Method, apparatus and object incentive to reduce forgery

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for reducing forgery by providing incentives to a purchaser. A method for determining a reward to cause a consumer who has obtained a product to react to a request of a product seller includes determining an optimal incentive or reward to the consumer using an R-optimal formula. The invention also provides a method for identifying a sufficient number of items to be incentive by a consumer as an R-optimal object, where forgery can be prevented or reduced, where the incentive of items as an R-optimal object is part of a forgery work. The present invention provides a system for reducing or preventing counterfeit products by providing awards to consumers, including: a product registration method; an authentication method; and providing an encourage to allow the acquirer to comply with the reaction method, where the encourage is a reward determined by the R-optimal formula.

Description

Cross - reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims the priority of Chinese Utility Model Patent Application No. 202322354474.3, filed on August 31, 2023, the content of which is hereby incorporated into this application by reference. Technical field

[0002] The present invention relates to technologies for reducing forgery. Background art

[0003] The emergence of Internet technology has been one of the most important driving forces behind the globalization of commerce worldwide. Unfortunately, forgery is on the rise, and international criminal groups that profit from this trade respect neither borders nor legality. They are always ready to prey on the vulnerable and take advantage of any lack of coordination. The harm caused by IP crime hits corporate profits, tax revenues, and endangers the public, as has been vividly shown by the rise of fake drugs and personal protective equipment in the wake of the Covid - 19 pandemic. According to the 2019 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and EUIPO on trends in illegal trade, the value of counterfeit goods has reached $509 billion in the past 3 years, equivalent to 3.3% of global trade.

[0004] Anti - counterfeiting technologies help determine whether a product is genuine or fake, or whether the product has been otherwise affected by fraudulent activities. They can use different methods by performing functions including authentication, tracking / tracing, and anti - tampering / anti - alteration.

[0005] Anti - counterfeiting technologies differ according to the combination of their basic functions they perform, the methods they use to perform them, and their inspection modes - whether they can be inspected by human senses or require special equipment. However, a characteristic shared by all anti - counterfeiting methods is the use of a specific marking device, called a marker. They are inseparably combined with the product (by various technologies) and contain specific information that enables the technology to perform its basic functions.

[0006] Broadly speaking, anti - counterfeiting technologies can be classified as follows: · Electronic technologies - where electronic identification / authentication / tracking devices are associated with the product. · Marking technologies - where visible or invisible markers are incorporated into the product. · Chemical and physical technologies - where chemical or physical processes or substances are used to mark and inspect the product. · Mechanical technologies - where material elements or processes are applied to the product for authentication and / or anti - tampering purposes. · Digital media technologies - where information is embedded in or extracted from digital files, computers, and electronic devices. · Shared ledger technology (blockchain) - a tool that can be used in combination with other technologies to enhance overall anti-counterfeiting defenses. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a method for determining a reward to prompt consumers who have obtained a product to respond to the anti-counterfeiting efforts of the product seller, including using an R 最优 formula to determine the R 最优 value and thus determine the reward. The present invention also provides a method for identifying a sufficient number of products that will be incentivized by consumers to become R 最优 objects, which can prevent or reduce counterfeiting at this moment, where incentivizing the product to become an R 最优 object is part of the anti-counterfeiting efforts of merchants or sometimes brand owners. The present invention provides a system for reducing or preventing counterfeiting of products by providing rewards to consumers, including: a product registration method; and providing incentives to encourage acquirers to comply with the response method, where the incentive is a reward determined by an R 最优 formula.

[0008] The present invention also provides a system for reducing or preventing counterfeiting, which includes recording the appearance (or a part thereof) of a product before the product is sold; a system for comparing the appearance (or a part thereof) of the product before and after sale; and a method for prompting consumers to participate in the system, which includes providing a reward to the consumer, where the reward is determined by an R 最优 formula.

[0009] In a separate embodiment, the present invention provides a system for reducing or preventing counterfeiting, the system including: a product registration method, which includes: linking each item with an identifier, embedding the identifier with an authentication layer; connecting the authentication layer to the product, the method including attaching the authentication layer to the product, connecting a reward to the authentication layer, and determining the value of the reward determined by an R 最优 formula.

[0010] The above system, where the first authentication information includes reward information, and where the server is configured to: in response to receiving a reward collection command from the terminal, obtain the product identifier; and determine whether the product identifier exists in a predefined database; when it is determined that the product identifier exists in the predefined database, send the reward to the terminal so that the user can collect the reward through the terminal; and when it is determined that the product identifier does not exist in the predefined database, refrain from sending the reward to the terminal.

[0011] The present invention provides a system for reducing or preventing counterfeit products by providing rewards to consumers, including: a product authentication method, and providing rewards to consumers for complying with the authentication method, wherein the rewards are determined by R 最优 formula.

[0012] The present invention provides a container for containing a product, including: a first authentication layer that bears or allows access to first authentication information; a second authentication layer that bears or allows access to second authentication information associated with but different from the first authentication information; wherein the container is movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, in the closed configuration, access to the first authentication information from or via the first authentication layer and / or access to the second authentication information from or via the second authentication layer is prevented, and in the open configuration, access to the product, access to the first authentication information from or via the first authentication layer, and access to the second authentication information from or via the second authentication layer are allowed.

[0013] The present invention provides a product authentication method, including: scanning the first authentication layer and the second authentication layer of the container according to any one of the above claims to obtain the first authentication information and the second authentication information respectively; a server receiving and analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information; and the server providing an authentication result message based on the results of analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information. In addition to this method, analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information includes determining (i) the authentication and association between the first authentication information and the second authentication information, and (ii) the updated scan counts of the first authentication layer and the second authentication layer.

[0014] The present invention provides a product authentication method, including: a terminal scanning an authentication layer of a container to obtain authentication information; determining the value of a reward at least in part based on the probability that the authentication layer is scanned; and sending the reward of the value to the terminal in response to the authentication layer being scanned. The authentication method includes adjusting the value of the reward to at least reduce the profit of selling counterfeit products in used containers or having used containers. The value of the reward is obtained by R 最优 formula. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 A logistic regression curve is shown, which shows the relationship between the estimated probability that a consumer scans the authentication layer and the value of the reward.

[0017] Figure 2Shows a curve that shows the relationship between the forged profit and the value of the reward.

[0018] Figure 3A Shows the probability of scanning codes of edible bird's nests with different reward values.

[0019] Figure 3B Shows based on Figure 3A the results in

[0020] Figure 3C to obtain the function P(R) of b0 and b1.

[0021] Figure 3D Shows how to determine a sufficiently high probability value for scanning the code of the edible bird's nest. 最优 value method.

[0022] Figure 4A Shows the probability of scanning codes of luxury watches with different reward values.

[0023] Figure 4B Shows based on Figure 4A the results in

[0024] Figure 4C to obtain the function P(R) of b0 and b1.

[0025] Figure 4D Shows how to determine a sufficiently high probability value for scanning the code of the luxury watch. 最优 value method.

[0026] Figure 5A Shows the probability of scanning codes of pistachio products with different reward values.

[0027] Figure 5B Shows based on Figure 5A the results in

[0028] Figure 5C to obtain the function P(R) of b0 and b1.

[0029] Figure 5D Shows how to determine a sufficiently high probability value for scanning the code of the pistachio product. 最优 value method.

[0030] Figure 6A Shows the probability of scanning codes of red wine with different reward values.

[0031] Figure 6B Shows based on Figure 6A the results in

[0032] Figure 6C Shows how to determine a sufficiently high probability value for scanning the code of the red wine.

[0033] Figure 6D Shows determining the R 最优 value of the red wine.

