Method and system for item authentication and customization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10275969-B2
Application number	US-201614995050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2016
Priority date	Mar 9, 2012
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A method of illuminating an item is disclosed. The method includes applying adhesive to the item, interspersing a taggant in the adhesive, illuminating the item with an excitation signal, sensing luminescence emitted by the taggant in response to illumination by the excitation signal, and determining the authenticity of the item based on the sensed emitted luminescence. The item can include any item benefited by authentication, and can include a postage stamp. A method of customizing an item is disclosed. This can include the steps of preparing a substrate, applying a security feature to the substrate, printing non-customized information on the substrate, receiving image information, and printing the image information on the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An item comprising:
a backing;
a taggant disposed on the backing, the taggant arranged in a first pattern;
an adhesive layer in contact with at least a portion of the backing;
a label disposed on the adhesive layer;
wherein the adhesive layer is configured to adhere to the label and to a first portion of the taggant disposed on the backing in order to form a predetermined second pattern on the adhesive layer when the label is detached from the backing, and wherein the adhesive layer is configured to detachably adhere to a second portion of the taggant and to the backing such that the adhesive layer and the label remain substantially intact when the label is removed from the backing and such that the label and adhesive can be subsequently adhered to an object; and
wherein the taggant is configured to emit a luminescence in response to an excitation signal, the emitted luminescence of the first pattern on the adhesive layer being detectable and recognizable by a detector when the label is on the backing, and the emitted luminescence of the second pattern on the adhesive layer being detectable and recognizable by a detector when the label is detached from the backing.

2. The item of claim 1 , wherein the emitted luminescence from the second pattern is a computer readable code.

3. The item of claim 1 , wherein the taggant comprises a first set of taggants and a second set of taggants, and wherein only the first set of taggants is configured to combine with the adhesive layer such that the first set of taggants is removed with the label when the adhesive layer detaches from the backing.

4. The item of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive comprises a photocurable adhesive, and wherein the taggant adheres to the adhesive layer upon curing of the adhesive.

5. The item of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive layer is curable upon illuminating the adhesive with light, and wherein the pattern of light used to cure the photocurable adhesive corresponds to the second pattern.

6. The item of claim 1 , wherein the taggant comprises a first taggant and a second taggant, the first and second taggants having different solubility in the adhesive.

7. The item of claim 6 , wherein the first taggant is soluble in the adhesive and adheres to the adhesive.

8. The item of claim 7 , wherein the first taggant is applied to the backing in a form corresponding to the second pattern.

9. A method of creating an item comprising:
disposing a taggant on a backing, the taggant forming a first pattern;
disposing an adhesive layer onto at least a portion of the backing;
disposing a label on the adhesive layer; and
adhering the adhesive layer to a portion of the taggant disposed on the backing in order to form a predetermined second pattern on the adhesive layer when the adhesive layer is detached from the backing, wherein the adhesive layer is configured to detachably adhere to the portion of the taggant and to the backing such that the adhesive layer and the label remain substantially intact when the label is removed from the backing and such that the label and the adhesive layer can be subsequently adhered to an object, and wherein the taggant is configured to emit a luminescence in response to an excitation signal.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the adhesive layer comprises a photo-curable adhesive, and wherein forming a second pattern comprises irradiating the adhesive layer to an extent sufficient to adhere the taggant to the adhesive in the second pattern.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the taggant comprises a first taggant and a second taggant, the first and second taggants having different solubility in the adhesive.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first taggant is applied to the backing in a form corresponding to the predetermined second pattern and wherein forming the second pattern comprises dissolving the first taggant in the adhesive layer according to the solubility of the first taggant.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the emitted luminescence of the predetermined second pattern forms a computer readable code.

14. A method of making a label comprising:
preparing a backing;
disposing a taggant on the backing, wherein the taggant is disposed in a first pattern, the taggant being configured to emit a luminescence in response to an excitation signal;
applying an adhesive to the backing to form an adhesive layer;
applying a substrate to the adhesive layer, the adhesive layer and substrate together forming a label; and
selectively adhering a portion of the taggant to the adhesive layer, the portion of the taggant being adhered to form a predetermined second pattern when the label is detached from the backing, and wherein the adhesive layer is selectively adhered such that the substrate and the adhesive layer remain intact when the label is detached from the backing and such that the label and the adhesive can be subsequently adhered to an object.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the adhesive is a photocurable polymer.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the luminescence emitted by the taggant in the first pattern and in the second pattern are recognizable patterns for authentication of the label.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein selectively adhering a portion of the taggant to the adhesive comprises irradiating the adhesive in a pattern corresponding to the second pattern.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the taggant comprises a first taggant and a second taggant, the second taggant being applied according to the predetermined second pattern, and wherein the first and second taggant have different diffusivities in the adhesive.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein selectively adhering a portion of the taggant to the adhesive comprises diffusing relatively more of the second taggant into the adhesive and relatively less of the first taggant into the adhesive.

Assignees

• United States Postal Service

Inventors

• Hussain Khalid
• Dominguez Marie Therese
• Failor David E
• Ackerman William G

Classifications

• G06K19/06028

  using bar codes · CPC title

• B42D25/45

  Associating two or more layers · CPC title

• B42D25/387

  absorbing or reflecting ultraviolet light · CPC title

• G01N21/643

  non-biological material · CPC title

• B42D25/382

  absorbing or reflecting infrared light · CPC title