阅读说明：本技术 用于瓶子鉴定的防篡改物理不可克隆功能密封件 (Tamper-resistant physically unclonable function seal for bottle authentication ) 是由 斯科特·理查德·卡斯尔 加里·A·丹顿 詹姆斯·P·德拉蒙德 安德鲁·克里斯多佛·加德纳 凯 于 2020-03-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：葡萄酒和烈性酒的瓶子具有适用于瓶子的盖/塞子的收缩包装密封,或其他类型的密封。这种密封材料可以加入随机磁化的颗粒,例如钕、铁和硼的合金(“NdFeB”)碎片。随机磁化的颗粒为瓶子提供了唯一的不可克隆的磁指纹。可以对围绕瓶子颈部的表面的一个或更多个周向带记录磁场,并用作鉴定瓶子的磁指纹。可以通过将瓶子插入测量磁指纹的适当的装置中来执行鉴定。(Wine and spirits bottles have shrink-wrap seals, or other types of seals, suitable for the cap/stopper of the bottle. Such a seal material may incorporate randomly magnetized particles such as pieces of an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron ("NdFeB"). Randomly magnetized particles provide a unique unclonable magnetic fingerprint for the bottle. The magnetic field may be recorded for one or more circumferential bands around the surface of the bottle neck and used as a magnetic fingerprint to authenticate the bottle. Authentication may be performed by inserting the bottle into a suitable device for measuring the magnetic fingerprint.)

1. A tamper-resistant label or seal that produces multifactorial authentication, comprising:

a tag integrated with a magnetic Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) material in the form of particles that produces a magnetic field or a magnetic fingerprint that can be interrogated by a sensor device, wherein the PUF material is distributed and sufficiently dense that it cannot be copied;

the PUF material is configured such that if the PUF material is removed from an object, portions of the label are separated, some PUF material remains on the object and other PUF material remains on the label;

a plurality of layers in the label; and

the substrate, which is a durable portion of the label, may be vinyl, PET, polyester, acrylic, paper, or other rigid or flexible material.

2. A tamper-evident label or seal as claimed in claim 1, wherein a magnetic field can be recorded for one or more circumferential bands around the surface of the bottle neck and used as a magnetic fingerprint to authenticate the bottle.

3. The tamper-resistant label or seal of claim 1, wherein the particles comprise an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron.

4. The tamper-resistant label or seal of claim 1, wherein the particles comprise an alloy of samarium and cobalt.

5. The tamper-resistant label or seal of claim 1, wherein the label or seal can further comprise a bar code or two-dimensional ("QR") code identifying a wine brand and bottle serial number.

6. A method of bottle authentication comprising the steps of:

attaching a label to the bottle, the label incorporating magnetic Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) material in particulate form that produces a magnetic field or magnetic fingerprint that can be interrogated by a sensor device, wherein the PUF material is distributed and sufficiently dense that it cannot be copied;

configuring the PUF material such that if the PUF material is removed from the object, portions of the label are separated, some PUF material remains on the object and other PUF material remains on the label;

registering the magnetic fingerprint of the PUF tag on the bottle by recording a magnetic field to one or more circumferential bands around the surface of the bottle neck, storing registration data, and authenticating the bottle using the recorded magnetic field as a magnetic fingerprint;

using a kiosk-type device with a rotatable surface at the bottom on which the bottle is placed and centered, one or more tri-axial magnetic sensors are advanced into near contact with the PUF anti-tamper seal near the top of the bottle;

rotating the bottle to create a magnetic field profile; and

comparing the measured profile with the registration data to authenticate the bottle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the bottle is rotated at least 360 degrees.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the bottle is kept stationary and the one or more sensors are moved over the surface of the magnetic PUF sealing material to establish the magnetic field profile.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the bottle is placed horizontally on a roller or other similar device or mechanism and rotated about the axis of the bottle while collecting magnetic fingerprint signals from a fixed sensor location.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein when the bottle is authenticated, information is transmitted back to the kiosk-type device to confirm that the bottle is authenticated and a certificate of authentication can be displayed on a screen or printed.

11. A tamper-evident label for sealing an object, comprising:

physical Unclonable Function (PUF) material integrated in the tag, the tag producing a magnetic fingerprint capable of being interrogated by a sensor device;

at least two rows of perforated areas, said perforated areas being tear locations when said object is opened;

a plurality of layers in the label, the plurality of layers comprising: a rigid or film substrate comprising a PUF material as an upper layer of a label, an adhesive layer having the PUF material distributed in an adhesive, a release layer that causes the adhesive to separate with a force that is lower than the force required to remove the rest of the label.

12. The tamper-resistant label of claim 11, wherein the substrate may be uniquely registered.

13. The tamper-resistant label of claim 12, wherein the adhesive is capable of being featured and registered with the label substrate.