[0034] Figure 7A Shows the probabilities of scanning codes with different reward values for a pair of pants of a popular sportswear brand.

[0035] Figure 7B Shows obtaining a function P(R) of b0 and b1 based on Figure 7A the results in.

[0036] Figure 7C Shows how to determine a sufficiently high probability value for scanning the code of the pair of pants.

[0037] Figure 7D Shows determining the R 最优 value of the pair of pants.

[0038] Figure 8A Shows the probabilities of scanning codes with different reward values for a luxury bag.

[0039] Figure 8B Shows obtaining a function P(R) of b0 and b1 based on Figure 8A the results in.

[0040] Figure 8C Shows how to determine a sufficiently high probability value for scanning the code of the luxury bag.

[0041] Figure 8D Shows determining the R 最优 value of the luxury bag.

[0042] Figure 9 Shows a curve that shows the relationship between the profit from forgery and the value of the reward in different cases.

[0043] Figure 10A Is a schematic diagram of a product authentication container in the open configuration in the form of a box according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 10B Is Figure 10A a schematic diagram of the box in the closed configuration.

[0045] Figure 11A Is a schematic diagram of a product authentication container in the open configuration in the form of a box according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 11B Is Figure 11ASchematic diagram of the box in the closed configuration.

[0047] Figure 12A Is a schematic diagram of a product authentication container in the form of a box in the open configuration according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 12B Is Figure 12A Schematic diagram of the box in the closed configuration.

[0049] Figure 13A Is a schematic diagram of a product authentication container in the form of a box in the open configuration according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 13B Is Figure 13A Schematic diagram of the box in the closed configuration.

[0051] Figure 14A Is a front view of a covering layer covering an authentication layer of a product authentication container according to the present invention.

[0052] Figure 14B Is Figure 14A Side view of the covering layer and the authentication layer shown as separated from each other in

[0053] Figure 15 Is a schematic diagram of a product authentication container in the form of a box in the closed configuration according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 16 Is Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the first exemplary box body of the box.

[0055] Figure 17 Is Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the second exemplary box body of the box.

[0056] Figure 18 Is a schematic diagram of a product authentication container in the form of a box in the closed state according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Figure 19 Is a schematic exploded view of a product authentication container in the form of a box according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Figure 20 Is a schematic diagram of a product authentication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Figure 21 Is a schematic diagram of an authentication result message shown on a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Figure 22Schematic diagram of another authentication result message shown on a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] Figure 23 Flowchart of a product authentication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] Figure 24 Flowchart of a product authentication method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] Figure 25 Schematic block diagram of an exemplary product authentication device that can be used to implement the product authentication method according to the present invention. Detailed implementation

[0064] The present disclosure relates to using incentives to cause acquirers of goods, products, or services to respond to requests from sellers to ensure that the goods, products, or services are not counterfeits. The incentive or encouragement may be a reward. The response may be authentication. The reward will result in reducing the profit generated from counterfeit trade.

[0065] The present invention provides a method for determining a reward to prompt a consumer who has acquired a product to respond to a request from the product seller, including using the R 最优 formula to determine the R 最优 value, thereby determining the reward.

[0066] In one embodiment, the method further includes a first step: setting a first R 最优 value.

[0067] In one embodiment, the first step is an educated guess, and then the second step is to obtain the desired R 最优 value through a binary search method.

[0068] In one embodiment, the products include edible bird's nests, wild cordyceps, pistachios, wine, sportswear, watches, and designer bags.

[0069] The present invention also provides a system for reducing or preventing counterfeit products by providing rewards to consumers, including: a product registration method; and a method for providing encouragement to cause acquirers to comply with a response method, wherein the encouragement may be a reward determined by the R 最优 formula.

[0070] The present invention also provides a method for identifying a sufficient number of products to be targeted for consumer incentives, including the following steps: i) a product verification method, the product verification method including at least one authentication layer in the product being sold; ii) a method for prompting compliance with the product authentication method, the method including providing a reward to the consumer for targeting the product being sold as an R 最优an object; and iii) a method for determining the value of the reward for the consumer, the method comprising R 最优 a formula.

[0071] The present invention provides a system for reducing or preventing forgery, comprising: recording the appearance (or a part thereof) of a product before the product is sold; a system for comparing the appearance (or a part thereof) of the product before and after the product is sold; a method for prompting a consumer to participate in the system, the method comprising providing a reward to the consumer, wherein the reward is determined by R 最优 a formula.

[0072] The present invention provides a method for driving forgers to apply used containers to their forgery production, comprising the steps of: i) a system for reducing or preventing forged products by providing a reward to a consumer according to claim 5; ii) using R 最优 a formula to determine the R 最优 value, at which value or above, forgers who do not apply used containers will have lower profits than forgers who apply used containers.

[0073] The present invention provides a system for reducing or preventing forgery, comprising: recording the appearance (or a part thereof) of the product before selling the product; a system for comparing the appearance (or a part thereof) of the product before and after the product is sold; a method for prompting a consumer to participate in the system, the method comprising providing a reward to the consumer, wherein the reward is determined by R 最优 a formula.

[0074] In one embodiment, the first authentication information includes reward information, and wherein the server is configured to: upon receiving a reward collection command from the terminal, obtain a product identifier; and determine whether the product identifier exists in a predefined database; when it is determined that the product identifier exists in the predefined database, send the reward to the terminal, so that the user can collect the reward through the terminal; and when it is determined that the product identifier does not exist in the predefined database, stop sending the reward to the terminal.

[0075] In one embodiment, the first authentication information includes reward information, and wherein the server is configured to: upon receiving a reward collection command from the terminal, retrieve the real-time value of the reward; when the reward has a positive real-time value, send the real-time value of the reward to the terminal, so that the user can collect a random coupon with a customized value, the customized value being less than or equal to the real-time value of the reward; and when the reward has a zero real-time value, send a reward collection rejection message to the terminal.

[0076] In one embodiment, the reward has a random value pre - determined by the merchant.

[0077] The present invention provides a system for reducing or preventing counterfeit products by providing rewards to consumers, including: a product authentication method; and providing rewards to cause consumers to comply with the product authentication method, wherein the reward is determined by an R 最优 formula.

[0078] In one embodiment, the system requires scanning at least 2 codes.

[0079] In one embodiment, a consumer can request a reward by scanning any one of the codes, or wherein at least one code is hidden and the disclosure of the code will involve leaving a visible damage mark on the packaging of the product, or wherein at least one code is unhidden and visible without causing any damage to the packaging of the product.

[0080] The present invention provides a container for containing a product, including: a first authentication layer that bears or allows access to first authentication information; a second authentication layer that bears or allows access to second authentication information associated with but different from the first authentication information; wherein the container is movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, in the closed configuration, access to the first authentication information from or via the first authentication layer and / or access to the second authentication information from or via the second authentication layer is prevented, and in the open configuration, access to the product, access to the first authentication information from or via the first authentication layer, and access to the second authentication information from or via the second authentication layer are allowed.

[0081] The present invention provides a product authentication method, including the following steps: i) scanning the first authentication layer and the second authentication layer of the container according to any one of the above - mentioned claims to obtain the first authentication information and the second authentication information respectively; ii) the server receiving and analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information; and iii) the server providing an authentication result message based on the results of analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information.

[0082] In one embodiment, the analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information includes determining (i) the authentication and association between the first authentication information and the second authentication information, and (ii) the updated scan counts of the first authentication layer and the second authentication layer; or wherein, the analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information includes determining the time when the first authentication layer and / or the second authentication layer are first scanned, or wherein, the first authentication information includes reward information; and wherein, the method further includes: triggering a reward collection command based on the reward information, sending the product identifier of the container to the server; when the server verifies that the product identifier exists in a predefined database, displaying the reward and enabling the user to collect the reward; and when the server verifies that the product identifier does not exist in the predefined database, displaying a reward collection rejection message.

