The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for authenticating and validating the origin of products and more particularly relates to a system and method for authenticating and validating products which utilizes a parent-child relationship between individual child units contained in a parent container to authenticate and validate the origin of each individual child unit.
The counterfeiting of products continues to be a common concern for manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. The counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products, which by some accounts ranges from two to ten percent of all pharmaceutical products sold in the United States, is of particular concern to the end consumers who rely on these products for their health and well being.
Known systems and methods for preventing the counterfeiting of products include the use of radio frequency identification tags (RFID tags) having stored therein identifying information which may be read and used to authenticate and verify the origin of a product to which the RFID tag is affixed. One such system and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,619 entitled “Method and System for Preventing Counterfeiting of High Price Wholesale and Retail Items”. An interrogatable tag such as an RFID tag is attached to an item. The item includes visible indicia for comparison with secret, non-duplicable information stored in the tag designating authenticity. The disclosed system and method is useful for authenticating and verifying single items.
A system for providing product authentication by way of identification and certification of the origin or manufacture of medical supplies, components, and other devices is disclosed in U.S. patent application Publication No. 2002/0188259 entitled “Smart Supplies, Components and Capital Equipment”. The disclosed system relates to capital equipment units, such as systems for providing medical treatment that are associated with smart supplies. The smart supplies are tagged with data carriers which may encode such information as a unique ID for the supply or component, the identification of the supply or component, the identification of the source of the supply or component, the status of whether said supply or component has been previously used, the expiration date of the supply or component, and in the case where the supply or component contains drug, the purity levels of the drug. The capital equipment units or their users then utilize the information to assure quality of any procedure run with the units, by way of improved pre-use checks, certification or the supplies for use, record keeping, inventory control, and charge capture. The disclosed system is useful for authenticating single supplies.
As can be seen, there is a need in the art for a system and method for authenticating and validating products which utilizes a parent-child relationship between individual child units contained in a parent container to authenticate and validate the origin of each individual child unit. Such a system and method preferably provides for authentication and validation of supplies packaged in containers.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a system for authenticating and validating products utilizes a parent-child relationship between individual child units contained in a parent container to authenticate and validate the origin of each individual child unit.
In another aspect of the invention, the system for authenticating products delivered in each of a plurality of containers packaged in a package includes a child tag attached to each container and a parent tag attached to the package, the child tags and parent tag having a parent-child relationship.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for authenticating products delivered in each of a plurality of containers packaged in a package includes the steps of tagging each container with a child tag, and tagging the package with a parent tag, the child tags and parent tag having a parent-child relationship.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for authenticating containers packaged in a package includes the steps of tagging each container with a container tag, writing a container signature to each container tag, tagging the package with a package tag, and writing a package signature to the package tag, the container tags and the package tag having a parent-child relationship.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
The present invention generally provides a system and method for authenticating and validating products which utilizes a parent-child relationship between individual child units contained in a parent container to authenticate and validate the origin of each individual child unit.
With reference to
A plurality of containers 100 having attached thereto container radio frequency identification tags 110 may be disposed in a sealed package 300 as shown in
With reference to
A method generally designated 1000 of creating a signature for each container radio frequency identification tag 110 may include a step 1010 in which each container radio frequency identification tag 110 is interrogated. In a step 1020 a unique/universal identifier (UID) may be retrieved from each container radio frequency identification tag 110. The computer 210 may then be operable to retrieve from the database 220 a manufacturer's private key and product data including a National Drug Code (NDC), a lot number, and an expiration date for each container 110 in a step 1030. In a step 1040 the computer 210 may be operable to produce a container signature for each container 100 based upon container UID, the container product data, and the manufacturer's private key. The product data and the signature may be written to each container radio frequency identification tag 110 in a step 1050.
With reference to
A method generally designated 1100 of creating a signature for the package radio frequency identification tag 310 may include a step 1110 in which the package radio frequency identification tag 310 and the container radio frequency identification tags 110 may be interrogated . In a step 1120 the UIDs of the container radio frequency identification tags 110 and a UID of the package radio frequency identification tag 310 may be retrieved from the container radio frequency identification tag 110s and the package radio frequency identification tag 310 respectively. In a step 1130 the computer 210 may be operable to hash the UIDs of the container radio frequency identification tags 110. In a preferred embodiment, the UIDs of the container radio frequency identification tags 110 are ordered sequentially. The computer 210 may then be operable to retrieve from the database 220 the manufacturer's private key in a step 1140. In a step 1150 the computer 210 may be operable to produce a package signature from the UID of the package radio frequency identification tag 310, the private key, and the hashed aggregate UIDs of the container radio frequency identification tags 110. The hashed aggregate UIDs and the package signature may be written to the package radio frequency identification tag 310 in a step 1160.
By employing methods 1000 and 1100, a parent-child relationship may be established between container signatures written to each container radio frequency identification tag 110 and the package signature written to the package radio frequency identification tag 310. These methods may be summarized by a method generally designated 800 (
With reference to
In order to authenticate the package RFID tag 310 and with reference to
With reference to
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a verification method generally designated 900 (
In another aspect of the invention and with reference to
Those skilled in the art will recognize that an extensive database of identification information is not required by the methods of the invention. In a case where the wholesaler, healthcare professional, and retailer have access to the manufacturer's public key, verification can be accomplished without accessing any database.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to preferred embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.