EP1176562A2 - A method of preventing counterfeiting - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of preventing counterfeiting of an item, comprising the stepsof: providing an item, the authenticity of which is to be verified; providing abank note having a serial number marked thereon; physically associating thebank note with the item; and marking at least a part of the serial number on theitem.

Also disclosed is a combination of an item, the authenticity of which is to beverified, and a bank note having a serial number marked thereon, wherein thebank note is physically associated with the item and the item has at least a partof the serial number of the bank note marked thereon.

Description

• THIS INVENTION relates to a method of preventing counterfeiting, and inparticular to a method of packaging goods in such a way that the likelihood ofcounterfeit goods being successfully manufactured and distributed is reduced.
• The counterfeiting of goods by unauthorised manufacturers exploiting famousbrands or marks has been a persistent problem for many years. Manufacturersjealously guard the reputations of their products so much time and effort isdevoted by authentic manufacturers in marking their products in ways that aredifficult to reproduce, and examples of techniques used include marking goodswith holograms, watermarks, digital watermarks, or with designs that are onlyvisible under certain lighting conditions. However, counterfeiting methodshave become increasingly sophisticated, and methods of overcoming suchtechniques are becoming available to unscrupulous traders.
• It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of packaging goodswhich simply and effectively reduces the possibility of the packaging beingreproducible by counterfeiters.
• Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides a method ofpreventing counterfeiting of an item, comprising the steps of: providing anitem, the authenticity of which is to be verified; providing a bank note having aserial number marked thereon; physically associating the bank note with theitem; and marking at least a part of the serial number on the item.
• Advantageously, the at least part of the serial number comprises the whole ofthe serial number.
• Preferably, the step of physically associating the bank note with the itemcomprises the step of rendering the at least part of the serial number visible.
• Conveniently, the item includes packaging, and the step of physicallyassociating the bank note with the item comprises the step of physicallyassociating the bank note with the packaging.
• Advantageously, the step of physically associating the bank note with the itemcomprises the step of providing a transparent surface, the bank note beinglocated between the item and the transparent surface.
• Preferably, the step of physically associating the bank note with the itemcomprises the steps of: providing a bag having an at least partially transparentarea; and placing the bank note within the bag.
• Conveniently, the method further comprises the step of marking the at least partof the serial number of the bank note on the item in at least one furtherlocation.
• Advantageously, the method further comprises the steps of: providing at leastone further bank note; and physically associating the at least one further banknote with the item.
• Preferably, the step of providing at least one further bank note comprises thestep of providing one further bank note.
• Conveniently, the step of providing at least one further bank note comprises thestep of providing two further bank notes.
• Another aspect of the present invention provides a combination of an item, theauthenticity of which is to be verified, and a bank note having a serial numbermarked thereon, wherein the bank note is physically associated with the itemand the item has at least a part of the serial number of the bank note markedthereon.
• Advantageously, the at least part of the serial number comprises the whole ofthe serial number.
• Preferably, at least part of the bank note is rendered visible.
• Conveniently, the combination further comprises a transparent surface, thebank note being located between the item and the transparent surface.
• Advantageously, the combination further comprises a bag having an at leastpartially transparent area, the bank note being located within the bag.
• Preferably, the at least part of the serial number is marked in at least one furtherlocation on the item.
• In order that the present invention may be more readily understood,embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, and withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
• Figure 1 is a side view of a combination of a bottle and a bank note embodyingthe present invention; and
• Figure 2 is a plan view of a combination of a watch and a bank note embodyingthe present invention.
• Turning firstly to Figure 1, a bottle 1 is shown. The bottle 1 contains a liquidsuch as a valuable spirit produced by a manufacturer anxious to maintainquality and prevent counterfeit products entering the market. The manufacturerwishes to reassure the purchaser that the content of the bottle comes from areputable source, ie the manufacturer, and is not counterfeit.
• Atransparent bag 2 having abank note 3 sealed therein is attached to part ofthe curved outer surface of the main body of the bottle 1 by a suitable adhesive.Thebank note 3 is presented in thetransparent bag 2 in an unfolded manner,and the entirety of one side of thebank note 3, on which aserial number 4 ofthebank note 3 is marked, is visible through thetransparent bag 2. Thetransparent bag 2 is preferably waterproof and hermetically sealed, to preventdamage to thebank note 3 arising from the outside of the bottle 1 coming intocontact with moisture, dust or the like during storage and display.
• Thebank note 3 may be folded in the bag, the full serial number being visible.
• Aconventional label 5 is provided on another region of the curved outersurface of the main body of the bottle 1. Theconventional label 5 presentsinformation regarding the contents of the bottle 1, which may include thealcoholic concentration and volume of liquid enclosed therein. Importantly, theserial number 4 of thebank note 3 contained in thebag 2 is marked on theconventional label 5.
