Method and system for authenticating using a quartz oscillator

Abstract

A timepiece having at least one quartz oscillator and/or at least one transducer. A method for authenticating a timepiece includes measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to obtain an electrical signal, performing a transform of said electrical signal into at least one domain, extracting identification information from the transformed electrical signal, comparing the extracted information with at least one reference information, and determining an authenticity of said timepiece based on the comparing.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 956,198 filed on Aug. 27, 2013, and claims priority to International Application No. PCT / EP2013 / 067591 filed on Aug. 23, 2013, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a method and system for authenticating using a quartz oscillator.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Counterfeit consumer goods, commonly called knock-offs, are counterfeit or imitation products offered for sale. The spread of counterfeit goods has become global in recent years and the range of goods subject to counterfeiting has increased significantly.[0004]Watches are vulnerable to counterfeiting, and have been counterfeited for decades. A counterfeit watch is an unauthorized copy of a part or all of an authentic watch. According to estimates by the Swiss Customs Service, there are s...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]An aim of the invention is to provide a method for authenticating a timepiece that is non-invasive and reliable.

Problems solved by technology

Watches are vulnerable to counterfeiting, and have been counterfeited for decades.

A counterfeit watch is an unauthorized copy of a part or all of an authentic watch.

Extremely authentic looking, but very poor quality counterfeit watches can sell for as little as twenty dollars.

The problem is becoming more and more serious, with the quality of the counterfeits constantly increasing.

However, these methods modify the nature and the appearance of the object, and this is often not acceptable in the watch (and other luxury items) industry, where the design of the object and its visual appearance are of paramount importance.

Additionally, outer marks may be exposed to copy and environmental factors (wear, dirt, etc.).

Also, these methods require an active intervention at the time of manufacturing or distribution and, correspondingly an important change of the production process.

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