14. The tamper-evident tag of claim 11, wherein the object is a bottle.

Background

The present disclosure relates generally to anti-counterfeiting technology in the fields of wine, spirits, packaging seals and labels.

Certain types of products tend to be more attractive to counterfeiters than others — wine and spirits meet these two key criteria, with strong brands, high pricing and high taxes. According to the european union intellectual property office, sales were lost almost 28 billion euros throughout europe in 2018 due to counterfeiting of wine and spirits industries. Furthermore, according to market analysts, 20% of the wines sold worldwide are counterfeit, and in some countries this proportion rises to 50%.

Two european companies have introduced anti-counterfeiting technology aimed at preventing the illegal refilling of bottles of wine and spirits. The name isDeveloped by Inside Secure in france and Selinko in belgium and used near field communication ("NFC") tags. The NFC tag is contained in a capsule that seals the neck of the bottle, enabling knowledge of whether the bottle has been previously opened.

A case study published by De La Rue indicates that: the Eddington Group is a world-known manufacturer of The Macallin Highland Single Malt Spotch Whisky who faces challenges when a refilled used bottle is left with a label intact and begins to appear on The shelf under its brand name. This presents serious consumer safety issues, as well as global brand issues. "

As a solution, wine makers have added De La Rue's tamper-resistant holographic security label on their bottles to combat the counterfeiting problem. However, holograms are reproducible, so it is not clear at present how long this solution can last. There is a need for a safer non-clonable identification method to prevent refilling of empty bottles of high-priced wines and spirits or any package with a well-defined access for opening the package.

SUMMARY

The described invention is a label, seal, component or package containing a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) that has an indication of tampering if disturbed. The tamper features are apparent on the surface by visual or sensing methods. The application of tamper-evident functionality is intended for higher value items, including wine, spirits or packaging.

Brief Description of Drawings

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of the disclosed embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

figure 1 shows a bottle with a shrink sleeve.

Fig. 2 shows a screw cap with a tamper-evident ring.

Fig. 3A shows a physically unclonable function sealing label and fig. 3B shows a physically unclonable function sealing label located on a bottle.

Fig. 4A shows a cross-section of a physically unclonable function material with a single-sided release layer, and fig. 4B shows a cross-section of a tampered physically unclonable function material with a single-sided release layer.

Fig. 5A shows a cross-section of a physically unclonable functional material with a double-sided release layer, 1 and fig. 5B shows a cross-section of a tampered physically unclonable functional material with a double-sided release layer.

Fig. 6A shows a multifactorial physically unclonable functional material and fig. 6B shows a cross-section of a multifactorial physically unclonable functional material.

Fig. 7 shows a physically unclonable functional material label with removable segments.

Detailed Description

It is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As used herein, the terms "having," "including," "comprising," and similar terms are open-ended terms that indicate the presence of the stated elements or features, but do not exclude additional elements or features. The articles "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural and singular, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

Terms such as "about" and the like have contextual meanings for describing various features of an object, and these terms have the ordinary and customary meaning for those skilled in the relevant art. Terms such as "about" and the like, in a first context, as understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art, mean "close to" to some extent; and in a second context to describe various features of the object, and in that second context, to mean "within a small percentage," as understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art.

Unless limited otherwise, the terms "connected," "coupled," and "mounted," and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. Further, the terms "connected" and "coupled" and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. Spatially relative terms, such as "top," "bottom," "front," "back," and "side," "below," "lower," "over," "upper," and the like, are used for convenience in describing and explaining the positioning of one element relative to a second element. These terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to different orientations depicted in the figures. In addition, terms such as "first," "second," and the like, are used to describe various elements, regions, sections, etc. and are not intended to be limiting. Throughout this description, like terms refer to like elements.

As shown in fig. 1, many wine bottles have a shrink-wrap seal (shrink-wrap seal)110 applied to the cap/stopper 121 of the bottle 131. Such shrink wrap materials may incorporate randomly magnetized Particles such as, for example, neodymium, iron and boron alloys ("NdFeB") or samarium and cobalt alloys ("SmCo") fragments (flashes), as taught in U.S. patent 9,553,582 entitled "Physical amorphous Function bathing Magnetic and Non-Magnetic composites," the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The randomly magnetized particles provide a unique, unclonable magnetic fingerprint for the top of the bottle. The magnetic field may be recorded for one or more circumferential bands around the surface of the neck of the bottle and used as a magnetic fingerprint to authenticate the bottle. Conversely, the flexible surface magnetic field reading device is bent around the cylinder. Authentication may be performed by inserting the bottle into a kiosk-type device or other suitable device that measures the magnetic fingerprint as the bottle is rotated one to two or more turns, or reads directly in an arc. For example, these kiosk-type devices may be placed in a retail establishment for use each time a bottle needs to be authenticated.

