Field of the Invention The invention relates to a product verification method, and in particular, but not exclusively, to a method and apparatus for verifying that a product is genuine.

Background to the Invention Product manufacturers sometimes need to provide means for verification of the products that they offer. A user may wish to verify a product's authenticity, and also obtain further information regarding the product. For example, the product may be an expensive "designer- label" handbag, and the user may wish to confirm that the handbag is not a counterfeit. The user may be a customer considering purchasing the product, or alternatively a customs officer or other state official inspecting the product. A verification process needs to be completed quickly and with minimal user input, so as to avoid inconveniencing the user.

The present invention concerns a means for a manufacturer to verify remotely that a product is genuine, which in part entails establishing whether the product is where the manufacturer expects it to be. If the product is in an unexpected location, this may indicate that the product has been stolen, or that it has been produced illicitly, perhaps as a result of unauthorised over production. Therefore, in order to supply verification data to the user, the manufacturer needs to be informed of the product's current location. It is possible to use personal communications devices (PCDs) such as mobile phones for the purpose of supplying verification data. Such devices are typically equipped global positioning systems (GPS), which enable automatic retrieval of location data. Furthermore, PCDs are routinely provided with digital cameras or other forms of visual input devices which could be used in the verification process.

Some products are sold with a promotional entry into a lottery, a prize draw or other similar opportunity, which acts as an incentive for a user to purchase the product. If a PCD is used to verify such products, it makes sense to take further advantage of the functionality of the PCD by creating a digital entry on the PCD relating to the promotion, for example a virtual lottery ticket. This facilitates a quicker and more seamless experience for the user, and removes the need for a physical ticket. For this purpose, the manufacturer needs to associate the PCD with the product and the promotional entry. In addition, to avoid cost and data transfer issues, a numeric code or a barcode would need to be read from the product without costing time in terms of using a conventional barcode scanner for scanning the product/promotional entry for the customer.

A manufacturer may apply a product code to each of its products for future identification. Where this has been done, a user wishing to verify that a product is genuine can simply send the product code to the manufacturer, which can then confirm that the product is in the location expected and is therefore likely to be genuine.

One way in which a PCD could be used to do this is for the user to read the product code off the product and manually input the code into the PCD. However, this approach is time- consuming and prone to error. It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially mitigate the above issues.

Summary of the invention According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of identifying a product code that has been applied to a product. The method comprises capturing an image of the product to create a captured image containing the product code and a predetermined reference identifier that is positioned at a predetermined location in relation to the product code. The method further comprises analysing the captured image to identify the reference identifier, using the reference identifier to determine the position of the product code, and analysing a portion of the captured image corresponding to the determined position of the product code to identify the product code.

A solution to this problem according to an embodiment of the present invention is for the manufacturer to apply a common symbol (the predetermined reference identifier) to all of its products which can easily be recognised by a software application. The symbol is placed at a pre-determined distance from the product code. Therefore, once the software application recognises the symbol, the application can then determine what the product code is by examining an area of the product that is the pre-determined distance from the symbol. In this way, the symbol acts as a calibration point in a digital image, allowing the software application to analyse the image and identify the product code.

The symbol may be applied to the product by way of a paper label, or by directly marking the product. The symbols that are used to activate the software application could be specific to the manufacturer. Alternatively, there may be common symbols that are used by all manufacturers, in which case the product codes used are specific to the manufacturer.

The present invention may in one embodiment be provided as a software application on the PCD (for example an application on a smart phone) which controls a camera of the PCD so as to take a digital photograph the product code, and then automatically forward the image containing the code to the manufacturer.

As the reference identifier (which is also referred to herein as a "symbol") is predetermined, it is straightforward to identify it within the captured image. For example, if the method is implemented by a mobile device, an image of the reference identifier may be held in a memory of the device, such that the captured image can be compared with the stored image to identify the reference identifier. The predetermined reference identifier may comprise, for example, alphanumeric characters, logos, symbols, or pictures or any one or more combinations of such examples of an identifier. As will be described, the product code and the reference identifier may reside in a verification zone of the product, and so the method may include capturing an image of the verification zone.

As each product has a different product code, a difficulty may arise in that the software application does not know in advance what to look for. It may therefore be very difficult for the software application to analyse a photographed image and determine what the product code is. This is particularly the case if the product includes other markings which resemble the product code. The problem is compounded by the fact that the relative size of the product code varies depending on the distance from which the photograph is taken.