[0083] The present invention provides a method for determining the value of a reward for a consumer, comprising the steps of: i) estimating the duration required to scan the first authentication layer and / or the second authentication layer of a container as described above; ii) determining the average wage per unit time of the consumer; and iii) multiplying the estimated duration, the average wage per unit time, and a magnification value greater than 1 to obtain an initial value of the reward for the consumer.

[0084] In one embodiment, the method further includes the steps of: i) determining the market value of a used container of an authenticated product; ii) determining the average market price of the authenticated product; iii) determining the cost of selling a counterfeit of the authenticated product minus the market value of the used container; and iv) adjusting the value of the reward for the consumer at least in part based on the estimated probability that the reward is collected.

[0085] The present invention provides a product authentication method, comprising the steps of: i) scanning an authentication layer of a container by a terminal to obtain authentication information; ii) determining the value of a reward at least in part based on the probability that the authentication layer is scanned; and iii) sending a reward of the value to the terminal in response to the authentication layer being scanned.

[0086] Reward

[0087] The first aspect of the present invention relates to the determination of a reward used in anti-counterfeiting technology. The reward is intended as a "bait". In this context, the profit (P t ) obtained by selling counterfeit products using a container (hereinafter referred to as a "used container") previously used for packaging / containing an authenticated product is represented in formula (1): P t = P z -(Cf +C c ) Formula (1), where P z represents the selling price of the counterfeit product contained in the used container; C f represents the cost of producing the counterfeit product, and C c represents the cost of obtaining the used container for packaging the counterfeit product.

[0088] The concept of the used container also extends to cover all surfaces bearing the authentication layer in products sold without using a container.

[0089] When selling the authenticated product with an accompanying reward, the profit (P t ’) from selling the counterfeit product contained in the used container satisfies Formula (2a): P t ′ = P z ′ - (C f +C c ) Formula (2a), where P z ’ represents the selling price of the counterfeit product and satisfies Formula (2b): P z ′ = [1 - P(R)]P z Formula (2b), where R is the value of the reward and P(R) is the probability that the reward is claimed.

[0090] In the case where a reward accompanies the authenticated product, assuming there is a consumer of the authenticated product who intends to sell the used container to the counterfeiter after consuming the authenticated product or removing the authentication product from the container, this consumer may or may not scan the relevant authentication layer to trigger a reward claim command (e.g., a coupon claim command) to claim the reward (e.g., a cash coupon, a discount coupon, a membership, etc.). When this consumer sells the used container to the counterfeiter, although the consumer will assert (truthfully or untruthfully) that the reward has not been claimed, this cannot be verified by the counterfeiter. The counterfeiter may still have to pay the original cost (i.e., C c)Purchase used containers. There will of course be cases where consumers will scan the relevant authentication layer(s), trigger the reward collection command(s) and collect the rewards, and then sell the used containers to counterfeiters. This means that for some used containers, the relevant authentication layer(s) have been scanned and the rewards have been collected, while for some other used containers, the relevant authentication layer(s) have not been scanned and the rewards are still available for collection. There may be consumers who reuse the used containers themselves for counterfeiting, but it is believed that the number of such consumer-counterfeiters is not high, and if consumers are advised not to purchase from unofficial channels and to insist on obtaining sufficient personal information about the seller and the face-to-face transaction, the product packaging is not easily reversible so that the cost of small-scale production of counterfeits is high, and / or there are bounty hunters rewarded by the brand owner for reporting counterfeits, then the likelihood of their profiting at the expense of the brand owner is low.

[0091] When counterfeiters sell the counterfeit products contained in used containers to their own defrauded consumers (i.e., consumers who truly believe they are purchasing authenticated products), some of such consumers will purchase and receive the counterfeit products contained in used containers for which they have not collected the relevant rewards, while the remaining such defrauded consumers will purchase and receive the counterfeit products contained in used containers for which they have collected the relevant rewards.

[0092] Some of such defrauded consumers who have purchased and received the counterfeit products contained in used containers for which they have collected the relevant rewards will seek to authenticate the products through official channels (such as official websites or official mobile applications). Their authentication process will fail because one or more relevant authentication layers have been scanned, thus preventing the successful completion of any subsequent authentication process. Such consumers will know (or at least have reason to suspect) that they have purchased counterfeit products and will complain about the counterfeiters to other parties including government authorities and e-commerce platforms. The counterfeiters (if they want to continue their counterfeiting activities) will have to compensate such consumers, in the hope of appeasing them. The counterfeiters may also be fined by government authorities and sales platforms and may have to compensate the brand owner. When determining the profit (P t ’) from selling such counterfeit products, the amount of such compensation and / or fines must be taken into account. Thus, it can be seen that those consumers who scan the relevant authentication layer(s), whether they know it or not, will play an important role in minimizing (if not completely eliminating) the profit from selling counterfeit products in used containers. Thus, the rewards act as a trap in the sense that counterfeiters may incur certain liabilities for obtaining used containers.

[0093] Assume R2 > R1. It is reasonable to infer that P(R2) > P(R1). Therefore, as the value R of the reward increases, the probability P(R) of receiving the reward also increases, resulting in a decrease in the profit P obtained from selling counterfeit products in used containers. For consumers who purchase products with such rewards, there may be two options: (a) scan one or more authentication layers to obtain the reward, or (b) not scan one or more authentication layers to obtain the reward. Given the dichotomous nature of the behavior pattern, it is believed that the relationship between the probability that a consumer scans one or more authentication layers and the value of the reward can be best estimated by logistic regression in the following general formula (3), and is shown in t where b0 and b1 are each independent constants. Figure 1 shown in

[0094] When the value of R 最优 may be affected by a series of factors, the estimate of P(R) is calculated by formula (4), and the factors are, for example, government policies (GP), union interventions (UI), policies of consumer protection organizations (CP), new or existing anti-counterfeiting technologies (AT), the number of authentication layers used (e.g., 1 barcode, 2 barcodes, 3 barcodes, etc.) (BU), the inflation rate (IR) in a certain county, and others (OT).

[0095] The influence of each factor on the value of R 最优 and the relationship between the probability that a consumer scans one or more authentication layers and the value of the reward are further calculated by formulas (5) - (8): b0, b1, b2, b3, b4, and b n are each independent constants.

[0096] Logistic regression (e.g., multivariate logistic regression) can be applied to calculate P(R) for any combination of the above explanatory independent variables.

[0097] If a store or a third - party sales channel does not promise a refund in case the goods it sells are proven to be counterfeit, then consumers will not purchase from such a store or sales channel. Therefore, anticipating that consumers will likely scan one or more authentication layers to check whether the purchased goods are authenticated, the new profit P t ' of the counterfeiter is as follows: P′ t = [1 - P(R)]P z - (C f + C c ) P′ t +(C f +C c )=[1 - P(R)]P z Formula (9) Substitute P′ z =[1 - P(R)]P z as Formula (10) and when R is the optimal value (R 最优 ) then C = C f +C c , Pz’ = C = C f +C c P t ’=0 (i.e., no profit).

[0098] It can be seen from Figure 2 that when the value of the reward (R) increases, P t ’ and P z ’ decrease until the value of the reward reaches the R 最优 value, at which point P z ’ reaches C and at this time P t ’ decreases to 0.

[0099] Use 3 formulas extracted from a class of R 最优 formulas to calculate the R 最优 value, including: P′ z =[1 - P(R)]P z Formula (10), P′ t =P′ z -(C f +C c ) Formula (2a).