In a first embodiment, the kiosk-type device has a rotatable surface at the bottom on which the wine bottle is placed and centered. A rotary encoder attached to the shaft below the rotating surface provides a rotational angle value for correlation with the magnetic field readings as the bottle is authenticated. One or more magnetic sensors, preferably 3-axis sensors, are urged into close contact with the PUF anti-tamper seal near the top of the bottle. The bottle is rotated (preferably 360 degrees) sufficiently to establish a field profile and the field profile is recorded for each axis/component of the magnetic field. The measured file is processed and compared with the registration data to authenticate the bottle. The processing of the authentication data may be performed at a remote server having access to the registered test value of each PUF-protected bottle. The bottle label may also contain a bar code or two-dimensional ("QR") code that identifies the brand of wine and the serial number of the bottle. This information may be read by a digital camera or other sensor (optical or otherwise) to identify the serial number of the bottle being authenticated. The remote server may then use the serial number to select a registration data file for the bottle.

In a second embodiment, the bottle is kept stationary and the one or more sensors are located on or moved over the surface of the magnetic PUF encapsulant. Depending on the position of the magnetic PUF sealing material, this movement may be around the surface of the bottle neck, along the length of the bottle neck, or along any other suitable surface of the bottle. Measuring a fingerprint on a circular path is generally preferred because it requires less data storage than measuring along other paths, since measuring on a circular path allows continuous reading at known locations. Other paths will require additional start and stop registration of path information.

In a third embodiment, the bottle is placed horizontally on a roller or other similar device or mechanism and rotated about the axis of the bottle while collecting magnetic fingerprint signals from a fixed sensor location.

In a fourth embodiment, a magnetic PUF disc may be attached to the top or bottom of the bottle for authentication where a preferably flat surface is present.

When the bottle is authenticated, information is transmitted back to the kiosk-type device to confirm that the bottle is authenticated and a brief report or certificate of authenticity can be displayed or printed on the screen for the customer to take with the bottle. The reporting information may include details such as bottle serial number, vineyard location, barrel number, bottling location, bottling date, etc. The identification report may also display all previous identification records (time, place, identification location, identification kiosk-type device, etc.). This information will serve to deter refilling while allowing the retailer to authenticate upon receipt of a bottle from any source.

In a similar manner, the invention can be applied to bottles of spirits such as vodka, gin, bourbon, etc. It may also be applied to the authentication of bottles containing prescription drugs or any other packaged product requiring authentication.

In a fifth embodiment, a tamper-evident cap (pointer-event cap)201 as shown in fig. 2 may be molded with magnetic debris in the flat top of the cap 221. The fingerprint may be read on the side 231 or top 221 during rotation of the bottle, or in a stationary reader using a magnetic sensor array. When the top part 221 is removed, the cover bottom part 211 is separated from the top part 221, so that the magnetic particles are disturbed and separated from their original position.

It should be appreciated that in any of the foregoing possible embodiments, a handheld magnetic sensing device containing an array of magnetic sensing elements may be used to scan a magnetic PUF encapsulation material. User operation of the handheld magnetic sensing device may be similar to the traditional user experience of a handheld 2D optical barcode scanner. However, rather than capturing optical barcode data, when a handheld magnetic scanner is placed in stationary contact with the PUF sealing material, an array of magnetic sensors within the reader captures magnetic data at points along the label surface. The sensor constructs a "map" of the magnetic field strength seen at each sensing element. This sensed magnetic data map is then compared to a previously registered magnetic field map, which was obtained at the original time of product manufacture, to determine if the magnetic "fingerprint" is authentic. In case the magnetic PUF encapsulation material has been tampered with, the magnetic fingerprint collected by the magnetic array sensing device will not match the magnetic data map (fingerprint) recorded at the time of original manufacture, i.e. before tampering.

The invention is the use of PUF materials in tamper-resistant labels or seals to produce multifactorial authentication. The seal has the property of imparting a unique signature on its surface which can be used as a feature for authentication in a predetermined state or after installation of the object to be sealed. Fig. 3 shows a tamper-evident label for sealing an object. The label 301 is displayed with the word "SEAL". The tag integrates Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) material 311, which produces a unique fingerprint that can be queried by a sensor device (not shown). The PUF material is distributed, randomly oriented, and dense enough that it cannot be duplicated. The density also makes it possible to prove that the label has been tampered with if any part is removed. Another feature is that the PUF material is configured such that if it is removed from the object, parts of the tag are separated, leaving some PUF material on the object and others on the tag. Since the removal is in a way that causes the PUF material to change, the structure will be disturbed if a reseal is attempted. This makes it apparent that the label is tampered with. The solid shape represents the PUF material. These particles are also distributed in the region of the "SEAL" word.

