Method and system for item authentication and customization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10535211-B2
Application number	US-201715813755-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2017
Priority date	Mar 9, 2012
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

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. A label comprising:
a substrate having a plurality of cells defined thereon, the plurality of cells defined by cell walls formed extending from the substrate;
a taggant configured to emit luminescence upon excitation by an excitation signal;
wherein the taggant is applied to form a first pattern in one or more of the plurality of cells; and
wherein the taggant is applied to form a second pattern in two or more of the plurality of cells.

2. The label of claim 1 , wherein the first pattern is formed within a predetermined number of the one or more of the plurality of cells.

3. The label of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined number of cells in which the first pattern is formed forms the second pattern.

4. The label of claim 3 , wherein the first pattern and the second pattern are similar, and are detectable and recognizable by a detector.

5. The label of claim 3 , wherein the first pattern and the second pattern are different, and are detectable and recognizable by a detector.

6. The label of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive in contact with the substrate.

7. The label of claim 6 , further comprising an object removably attached to the substrate via the adhesive.

8. The label of claim 6 , wherein the adhesive comprises multiplier particles configured to strengthen or scatter the luminescence emitted from the taggant.

9. The label of claim 8 , wherein the multiplier particles are disposed within the adhesive to create the first pattern.

10. The label of claim 8 , wherein the multiplier particles are disposed within the adhesive to create a specific pattern of relatively dimmer or brighter portions of the first pattern.

11. A method of making a label comprising:
preparing a substrate, the substrate having a plurality of cells defined thereon, the plurality of cells defined by cell walls formed extending from the substrate;
selectively applying a taggant in a first pattern to one or more of the plurality of cells, the taggant configured to emit luminescence upon excitation by an excitation signal;
selectively applying the taggant in a second pattern to two or more of the plurality of cells, and the first and second patterns being detectable and recognizable by a detector; and
applying an adhesive layer to the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein selectively applying the taggant in the first pattern to one or more of the cells comprises disposing the taggant within the cell walls corresponding to the one or more cells.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising applying an object to the adhesive.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising applying a printing pattern on the object.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising disposing a multiplier particle in the adhesive to strengthen or scatter the luminescence emitted from the taggant.

Assignees

• United States Postal Service

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G09F3/0297

  including a machine-readable marking, e.g. a bar code (digitally marked record carriers in general G06K19/00) · CPC title

• G01N21/643

  non-biological material · CPC title

• G07D7/0053 Primary

  involving markings added to a pattern, e.g. interstitial points · CPC title

• G06K19/14

  the marking being sensed by radiation · CPC title

• G01N2021/6421

  Measuring at two or more wavelengths · CPC title