DESC:PRIORITY CLAIM:
This application claims priority from the provisional application numbered 201941013234 filed with Indian Patent Office, Chennai on 02nd April 2019 titled “A system and method for providing in-line authentication using a substrate signature”, the entirety of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION:
[0001] The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which is to be performed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
Technical field of the invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a system and method for providing in-line tagging/generation and authentication using a substrate signature for a product. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for providing a multi-layer authentication for the product by generating unique signature using a digital copy proof layer and a substrate signature.
Background of the invention
[0003] Counterfeit products are an imitation of legitimate branded products which infringe upon a production monopoly held by an individual or a corporation. Counterfeit products are produced with the intent to bypass the legitimate branded products owner's monopoly and take advantage of the high market value of branded products. Counterfeit products frequently typically include clothing, software, pharmaceuticals, watches, electronics, recreational equipment and other branded goods resulting in patent infringement or trademark infringement. Counterfeit is a major pain for all the product owners. Because of the counterfeit, brand owners are facing not only loss of revenue but also the reputation of the brand and consumer trust. Further, counterfeit in pharmaceutical products provides hazards to consumer health and also threatens consumer’s life.
[0004] In recent times, counterfeited products have drastically increased due to the easy access for raw material and production costs. To overcome the above-mentioned problem, many companies started to provide anti counterfeit solutions, mainly categorizing it as covert, overt and forensic. Covert features are those, which can be authenticated by visual inspection for example hologram, thermochromic ink, and intaglio ink. However, authentication of covert features are normally done by using some special device, for example, UV ink by UV light, IR ink by using IR reader and taggant ink by specified device. In forensic authentication special material are used and to authenticate the same special apparatus is required, however the same cannot be implemented in field level by an end user, as it requires lab to validate the authenticity of product.
[0005] However, all these authentication methods have its own drawbacks like, UV, IR inks are so popularized and available to everyone. This leads to reduction in manufacturing cost and introducing these features to counterfeit product became normal. Further, covert and forensic features are good at preventing counterfeit product by non-replicable nature of it. But use of special device and lab setup for authentication, end users cannot authenticate the product easily. Also, these solutions are expensive to implement as there are special ink/pigment/Nano particles are used. The price of the solution makes it non-viable for in expensive products. Implementation of this solution sometimes alters the general process of product due to its customized solution.
[0006] Hence, there exists a need of a multi-layer authentication system for providing end to end anti counterfeit solution for products like tax stamps, packaging, certificate and any printed/non-printed products without using any special apparatus/device for authentication in field level by the end user.
Summary
[0007] To the present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a system and method that provides an in-line authentication to a product using a substrate signature. For this purpose, the system mainly comprises a digital key generation system, a marking system, a natural variance capturing system, a natural signature variance processing system, and an authentication server. The digital key generation system is configured to generate a digital copy proof layer comprising a variable information and substrate signature for each product. The marking system tags a substrate with the generated digital copy proof layer for the product. The natural variance capturing system captures a unique substrate signature from the tagged substrate. The natural signature variance processing system process the captured image from the natural variance capturing system. The authentication server receives a captured image of product comprising a product unique substrate signature from an end user device and provides authentication using the stored signature for the product.
[0008] The method for providing in-line authentication using substrate signature comprises the steps of generating a digital copy proof layer comprising a substrate signature and a variable information by a digital key generation system. The method then tags a substrate with the generated digital copy proof layer for the product by using a marking system. Further, the method captures a unique substrate signature from the tagged substrate and the digital copy proof layer by using a natural variance capturing system. The method then processes the captured image from the natural variance capturing system and extracts the unique substrate signature from the substrate. The method further sends the extracted unique substrate signature to authentication server by using a natural signature variance processing system. Finally, the method authenticates the unique substrate signature received from an end user device with the stored unique substrate signature information by using an authentication server.

