A “smart” closure system, apparatus, and method are contemplated. The closure includes mechanical capture and release mechanisms, electromechanical and/or optical indicators, wireless technologies, and/or web-based or remote authentication, verification, and serialization via remotely located data servers. A mobile computing device may further augment certain functions. The resulting system allows for anti-counterfeiting, authentication, serialization, and other capabilities.

The invention adds a Physical Information Layer (“PIL”) to the magnetic particles within a matrix that creates an unclonable physical unclonable function “object.” The PIL assists in searching to find the combination that matches a pre-determined enrolled combination with additional information that includes a search index, which limits the range of data required to search in order to find a match in the enrolled database. The index could be a predetermined value that associates the random magnetic profile values to a list of enrolled values in a database. The additional information may include product or general information that needs to be easily communicated to a user of the PUF.

A method for uniquely marking an object, wherein a random distribution of individual pigment domains is applied to a surface of the object, and wherein a list of distances of the individual pigment domains from one another is measured and stored in a database. Also a corresponding method for identifying an object by: capturing an image of the pigment domains, identifying the two-dimensional coordinates of each pigment domain captured in the image, determining the two-dimensional distance of each pair of two pigment domains and/or the angle of each triplet of pigment domains, storing the distances and/or angles determined in the step before in a list, storing the list in the database, the list enriched with meta-information about the manufacturing and/or finishing parameters of the object, applying a database identification as an information unit to the surface of the object, the information unit uniquely assignable to the database.

An IC card includes a first visible layer comprising a nonmetallic natural material having a physical structure including a unique visual pattern. The IC card further includes a storage device configured to store a reference image of the unique visual pattern. The reference image is a scan of the unique visual pattern. The reference image is configured to be visually compared with the unique visual pattern for authentication. A second layer is included on a bottom surface of the first visible layer. The first visible layer and the second layer are laminated together. Each of the second layer and the nonmetallic natural material of the first visible layer have a same size to define a shape of the IC card.

An authentication method involves comparing a 2D description of an authentication device, referred to as a subsequent description, with an original 2D description by choosing, from several previously established original 2D descriptions, a 2D description established from a point of view similar to the one used to establish the subsequent 2D description. Advantageously, the optical characteristics of the authentication device vary so little when it is viewed from neighboring points of view that the device can be recognized from most of the points of view, and the original 2D descriptions have been established from neighboring points of view, which form a substantially continuous domain. In an improved version, a three-dimensional description of the authentication device, referred to as a 3D description, is reconstructed from several original 2D descriptions, which makes it possible to predict the appearance thereof from a plurality of different points of view.

In one implementation, a processor: (1) receives an image of a candidate mark from an image acquisition device, (2) uses the image to measure one or more characteristics at a plurality of locations on the candidate mark, resulting in a first set of metrics, (3) removes, from the first set of metrics, a metric having a dominant amplitude, resulting in a trimmed first set of metrics, (4) retrieves, from a computer-readable memory, a second set of metrics that represents one or more characteristics measured at a plurality of locations on an original mark, (5) removes, from the second set of metrics, a metric corresponding to the metric removed from the first set of metrics, resulting in a trimmed second set of metrics, (6) compares the trimmed first set of metrics with the trimmed second set of metrics, and (7) determines whether the candidate mark is genuine based on the comparison.

A “smart” closure system, apparatus, and method are contemplated. The closure includes mechanical capture and release mechanisms, electromechanical and/or optical indicators, wireless technologies, and/or web-based or remote authentication, verification, and serialization via remotely located data servers. A mobile computing device may further augment certain functions. The resulting system allows for anti-counterfeiting, authentication, serialization, and other capabilities.

A method for determining whether a candidate barcode is genuine involves acquiring an image of an original barcode; determining, from the image of the original barcode, a deviation of a continuous edge of the original barcode from a nominal shape; encoding the deviation as signature data for the original barcode; storing the signature data for the original barcode on a storage device; acquiring an image of the candidate barcode; determining, from the image of the candidate barcode, a deviation of a continuous edge of the candidate barcode from the nominal shape; retrieving the signature data for the original barcode from the storage device; comparing the signature data for the original barcode with the signature data for the candidate barcode; and making a determination that the candidate barcode is genuine or not genuine based on a result of the comparison.

An information processing apparatus includes a storage section that stores device identification information of a terminal device authenticated to validate a printed matter, in advance, a receiving section that receives a random pattern acquired from a partial area of a surface of a printed matter intended to be validated, printed-matter identification information capable of individually identifying the printed matter, and device identification information of a terminal device that acquires the random pattern, a control section that, in a case where the device identification information received by the receiving section coincides with any piece of the device identification information stored in the storage section, controls the storage section to store the random pattern and the printed-matter identification information received by the receiving section in association with each other, and a validation section that validates the printed matter having the random pattern stored in the storage section, to be usable.

The present invention is an imprint device for imprinting a unique identification mark on a surface of an object with imprinting particles of different sizes that increase uniqueness and without the need for electric power. The imprint device includes a vertical member, a hammer member, a trigger assembly, a charging unit, a barrel and at least one pocket. In the operative configuration, a trigger of trigger assembly is activated such that hammer member impacts a cartridge filled with at least one munition of imprinting particles and releases imprinting particles. The imprinting particles travel through the barrel where acceleration is increased and impact on surface is made to form microcraters and unique identification marks. The imprinting particles can be of same size, material and shape or they can be of different sizes, material and shapes or the combination thereof for increasing uniqueness.