US 10,482,471 B2Granted

Unauthorized product detection techniques

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsDouglas James Herrington, Shehzad Mevawalla, Rajiv Chopra, Joseph Sirosh, Sachin Chouksey, Maria Christine Renz, Sarah Ann Wood, Jeffrey P. Bezos

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Abstract

An unauthorized-product detection system may compare data representing various authentication markers of items presumed to have been produced or sourced by a particular entity with stored data representing valid authentication markers of items produced or sourced by the particular entity. The authentication markers may represent inherent physical characteristics of the items or their packaging, or may be generated and applied to the items or their packaging to facilitate counterfeit detection and/or for other purposes. The data (some of which may be encrypted) may be captured using high-resolution cameras, scanners, or other devices, and then communicated to the unauthorized-product detection system for analysis. The system may maintain a data store of data representing captured or valid authentication markers and may store tracking information reflecting the use of various authentication markers. The system may provide various unauthorized product detection services to consumers, retailers, or members of a supply-chain.

Claims37

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

an image sensor located in a facility;
and
an unauthorized-product detection system comprising one or more hardware processors, configured to:
receive from a provider of an item, an image of at least a portion of the item or a portion of the item packaging, wherein the image includes a representation of a physical characteristic of the portion of the item or the portion of the item packaging;
receive, via an interface of a web service, a captured image of at least a portion of a received item or a portion of item packaging for the received item captured by the image sensor located in the facility;
and
compute a confidence score for authenticity of the received item, wherein the confidence score is computed as a numerical value based at least on two factors, the two factors comprising:
computation of a similarity score, wherein the computation is based on a comparison of the captured image of at least the portion of the received item or the portion of the item packaging for the received item to the representation of the physical characteristic of the portion of the item or the portion of the item packaging received from the provider of the item, and wherein the comparison is based at least on a match of locations of features of the captured image to locations of features found in the representation of the physical characteristic received from the provider of the item;
and
a frequency that the representation of the physical characteristic has been queried at the web service, wherein the numerical value of the confidence score lowers in proportion to the frequency that the representation of the physical characteristic has been queried at the web service;
in response to determining that the confidence score for the received item satisfies one or more constraints, provide, via the interface of the web service, an indication that authenticity of the received item is verified;
and
in response to determining that the confidence score for the received item does not satisfy the one or more constraints, provide, via the interface of the web service, an indication that the authenticity of the received item is not verified.

10 more elements

A method, comprising:

receiving, at a web service from a provider of an item, at least one authentication marker for an item;
receiving, via an interface of the web service comprising one or more hardware processors, a query for an item, the query including a queried-authentication marker for the item;
computing, by the one or more hardware processors, a confidence score for authenticity of the item, wherein the confidence score is computed as a numerical value based at least in part on two factors, the two factors comprising:
a frequency that the at least one authentication marker for the item has been queried at the web service, wherein the numerical value of the confidence score lowers in proportion to the frequency that the at least one authentication marker for the item has been queried at the web service;
and
computation of a similarity score, wherein the computation is based on a comparison of the queried-authentication marker for the item to the at least one authentication marker received from the provider of the item and stored in one or more data stores, and wherein the comparison is based at least on a match of locations of features of the queried-authentication marker to locations of features found in the at least one authentication marker received from the provider of the item and stored in the one or more data stores, wherein the one or more data stores include authentication markers for items provided by different item producers;
and
providing, by the interface of the web service, an indicator indicating whether the item is verified as authentic based on the confidence score.

5 more elements

A system, comprising:

an unauthorized-product detection system implemented by one or more hardware processors and memory and configured to:
receive, by the unauthorized-product detection system from a provider of an item, an authentication marker for the item;
receive, via a web service interface of the unauthorized-product detection system data regarding a received item or the item packaging, the data including an authentication marker for the received item;
compute a confidence score for authenticity of the received item, wherein the confidence score is computed as a numerical value based at least in part on two factors, the two factors comprising:
a frequency that the authentication marker for the item has been queried at the web service, wherein the numerical value of the confidence score lowers in proportion to the frequency that the frequency that the authentication marker for the item has been queried at the web service;
and
computation of a similarity score, wherein the computation is based on a comparison of the authentication marker for the received item to the authentication marker for the item or a substantially similar authentication marker in one or more data stores, and wherein the comparison is based at least on a match of locations of features of the authentication marker for the received item to locations of features found in the authentication marker for the item or the substantially similar authentication marker in the one or more data stores, and wherein the one or more data stores include authentication markers for items provided by different item providers;
and
provide, by the web service interface, an indicator indicating whether the item is verified as authentic based on the confidence score.

6 more elements

A system, comprising:

one or more processors;
and
a memory storing program instructions that when executed on the one or more hardware processors cause the one or more processors to implement an unauthorized-product detection service configured to:
receive, by the unauthorized-product detection service from a provider of an item, at least one authentication marker for an item;
receive, via an interface of the service, an image of the item or the item packaging;
compute a confidence score for authenticity of the item, wherein the confidence score is computed as a numerical value based at least on two factors, the two factors comprising:
computation of a similarity score, wherein the computation is based on comparison of the image of the item to the at least one authentication marker for the item that is stored in one or more data stores, and wherein the comparison is based at least on a match of locations of features of the image of the item to locations of features found in the at least one authentication marker for the item stored in the one or more data stores;
and
a frequency that the at least one authentication marker for the item has been queried at the web service, wherein the numerical value of the confidence score lowers in proportion to the frequency that the at least one authentication marker for the item has been queried at the web service;
and
return via the interface of the service to the client the indication of whether the authenticity of the item is verified.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/743,092Filed 16 Jan 2013
Published: US 2014/0201094 A117 Jul 2014
Granted: 19 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06Q 30/018
Commerce: certifying business or products
G06V 20/80
Scenes; Scene-specific elements: recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns
G06Q
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial
G06V
Image and video recognition

Family

US 2014/0201094 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Jul 2014
US 10,482,471 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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