GENERATING AND STORING UNIQUE MARKING CODES FOR LIQUID FOOD PACKAGES

Abstract

A method of generating marking codes to uniquely identify packages of liquid food is performed within a system comprising a code generator operable to generate a marking code by encrypting package production data that uniquely represents the production of an individual package, and to provide the marking code for marking of the individual package. The system further comprises a key generator operable to generate a partition key as a function of the marking code, and a storage interface coupled to a database comprising a plurality of partitions. The storage interface is operable to determine a selected partition among the plurality of partitions based on the partition key and to store, in the selected partition, package itemization data comprising the marking code and the package production data.

Claims

1. A method of generating marking codes to uniquely identify packages for liquid food, said method comprising: obtaining package production data which is unique to each individual package; operating a predefined encryption algorithm on the package production data to generate encrypted package production data; generating a marking code that includes the encrypted package production data; providing the marking code for marking of the individual package; and storing, in a database that comprises a plurality of partitions, package itemization data comprising at least a subset of the marking code and at least a subset of the package production data of the individual package, wherein said storing comprises generating a partition key as a function of the marking code, and operating a controller coupled to the database to determine a selected partition among the plurality of partitions based on the partition key and to store the package itemization data in the selected partition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said operating the controller comprises operating a predefined mapping function on the partition key, the predefined mapping function being configured to map partition keys to a set of partition identifiers, which comprises a respective partition identifier for each partition among the plurality of partitions, wherein the selected partition is determined based on a current partition identifier generated by the mapping function for the partition key.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predefined mapping function comprises a hash function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined encryption algorithm is a block cipher.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the package production data is obtained to represent at least one of a location and a time of producing the individual package.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least a subset of the marking code comprises the encrypted package production data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is a distributed database.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

9. A system for generating marking codes to uniquely identify packages for liquid food, said system comprising: a code generator configured to operate a predefined encryption algorithm on package production data, which is unique to each individual package, to generate encrypted production data, said code generator being further configured to generate a marking code that includes the encrypted production data and to provide the marking code for marking of the individual package, a storage interface coupled to a database that comprises a plurality of partitions, the storage interface being arranged to receive package itemization data comprising at least a subset of the marking code and at least a subset of the package production data of the individual package, and a key generator configured to generate a partition key as a function of the marking code and provide the partition key to the storage interface, wherein the storage interface is configured to, upon receipt of the partition key, determine a selected partition among the plurality of partitions based on the partition key, and to store the package itemization data in the selected partition.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the storage interface is further configured to perform a predefined mapping function on the partition key, the predefined mapping function being configured to map partition keys to a set of partition identifiers, which comprises a respective partition identifier for each partition among the plurality of partitions, wherein the selected partition is determined based on a current partition identifier generated by the mapping function for the partition key.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the predefined mapping function comprises a hash function.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the predefined encryption algorithm is a block cipher.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the package production data is obtained to represent at least one of a location and a time of producing the individual package.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said at least a subset of the marking code comprises the encrypted package production data.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the database is a distributed database.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1A is an overview of a manufacturing and distribution chain for packages for liquid food, and FIG. 1B is a schematic illustration of such a package.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system for marking packages with unique codes.

[0025] FIGS. 3A-3B are plots of data partitioning in a distributed database, produced based on a partition key representing production location and for 5 000 and 30 000 logical partitions, respectively.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system for marking packages with unique codes in accordance with embodiments.

[0027] FIGS. 5A-5D are plots of data partitioning in a distributed database, produced based on a partition key representing the unique code and for 1 000 and 30 000 logical partitions, respectively.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a flow cart of a marking method in accordance with embodiments.

[0029] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a machine that may implement the marking method of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure may satisfy applicable legal requirements.

[0031] Also, it will be understood that, where possible, any of the advantages, features, functions, devices, and/or operational aspects of any of the embodiments described and/or contemplated herein may be included in any of the other embodiments described and/or contemplated herein, and/or vice versa. In addition, where possible, any terms expressed in the singular form herein are meant to also include the plural form and/or vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise. As used herein, “at least one” shall mean “one or more” and these phrases are intended to be interchangeable. Accordingly, the terms “a” and/or “an” shall mean “at least one” or “one or more”, even though the phrase “one or more” or “at least one” is also used herein. As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise owing to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, that is, to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” comprises any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0032] As used herein, “liquid food” refers to any food product that is non-solid, semi-liquid or pourable at room temperature, including beverages, such as fruit juices, wines, beers, sodas, as well as dairy products, sauces, oils, creams, custards, soups, pastes, etc, and also solid food products in a liquid, such as beans, fruits, tomatoes, stews, etc.

