Patent ID: 9183533
Filing Date: 2015-11-10
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of determining reliability and providing authentication of a package against counterfeit or contaminated products based upon a path-based identifier of the package, said method comprising steps performed by a processor of: in the processor, reading the path-based identifier of the package to identify a path taken by the package, wherein the path-based identifier includes a reliability value; determining a reliability of the path taken by the package through a supply chain based upon the path-based identifier by comparing the reliability value of the path-based identifier of the package to a predetermined minimum reliability value; authenticating the package by comparing the path-based identifier of the package to a path-based identifier stored in a server in association with a package identifier of the package, wherein the path taken by the package includes at least one entity and a next entity directly following the at least one entity on the path, wherein the at least one entity is assigned a point value representing a reliability of the at least one entity and the next entity and is based on whether counterfeit or contaminated products have been found among products having traveled through the at least one entity, and wherein the reliability value of the path-based identifier of the package is based on the point value of the at least one entity; reading the package identifier from the package and submitting the package identifier to the server, wherein the server provides a next or previous entity based on the submitted package identifier; and generating a new path-based identifier for the package based on the next or previous entity received from the server.