278123A1 (en) |
IT (1) | ITBI20000001A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2002001513A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2006505466A (en) * | 2002-11-12 | 2006-02-16 | ハウニ・マシイネンバウ・アクチエンゲゼルシヤフト | Method and apparatus for labeling products and managing authenticity of products |
EP1514227A4 (en) * | 2002-05-14 | 2006-04-05 | Mediasec Technologies Gmbh | Visible authentication patterns for printed document |
WO2011077459A2 (en) * | 2009-12-23 | 2011-06-30 | Alexia Technologies Private Limited | A method of extracting naturally encrypted features from a natural surface of a product |
EP2320389A3 (en) * | 2002-05-14 | 2011-10-05 | Schreiner Group GmbH & Co. KG | Visible authentication patterns for printed document |
US8330122B2 (en) | 2007-11-30 | 2012-12-11 | Honeywell International Inc | Authenticatable mark, systems for preparing and authenticating the mark |
EP3069295B1 (en) * | 2013-11-14 | 2020-08-05 | Sicpa Holding Sa | Image analysis for authenticating a product |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102016211606A1 (en) * | 2016-06-28 | 2017-12-28 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Method and system for identifying a product |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4785290A (en) * | 1980-06-23 | 1988-11-15 | Light Signatures, Inc. | Non-counterfeitable document system |
EP0570162A2 (en) * | 1992-05-11 | 1993-11-18 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Record document authentication by microscopic grain structure and method |
US5354097A (en) * | 1990-06-15 | 1994-10-11 | Teunis Tel | Security of objects or documents |
US5521984A (en) * | 1993-06-10 | 1996-05-28 | Verification Technologies, Inc. | System for registration, identification and verification of items utilizing unique intrinsic features |
WO1997024699A1 (en) * | 1995-12-29 | 1997-07-10 | S. E. Axis Limited | Authentication of articles |
-
2000
- 2000-06-28 IT IT2000BI000001A patent/ITBI20000001A1/en unknown
- 2000-10-25 WO PCT/IB2000/001544 patent/WO2002001513A1/en active Search and Examination
- 2000-10-25 AU AU2000278123A patent/AU2000278123A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2000-10-25 EP EP00968174A patent/EP1297499A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4785290A (en) * | 1980-06-23 | 1988-11-15 | Light Signatures, Inc. | Non-counterfeitable document system |
US5354097A (en) * | 1990-06-15 | 1994-10-11 | Teunis Tel | Security of objects or documents |
EP0570162A2 (en) * | 1992-05-11 | 1993-11-18 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Record document authentication by microscopic grain structure and method |
US5521984A (en) * | 1993-06-10 | 1996-05-28 | Verification Technologies, Inc. | System for registration, identification and verification of items utilizing unique intrinsic features |
WO1997024699A1 (en) * | 1995-12-29 | 1997-07-10 | S. E. Axis Limited | Authentication of articles |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP1514227A4 (en) * | 2002-05-14 | 2006-04-05 | Mediasec Technologies Gmbh | Visible authentication patterns for printed document |
US7809152B2 (en) | 2002-05-14 | 2010-10-05 | Schreiner Group Gmbh & Co. Kg | Visible authentication patterns for printed document |
US7991198B2 (en) | 2002-05-14 | 2011-08-02 | Schreiner Group Gmbh & Co. Kg | Visible authentication patterns for printed document |
EP2320389A3 (en) * | 2002-05-14 | 2011-10-05 | Schreiner Group GmbH & Co. KG | Visible authentication patterns for printed document |
JP2006505466A (en) * | 2002-11-12 | 2006-02-16 | ハウニ・マシイネンバウ・アクチエンゲゼルシヤフト | Method and apparatus for labeling products and managing authenticity of products |
US8330122B2 (en) | 2007-11-30 | 2012-12-11 | Honeywell International Inc | Authenticatable mark, systems for preparing and authenticating the mark |
WO2011077459A2 (en) * | 2009-12-23 | 2011-06-30 | Alexia Technologies Private Limited | A method of extracting naturally encrypted features from a natural surface of a product |
WO2011077459A3 (en) * | 2009-12-23 | 2011-08-11 | Alexia Technologies Private Limited | A method of extracting naturally encrypted features from a natural surface of a product |
EP3069295B1 (en) * | 2013-11-14 | 2020-08-05 | Sicpa Holding Sa | Image analysis for authenticating a product |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1297499A1 (en) | 2003-04-02 |
AU2000278123A1 (en) | 2002-01-08 |
ITBI20000001A0 (en) | 2000-06-28 |
ITBI20000001A1 (en) | 2001-12-28 |
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