• The cap 6 of the bottle 1 is formed such that aremovable strip 7 must be tornoff before the cap 6 can be removed from the bottle 1. Theserial number 4 ofthebank note 3 is also marked on theremovable strip 7.
• The above described method provides packaging that is very difficult toreplicate. If a counterfeiter makes a copy of theconventional label 5 or theremovable strip 7 of the bottle 1, he or she will be extremely unlikely to be inpossession of thebank note 3 bearing theserial number 4 that is identical tothat printed on thelabel 5 or theremovable strip 7. Hence, the counterfeiterwill be unable to present a bottle in which the serial number on the bank notematches the serial number presented on the rest of the packaging. Thus, bottlespackaged by a counterfeiter will be immediately identifiable as not being agenuine product.
• The packaging of the bottle 1 is rendered additionally difficult to replicate dueto the difficulty in forging bank notes. Bank notes are deliberately madeextremely difficult to copy. The penalties for forging bank notes are also veryharsh and usually are greater than the penalties for counterfeiting commercialproducts. It would not, in view of this, be in the interests of counterfeiters toattempt to forge bank notes in an attempt to replicate packaging embodying thepresent invention.
• It will be appreciated that the present invention provides a very secure methodof preventing counterfeiting of goods.
• In a preferred embodiment of the invention, only a part of theserial number 4is presented on theconventional label 5 andremovable strip 7 of the bottle 1.For instance, if thebank note 3 carries a ten-digit serial number, the marking ofthe final six digits of the serial number would be sufficient to ensure that theproduct contained in the bottle 1 is genuine. The probability of a counterfeiterbeing able to obtain a bank note having a serial number with an identical finalsix digits to those of the serial number shown on the packaging is extremelyremote. In this embodiment of the invention, it is not necessary for theentireserial number 4 of thebank note 3 to be visible, and only those portions of theserial number 4 that are replicated on the remainder of the packaging need bepresented.
• For additional security, more than one bank note may be presented in thepackaging of an object. In this embodiment, a sealed transparent bagsufficiently large to contain two bank notes side by side may be provided on abottle, the bank notes being located therein. The serial numbers of both banknotes (or significant portions thereof, as described above) would be presentedon the remainder of the packaging of the bottle. It will be appreciated that, iftwo serial numbers are presented on the label of a bottle, the probability of acounterfeiter being able to obtain both necessary bank notes is even less thanthat of being able to obtain a single specific bank note. The greater the numberof bank notes present, the smaller the possibility of reproduction of thepackaging of the bottle becomes.
• In one embodiment of the invention, the bank note is presented such that anexternal surface of the sealedbag 2 is opaque, and an inner surface of thebag 2is transparent. In this embodiment, the material from which the bottle 1 ismade, and the liquid contained within the bottle 1, are sufficiently transparentthat theserial number 4 of thebank note 3 is visible through one wall of thebottle 1 and the liquid contained therein. In this manner, the present inventionmay be put into practice without the need for a manufacturer's well-knowndesign of packaging to be disturbed by the presence of abank note 3 on anexternal surface of the bottle 1.
• It is, of course, not necessary to provide a sealed bag in which to present thebank note 3, and it will be clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art that anyform of packaging that allows the serial number of thebank note 3 to beexternally inspected will suffice. For example, a single transparent sheet couldbe adhered to the side of the bottle 1 by the edges thereof, thebank note 3being provided between the outer surface of the bottle 1 and the transparentsheet.
• Figure 2 shows a watch 8. In this embodiment, a bank note 9 is presented in asealedtransparent bag 10 similar to that provided on the external surface of thebottle 1 described above.
• Thetransparent bag 10 containing the bank note 9 is attached, at one edge 11thereof, to a length ofwire 12. A loop of thewire 12 passes through ahole 13in astrap 14 of the watch 8. Thetransparent bag 10 is therefore connected tothe watch 8 by thewire 12. Aserial number 15 of the bank note 9 is marked onthe watch 8, for instance by etching on a rear surface (not shown) thereof.
• In this embodiment of the invention, a prospective buyer of the watch 8 needonly compare theserial number 15 of the bank note 9 attached to the watch 8with that etched on the rear surface of the watch 8 to determine whether or notthe watch 8 is a genuine article, or a counterfeit thereof. Only if the numbersmatch can the prospective buyer be confident that the watch 8 is genuine.
• It is envisaged that the item whose authenticity is to be verified may beprovided in a separate, preferably tamper-proof, package, for example a box.In this instance, a bank note may be physically associated with the package byattachment thereto, rather than being physically associated with the item itself.In this embodiment, the outward appearance of the item need not be disturbedby the presence of a bank note, and a consumer may still be confident uponpurchase of the item that the item is an authentic one.
• The present invention is not limited to the examples given above, and it will beclear to a person skilled in the art that any object may be packaged in a mannerembodying the present invention in order to effectively combat counterfeitingthereof.
• In the present specification "comprises" means "includes or consists of and"comprising" means "including or consisting of".
• The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, orthe accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of ameans for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process forattaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in anycombination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverseforms thereof.