The method may therefore comprise analysing a portion of the captured image containing the reference identifier to determine the scale of the image. In this embodiment, the reference identifier may comprise a reference dimension, in which case the method comprises using the reference dimension to determine the scale of the image. The method may further comprise analysing a portion of the captured image containing the reference identifier to determine the orientation of the image. To this end, the reference identifier may comprise a reference angle, in which case the method comprises using the reference angle to determine the orientation and/or scale of the image.

Determining the scale and/or the orientation of the captured image allow for quicker and more effective identification of the product code within the captured image. The product code may comprise alphanumeric characters, and may be, for example, a verification code. Alternatively, the product code may comprise a non alphanumeric based code.

The reference identifier may comprise concentric circles, which provides a particularly convenient reference as the separation between the circles, which is known in advance, can be easily measured. A spoke may be provided between the circles to enable the orientation of the captured image to be determined.

The captured image may further comprise other codes or symbols, in which case the method comprises distinguishing the product code from the other codes or symbols. In this embodiment, the product code may be embedded within another code, for example to conceal the product code from the user. In an alternative embodiment the captured image of the product may comprise additional information unrelated to the predetermined reference identifier (for example in the form of a product information label or other markings) and the method may comprise distinguishing the product code from the other additional information.

The invention also extends to a verification method for verifying a transaction, the verification method comprising identifying a product code using the above described method of the invention, and sending a transaction code comprising the product code to a third party for verification.

The transaction code may further comprise a unique identifier associated with a user, a date, a product identification code, or a user-selected set of numbers in any combination. This additional data can help a third party to verify the transaction more accurately, and may also be useful for user identification, for example for "know-your-client" purposes. For example, the user-selected set of numbers may be a selection in a lottery draw, in which case it is useful to be able to confirm the identity of the user alongside indicating the lottery draw selection for fraud prevention. In another alternative, a "use-by" date may be included, creating the possibility for confirming that the product is safe to use, and that it is not being stocked illegally. The method may further comprise receiving a verification message from the third party to verify the transaction, for example to confirm that the product is genuine.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a computer program product arranged to implement the above described method of the invention, or the above described verification method of the invention. The computer program product may be, for example, arranged as an application for a telecommunications device. This provides a convenient automated implementation of the method described above, in which user input is minimised.

The invention extends to a carrier medium (or non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions) for carrying a computer readable code for controlling a computing device to carry out the method of the above described method of the invention, or the above described verification method of the invention.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for identifying a product code that has been applied to a product. The device comprises image capturing means arranged to capture an image of the product to create a captured image containing the product code and a predetermined reference identifier that is positioned at a predetermined location in relation to the product code. The device further comprises processing means arranged to analyse the captured image to identify the reference identifier, to use the reference identifier to determine the position of the product code, and to analyse a portion of the captured image corresponding to the determined position of the code to identify the product code. The device may further comprise output means arranged to transmit the product code to a third party. In this embodiment, the device may also comprise input means arranged to receive a verification message from the third party.

Conveniently, the device may be a mobile telecommunications device.

The invention also embraces, in yet another aspect, a method of enabling identification of a product code applied to a product, the method comprising positioning a reference identifier on the product at a predetermined position in relation to the product code. A product prepared in this way can then be verified in subsequent transactions through use of the embodiments of the invention described above. It will be appreciated that preferred and/or optional features of any of the aspects of the invention may be incorporated alone or in appropriate combination in any other aspect of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, preferred non-limiting embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a verification zone of a product including a product code and a reference identifier according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a flow diagram showing a verification process according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of apparatus used in the verification process of Figure 3; and

Figure 4 shows a reference identifier according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention

Figure 1 exemplifies an arrangement which implements a solution according to an embodiment of the invention. The arrangement includes a product 10 to which a label 12 carrying a symbol 14 is attached. The symbol 14 (the symbol is also referred to herein as the "reference identifier") is arranged to cooperate with a product code 16 embedded within an alphanumeric string which is applied to the product at a fixed location. The product code 16 may be the entire alphanumeric string, or it may be a subset of the string. The label 12 and the product code 16 are located within a verification zone 18 of the product and a distance 17 between the symbol 14 and the product code 16 is pre-determined and known. The portion of the alphanumeric string which constitutes the product code 16 must also be known. For example, in the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1 , the alphanumeric string reads "abed". However, the product code 16 may be only the last two characters of the string, namely "cd". The fact that the product code 16 is the last two digits of the string must be known in advance in order to determine the product code 16. This requirement adds a level of security which is useful if the product is to be associated with a promotional entry, as will be explained later.