[0100] There are various ways to initially determine the value of the reward (R), including estimating based on the income of target consumers and market surveys.

[0101] According to the Annual Earnings and Hours Survey released by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Government, from May to June 2023, the median hourly wage of employees was HK$80.1 (US$10.27). It is estimated that scanning the first authentication layer and the second authentication layer will take approximately 1 minute, and the “time cost” of doing so is as follows: US$10.07x1 / 60 - US$0.171.

[0102] To be sufficiently attractive, US$2 can be designated as the first good guess value for the reward (R). This is derived by multiplying US$0.171 by a magnification value of approximately 10. Of course, to enhance the attractiveness of scanning the (one or more) authentication layers, a higher magnification value, say 15, 20 or even higher, can be employed. The value of the reward (R) will be continuously adjusted until the brand owner finds the number of counterfeits in the market to be acceptable.

[0103] In addition, the R value of the product can be determined by first conducting a survey of the relevant consumers. 最优 Value.

[0104] It can also be interpreted from the survey how the logo will be incentivized by consumers into R 最优 objects for a sufficient number of product items, which can prevent or reduce counterfeiting at this moment. Consumers who purchase the complete product consisting of the authentication layer scan the authentication layer (as may be inadvertently driven to do so by the R 最优 reward) and thereby incentivize the product into an R 最优 object, where the R 最优 object is defined as a product unit that can have an effect on the anti-counterfeiting efforts of the product seller or brand owner.

[0105] In the case where the survey results cover a statistically significant sample of consumers who will scan the value of the authentication layer, the probability that consumers who have purchased the complete product with the authentication layer will scan the authentication layer and the optimal value of the reward can be calculated. By multiplying the probability by the number of product units sold, the sufficient number (N 最优 ) of R SRS objects can be calculated.

[0106] In the case where the number of R 最优 objects is sufficient and at this time the value of the reward is equal to or higher than its optimal value, counterfeiting can be reduced (if not eliminated).

[0107] Deductions effective for anti-counterfeiting can be further extracted from the sufficient number (N 最优 ) of R SRS objects. When the R 最优 object is re-incentivized, it can be inferred that counterfeiting is being carried out using such an R 最优 object. In the case where data on the geographical location of the (one or more) terminals re-incentivizes the R 最优 object, the brand owner can become aware of the areas where counterfeiting is rampant again and respond by adjusting the value of the reward, restoring the value to the R 最优 value.

[0108] Example 1 - Edible bird's nest. A survey was conducted in which the following question was asked of the respondents: "You have just purchased a box of edible bird's nest of a popular brand, and if you scan the code on the product container, the brand will offer you a coupon. Scanning the code takes about 1 minute. During the scanning process, only the personal information required to give you the reward is collected (i.e., no excessive collection of personal data). If the reward is in the form of a cash equivalent coupon with no minimum spending requirement to be spent at the brand's store, what reward value would be sufficient for you to scan the code for this box of edible bird's nest with a retail price of HK$2000 (equivalent to US$256.58)?"

[0109] Eight respondents participated in the survey, and their answers are listed in Table 1A and presented graphically in Figure 3A . Table 1A. Survey results Respondent # Answer (HK$) 1 10 2 100 3 50 4 50 5 100 6 100 7 50 8 Never

[0110] Table 1B below shows the cumulative probability of scanning the code in or on the product container of the edible bird's nest. Table 1B Cumulative probability from the survey

[0111] Figure 3B Shows the method for determining the values of the independent constants b0 and b1 in formula (3) for this example: It is determined that b0 is equal to -2.894142 and b1 is equal to 0.405698.

[0112] Probability of scanning the code, sufficient R 最优 Number of objects and R 最优 values are calculated as follows: P t ′ = P z ′ - C where P z ′ = [1 - P(R)]P z , and C = C f + C c When R = R 最优 , P t = 0 When C f = 128, C c = 2.5, P z = 256.58, then NSRS = N P × P(R 最优 ) When time When b0 = -2.894142 and b1 = 0.405698, Therefore, the sufficiently high probability of scanning the code is approximately 49.1%, and in this case a sufficient number of R 最优 objects will be at least 49.1% of the product units of the authentication layer with complete sales. This calculation is in Figure 3C graphically represented. When the total number of products (Np) sold and equipped with R 最优 authentication codes is 10,000, the sufficient number (N 最优 ) of R SRS objects is 4914.

[0113] Figure 3D Shows a method for determining the R 最优 value of this edible bird's nest, where the selling price is US$256.58. The cost (C c ) of the used container is US$2.5, and the cost (C f ) of the counterfeit product is USS128. The R 最优 value in this example is calculated to be approximately US$7.049.

[0114] Example 2 - Luxury watch. A survey was conducted in which respondents were asked questions similar to those related to the above-mentioned edible bird's nest, except that in this case, the product is a luxury watch with a retail price of HK$200,000 (US$25,658), and the reward is cash paid directly into the consumer's bank account or via an electronic payment method.

[0115] Seven respondents participated in the survey, and their answers are listed in Table 2A and are Figure 4A graphically represented in Table 2A. Survey results Respondent # Answer (HK$) 1 500 2 5 3 20 4 80 5 500 6 1000 7 Never

[0116] Table 2B shows the cumulative probability of scanning the code accompanying the luxury watch. Table 2B Cumulative probability from the survey

[0117] Figure 4B Shows a method for determining the independent constants b0 and b1 in formula (3) for this example: Determine that b0 is equal to -0.986486 and b1 is equal to 0.024739.

[0118] Probability of scanning the code, sufficient R 最优 Number of objects and R 最优 The value is calculated as follows: p t ′ = P z ′ - C where P z ′ = [1 - P(R)]P z , and C = C f + C c When R = R 最优 at that time, P t ′ = 0 When C f = 500, C c = 125, P z = 25658. N SRS = N P × P(R 最优 ) When at that time, When b0 = -0.986486 and b1 = 0.024739,

[0119] Therefore, the probability of scanning the code high enough is approximately 97.6%, and in this case, the sufficient number of R 最优 objects will be at least 97.6% of the product units of the authentication layer with complete sales. This calculation is graphically represented in Figure 4C . When the total number of products sold and equipped with the R 最优 authentication code (N P ) is 10000, the sufficient number of R 最优 objects (N SRS ) is 9756.

[0120] Figure 4D Shows the method for determining the R 最优 value of this luxury watch, where the selling price is US$25,658 and the cost of the used container (C C) is US$125, and the cost (C f ) of the counterfeit product is USS500. The R 最优 value in this example is calculated to be approximately US$189.041.

[0121] Example 3 - Pistachios. A survey was conducted in which respondents were asked questions similar to those related to the edible bird's nest above, except that in this case, the product was a pack of pistachios with a retail price of HK$36 (US$4.62), and the reward was cash paid directly into the consumer's bank account or via an electronic payment method.

[0122] Eight respondents participated in the survey, and their answers are listed in Table 3A and presented Figure 5A graphically in Table 3A. Survey Results Respondent # Answer (HKS) 1 5 2 5 3 8 4 20 5 5 6 8 7 20 8 Never

[0123] Table 3B shows the cumulative probability of scanning the code accompanying the pistachio packaging. Table 3B Cumulative Probability from the Survey

[0124] Figure 5B shows the method for determining the values of the independent constants b0 and b1 in formula (3) for this example: It is determined that b0 is equal to -2.613061 and b1 is equal to 2.543437.