The label has multiple layers to facilitate the tamper function of the label. The substrate may serve as a durable surface for the label. The material may be vinyl, PET, polyester, acrylic, paper, or other rigid or flexible material. Authentication may be by manual or electronic inspection. The label has additional features to facilitate breaking the seal to indicate tampering. Fig. 3A shows two rows of circles 321a, 321b, which are perforated areas that will become tear locations when the cover is removed. Other means may be used to emboss, emboss or score the lines to create tear locations in place of the perforated regions.

FIG. 4A shows a cross-section of the tag of FIG. 3A taken along line 4A-4A. The rigid or film substrate is the upper layer 411 of the label comprising the PUF material. The next layer is an adhesive layer 421 in which the PUF material is distributed. There is an optional release layer 431 which allows the adhesive to separate with a lower force than the rest of the area from which the label is removed. The label is attached to the object or package 441. The release layer may be located in a number of different positions within these layers. A key feature of the tag is that the substrate can be uniquely registered (enrolled). The adhesive may also be characterized and registered with the label substrate. This allows judicial evaluation of tags before and after separation. Fig. 4B shows the result of the separation, some of the adhesive 431 remaining on the substrate and some remaining on the object or package 441.

Fig. 5A shows an option in which the adhesive 511 is the only layer comprising the PUF material. This is a lower cost solution, but it does not have the ability to uniquely identify the substrate. When the label surface 501 is pulled to initiate separation, the release layer 531 includes a weak point to initiate separation. The PUF material 521 may be composed of particles having a relative permeability greater than 1. These may be hard or soft magnetic materials. In the case of hard magnetic materials, they may be demagnetized or pre-magnetized. To create a multifactorial authentication, other PUF materials may be present. These include optical fibers, copper or aluminum plated wires. If the length of the fibers or wires is several times the thickness of the substrate, they will work in an optimal mode. This will allow the light source or voltage probe to couple energy into the substrate and transfer the energy to random locations along the substrate. This can be detected by a light sensitive or capacitive sensor. By having multiple factors, different authentication methods can be applied, which increases the entropy of the system.

Fig. 5B shows label surface 501 separated from object or package 541. Separation begins with the release layer 531 and ruptures the adhesive layer 511 leaving a torn surface 551.

The addition of a fiber-like structure to the magnetic particles 621 creates an additional feature bridging the tag separation locations. The fibers may be pulled from adjacent materials along the separation lines. These fiber breaks or dislocations make it impossible to reassemble the label and maintain the consistency of the original registration data. Fig. 6A, 6B show an adhesive or substrate material with optical fibers 601 integrated with particles, and a light source 611.

Preferably, the fibers can be pulled out of the matrix or broken in such a way that they will no longer perform an authentication function if reassembled.

By selecting a film substrate with a modulus lower than the cohesive and/or adhesive strength of the adhesive layer, additional evidence of tampering can be provided, such that the shape of the film, and thus the relative distribution of PUF material within the film, is easily deformed after removal. The PUF object may be a reflow material, such as a wax with a matrix material.

Fig. 7 shows a tag with a removable section 711, the removable section 711 indicating the use of the stored content. The tag has a reserved section 701 representing the amount of information stored. Figure 7 shows a label or seal divided into different regions. The top larger area 701 is intended to be a permanent tag area where the PUF material is located in a certain area. The construction is similar to the tag in fig. 3 and 5, where the PUF is designed to be attached to the package. The smaller area of the bottom is the tear-off or peel-away section which represents the use and use verification. For each use of the package, the torn 711 will represent a token. The token will authenticate that the use came from a certain wrapper. The token may be completely transferred to the user or only partial separation may be used. The entire tag is registered in the database. If disputed, the permanent PUF material left on the package and the torn-off token may be analyzed to ensure that the two match.

The security tag may be applied to a group of packages at a time. For example, FIG. 7 may be located on several sub-sheet (pill) removable segments of a larger container package. By tearing off the sub-tab segments, the individual sub-tab segments can later be verified as coming from the parent package.

The PUF material is embedded in an electroactive polymer which will deform if an electrical potential is applied. Applying a potential will migrate the particles by displacing the material and changing the position of the PUF particles. The material can be registered in various states so that the correct potential must be applied to authenticate the object.

Self-destruct objects (self-destructuring objects) are created by selecting a thermally sensitive matrix that allows particle migration. Moisture, shock displacements, ultraviolet light, air exposure, chemical, electrical or other stimuli may alter the object in accordance with the registration data. This method can be used to disable any labels due to expiration or withdrawal of material in the package. In this way, a user in the supply chain may reject an invalid tag.

The above invention is not limited to applied labels. The process of manufacturing the layers may be integrated into any process that makes the label part of a package or device. This process may be integrated into a molding or extrusion process to make a replacement or original part of a larger device. The token may be used to authenticate the repair or assembly of a critical device set.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise steps and/or forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.