Figure 2 is a flow diagram which details the steps involved in a product verification process 20. The verification process 20 begins with the user loading at Step 22 a software application on a computing device such as a PCD. It is noted that any suitable computing device which is arranged to be in communication with a verification server (as described herein) and which comprises the functionality described herein (and embodied within the software application) and comprises the ability to either capture an image or receive such an image may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention. For example, the present invention may be embodied on a mobile device, such as a smartphone, or on a tablet computing device.

The software application loads with an initial screen resembling that of a standard camera application, i.e. a screen of the PCD acts as a viewfinder or frame, allowing the user to compose the photograph. A button is provided which the user presses when ready, in order to capture a digital image. The button can be either a virtual button on the touch screen of the PCD, or a physical button on a body of the PCD. The verification process 20 continues with the user centring at Step 24 the symbol in the frame. The software application may include crosshairs on the screen of the PCD which help the user to centre the symbol 14 in the frame. Once the symbol is centred, the user then presses at Step 26 the button to capture an image of the symbol. The software application then processes at Step 28 the image to identify the product code 16. This may be by way of simple look up against a table of images relating to different symbols 14 or may be by way of an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) function whereby the alphanumeric characters in the image are recognised and converted into their digital values.

Once the product code 16 has been identified, the automated verification process 20 continues with the software application sending at Step 30 verification data to the manufacturer. This entails uploading the verification data (for example a packet of verification data) to a central server which has its own central database which holds details for and can be accessed by several manufacturers. The verifiable data (which may also be described herein as the "transaction code") is a combination of the product code and additional data including the relevant GPS location and/or cell location information from the phone. It can also include time and date that the image was captured. This data affords the manufacturer the requisite information to determine whether the product is counterfeit.

A validity check is carried out at Step 32 at the central server looking at data such as the date of issue of goods, location where the goods should be, how long ago these goods were put on the market. The validity check 32 can also be one which checks the number of goods which have been sold of this type and how many remain to be sold in that location. If all of the products with that code have been sold already, then this would indicate that the product being sold cannot be genuine. If the check results in a negative outcome (namely non- verification of the validity of the goods), the process generates an alert and indicates that this is a fraudulent copy of the goods. The alert is sent back at Step 36 to the requesting PCD indicating a negative result of the verification, namely that the goods are counterfeit. Alternatively, if the check which is carried out at Step 32 determines that the goods could be genuine, then goods are considered not to be fraudulent and an alert indicating that the product is genuine is then returned at Step 34 to the user, and the verification process 20 is complete.

At processing Step 28, the software application uses the known distance 17 of the product code 16 from the symbol 14 to identify the product code 16 within the image. A problem arising with this is that the relative distances within the captured image and the perceived size of the symbol 14 change according to the distance of the observer from the symbol 14. Therefore, the distance 17 between the symbol 14 and the product code 16 in the image is dependent on how far away from the product the PCD was when the photograph was taken. For example, if the symbol 14 is photographed at 6 inches (15cm) and then again at 10 inches (25cm), the resulting digital images portray the distance 17 between the symbol 14 and the product code 16 as differing sizes.

For this reason, the software application has foreknowledge of the actual size of the symbol 14. This allows the software application to analyse the image to determine its scale. The symbol 14 may have one key dimension that the software application focusses on in order to determine the scale. This also allows the software application to determine how far away from the product the PCD was when the photograph was taken. Once the scale of the captured image has been determined, the software application can identify the product code 16 by using the known distance 17 from the symbol 14 to the product code 16 and applying the scale. More specifically, the actual distance 17 between the symbol and the product code 16 in the captured image can be determined by scaling the pre-stored known distance 17 between the symbol 14 and the product code 16 up or down by the determined scale amount. Figures 3 and 4 provide further illustration of the process of photographing the symbol 14 and calculating the scale, and are discussed later.

The product code 16 contained within the image can then be digitalised within the software application and compiled into the verification data along with location/timing information. This is then uploaded to the central server and the central database via a telecommunications network. The product code 16 is pre-entered on the central database, and the product code 16 identifies both the product and the manufacturer. The product code 16 has details of the product associated with it in the central database, in order to give a basic level of verification to both the manufacturer and the customer that the product is genuine.

When the verification or non-verification alert is returned at Step 34 or 36, the manufacturer can also optionally include additional product information, which may include photographs and a description of the product. This genuine product information is also stored in the central database and can be retrieved when carrying out the verification check at Step 32. The retrieved genuine product information is displayed to the user on the PCD, enabling the user to confirm that the product description matches the product under inspection. This, in combination with verification from the manufacturer that the product is in an appropriate location and has passed other checks, provides the user a high degree of confidence that the product is genuine.