[0033] As used herein, “a package” refers to any package or container suitable for sealed containment of liquid food products, including but not limited to containers formed of cardboard or packaging laminate, e.g. cellulose-based material, and containers made of or comprising plastic material.

[0034] Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

[0035] Like reference signs refer to like elements throughout.

[0036] FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of a manufacturing and distribution chain for packages for liquid food. The illustrated chain comprises a manufacturing stage 1 for manufacturing raw material for the packages, a filling stage 2 for manufacturing packages containing liquid food, a distribution stage 3 for distributing the packages containing liquid food, a retail stage 4 for providing the packages to consumers, and a consumer stage 5 in which the packages are handled by a consumer and the liquid food is consumed.

[0037] In the manufacturing stage 1, a sheet material for the packages is manufactured at a converting factory (plant) 10. The sheet material is typically paper-based and provided to the filling stage 2 in rolls 11. In the illustrated example, stage 1 further involves a dedicated factory (plant) 12 that manufactures caps 13 for the packages, typically of plastic material. If the packages are formed without a cap, the factory 12 is absent from stage 1. It is also conceivable that stage 1 includes additional factories that manufacture specific components for the package.

[0038] In the filling stage 2, a filling factory (plant) 14 operates on the sheet material 11, the caps 13 and the liquid food to provide packages containing liquid food. For example, a production line at the filling plant 14 may form the sheet material 11 into a container, fill the liquid food into the container, and seal the container to form the package. The production line may also attach a cap 13 to the container. FIG. 1B shows an example of a package 16 produced by the filling plant 14. Stage 2 may further comprise external handing 15 of packages, e.g. palletizing, before entering the distribution stage 3.

[0039] It should be understood that the manufacturing chain generally may involve many different converting plants 10, cap plants 12 and filling plants 14, which may be distributed globally. Each of the plants 10, 12, 14 may include a plurality of production lines.

[0040] As indicated in FIG. 1B, the package 16 comprises a data carrier 17 that represents a marking code. The data carrier 17 may be implemented by any known technique for providing an article of manufacture with a code. In one example, the data carrier 17 is printed onto the package 16, e.g. as sequence of human-readable symbols (e.g. characters), or a machine-readable graphical symbol such as one or more bar codes or a 2D code (DataMatrix, QR code, etc.). In another example, the data carrier is an electronic tag, in which the code is stored and made available for retrieval by wireless communication with the tag, e.g. in accordance to any conventional standard for this purpose, such as NFC, RFID, BLE, etc.

[0041] The marking code is generated to be unique to the package 16 within the entire eco-system of plants 10, 12, 14 within the manufacturing chain as exemplified in FIG. 1A, at least for a predefined lifetime. The marking code may be applied to the package in either of the plants 10, 12, 14 shown in FIG. 1A. For example, marking codes may be applied by the converting plant 10 at predefined positions on the sheet material 11 so as to be located on each of the packages 16 produced by filling plant 14. In another example, a marking code may be applied by the cap plant 12 to each cap 13. In a further example, a marking code is applied to the sheet material 11, the cap 13, the intermediate container or the package 16 by the filling plant 14. It is to be understood that the package 16 may contain more than one such unique marking code, e.g. one on the cap 13 and one on the package 16. It is also conceivable that a unique marking code is provided to the packages, or groups of packages, at the subsequent handling 15 (e.g. palletizing).

