WO2013160495A1

WO2013160495A1 - System for verifying the identity and traceability of a product

Info

Publication number: WO2013160495A1
Application number: PCT/ES2012/070297
Authority: WO
Inventors: Angel Alberto GONZALEZ RODRIGUEZ
Original assignee: Gonzalez Rodriguez Angel Alberto
Priority date: 2012-04-27
Filing date: 2012-04-27
Publication date: 2013-10-31

Abstract

The invention relates to a system which, by means of multiple commercially available devices, such as desktop scanners or mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and the like, is capable of reading a QR code provided on each of a plurality of products, which is encoded and encrypted individually and, by comparing the database which contains the data on said product with the data read by the user, which should have the unique code for said product, and by accessing the restricted system of users with a hierarchy of authorisations, access is obtained to enable the unequivocal identification of a given unit of any product that has said system, in addition to being able to verify the identity thereof and ensure the perfect traceability of the product, thus serving as a tool in the struggle against forgery and smuggling.

Description

IDENTITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM AND

PRODUCT TRACEABILITY

OBJECT

The following invention consists of a system that, through computer means, achieves the identification without error of a certain unit of any product that carries this system, in addition to being able to verify its identity and have a perfect traceability of the product, and therefore it is a tool in the fight against counterfeiting and smuggling.

This system gives the possibility of converting an unlimited number of people or users throughout the world into quality, truthfulness and authenticity inspectors of each unit of consumable product.

This invention has its field of application within the textile industry, of hygiene and beauty products, food, beverages, tobacco companies and in general to any type of industry that involves the production of product units, and especially to the industry of high-end or exclusive products.

BACKGROUND

The illicit trade in products represents a worldwide problem. The smuggling and counterfeiting of billions of products a year erode the public finances of different countries and also the private finances of different companies and multinationals. The fact that smuggled or counterfeit products can be purchased at low prices triggers their consumption and increases the economy without control, which prevents companies and multinationals, with all the people, families and businesses that depend on them, no longer receive the income that they belong to them, in addition to the states They stop receiving a large sum of money for tax revenues and payment of fees.

It is worth highlighting the fight against the illegal tobacco trade, which, with the problems described above, increases particularly with the public health problem. In this sector, the most recent technological advances in the area of identification ranging from coding in fiscal stamps to microchip technology are believed to be applied to the fight against the illicit tobacco trade. Article 15 of the FCTC (Framework of the World Health Organization for Tobacco Control) calls for countries to take measures to ensure that each unit is marked so that countries determine the origin of a product; a call is also made for these countries to consider establishing a "tracking and location" system. Within these technological advances, of the tobacco industry, we can highlight the digital tax stamps that use invisible ink and contain a unique code concealed with the data of each of the cigarette packs makes it more difficult for criminals to counterfeit. These stamps contain coded information that officers and other personnel can read through the use of optical readers, which allows officers to distinguish between authentic and counterfeit tax stamps, even the most elaborate ones. You can also highlight the barcode that is familiar for the purchase of various products and you can track merchandise in transit. Finishing with other systems such as those that carry British American Tobacco (BAT) products, which include taggant on the self-adhesive belt that serves to open the container, being the taggant is a chemical that is added to the ink and that an optical reader You can register, being able to say if a product is genuine or counterfeit using a manual optical reader that registers the self-adhesive headband.

In turn, computer media have developed very quickly in recent decades, and in order to execute this invention, it is necessary to use of QR codes (quick response barcode, “quick response barcode”) which is a system for storing information in a dot matrix or a two-dimensional barcode created by the Japanese company Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota, in 1994. The acronym "QR" is derived from Quick Response, as the creators aspired to have the code allow its content to be read at high speed. QR codes are very common in Japan, and little by little in the rest of the world, and in fact they are becoming the most popular and widely used two-dimensional code globally. Recently, the inclusion of software that reads QR codes on mobile phones, has allowed new consumer-oriented uses, which are manifested in comforts such as stopping having to manually enter data into phones. Addresses and URLs are becoming increasingly common in magazines, advertisements, newspapers, marquees and various products. The addition of QR codes on business cards is also becoming common, greatly simplifying the task of introducing individual details of a new customer into a mobile phone's agenda. QR codes can also be read from PC, smartphone or tablet using image capture devices, such as a scanner or photo camera, programs that read QR data and an Internet connection for web addresses. A very important detail about the QR code is that its code is open and that its patent rights are not exercised.

