Anticounterfeiting technology patent round-up

SecuringPharma.com presents a round-up of recent patent awards in the area of anti-counterfeiting technologies at the US Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO). All the listed patents indicate utility of the invention in the pharmaceutical sector.

Counterfeit and tamper resistant labels with randomly occurring features

No. 7,497,379

Techniques are disclosed to enable utilization of randomly-occurring features of a label (whether embedded or naturally inherent) to provide counterfeit-resistant and/or tamper-resistant labels...

Assignee: Microsoft Corp

Birefringent marking

No. 7,495,740

The invention relates to a method of preparing a birefringent marking by printing a polymerisable liquid crystal material onto at least one side of a substrate and polymerising the liquid crystal material, to a birefringent marking obtained by this method, and to the use of the birefringent marking for decorative, security, authentification and identification applications...

Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH

Secure reader for use in data management

No. 7,494,062

A secure reader for reading a spatial code and a security feature. The secure reader comprises: (i) a security module, and (ii) a read engine for reading both a spatial code and a security feature carried by an item...

Assignee: NCR Corp

Security markers for marking a person or property

No. 7,488,954

A method of identifying a source of a marking fluid applied to a person or an object comprises applying a marking fluid including one or more security markers to a person or an object and illuminating the applied marking fluid to excite the security markers...

Assignee: NCR Corp

Package distinguishing system

No. 7,466,234

A system for distinguishing a package includes a plurality of identifiers, where at least one of the identifiers is intentionally non-functional. The system also includes an identifier indicator that indicates the identity of the at least one of the identifiers that is intentionally non-functional. In addition, the identifier indicator is stored on at least one of the package and a database and is accessible by a user to authenticate the package.

Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company

Handheld pharmaceutical product scanner

No. 7,464,879

A sensing device for use with a pharmaceutical product associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions. Each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the pharmaceutical product...

Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd