Product tracking and rating system using DNA tags
AssigneeSafeTraces, Inc.
InventorsAntonios Zografos, Laurie M. Clotilde
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Material in a supply chain is tracked by a method of applying a DNA taggant set to a first batch of the material produced by a first supplier of the material. The DNA taggant set corresponds to a tag string corresponding to the first supplier. The first batch is aggregated with a second batch to create an aggregated lot. A sample is selected from the aggregated lot and tested to determine a DNA taggant set of the sample. After selecting a sample from the aggregated lot, the sample may be labeled with a grade and then placed in a receptacle corresponding to the grade.
Claims19
A method of tracking a material in a supply chain comprising:
- securely recording an application location, wherein the application location is a geolocatable production location at which at an application device applies a DNA taggant set to a first batch of the material produced by a first supplier of the material, the DNA taggant set corresponding to a tag string corresponding to the first supplier;
- receiving the first batch at a processing facility;
- determining a geographic coordinate of the geolocatable production location;
- comparing the application location to the geographic coordinate;
- selecting a sample from the first batch if the application location matches the geographic coordinate;
- and
- testing the sample to determine a sampled DNA taggant set.
A method of tracking a batch of a product from a geographically defined location to a processing location:
- providing an application device with an amount of issued DNA taggant set, based on an estimated amount of the product to be harvested from the geographically defined location;
- applying, to the batch of the product, an applied DNA taggant set with the application device, wherein the applied DNA taggant set is from the amount of the issued DNA taggant set, thereby forming a tagged batch of the product with the applied DNA taggant set applied thereon;
- delivering the tagged batch to the processing location;
- determining an expected tag sequence for the tagged batch based on tag records;
- and
- sampling the tagged batch to identify the applied DNA taggant set applied thereon;
- comparing the expected tag sequence for the tagged batch to the applied DNA taggant set applied thereon.
A method of tracking a product from a geographically defined origination location to a processing facility using a DNA taggant set comprising a taggant material including at least N unique pieces of DNA, representing N digits of a barcode, N being a positive integer greater than 1, wherein each of the at least N unique pieces of DNA represents one value of a corresponding one of the N digits, the method comprising:
- estimating an estimated amount of issued DNA taggant set based on an estimated amount of product to be produced at the geographically defined origination location;
- issuing a sprayer containing the estimated amount of issued DNA taggant set, the issued DNA taggant set having a corresponding issued barcode;
- applying, by actuating the sprayer, the issued DNA taggant set to the product, the sprayer tracking a time and a location of an actuation of the sprayer by storing the time and location in a database;
- verifying the location is within the geographically defined origination location;
- verifying the time is within an expected time range;
- delivering the product to a processing location, with an applied DNA taggant set;
- and
- verifying that a corresponding barcode corresponding to the applied DNA taggant set matches an issued barcode of the issued DNA taggant set.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.