Once put in background of the problem and attempts to solve this, the invention object of this patent is formed by a series of processes and steps, which allow to identify and verify a product anywhere in the world, at the exact moment that is desired, through computer devices, being able to detect the veracity of the same and if it has been issued by the manufacturer's signature or it is a forgery, however good it could be. Contributing and improving these advances previously said because they not only have an encrypted code that the operator can verify if it is correct or not, but this verification can be done remotely thanks to a restricted system of users, at any point in the world and updating the database in the same moment in which the encrypted code is read.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention object of this patent is formed by a series of processes and steps, which allow to identify and verify a product anywhere in the world, at the exact moment desired, through computer devices, being able to detect the truthfulness and traceability of the product. same and if it has been issued by the manufacturer's signature or it is a forgery, however good this may be.

It should be noted that it is not the object of this patent to claim as novel the fact of using the QR system, known by the general public, nor is it the object of this invention to present information on a product, whatever it was, but rather include in the product a system through which it is possible to check computerly, therefore by auxiliary means, and through decryption with all its procedure, the veracity of the product, since by comparing the decrypted code of the product with the database we can guarantee the authenticity. The information in the code is not accessible to the general public, since it is encrypted, therefore it is necessary to rely on complementary elements, which means that the person interested in counterfeiting cannot change the codes or information, all of which means that the System be novel.

For this, the process begins with the creation of a restricted online database, in which the products are introduced with all the information that the manufacturer may want to offer about each product unit, whatever, in order to be able to verify its authenticity later. In this database a unique alphanumeric identifier is also assigned to each product unit, therefore, in order to be able to have a perfect traceability of the product, the more data is put into the database, the more control of the product can be had in the future. These codes can be correlative or not, but data will never be duplicated since there will never be a duplicate code. Once the database is created with the data that the manufacturer of the product considers appropriate, a QR code is generated, which contains the unique identifier of the product unit, presented with a unidirectional computer encryption with a key. What it does is that the product will have in an encrypted way the encrypted unique identification code assigned to the product that will allow identifying information, such as not only the brand name, but the product lot, the specific serial number, the time at which it was manufactured, the operator who manufactured it, the factory or delegation that manufactured it, and any data that the manufacturer considers appropriate. As stated, this information will be encrypted, therefore, it will not be accessible to the general public, unless the relevant authorization is given.

The next step would be to mark each of the products that you want to identify, therefore you would proceed to the printing, stamping or labeling of the security QR code in each product unit with its unique identification code. This stamping, depending on the product, can be executed on the labels in the case of the textile industry, for example, in the box in the tobacco shop and thus where the manufacturer or the Regulatory Body of the sector deems most appropriate.

As mentioned in the background, through multiple existing devices in the market such as table scanners, mobile devices such as smartphones, digital tablets, etc., you could read this QR code that goes into each of the products. The particularity of using the QR code is not only to show truthfulness information or not, but is to give the possibility to contact the product online with the database. Either through an application installed on the computer or mobile device, or through an access to a predetermined web page, the system will verify the authenticity of the QR code read, thus guaranteeing the authenticity of the product to whom you want to scan that code.

The data of each authenticity request is recorded in the central computer system. Through a system of registered users and with a permit scale, the system will be able to offer extra information about that product, such as physical details of it, manufacturing, marketing and distribution traceability.

At the same time, it stands out that access to verification request queries per product unit, geolocatable by IP, would be created. The sum between the data provided by the manufacturer and the data collected by the user who reads the code allows the creation of a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), which can be used by the manufacturer for the complete analysis of the data of each unit of product marketed by the company.

Since the devices for reading QR code are counted by hundreds of millions worldwide, this system gives the possibility to convert quality, veracity and authenticity inspectors of each unlimited unit of products consumed, or potentially consumables, to an unlimited number of people / users all over the world.

A broader idea of the features of the invention etc. in which the same references as in the main patent have been respected to define the same pieces and parts of these that are common in this case, giving complementary references to continue with the same identifying tone.

In the drawings:

Fig. L - It is a graphic scheme of the process of the verification of identity and traceability of the product.

A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For this, the process begins with the creation of a database (1) in which the products are introduced with all the information that the manufacturer may want to offer about each product unit, whatever, in order to verify a posteriori its authenticity. This database also assigns a Alphanumeric identifier unique to each product unit, therefore, in order to have a perfect traceability of the product, the more data you put in the database, the more control of the product you can have in the future. These codes can be correlative or not, but data will never be duplicated since there will never be a duplicate code.