[0125] The probability of scanning the code, the number of sufficient R 最优 objects, and the R 最优 value are calculated as follows: P t = P z - C where P z ′ = [1 - P(R)]P z , and C = C f + C c When R = R 最优 , P t ′ = 0 When C f = 2.5, C c = 0.25, P z = 4.62, N SRS = N P × P(R 最优 ) When time, When b0 = -2.613061 and b1 = 2.543437,

[0126] Therefore, the probability of a sufficiently high scanned code is about 40.5%, and in this case, a sufficient number of R 最优 values will be at least 40.5% in the product units of the authentication layer with full sales. This calculation is Figure 5C graphically represented in. When the total number of products sold and equipped with R 最优 authentication codes (N p ) is 10,000, the sufficient number of R 最优 objects (N SRS ) is 4048.

[0127] Figure 5D Shows a method for determining the R 最优 value of pistachio products, where the selling price is US$4.62, the cost of the used container (C c ) is USS0.25, and the cost of the counterfeit product (C f ) is US$2.5. The R 最优 value in this example is calculated to be approximately US$0.876.

[0128] Example 4 - Red wine. A survey was conducted in which respondents were asked questions similar to those related to the edible bird's nest above, except that in this case, the product is a bottle of red wine with a retail price of HKS200 (USS25.66), and the reward is cash paid directly into the consumer's bank account or via an electronic payment method.

[0129] Seven respondents participated in the survey, and their answers are listed in Table 4A and graphically represented in Figure 6A . Table 4A. Survey results Respondent # Answer (HK$) 1 80 2 5 3 20 4 10 5 5 6 50 7 Never

[0130] Table 4B shows the cumulative probability of scanning the code accompanying a bottle of red wine. Table 4B. Cumulative probability from the survey

[0131] Figure 6BShows the method for determining the values of the independent constants b0 and b1 in formula (3) for this example: It is determined that b0 is equal to -0.699818 and b1 is equal to 0.255414.

[0132] Probability of scanning the code, sufficient R 最优 Number of objects and R 最优 The value is calculated as follows: P t ′ = P z ′ - C where P z ′ = [1 - P(R)]P z , and C = C f + C c When R = R 最优 , P t ′ = 0 When C f = 10, C c = 0.5, P z = 25.66, N SRS = N P × P(R 最优 ) When , When b0 = -0.699818 and b1 = 0.255414,

[0133] Therefore, the sufficiently high probability of scanning the code is approximately 59.1%, in which case the sufficient number of R 最优 objects will be at least 59.1% of the product units of the authentication layer with complete sales. This calculation is graphically represented in Figure 6C . Therefore, the sufficiently high probability of scanning the code is approximately 59.1%, in which case the sufficient number of R 最优 objects will be at least 59.1% of the product units of the authentication layer with complete sales. This calculation is graphically represented in Figure 6C . When the total number of products sold and equipped with the R 最优 authentication code (N p ) is 10000, the sufficient number of R 最优 objects (NSRS ) is 5910.

[0134] Figure 6D shows a method for determining the R 最优 value of the red wine product, where the selling price is US$25.66, the cost (C c ) of the used container is US$0.5, and the cost (C f ) of the counterfeit product is US$10. The R 最优 value in this example is calculated as US$4.178.

[0135] Example 5 - Popular sportswear. A survey was conducted in which the respondents were asked questions similar to those related to the edible bird's nest mentioned above, except that in this case, the product is a pair of pants from a popular sportswear brand with a retail price of HK$780 (US$100), and the reward is cash paid directly into the consumer's bank account or via an electronic payment method.

[0136] Seven respondents participated in the survey, and their answers are listed in Table 5A and presented graphically in Figure 7A . Table 5A. Survey Results

[0137] Table 5B shows the cumulative probability of scanning the code accompanying a pair of pants from a popular sportswear brand. Table 5B Cumulative Probability from the Survey

[0138] Figure 7B shows a method for determining the values of the independent constants b0 and b1 in formula (3) for this example: It is determined that b0 is equal to -0.865387 and b1 is equal to 0.474984.

[0139] The probability of scanning the code, the number of sufficient R 最优 objects, and the R 最优 value are calculated as follows: P t ′ = P z ′ - C where P z ′ = [1 - P(R)]P z , and C = C f + C c When R = R最优 When P t ′ = 0 When C f = 30, C c = 0.3, P z = 100, N SRS = N p × P(R 最优 ) When then When b0 = -0.865387, b1 = 0.474984,

[0140] Therefore, the probability of a high enough scanned code is approximately 69.5%, and in this case, a sufficient number of R 最优 objects will be at least 69.5% of the product units of the authentication layer with full sales. This calculation is graphically represented in Figure 7C . When the total number of products sold and equipped with the R 最优 authentication code (N p ) is 10,000, the sufficient number of R 最优 objects (N SRS ) is 6,950.

[0141] Figure 7D Shows a method for determining the R 最优 value of a pair of pants from a popular sportswear brand, where the selling price is US$100, the cost of the used container (C C ) is US$0.5, and the cost of the counterfeit product (C f ) is US$30. In this example, the R 最优 value is calculated to be approximately US$3.556.

[0142] Example 6 - Luxury bag. A survey was conducted, in which the respondents were asked questions similar to those related to the edible bird's nest mentioned above, except that in this case, the product is a luxury bag with a retail price of HK$80,000 (US$10,263.20), and the reward is cash paid directly into the consumer's bank account or via an electronic payment method.

[0143] Seven respondents participated in the survey, and their answers are listed in Table 6A and graphically represented in Figure 8A . Table 6A Survey Results Respondent # Answer (HK$) 1 800 2 10 3 100 4 20 5 500 6 1000 7 Never

[0144] Table 6B generates the cumulative probability of the code for scanning the luxury bag. Table 6B Cumulative Probability from the Survey

[0145] Figure 8B A method for determining the values of the independent constants b0 and b1 in formula (3) for this example is shown: It is determined that b0 is equal to -1.063948 and b1 is equal to 0.021136.

[0146] Probability of the scanned code, sufficient R 最优 Number of objects and R 最优 The value is calculated as follows: p t ′ = P z ′ - C where P z ′ = [1 - P(R)]P z , and C = C f + C c When R = R 最优 at that time, P t ′ = 0 When C r = 320, C c = 20, P z = 10263.2, N SRS = N P × P(R 最优 ) When at that time, When b0 = -1.063948, b1 = 0,021136,

[0147] Therefore, the probability of a high enough scanned code is approximately 96.7%. In this case, a sufficient number of R 最优 objects will be at least 96.7% of the product units of the authentication layer with complete sales. This calculation is graphically represented in Figure 8C . When sold and equipped with R 最优Total number of products with authentication code (N p ) is 10,000, R 最优 Sufficient number of objects (N SRS ) is 9,669.

[0148] Figure 8D The method for determining the R 最优 value of the luxury bag is shown, where the selling price is US$10,263.2, the cost of the used container (C C ) is US$20, and the cost of the counterfeit product (C f ) is US$320. In this example, the R 最优 value is calculated to be approximately US$209.956.

[0149] It can also be interpreted from the survey the method of identifying products that will be motivated by consumers to be R 最优 objects, which can prevent or reduce counterfeiting at a specific moment. By scanning the authentication layer (as may be inadvertently done when driven by R 最优 rewards), consumers who purchase a complete product consisting of the authentication layer will motivate the product to be an R 最优 object, and the R 最优 object is defined as a product unit that can have an effect on the anti-counterfeiting work of the product seller or brand owner.

[0150] In the case where the survey results cover a statistically significant sample of consumers who will scan the value of the authentication layer, the probability that consumers who have purchased the complete product with the authentication layer will scan the authentication layer can be calculated, and the optimal value of the reward can be calculated. By multiplying the probability by the number of product units sold, the sufficient number of R 最优 objects can be calculated.

[0151] When the number of R 最优 objects is sufficient and the value of the reward is equal to or higher than its optimal value at this time, counterfeiting can be reduced (if not eliminated).