Figure 3 provides an illustration of a set-up for taking a photograph (capturing an image) of a symbol 14 provided on a label 12 attached to a product 10 with a PCD 38. It should be noted that for clarity the label 12 is illustrated with significant depth, whereas in reality the label 12 may be made from paper, and therefore have a thickness which is negligible compared with the thickness of the product 10.

As noted above, the PCD 38 includes a camera 40 which is used to capture an image. The PCD is positioned with the camera 40 facing the product 10 such that the label 12 falls within a field of view of the camera, as indicated by the dashed lines in the figure. Once the symbol 14 is centred in the field of view of the camera 40, the user presses a button 42 on the PCD 38 to capture the image. A distance 'x' defined between the camera 40 and the label 12 at the moment at which the image is taken, determines the scale of the image.

Figure 4 illustrates an example of a symbol 14 of another embodiment which is particularly suited to allowing calculation of scale. The symbol 14 comprises two concentric circles 44 of differing diameter, such that an offset y is defined between them. The value of the offset is known to the PCD. Therefore, the PCD can compare the offset in an image of the symbol 14 against the known size of the offset y in order to calculate the scale. Since the circles 44 have rotational symmetry, a spoke 46 is provided in order to allow the PCD to orient the image correctly in order to locate the product code 16.

For optimum results, the camera 40 should be positioned directly in front of the label 12; if the camera 40 is to the side of the label 12, such that the camera 40 is inclined relative to the label 12, the scale in the resulting image will not be constant. The symbol 14 of Figure 4 provides a method of checking for this, in that the offset y between the circles 44 in the image becomes variable (when it is measured over 360 degrees around the circumference of the inner circle 44) if the camera 40 is not oriented correctly (namely at right angles to the surface of the label) when the image is captured; the offset y appears largest in the portion of the symbol 14 nearest the camera 40 when the image is taken. This variation can be measured by the PCD, and if it is above a pre-determined threshold an error is generated, and the user is prompted to recapture the image of the label.

The above-described arrangement allows for a basic level of verification of a product. As mentioned previously, in an enhancement of this arrangement, the PCD can be used to create a digital entry in a promotion associated with the product, for example a virtual lottery ticket.

A product may have a promotional offer associated with it purely in order to encourage sales. However, an additional reason to include a promotional offer is to incentivise users to verify the product using their PCD. This provides valuable information to the manufacturer in terms of product distribution and, in particular, it helps the manufacturer to track down counterfeit goods. For these reasons, the manufacturer may contribute towards the cost of the item provided in the promotion. In an enhanced arrangement, it is desirable to make the verification process more robust, such that the digital entry can be tied to a particular user, rather than simply to the product and the PCD. This is because any winnings that may be derived from the entry need to be paid to the correct person. This is particularly important if the PCD is used on a "pay-as-you- go" basis, in which case it may be difficult to identify the user under normal circumstances as such accounts are typically anonymous. Additionally, there is potential for a fraudulent user to attempt to obtain information from the central database in order to create counterfeits.

Accordingly, in one embodiment the customer enters a unique user identifier into the PCD which is attached to the verification data prior to sending it to the manufacturer. The user identifier may be a date of birth or a personal identification number (PIN), which can be created by the user as part of a registration process for the software application. When the software application is ready to send the verification data to the manufacturer, the user is prompted to input the user identifier, either in full or in part. The entered information can be automatically attached to the outgoing verification data, which is then used by the manufacturer to complete the verification process. Alternatively, the software application may be arranged to disable a communications module of the PCD, thereby preventing transmission of the verification data to the manufacturer until the user has correctly entered the user identifier. Therefore, when the manufacturer receives the verification data, they can be confident of the user that sent it. In order to protect the user identifier from being learned by observers, the software application can require that only a subset of the identifier is entered, for example only the second and fourth digits.

In an enhancement of this security method, a PCD identifier which is unique to the individual PCD could be combined with the product code and/or the user identifier to result in a new code which is derived from all of these codes/identifiers. An encoding algorithm can be used to do this, in order to produce a transaction code, for example relating to a lottery ticket. The PCD identifier is built into the PCD during manufacture. Once this code is transmitted to the central server, it can be decoded to recover the original codes/identifiers.