Once the database has been created with the data that the manufacturer of the product considers appropriate, a QR code (2) is generated, which contains the unique identifier of the product unit, presented with a unidirectional computer encryption with a key, that is , which can be compared but cannot be modified or viewed in reverse. What it does is that the product will have in an encrypted way the encrypted unique identification code assigned to the product that will allow identifying information, such as not only the brand name, but the product lot, the specific serial number, the time at which it was manufactured, the operator who manufactured it, the factory or delegation that manufactured it, and any data that the manufacturer considers appropriate. As stated, this information will be encrypted, therefore, it will not be accessible to the general public, unless the relevant authorization is given.

The next step would be to mark each of the products (3) that you wish to identify, therefore, the security QR code would be printed, stamped or labeled on each product unit with its unique identification code. This stamping, depending on the product, can be executed on the labels in the case of the textile industry, for example, in the box at the tobacco shop and thus where the manufacturer or the Regulatory Body of the sector is considered more appropriate.

As mentioned in the background, through multiple existing devices on the market such as table scanners, mobile devices such as smartphones, digital tablets, etc., you could read (4) this QR code that goes into each of the products. The QR code is therefore a tool to be able to contact the product and the user with the database online. Either through an application installed on the computer or mobile device, or through an access to a predetermined web page, the system will verify the authenticity (5) of the QR code read, thus guaranteeing the authenticity of the product to whom you wish to scan that code Through a restricted access system (6), of registered users and with a permit scale, the system gives access to extra information about that product, such as physical details of it, manufacturing, marketing and distribution traceability.

This gives the possibility of converting an unlimited number of people / users worldwide, into an unlimited number of products, into quality, truthfulness and authenticity inspectors.

The data of each authenticity request is recorded in the central computer system. This results in the comparison and consultation (9) between the data in the database and decryption, that is, the database (1) and the restricted user system (6) are related.

Once within the restricted user system, the manufacturer's verification statistics (7) can be accessed by the manufacturer with IP geolocation.

The sum between the data provided by the manufacturer and the data collected by the user who reads the code allows the creation of a CRM (Customer Relationship

Management), (8) that will be used by the manufacturer for the complete analysis of the data of each product unit marketed by the company.

Since the devices to read QR code are counted by hundreds of millions worldwide, this system gives the possibility of converting quality, truthfulness and authenticity inspectors of each unit of product consumed, or potentially consumable, to an unlimited number of People all over the world. Described sufficiently in what precedes the nature of the invention, taking into account that the terms that have been drafted in this specification should be taken in a broad and non-limiting sense, as well as the description of how to put it into practice, and, demonstrating which constitutes a positive technical advancement of the product verification systems, which is why the patent registration is requested, being what constitutes the essence of the aforementioned invention, which is then specified in the following claims.

Claims

1. Product identity verification system, which through multiple existing devices on the market such as table scanners, mobile devices such as smartphones, digital tablets or similar, and based on a QR code on the product, characterized in that with these devices capable of reading the QR code, the product and the user are related in the manufacturer's database (1), which is in a restricted system of users (6), and confronting the encrypted data issued with the data of the database of that query is checked (9) the veracity of the product, with no limit on the number of users or products.

2. Product identity verification system, which through multiple devices existing on the market such as table scanners, mobile devices such as smartphones, digital tablets or similar, and based on a QR code on the product according to claim 1, characterized in that in the database (1) all the data that the manufacturer considers appropriate for a correct traceability of the product are introduced and in turn assigns a unique alphanumeric identifier to each product unit.

3. Product identity verification system, which through multiple devices existing on the market such as table scanners, mobile devices such as smartphones, digital tablets or similar, and based on a QR code on the product according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that a QR code (2) is generated, which contains the unique identifier in each unique product unit, presented with a unidirectional computer encryption with a key, thus having all the individual information of that product encrypted.

4. Product identity verification system, which through multiple existing devices in the market such as table scanners, mobile devices such as smartphones, digital tablets or similar, and relying on a QR code on the product according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that through an application installed on the computer or mobile device, or through access to a predetermined web page, the system will verify the authenticity (5) of the QR code read, which is printed (3) on the product, thus guaranteeing the authenticity of the product to whom you wish to scan that code.

5. Product identity verification system, which through multiple existing devices on the market such as table scanners, mobile devices such as smartphones, digital tablets or similar, and based on a QR code on the product according to claim 1, characterized in that once the user is within the restricted user system, he may have access to the statistics of checks (7) of the product by the manufacturer with geolocation by IP with its consequent perfect traceability of the product.

6. Product identity verification system, which through multiple existing devices on the market such as table scanners, mobile devices such as smartphones, digital tablets or similar, and based on a QR code on the product according to claim 1, characterized in that the sum between the data provided by the manufacturer and the data collected by the user who reads the code allows the creation of a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), (8) that will be used by the manufacturer for the complete analysis of the data of each unit of product marketed by the company.