[0152] There may be cases where consumers do not seek a refund or are unable to obtain a refund, even if it can be proven that what he / she purchased is a counterfeit product (although it is contained in a used container). In this case, the new profit of the counterfeiter is as follows: where x is the percentage of consumers who do not seek or obtain a refund. It can be seen from Figure 9 that when the percentage of consumers who do not seek or obtain a refund increases, the R 最优 value increases.

[0153] Even if a store or third - party sales channel promises to refund goods proven to be counterfeit, there is still a possibility that some consumers may not take the opportunity to scan one or more authentication layers to verify the authenticity of the purchased goods. Therefore, the expected profit from counterfeiting is: P′ t =(1 - P(S))[P z -(C f +C c )]+P(S)[(1 - P(R))P z -(C f +C c )] Equation (12) Where P(S) is the probability that any consumer who purchases a product from outside the flagship store or official channel scans one or more authentication layers; and P(R) is the probability that any consumer scans the authentication layer.

[0154] The part "(1 - P(S)[P z -(C f +C c )]" ("Profit part A") represents the counterfeit profit from selling to consumers who do not scan one or more authentication layers after purchasing counterfeit goods, and the part "P(S)[(1 - P(R))P z -(C f +C c )]" ("Profit part B") represents the counterfeit profit from selling to consumers who scan one or more authentication layers after purchasing counterfeit goods.

[0155] It is believed that P(S)≥P(R), because without incentives, consumers who purchase from non - flagship stores or non - official channels may have some anxiety about the authenticity of the goods, so P(S) may be higher or even much higher than P(R).

[0156] Since R≥R 最优 , and at the same time, profit part A remains positive but shrinks as R is adjusted upward, both P(R) and P(S) increase; profit part B is negative and remains increasing in absolute value until it finally exceeds profit part A. Therefore, when the value of R 最优 is adjusted upward to a large enough value, then the counterfeiter will not be able to make a profit. The opportunity for a counterfeiter who even bothers to use a used container with one or more authentication layers to make a profit is even lower, because profit part B becomes: P(S)[0-(C f +C c )]<P(S)[(1 - P(R))P z -(C f +C c )] Equation (13) Among them, the left side of the inequality formula (13) represents the profit portion B in the case of not using a used container having (one or more) authentication layers, and the right side of the inequality formula (13) represents the profit portion B of using a used container having (one or more) authentication layers.

[0157] Unless otherwise specified, R 最优 The value calculation is based on the assumption of a 95% confidence level. When applying R 最优 into practice, the brand owner can use a calculation tool or otherwise define the desired confidence level and the corresponding sample size with the help of those skilled in the art. As shown in Tables 7 and 8 below, the required sample size varies with the preselected confidence level. Table 7. Sample Size Calculator Confidence Level 95％ Margin of Error 5 Population Proportion 50 Population Size 50000 Sample Size 382 Table 8. Sample Size Calculator Confidence Level 99％ Margin of Error 5 Population Proportion 50 Population Size 50000 Sample Size 657

[0158] The second aspect of the present invention relates to a container and an authentication process in anti-counterfeiting technology.

[0159] Conventional packaging containers usually have only a single QR code or a single string printed thereon, and the single QR code or the single string is exposed on the outside of the packaging. This makes it relatively easy for counterfeiters to copy the QR code or the characters. When a consumer scans such a two-dimensional code or enters such characters copied by the counterfeiter and placed on the packaging of a counterfeit product, the consumer receives a message indicating that the product is authenticated, thus making it difficult to accurately identify whether the product is authenticated or counterfeited. In addition, these existing anti-counterfeiting methods mainly rely on consumers to verify the authenticity of the product after they have purchased the product. In other words, even if the anti-counterfeiting method allows consumers to accurately identify the authenticity of the product, those who have purchased counterfeit goods have already suffered losses, and it takes time to negotiate with the counterfeiter or the shopping platform to seek compensation. It requires a lot of time and effort from multiple parties for enforcement. Therefore, the existing anti-counterfeiting methods only address the symptoms rather than the root cause of the problem.

[0160] Authentication

[0161] To solve one or more of the above problems and potential problems, the second aspect of the present application relates to a product authentication container as described below.

[0162] Figure 10A Shown is a dual-code product authentication box for containing a product according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The box is generally designated as 100 and is in an open configuration. Figure 10BShows the cartridge 100 in a closed configuration. The cartridge 100 can be used to package various items, such as food, beverages, clothing, stationery, electronic products, jewelry, watches, pharmaceuticals, etc. It is important to note that the product authentication cartridge according to the present invention is not limited to the type of items to be contained therein and can also be used to package other goods, as the present invention does not impose specific restrictions in this regard.

[0163] Reference Figure 10A and Figure 10B , the dual - code authentication cartridge 100 includes a cartridge body 110, a cartridge lid 120, a first authentication layer 130, and a second authentication layer 140. The cartridge body 110 has an opening 111 that allows items to be placed into or removed from the cartridge body 110 through the opening 111. The cartridge lid 120 is designed to be located on the opening side of the cartridge body 110 to cover the opening 111. Although the cartridge body 110 and the cartridge lid 120 are shown in Figure 10A and Figure 10B as each having a generally rectangular shape, it should be understood that the shapes of the cartridge body 110 and the cartridge lid 120 are not limited thereby. For example, the cartridge body 110 and the cartridge lid 120 can have shapes such as generally circular, polygonal, irregular, etc., as long as the cartridge lid 120 can be mounted on the opening side of the cartridge body 110.

[0164] The first authentication layer 130 (carrying or allowing access to the first authentication information and thus associated therewith) can be located on the first mating component 112 of the cartridge body 110 or on the inner surface of the cartridge body 110. In the configuration where the cartridge lid 120 covers the opening 111 of the cartridge body 110, the first mating component 112 is hidden by the cartridge lid 120. The second authentication layer 140 can be located on the inner surface of the cartridge lid 120 and carries or allows access to the second authentication information (and thus associated therewith), which is different from the first authentication information but is associated with the first authentication information (e.g., has a predefined relationship with it). The derived authentication information of the dual - code authentication cartridge 100 for authentication purposes is formed or derived from the first authentication information and the second authentication information.

[0165] When a user intends to verify the authenticity of the product within the dual-code authentication box 100, he / she can scan the first authentication layer 130 and the second authentication layer 140 to obtain the first authentication information and the second authentication information respectively. When it is found that the second authentication information is associated with the first authentication information (e.g., satisfies a predefined relationship with the first authentication information), the derived authentication information formed from or derived from the first authentication information and the second authentication information is determined to be correct, and a positive authentication result message is sent to the user, and the user can conclude that the product within the box 100 should be authenticated. On the other hand, if the second authentication information does not correspond to the first authentication information (e.g., does not satisfy a predefined relationship with the first authentication information), the derived authentication information formed from or derived from the first authentication information and the second authentication information is determined to be incorrect, and a negative authentication result message is sent to the user, and the user can infer that the product within the box 100 may be counterfeit. Therefore, by forming or deriving the derived authentication information of the dual-code authentication box 100 based on the first authentication information and the second authentication information, the difficulty of forgery is increased, and thus the anti-counterfeiting performance of the dual-code box 100 and the anti-counterfeiting performance of the product authentication system including the box 100 are enhanced.

[0166] It should be understood that the dual-code product authentication box 100 may further include one or more additional authentication layers, such as a third authentication layer that bears or allows access to (and is thus associated with) third authentication information and a fourth authentication layer that bears or allows access to (and is thus associated with) fourth authentication information. The derived authentication information of the dual-code authentication box 100 can be formed from or derived from the first authentication information, the second authentication information, the third authentication information, and the fourth authentication information.