[0042] Embodiments are related to storing the marking codes and associated data in a database and will be exemplified in the following with reference to implementations of the marking code described in aforesaid EP3540664, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

[0043] Specifically, the marking code comprises payload data which is unique to the production of the individual package and which is encrypted by a predefined encryption algorithm. Generally, the marking code consists of a sequence of values, for example binary values. The payload data, which is denoted package production data (PPD) in the following, may include data elements that identify the location of production and/or the time of production. In a first example, the data elements in the PPD include identifiers of the producer that operates a plant (Producer ID), the plant (Plant ID), the production line in the plant (Line ID), the equipment where the marking code is added to the package (Equipment ID), and the PPD further identifies the current time of production, for example by year, day, hour, minute, second and a sub-second resolution counter (Package Counter), which may or may not be randomized. In a second example, the data elements in the PPD include identifiers of the plant (Production Unit ID), a production batch, and a package within the production batch, where the production batch may be identified by a time period, for example current year and month, and a batch number within the time period (Request Number), and where the package may be identified by a package number within the production batch (Package Counter). The package number may or may not be randomized. The marking code may further comprise a non-encrypted header portion, which may or may not be obfuscated and may contain data enabling decryption and validation of the encrypted PPD.

[0044] An example embodiment of a system 20 which is configured for code generation, code storage and marking of packages is schematically shown in FIG. 2. The system 20 includes a PPD generator 21, a code generator 22, a marking device 23, and a storage controller 24 coupled to a database 30. The PPD generator 21 is configured to provide the package production data PPD to be included in the marking code. In one implementation (“inline implementation”), the PPD generator 21 is synchronized with the production for automated real-time generation of the PPD, for example in accordance with the first example above. In another implementation (“offline implementation”), the PPD generator 21 is operated to provide the PPD in advance of production, for example structured in accordance with the second example above. The code generator 22 is configured to generate marking codes, MC, based on the PPDs from the PPD generator 21 and provide the marking codes to the marking device 23, which is operated to apply the respective marking code to an article of manufacture, such as the sheet material 11, the cap 13 or the package 16. As understood from the foregoing, the marking device 23 may be a printer, an ablation device, or a device embedding the code into an electronic tag, which may be attached by the marking device 23 onto the article of manufacture or may be pre-attached thereto. In the inline implementation, the code generator 22 is synchronized with the production to generate the marking codes in real time. In the offline implementation, the code generator 22 may generate the marking codes either in advance of production or in synchronization with production.

[0045] The storage controller 24 is configured to receive the PPD, the marking code (MC), and possibly additional data. Based thereon, the storage controller 24 generates and stores package itemization data, PID, in the database 30. Each PID corresponds to an individual package and forms a data item for storage in the database 30. In some implementations, the data item may, e.g., be a row in a table (SQL database) or a document in a collection (NoSQL database). As understood from the foregoing, a huge volume of data items will eventually be stored in the database 30, which therefore should be scalable, and preferably horizontally scalable for resource efficiency. In one embodiment, the database 30 is a distributed database comprising a plurality of logical partitions, where each logical partition may have a predefined maximum size and is assigned a unique partition identifier (Partition ID). In a non-limiting example, the predefined maximum size is in the range of 0.1-100 GB. A database management system (DBMS) 30A for the database 30 is operated to transparently and automatically distribute the data items among the logical partitions, for example based on a “partition key” (aka “distribution key”) for each data item. The storage controller 24 may provide an interface to the DBMS 30A that allows an operator to set the partition key to be used and that allows for manual or automatic upload of data items for storage in the database 30. The DBMS 30A may be proprietary to the host of the distributed database 30 and may be configured to map the logical partitions, in any suitable relation, to a plurality of nodes, which may include any one of physical servers, virtual servers or virtual LUNs (logical unit number) with access to one or more storage devices, such as hard-disk drives (HDDs) and/or solid-state drives (SSDs), for example to efficiently satisfy scalability and performance needs. As the throughput and storage requirements may increase, the DBMS 30A may move logical partitions to automatically spread the load across a greater number of servers. The DBMS 30A may be any commercially available system, and the distributed database 30 may be implemented as an SQL or a NoSQL database. In one embodiment, the DBMS 30A is a cloud computing platform. In a specific implementation, the DBMS 30A is included in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, which is a globally distributed, multi-model database service. In a specific example, the DBMS 30A is set up to operate as a NoSQL Document Database.

[0046] The package itemization data, PID, comprises the marking code, or a subset thereof, and at least a subset of the data elements in the PPD. The PID may also include additional data elements associated with the generation of the marking code, the production of the package or the storage in the database. In one non-limiting example, which conforms to the above-mentioned first and second examples of the PPD, the PID includes the marking code (or a subset thereof), Producer ID, Plant ID, Line ID, Equipment ID, year, day, hour, minute, second, Package Counter, Production Unit ID, and Request Number.