In addition to this, if the promotional offer includes user-selectable variables, such as numbers in a lottery draw, the software application prompts the user to select the numbers desired. As alternative, the software application can also offer the user the option to pick random numbers for the lottery draw, as in a conventional "lucky dip" entry. The selected numbers are then also included in process of generating the transaction code. By way of illustration, if the product code is identified as '5656', the user has a user identifier of '100575', and the desired lottery numbers are '123456', the transaction code that is sent to the central database may in a very simple embodiment be a string that reads '5656100575123456'. The central database has means to analyse this string in order to separate the product code, the user identifier and the lottery numbers, and to validate each of them in turn. If all of them are found to be valid, a verification code is returned to the PCD. The verification code contains data that allows the software application to create a virtual lottery ticket with the selected lottery numbers. Therefore, the transaction code that is compiled by the software application to validate the lottery ticket may be a combination of two or more of the following: the product code read from the product; the identity of the product; the identity of the customer; a unique PCD identifier which is built into the PCD; a user identifier created by the user which ties the PCD to the user; and location information for the PCD. The transaction code may be compiled along with location data to form the verification data which is forwarded to the manufacturer. In this arrangement, the location data has added significance, as the manufacturer may be in a different territory to the product which is being verified, and the manufacturer is paying for a lottery entry in either of the two territories or potentially in a third territory. A typical lottery promotion may involve just one manufacturer or alternatively several manufacturers, each of which may provide part of the payment for a lottery ticket. In this scenario, on top of the verification systems outlined above, for the purposes of creating a virtual lottery ticket, a lottery operator requires proof of entitlement to payment from the manufacturer.

In particular, a manufacturer will only pay for a particular lottery ticket on one occasion. Therefore, an indication of whether or not the product code has been operated previously is important. One way to reduce the risk of requesting payment twice is to create the symbol using an active ink ingredient which is arranged to react to external stimulus. For example, the software application may be configured to generate a flash when taking a photograph of the symbol, in order to create a reaction in the ink to show that the product is expired. When the symbol is next photographed, the software application will recognise that the reaction has occurred and will therefore refrain from requesting creation of a new lottery ticket. An alternative approach, which could be used in combination with the active ink method above, is to maintain a record in the central database of all products which have already been verified. Therefore, if new verification data is uploaded which relates to a product which has already been verified, this will trigger an alert, and any associated promotional offers will not be duplicated.

In an alternative arrangement, payment for the lottery entry could be provided by a data traffic charger, for example a network provided for the PCD, rather than the manufacturer of the product. In this case, billing information needs to be attached to the lottery entry in order to enable correct accounting of the payment for the lottery entry when the cost is passed on to the user.

The above-described embodiments relate to the purchase or inspection of a physical product. However, in alternative embodiments, the PCD can be used to create a digital entry for a lottery or other promotion which is associated a non-physical product, such as a financial instrument or effecting of a financial transaction. For example, this could include a promotional offer of entry into a prize draw associated with taking out a loan.

In these embodiments, it is desirable for both a user identifier and a PCD identifier as described above to be used, to enable identification of the PCD and the user for "know-your- client" purposes. Both the supplier of the financial instrument and a purveyor of the data charges might be required to make a financial contribution to the promotional offer. For this reason, it is important that the verification data records information about the supplier and the network provider at the time of purchase. This is because the network provider may be different to the actual network the PCD is connected to, for example if the PCD is roaming on a foreign network.

One additional security measure that can be taken is to include date information alongside the product code on the product, and to provide an association between the two. For example, the date information may reveal a production batch that the product belongs to; each product in the batch may be assigned the same product code, but with different product codes being used for different batches. Therefore, the date information provided on the product determines the expected product code. Accordingly, when the verification data is returned to the central database, the date information can be cross-referenced against the product code to confirm that the combination is correct. Another example of this is where "use-by" dates are provided on consumable goods. For example, a bottle of water manufactured on 1 January 2012 and having a sell by date of 1 July 2012 is assigned a relevant product code. If someone attempts to produce counterfeit goods at a later date by simply copying the product code, the use-by date on the counterfeit goods would be incorrect. Therefore, the manufacturer would be able to detect that this is an illicit or false product.

In this arrangement, the symbol is altered, and the software application recognises that the altered symbol indicates that there is more than one portion of data to collect. As before, the software application is pre-programmed with the altered symbol such that upon recognition of the symbol the application knows where to collect data from within the verification zone. The application then collects both the product code and the relevant date, so that the product can then be verified through a combination of the date information and the product code.

It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the invention could be modified to take many alternative forms to that described herein, without departing from the scope of the appended claims.