[0167] The first authentication layer 130 and the second authentication layer 140 can each independently be a graphic code (e.g., a barcode or a QR code) layer, a character code layer, or a combination thereof. The graphic code can be a one-dimensional or two-dimensional code, while the character code can be composed of text, numbers, and / or special characters or a combination thereof. The first authentication layer 130 and the second authentication layer 140 can each be a graphic code or a character code generated using different encryption rules, thereby increasing the difficulty of forgery. As an example, the graphic codes or character codes generated using different encryption rules can be provided by different brand owners or the same brand owner.

[0168] Each of the first authentication information and the second authentication information is unique. Thus, each dual-code authentication box 100 can be uniquely identified with reference to the first authentication information carried by or associated with the first authentication layer 130 and the second authentication information carried by or associated with the second authentication layer 140. Since each dual-code authentication box 100 has unique first authentication information and second authentication information, the difficulty of manufacturing a forged dual-code authentication box is increased, and thus the anti-counterfeiting performance of the dual-code authentication box 100 and the anti-counterfeiting performance of the product authentication system including the box 100 are enhanced. The first authentication information and the second authentication information can be composed of text, numbers, special characters, and combinations thereof. For example, they can be a unique string of text information.

[0169] Since all of the first authentication information and the second authentication information are unique, they are all different from each other. In addition, the first authentication information and the second authentication information of each box 100 are associated with each other in the sense that they bear a predefined relationship to each other.

[0170] Referring Figure 10A and Figure 10B and, the box body 110 further includes a first mating component 112 and a non-mating component 113. The first authentication layer 130 is placed on the first mating component 112. The box lid 120 includes a sealing portion 121 and a second mating component 122 extending from the sealing portion 121. The sealing portion 121 is located at the top of the box body 110, and when the box 100 is in the closed configuration as shown in Figure 10B wherein the box lid 120 is properly engaged with the box body 110, the sealing portion 121 covers the opening 111, while the second mating component 122 is mounted outside the first mating component 112 and covers the first authentication layer 130. In this embodiment, the second mating component 122 can cover the entire first authentication layer 130. By using the second mating component 122 to cover the entire first authentication layer 130, the first authentication layer 130 is prevented from being exposed on the outer surface of the dual-code authentication box 100, thereby increasing the difficulty of forging the dual-code authentication box 100.

[0171] In the exemplary dual-code authentication box 100, the first authentication layer 130 and the second authentication layer 140 are located at different positions in the dual-code authentication box 100. When the exemplary product authentication box 100 is in the closed configuration as shown in Figure 10B since neither the first authentication layer 130 nor the second authentication layer 140 is exposed to the external environment, access to the first authentication information from or via the first authentication layer 130 and access to the second authentication information from or via the second authentication layer are prevented. On the other hand, when the box 100 is in the open configuration, for example as shown in Figure 10Aas shown, where the lid 120 is detached from the box body 110, and thus the first mating component 112 and the second mating component 122 are engaged with each other, allowing access to the product within the box 100, access to the first authentication information from or via the first authentication layer 130, and access to the second authentication information from or via the second authentication layer 140.

[0172] It should be noted that, to implement the present invention, it is contemplated that when the box 100 is in the closed configuration, either (but not both) of the first authentication layer 130 and the second authentication layer 140 may be exposed to the external environment.

[0173] A product authentication container in the form of a box according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 11A and Figure 11B and is generally designated as 200. The box 200 includes a box body 210 and a lid 220, which are separate entities and are releasably engaged with each other. The first authentication layer 230 extends from the first mating component 212 of the box body 210 to the non-mating component 213. When the box 200 is in the closed configuration, the second mating component 222 of the lid 220 covers a portion of the first authentication layer 230 located on the first mating component 212, preventing a sufficient portion of the first authentication layer 230 from being exposed to the external environment, thereby preventing access to the first authentication information carried by or associated with the first authentication layer 230, and thus increasing the difficulty of forging the dual-code authentication box 200. The second authentication layer 240 is located inside the lid 220 and is thus inaccessible from the outside when the box 200 is in the closed configuration as shown in Figure 11B as shown.

[0174] The area of the sealing portion 221 of the box body 200 is greater than or equal to the area of the opening 211 of the box body 210. Thus, when the lid 220 is properly engaged with the box body 210 in the closed configuration, the lid 220 can completely cover the opening 211 of the box body 210.

[0175] A product authentication container in the form of a box according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 12A and Figure 12B and is generally designated as 300. The box 300 includes a box body 310 and a box cover 320 that are integrally formed with each other. The box cover 320 extends outward from the side edge of the opening 311 of the box body 310 and can pivot relative to the box body 310 to move the box 300 between an open configuration (as shown in Figure 12A as shown) and a closed configuration (as shown in Figure 12B as shown). For example, when the box cover 320 pivots to the position shown in Figure 12A as shown, the dual-code authentication box 300 is in the open configuration, and the box cover 320 does not cover the opening 311 and the first authentication layer 330. On the other hand, when the box cover 320 pivots to the position shown inFigure 12B When in the position shown in, the cartridge 300 is in a closed configuration, where the cartridge cover 320 covers at least a portion of the opening 311 and the first authentication layer 330 that carries or allows access to the first authentication information. The second authentication layer 340 (which carries or allows access to the second authentication information) is located inside the cartridge cover 320 and is thus inaccessible from the outside when the cartridge 300 is in the closed configuration as shown in Figure 12B When in the closed configuration shown in.

[0176] A product authentication container in the form of a cartridge according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 13A and Figure 13B and is generally designated as 400, where the cartridge body 410 and the cartridge cover 420 are integrally formed with each other. The cartridge body 410 includes a first mating component 412 and a cartridge body main body 416. The first mating component 412 extends outwardly from the cartridge body main body 416 and is pivotable relative to the cartridge body main body 416. The first mating component 412 partially covers the opening 411. The first authentication layer 430 that carries or allows access to the first authentication information is placed on the first mating component 412.

[0177] The cartridge cover 420 extends outwardly from one side edge of the opening 411 of the cartridge body 410 and is pivotably movable relative to the cartridge body 410. By pivoting the cartridge cover 420 relative to the cartridge body 410, the dual - code verification cartridge 400 can be switched between an open configuration (as shown in Figure 13A and a closed configuration (as shown in Figure 13B ). The second authentication layer 440 is placed on the inner surface of the cartridge cover 420 (i.e., the surface facing the opening 411). When the cartridge cover 420 is pivoted to the position shown in Figure 13A the dual - code authentication cartridge 400 is in the open configuration, and the cartridge cover 420 does not cover the opening 411 and the first authentication layer 430. In this cartridge open configuration, both the first authentication layer 430 and the second authentication layer 440 are exposed, thus allowing access to the product contained in the opening 411 of the cartridge 400, the first authentication information carried by or accessible via the first authentication layer 430, and the second authentication information carried by or accessible via the second authentication layer 440.

[0178] When the cartridge cover 420 is in the position as shown in Figure 13BWhen in the position shown, the dual - code authentication box 400 is in a closed configuration, where the box cover 420 covers the opening 411 and the first authentication layer 430. In this box - closed configuration, the second authentication layer 440 is also covered by the box cover 420. In some examples, one or both of the box cover 420 and the box body 410 can be made of a transparent or translucent material. In this case, when the box cover 420 covers the opening 411, the second authentication layer 440 can be correspondingly positioned to cover the first authentication layer 430. In other examples, the box body 410 can be made of a transparent or translucent material, while the box cover 420 can be made of an opaque material.