[0047] When implementing storage of the PID on the above-mentioned Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, the present Applicant experienced poor performance, for example in terms of resource consumption and speed of search and retrieval. Further analysis of the data storage in the database 30 revealed a substantial non-uniformity in the distribution of data between partitions, also known as “skewness”. FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate such skewness when using Line ID as partition key. FIG. 3A is a plot of the amount of data (vertical axis) stored in each partition (horizontal axis) when the database 30 in configured with 5 000 partitions, and FIG. 3B is a corresponding plot when the database 30 in configured with 30 000 partitions. The skewness was found to at least partly cause the poor performance and was present irrespective of partition key when selected among the data elements in the PPD, for example among the data elements that indicate the location and the time of production. There are strategies to overcome skewness by generating so-called synthetic partition keys, for example by concatenating two or more data elements, by appending a random suffix to a data element, or by appending a pre-calculated suffix to a data element, where the pre-calculated suffix is a hash value of another data element. However, these strategies tend to increase complexity and may impair the performance of the database.

[0048] Surprisingly, the present Applicant found that using the marking code as partition key rendered a substantially more uniform distribution of data among the logical partitions in the distributed database. It is presently believed that the encrypted data in the marking code imparts a randomness to the marking code that manifests itself as a substantially non-skewed data distribution among the partitions in the distributed database.

[0049] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the system 20 in FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment. Here, the database 30 is a distributed database comprising partitions P1, P2, . . . , Pj, with j being a number significantly larger than 1, and typically at least 1 000, 5 000 or 10 000. The storage controller 24 is coupled to the database 30 over a wired and/or wireless communication network 32, for example a WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), PAN (Personal Area Network), or any combination thereof. When the database 30 is provided as a cloud-based service, the network 32 may include a WAN, such as the Internet.

[0050] Like in FIG. 2, the PPD generator 21 provides package production data, PPD, which is received by the code generator 22. The code generator 22 comprises an encryption module 22A, which is configured to operate an encryption algorithm or function on the PPD to generate encrypted package production data, EPD. Any conceivable encryption algorithm may be used, including any symmetric encryption algorithm in which a private encryption key is used for both encryption and decryption, and any asymmetric algorithm which utilizes pairs of public and private encryption keys. In one non-limiting embodiment, the encryption algorithm is a block cipher, such as Blowfish, DES, IDEA, RC5 or AES. The encryption algorithm scrambles the PPD and obliterates its structure. Generally, the encryption serves to protect the PPD, to make it difficult to guess a valid marking code based on another marking code and to minimize the risk of fraudulent generation of marking codes. The code generator 22 further comprises a code population module 22B, which is configured to form the marking code, MC, by combining the EPD and associated non-encrypted data, for example in a header portion as exemplified in EP3540664. The marking code is supplied from the code generator 22 to the marking device 23 and to the storage controller 24. The storage controller 24 comprises an aggregation module 24A, a key generating module 24B and a storage interface module 24C. The aggregation module 24A is configured to receive the marking code, MC, from the code generator 22, and the PPD from either the PPD generator 21 (as shown) or the code generator 22. The aggregation module 24A generates a data item for storage in database 30, the data item being the above-mentioned package itemization data, PID. The key generating module 24B is configured to receive the PID and generate the partition key, PK, as a function of the marking code, or the subset thereof, as included in the PID. In one example, the module 24B sets the partition key equal to the marking code. In another example, the module 24B sets the partition key equal to the EPD of the marking code. In another example, the module 24B concatenates the marking code or the EPD with one or more other data elements in the PID. The module 24B may also operate any suitable function on the marking code or the EPD to generate the partition key. However, the latter example may require the module 24B to add the partition key to the PID before the PID is stored in the database 30, which will increase the required data storage capacity of the database 30.

