# US 12,602,556 B2 · Systems and methods for determining a valid state of measurement systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,602,556 B2 - Document ID: US12602556B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/105,169 - Filed: 2023-02-02 - Published: 2023-06-15 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-09 - Assignees: Advantest Corporation - Applicants: Advantest Corporation - Inventors: Bernd Beterke; Piotr Skwierawski; Petra Funke; Roland Friedrich - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12602556B2 ## CPC - G01D 3/08: with provision for safeguarding the apparatus, e.g. against abnormal operation, against breakdown - G06K 7/10366: {the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications} - G01D 4/00: Tariff metering apparatus (in taximeters G07B13/00; apparatus actuated by coins, cards or the like with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas, or electricity G07F15/00) - G01D 18/00: Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00 - G01D 21/00: Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for - G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS ## Abstract Methods and systems for determining whether a measurement system is used in a valid state, includes: automatically reading out a plurality of information items; automatically obtaining information on current operating environmental conditions; automatically reading reference information items identifying the measurement system components and/or representing one or more characteristics of the measurement system components and information on reference operating environmental conditions; and comparing the read out information items identifying the measurement system components and/or representing one or more characteristics of the measurement system components with the reference information items identifying the measurement system components and/or representing one or more characteristics of the measurement system components, and checking whether the current operating environmental conditions comprise an allowable value or are within an allowable range defined by the information on the reference operating environmental conditions, in order to determine whether the measurement system comprising the plurality of measurement system components is used in the valid state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining whether a measurement system comprising a plurality of measurement system components is used in a valid state, the method comprising: automatically reading out a plurality of readout information items identifying the plurality of measurement system components and representing one or more characteristics of the plurality of measurement system components; automatically obtaining information on current operating environmental conditions for the measurement system; automatically reading reference information items identifying the plurality of measurement system components and representing one or more characteristics of the plurality of measurement system components that are to remain unchanged and information on reference operating environmental conditions; determining, based on a comparison of the readout information items with the reference information items, integrity of the measurement system, wherein a mismatch between the readout information items and the reference information items indicates that the measurement system is in an invalid state; determining, based on a comparison of the current operating environmental conditions for the measurement system and the reference operating environmental conditions, whether the measurement system is operating in allowable operating environmental conditions, wherein operating outside the allowable operating environmental conditions indicates that the system is in the invalid state; and based on determining one or more of (1) that the integrity of the measurement system or (2) whether the measurement system is operating in allowable operating environmental conditions indicates that the measurement system is the invalid state, blocking use of the measurement system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: reporting a result of the determination whether the measurement system comprising the plurality of measurement system components is used in the valid state. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: automatically blocking the measurement system if it is determined that the measurement system is used in the invalid state. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement system comprises a calibration equipment, configured to calibrate production equipment. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a certificate confirming that the measurement system is used in the valid state. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein obtaining the certificate is performed by the measurement system or by a remote server. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of measurement system components which do not have a built-in functionality to report information items to identify the respective measurement system components are combined with associated local storage devices to enable automatically reading out measurement system component specific information items identifying the measurement system components which do not have a built-in functionality to report one or more information items to identify respective measurement system components. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more of the plurality of measurement system components which do not have a built-in functionality to report information items to identify the respective measurement system components are inseparably combined with the associated local storage devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein the one or more of the plurality of measurement system components which do not have a built-in functionality to report information items to identify the respective measurement system components are combined with respective associated local storage devices in a manner wherein the measurement system components cannot be separated from the respective associated local storage devices in one of a toolless manner; a nondestructive manner, or without breaking a seal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more of the plurality of measurement system components which do not have a built-in functionality to report information items to identify the respective measurement system components is glued to a respective one of the local storage devices. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more of the plurality of measurement system components which do not have a built-in functionality to report information items to identify the respective measurement system components is disposed in a separate housing with a respective one of the local storage devices. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the plurality of measurement system components comprise a wear out condition of at least one of the measurement system components. ### Claim 13 A method for determining a state of a measurement system comprising: reading out, from the measurement system, information items uniquely identifying a plurality of measurement system components; comparing the readout information items to reference information items from the measurement system to determine whether the measurement system is used in a valid state, wherein the reference information items identify the plurality of measurement system components and represent one or more characteristics of the plurality of measurement components that are to remain unchanged and information on reference operating conditions; determining, based on a comparison of the readout information items with the reference information items, integrity of the measurement system, wherein a mismatch between the readout information items and the reference information items indicates that the measurement system is in an invalid state; determining, based on a comparison of current operating environmental conditions for the measurement system and the reference operating environmental conditions, whether the measurement system is operating in allowable operating environmental conditions, wherein operating outside the allowable operating environmental conditions indicates that the system is in the invalid state; and based on identifying a mismatch between the readout information items and the reference information items, determining that the measurement system is operating in the invalid state, the mismatch between the readout information items and the reference information items indicating one or more of (1) the integrity of the measurement system indicating that the measurement system is in the invalid state or (2) the current operating environmental conditions indicates that the measurement system is in the invalid state. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method for determining the state of the measurement system of claim 13, further comprising: reading out information items representing characteristics of the plurality of measurement system components; and comparing the readout information items representing characteristics of the plurality of measurement system components to reference characteristics to further determine whether the measurement system is used in the valid state. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method for determining the valid state of the measurement system of claim 14, further comprising: verifying an authenticity of the reference characteristics to further determine whether the measurement system is used in the valid state. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method for determining the valid state of the measurement system of claim 15, further comprising: combining the readout information items identifying the measurement system components and representing characteristics of the plurality of measurement system components as a summary file; generating a signature based on the summary file; and storing the summary file and the signature in a memory. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method for determining the valid state of the measurement system of claim 16, further comprising: retrieving the summary file and the signature from the memory for comparing the readout information items to reference information items and the readout information items representing characteristics of the plurality of measurement system components to reference characteristics to determine whether the measurement system is used in a valid state, and to verify the authenticity of the information items identifying the measurement system components and representing characteristics of the plurality of measurement system components in the summary file retrieved from the memory. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method for determining the valid state of the measurement system of claim 13, wherein one or more of measurement system components which do not have a built-in functionality to report the readout information items to identify the respective measurement system components are combined with associated local storage devices to enable reporting the readout information items to identify the respective one or more measurement system components.