Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-29
2001-05-01
Trammell, James P. (Department: 2161)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
C705S023000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226619
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and system for preventing counterfeiting of expensive items, and more particularly to a method and system for preventing counterfeiting of high value items without the need for a large, central database for verification of authenticity of such items at the point of sale. The present invention also suggests methods and techniques for preventing “parallel markets”.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional methods and apparatus exist for making it difficult to counterfeit high value items. Such items may include, for example, rare wines and spirits, fur coats, expensive jackets, perfumes, etc. Such items are generally sold in stores or restaurants with well-known reputations for quality and service.
Nevertheless, some retailers may participate in and actually be members of organizations which sell counterfeit products as genuine products. Accordingly, methods for combating the counterfeiter must be considered. Additionally, “parallel” markets are markets where goods may be diverted from a legitimate vendor (i.e., those who have contracts with the producer or authorized distribution channels). Sales from those having no contracts with the producer or authorized distributors are also sales which the present invention attempts to prevent.
However, a basic concept to assure that the item is genuine requires a form of verification of the item, such as IDs to confirm the item as being genuine.
Several such tagging mechanisms have already been proposed previously. However, such tagging mechanisms fail to engender (or strongly encourage) the customer's participation in helping to recognize counterfeited items. It is easy to produce seals only verifiable by the vendor, but the cooperation of the public in fighting counterfeiting cannot be gained easily by using such devices.
To partially overcome this difficulty, several manufacturers attach a serial number to each item.
For serial numbers to offer increased protection, some conventional methods use a serial number where part or all of the digits are chosen at random or generated by some secret code, in which the originator keeps a copy of all numbers so generated and the authenticity is checked by verifying that the tag of a given item carries a number in the list (e.g., a simple comparator function).
However, such methods suffer from several drawbacks. For example, from one of these methods contact is required with the originator. Communications used for verification make the present verification process inefficient, and not always reliable.
Further, the vendor must maintain a database which may constitute a large privacy invasion such that customers may be reluctant to participate in the verification processes. For example, if the customer uses a credit card (or possibly some form of bank debit card), it is easy to associate his/her name to the product which has been bought, often without the consent of the customer.
Additionally, the originator must maintain an ever-growing database, and must make this database secure for an unforeseen time period. For example, every access to/reading from the database must be absolutely trustworthy, and one has to ensure that no external party obtains access to the database (e.g., either by a retail employee or by an external computer “hacker” accessing the database by modem or the like), which is more difficult for a database one often accesses.
Additionally, using a small scanner, and/or the help of several accomplices, the counterfeiter may copy huge lists of existing serial numbers if the serial numbers are visible when the product is packaged, and the public has no means of even partially checking originality before buying otherwise.
Thus, the conventional methods have many problems and do not affirmatively enlist the aid of the purchaser in fighting counterfeiting of high value goods. Further, none of the aforementioned methods addresses reliable means for deterring parallel markets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing and other problems of the conventional methods and structures, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and structure in which the counterfeiting of high value items is discouraged and in which customer assistance in the verification process is obtained.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which authenticity can be easily verified without having to maintain large databases and provide for their security.
Yet another object is to provide a method and structure of preventing counterfeiting without the customer perceiving a large invasion of the customer's privacy.
Yet another object is to provide a system in which the counterfeiter is prevented from obtaining huge lists of existing serial numbers in a form that can be useful for producing counterfeit items.
In a first aspect of the present invention, a system for preventing counterfeiting of an item, is provided which includes an interrogatable tag attached to the item, wherein the item includes indicia visible by a purchaser of the item, for comparison with a secret, non-duplicable number stored in the tag designating authenticity.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a counterfeit indicator for attachment to a retail item includes an interrogatable tag attached to the item, wherein the item includes indicia visible by a purchaser of the item, for comparison with a secret, non-duplicable information held in the tag.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a counterfeit indicator for attachment to a retail item includes an item tag attached to the item and including a cover label with predetermined indicia thereon, and an interrogatable tag obscured by the cover label, wherein the tag is disabled after interrogation of the tag is performed. Thus, for example, the tag can be written to at the point of sale, in a manner such that any prior sale data from a possible earlier sale and/or return is “locked” (e.g., cannot be erased or written over).
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method for preventing counterfeiting of an item, includes: attaching an interrogatable tag to the item, the tag storing therein secret, non-duplicable information; providing, in advance, the item with visible indicia; and comparing the visible indicia with the secret, non-duplicable information stored in the tag designating authenticity.
Moreover, the customer can participate by verifing that different items on shelves have different serial numbers. The customer also can check that the serial number and the coded number in the tag are compatible using some public key, obtainable, for example, over the Internet. The customer can also send back to the producer the pair including the serial number and the secret number.
With the unique and unobvious aspects of the present invention, customer participation is provided to combat counterfeiters, offering reliable counterfeiting detection and prevention.
Further, with the invention, a central database is unnecessary at least for item verification purposes, and the invention protects against unscrupulous merchants, as well as provides a contact-free scanning operation.
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Hook, C., Automatic I.D. News Europe, Jan./Feb. 1997, vol. 6 Issue 1, p25, 3p.*
Hook, C.
Halperin Arnold
Moskowitz Paul Andrew
Schrott Alejandro Gabriel
Tresser Charles P.
von Gutfeld Robert Jacob
Chung Chang Y.
International Business Machines - Corporation
Kaufman, Esq. Stephen C.
McGinn & Gibb, P.C.
Trammell James P.
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