Brief description of the drawings:
[0009] The foregoing and other features of embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements.
[0010] Fig. 1 illustrates a system for providing in-line generation and authentication using a substrate signature for a product, in accordance to one embodiment of the invention.
[0011] Fig. 2 illustrates a method for providing in-line generation and authentication using a substrate signature for a product, in accordance to one embodiment of the invention.
Detailed description of the invention:
[0012] Reference will now be made in detail to the description of the present subject matter, one or more examples of which are shown in figures. Each example is provided to explain the subject matter and not a limitation. Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the invention.
[0013] The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the technology available in the state of the art by providing an in-line signature generation and multi-layer authentication for a product and a marking system for each product. The purpose of this system is to make each product item unique by affixing (printing) the non-repeatable unique digital copy proof layer on a product substrate using a marking system. The system further captures a unique substrate signature and the digital copy proof layer and stores the data for each of the generated signature in the data base for authentication purpose.
[0014] Fig. 1 illustrates a system (100) for providing in-line generation and authentication using a substrate signature, in accordance to an embodiment of the invention.
[0015] As exemplarily illustrated in Fig. 1, the system (100) comprises a digital key generation system (101), a marking system (102), a natural variance capturing system (103), a natural signature variance processing system (104), and an authentication server (105). In an embodiment, the digital key generation system (101) is configured to generate a variable information for a digital copy proof layer for product authentication. In an embodiment, the generated variable information for a digital copy proof layer is used to prevent the information from modification.
[0016] In an embodiment, the marking system (102) is used to tag a substrate with the generated digital copy proof layer for the product from the digital key generation system (101).
[0017] The marking system (102) is, for example, an inkjet system, a laser marking system, or any other technology known in the art to tag the substrate with the generated digital copy proof layer for the product from the digital key generation system (101).
[0018] In an embodiment, the substrate is, for example, a paper, a carton, hologram or any other techniques known in the art for packing a product. Thus, the generated digital copy proof layer is tagged to the substrate for authenticating the product.
[0019] In an embodiment, the natural variance capturing system (103) is configured to capture a unique substrate signature from the tagged substrate, and the digital copy proof layer by the marking system (102). In an embodiment, the natural variance capturing system (103) captures the unique substrate signature of the substrate surface using substrate irregularity, print noises and digital induced copy proof layer.
[0020] In an embodiment, the natural signature variance processing system (104) is configured to process the captured image from the natural variance capturing system (103) and extract the unique substrate signature from the substrate. In an embodiment, the natural signature variance processing system (104) encrypts the extracted unique substrate signature from the substrate and sends the extracted unique substrate signature to the authentication server (105).
[0021] In an embodiment, the authentication server (105) is configured to store the extracted unique substrate signature for each product in a database for authentication purpose.
[0022] The authentication server (105) is configured to receive a captured image of product comprising the unique substrate signature from an end user (consumer) device (106) and provide authentication to the product by using the stored unique substrate signature for each product.
[0023] In another embodiment, the end user device (106) sends the captured image of the product comprising the unique substrate signature by using a mobile application installed on the end user device (106). The mobile application installed on the end user device (106) is configured to validate the product by allowing the customer to automatically capture the product substrate image using a camera. The authentication server (105) validates the received captured image against the stored signature for each product.
[0024] In another embodiment, the authentication server (105) authenticates the product through a web application installed on the end user device (106). The end user sends the product image comprising the unique substrate signature using the web application to the authentication server (105) for validation purpose. The authentication server (105) validates the received product unique substrate signature against the stored signature for each product.
[0025] Fig. 2 illustrates a method for providing in-line generation and authentication using a substrate signature, in accordance to an embodiment of the invention.
[0026] The method for providing an in-line generation and authentication for a product comprises the steps of generating a substrate signature and a variable information for a digital copy proof layer for product authentication by a digital key generation system (101) at step 201.
[0027] The method tags a substrate by using a marking system (102) with the generated digital copy proof layer for the product from the digital key generation system (101) in step 202.
[0028] At step 203, a natural variance capturing system (103) captures a unique substrate signature from the tagged substrate and the digital copy proof layer by the marking system (102).
[0029] At step 204, a natural signature variance processing system (104) processes the captured image from the natural variance capturing system (103) and extracts the unique substrate signature from the substrate. The extracted unique substrate signature is encrypted and sent to an authentication server (105).
[0030] At step 205, the authentication server (105) receives a captured image of product comprising the unique substrate signature from an end user device (106) and provides authentication to the product by using the stored unique substrate signature information.
[0031] The description of the present system has been presented for purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
,CLAIMS:Claims:
We claim:
1. A system (100) for providing in-line authentication using a substrate signature, the system (100) comprising:
a) a digital key generation system (101) configured to generate a digital copy proof layer comprising a variable information and substrate signature for each product;
b) a marking system (102) to tag a substrate with the generated digital copy proof layer for the product from the digital key generation system (101);
c) a natural variance capturing system (103) configured to capture a unique substrate signature from the tagged substrate, and the digital copy proof layer by the marking system (102);
d) a natural signature variance processing system (104) configured to process the captured image from the natural variance capturing system (103); and
e) an authentication server (105) configured to receive a captured image of product comprising a product unique substrate signature from an end user device (106) and provide authentication using the stored signature for the product.
2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the natural variance capturing system (103) captures the unique substrate signature of the substrate surface using substrate irregularity, print noises and digital induced copy proof layer.

3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the natural variance processing system (104) extracts the unique substrate signature from the substrate.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the natural signature variance processing system (104) encrypts the extracted unique substrate signature from the substrate.

5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the natural signature variance processing system (104) sends the extracted unique substrate signature to the authentication server (105).

6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication server (105) is configured to store the extracted unique substrate signature for each product in a database.

7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication server (105) validates the received product unique substrate signature against the stored signature for each product.

8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication server (105) validates the received captured image against the stored signature for each product.

9. The method for providing in-line authentication using a substrate signature, the method comprising the steps of:
a) generating a digital copy proof layer comprising a substrate signature and a variable information by a digital key generation system (101);
b) tagging a substrate with the generated digital copy proof layer for the product by a marking system (102);
c) capturing a unique substrate signature from the tagged substrate and the digital copy proof layer by the marking system (102) by a natural variance capturing system (103);
d) processing the captured image from the natural variance capturing system (103) and extracting the unique substrate signature from the substrate and further sending the extracted unique substrate signature to authentication server (105) by a natural signature variance processing system (104); and

e) authenticating the unique substrate signature received from an end user device (106) with the stored unique substrate signature information by the authentication server (105).