[0051] The storage interface module 24C is configured to receive the partition key, PK, from the key generating module 24B and the PID from the aggregation module 24C. The storage interface module 24C, which is coupled to the database 30, is further operable to cause the DBMS 30A to select a partition among the partitions P1-Pj based on the partition key, PK, and store the PID in the selected partition. In one embodiment, the module 24C comprises a predefined mapping function which is configured to identify a selected partition, for example by the above-mentioned Partition ID. The module 24C may thus operate the mapping function on the partition key to compute a current Partition ID and provide the current Partition ID to the DBMS 30A for identification of the selected partition. In another embodiment, the mapping function is part of the DBMS 30A, which is caused to compute the current Partition ID when the module 24C supplies the partition key to the DBMS 30A. In one embodiment, the mapping function is configured to map all conceivable partition keys onto a set of unique Partition IDs, one for each partition P1-Pj. In one embodiment, the mapping function is further configured to scramble the bits of the partition key to improve the uniformity of the data distribution in the database 30. In one embodiment, the mapping function is a hash function. Any hash function may be used, including but not limited to a cryptographic hash function, a non-cryptographic hash function or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) function. In one embodiment, the mapping function involves a modulo operation, e.g. modulo division by j or a prime number close to j. In another embodiment, the mapping function extracts a predefined number of bits in the partition key and collates the extracted bits into the Partition ID.

[0052] FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate the data distribution in the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB when the partition key is set to the marking code and a hash function is operated on the partition key to map it to a predefined number (j) of partitions. FIG. 5A is a plot of the amount of data (vertical axis) stored in each partition (horizontal axis) when the database 30 in configured with 1 000 partitions, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of FIG. 5A to show the variations between partitions in greater detail. FIGS. 5C-5D correspond to FIGS. 5A-5B when the database 30 in configured with 30 000 partitions. Compared to the plots in FIGS. 3A-3B, data are significantly more uniformly distributed across the partitions and the skewness is essentially eliminated.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a method 600 of generating marking codes in accordance with an embodiment. The method 60 may be executed in the system 20 of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4. In step 601, which may or may not be part of the method 600, the package production data, PPD, is generated. Steps 602-606 are repeatedly performed for individual packages. Step 602-605 may be performed by the code generator 22, and step 606 may be performed by the storage controller 24. Step 602 obtains the PPD for a package. Step 603 operates the predefined encryption algorithm on the PPD to generate the encrypted package production data, EPD. Step 604 generates the marking code, MC, to include at least the EPD. Step 605 provides the marking code for marking of the package, for example by use of the marking device 23. Step 606 stores the marking code (or a subset thereof) and the PPD (or a subset thereof) in the database 30. The method 600 then proceeds to repeat steps 602-606. In the illustrated embodiment, step 606 comprises further steps 606A-606D. Step 606A generates package itemization data, PID, as a function of the marking code and the PPD, for example by merging the marking code (or a subset thereof) and at least a subset of the data elements in the PPD into a common data item. Step 606B generates the partition key, PK, as a function of the marking code. Step 606C selects a partition in the database 30 based on the partition key, and step 606D stores the PID on the selected partition.

[0054] Reverting to the systems 20 in FIGS. 2 and 4, the respective device 21, 22 and 24 may be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware. In some embodiments, the devices 21, 22 and 24 are implemented on one or more software-controlled computing devices. FIG. 7 schematically depicts such a computing device 70, which comprises a processor 71, computer memory 72, and a communication interface 73 for input and/or output of data. The communication interface 73 may be configured for wired and/or wireless communication, including communication with the database 30. The processor 71 may e.g. include one or more of a CPU (“Central Processing Unit”), a DSP (“Digital Signal Processor”), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an ASIC (“Application-Specific Integrated Circuit”), a combination of discrete analog and/or digital components, or some other programmable logical device, such as an FPGA (“Field Programmable Gate Array”). A control program 74 comprising computer instructions is stored in the memory 72 and executed by the processor 71 to perform any of the operations, functions or steps exemplified in the foregoing. As indicated in FIG. 7, the memory 72 may also store control data 75 for use by the processor 72, e.g. control data for generating the partition key in step 606B, control data for the encryption in step 603, control data for the selection of partition in step 606C, etc. The control program 74 may be supplied to the computing device 70 on a computer-readable medium 76, which may be a tangible (non-transitory) product (e.g. magnetic medium, optical disk, read-only memory, flash memory, etc) or a propagating signal.