Claims (16)

1. A method of preventing counterfeiting of an item, comprising the stepsof:

   providing an item, the authenticity of which is to be verified;

   providing a bank note having a serial number marked thereon;

   physically associating the bank note with the item; and

   marking at least a part of the serial number on the item.
2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the at least part of the serialnumber comprises the whole of the serial number.
3. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of physicallyassociating the bank note with the item comprises the step of rendering the atleast part of the serial number visible.
4. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the item includespackaging, and the step of physically associating the bank note with the itemcomprises the step of physically associating the bank note with the packaging.
5. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the step ofphysically associating the bank note with the item comprises the step ofproviding a transparent surface, the bank note being located between the itemand the transparent surface.
6. A method according to any one of Claim 1 to 4, wherein the step ofphysically associating the bank note with the item comprises the steps of:

   providing a bag having an at least partially transparent area; and

   placing the bank note within the bag.
7. A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising the stepof marking the at least part of the serial number of the bank note on the item inat least one further location.
8. A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising the stepsof:

   providing at least one further bank note; and

   physically associating the at least one further bank note with the item.
9. A method according to Claim 8, wherein the step of providing at leastone further bank note comprises the step of providing one further bank note.
10. A method according to Claim 8, wherein the step of providing at leastone further bank note comprises the step of providing two further bank notes.
11. A combination of an item, the authenticity of which is to be verified, anda bank note having a serial number marked thereon, wherein the bank note isphysically associated with the item and the item has at least a part of the serialnumber of the bank note marked thereon.
12. A combination according to Claim 11, wherein the at least part of theserial number comprises the whole of the serial number.
13. A combination according to Claim 11 or 12, wherein at least part of thebank note is rendered visible.
14. A combination according to any one of Claims 11 to 13, furthercomprising a transparent surface, the bank note being located between the itemand the transparent surface.
15. A combination according to any one of Claims 11 to 13, furthercomprising a bag having an at least partially transparent area, the bank notebeing located within the bag.
16. A combination according to any one of Claims 11 to 15, wherein the atleast part of the serial number is marked in at least one further location on theitem.

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