[0179] As an additional possible feature, the box 400 can include one or more sealing stickers 470 that are attached to and connect the box body 410 and the box cover 420 for releasably fixing the box body 410 and the box cover 420 to each other. The sealing sticker 470 can have one or more unique authentication marks (which can be a numerical or alphanumeric code consisting of text, numbers, and / or special characters) associated with the first authentication information and / or the second authentication information, thereby further increasing the difficulty of forging the box 400 and thus enhancing the anti - counterfeiting performance of the box 400.

[0180] Figure 14A A front view showing the overlay 450 of the dual - code authentication box 400, which can be located on top of one or both of the authentication layers 430 and 440, and Figure 14B A side view showing the overlay 450 and the authentication layers 430 / 440 separated from each other for illustrative purposes. The overlay 450 covers a portion of the first authentication layer 430 and / or the second authentication layer 440 to prevent the first authentication layer 430 and / or the second authentication layer 440 from being fully exposed. Only by damaging or permanently changing the state or appearance of the overlay 450 can the first authentication layer 430 and / or the second authentication layer 440 be fully exposed for accessing the first authentication information and / or the second authentication information to authenticate the dual - code authentication box 400. By requiring the overlay 450 to be damaged or its state or appearance to be permanently changed in order to expose all or a sufficient portion of the first authentication layer 430 and / or the second authentication layer 440 for authentication purposes, the anti - counterfeiting performance of the dual - code authentication box 400 and the anti - counterfeiting performance of the product authentication system including such a box 400 are enhanced.

[0181] One or both of the first authentication layer 430 and the second authentication layer 440 may include a hidden portion H. The cover layer 450 covers the hidden portion H. The cover layer 450 is a tamper-proof layer and may include at least one of a scratch-off layer, a decomposable layer, or a color-changing layer. After the scratch-off layer has been removed, the decomposable layer has decomposed, or the color-changing layer has changed color (e.g., become transparent), the hidden portion H is revealed. The scratch-off layer may include a resin layer doped with aluminum powder, titanium dioxide powder, or calcium carbonate. The decomposable layer may be a photo-decomposable layer or a thermo-decomposable layer. The color-changing layer may be a water-reactive layer that becomes transparent when exposed to water.

[0182] Figure 15 FIG. 4 shows a product authentication container in the form of a box, generally designated 500, and in a closed configuration, according to another embodiment of the present invention. In a direction perpendicular to the sealing portion 521 of the box cover 520 of the box 500, the height of the first mating component 512 of the box body 510 of the box 500 is greater than the height of the second mating component 522 of the box cover 520. As Figure 15 shown, when the box cover 520 is properly assembled with the box body 510, an annular groove is present between the second mating component 522 and the box body 510. An anti-counterfeiting ring 560 is located within the annular groove and is connected to the second mating component 522 and the box body 510. By including the anti-counterfeiting ring 560 within the annular groove, the box cover 520 and the box body 510 can only be separated, and the authenticity of the dual-code authentication box 500 can be verified by removing or damaging the anti-counterfeiting ring 560. The box 500 is tamper-proof because once the anti-counterfeiting ring 560 has been removed or damaged, it cannot be reused, leaving a visible mark on the dual-code authentication box 500. Thus, by adding the anti-counterfeiting ring 560, the anti-counterfeiting performance of the dual-code authentication box 500 and the anti-counterfeiting performance of a product authentication system including such a box 500 can be enhanced.

[0183] As Figure 16As shown in the figure, the cartridge body 510 includes a bottom plate 550 and an annular side panel 552 fixed to the bottom plate 550. The annular side panel 552 includes a first mating component 512 and a non-mating component 513, and the non-mating component 513 is closer to the bottom plate 550 than the first mating component 512. The cartridge body 510 also has an opening 511 for receiving the product to be contained in the cartridge 500. The shape of the annular side panel 552 can be circular or polygonal. The area enclosed by the non-mating component 513 is larger than the area enclosed by the first mating component 512. The second mating component 522 and the non-mating component 513 of the cartridge body 510 define an annular groove. The anti-counterfeiting ring 560 can be placed in the annular groove and is connected to the second mating component 522 and the non-mating component 513 of the cartridge body 510. The first authentication layer 530 that carries or allows access to the first authentication information is provided on the first mating component 512 of the cartridge body 510. The second authentication layer (not shown) that carries or allows access to the second authentication information is provided at another location of the cartridge 500 and is not visible from the outside when the cartridge 500 is in the closed configuration.

[0184] As another exemplary embodiment, and as Figure 17 shown in the figure, the cartridge 500 includes a cartridge body 510a having an inner cartridge body 514a and an outer cartridge body 515a. The cartridge body 510a has an opening 511a for receiving the product to be contained in the cartridge 500. The outer cartridge body 515a is located on the outside and is fixed to the inner cartridge body 514a. In a direction perpendicular to the sealing portion 521 of the cartridge cover 520, the height of the inner cartridge body 514a is greater than the height of the outer cartridge body 515a. The portion of the inner cartridge body 514a that extends beyond the outer cartridge body 515a forms a first mating component 512a. When the cartridge cover 520 is properly engaged with the cartridge body 510a, there is an annular groove between the second mating component 522 of the cartridge cover 520 and the outer cartridge body 515a. The anti-counterfeiting ring 560 can be placed in the annular groove and is connected to both the second mating component 522 and the outer cartridge body 515a. The first authentication layer 530a that carries or allows access to the first authentication information is provided on the first mating component 512a.

[0185] Figure 18 An additional product authentication container in the form of a dual-code authentication cartridge, generally designated 600, is shown in the closed configuration. The cartridge 600 includes a cartridge cover 620 releasably engaged with the cartridge body 610 and includes a plurality of sealing stickers 670. The sealing stickers 670 are attached along one or more edges of the opening at the connection between the cartridge body 610 and the cartridge cover 620 to fix them together. Each sealing sticker 670 has an authentication mark corresponding to or associated with the first anti-counterfeiting information and / or the second anti-counterfeiting information of the corresponding first and second authentication layers of the cartridge 600.

[0186] The authentication mark on the sealing sticker 670 is unique. For different product authentication containers 600 according to the present invention, the authentication marks on the sealing stickers 670 are different. By ensuring that each product authentication box 600 according to the present invention has a unique authentication mark corresponding to the first authentication information and / or the second authentication information of the corresponding first and second authentication layers of the product authentication box, the difficulty of forging the product authentication container 600 can be increased, thereby enhancing its anti-counterfeiting performance. The authentication mark can be a digital or alphanumeric code composed of text, numbers, special characters, or a combination thereof.

[0187] Figure 19 FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a product authentication container in the form of a box according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, generally designated as 700. The product authentication box 700 includes a box body 710, a buffer plate 780, a positioning member 790, and a box cover 720. The buffer plate 780 is placed inside the box body 710, and the positioning member 790 is placed inside the box cover 720. When properly assembled, the positioning member 790 and the buffer plate 780 jointly define a cavity for containing an article (e.g., one or more products). The buffer plate 780 can be made of food-grade sponge or other soft shock-absorbing materials. The positioning member 790 can be in the form of a box-shaped structure with an opening and is made of transparent plastic or other transparent materials. During transportation, the buffer plate 780 acts as a shock-absorbing material for the article, and when used in combination with the positioning member 790, the buffer plate 780 helps prevent damage to the article caused by shaking or movement during transportation, thereby enhancing the safety of the article during transportation.

[0188] The dual-code authentication boxes 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 provided in the present invention achieve first-level authentication by using the first authentication layers 130, 230, 330, 430, 530a and the second anti-counterfeiting layers 140, 240, 340, 440, and achieve second-level authentication by using the authentication rings 560 and / or the sealing stickers 470, 670. This multi-dimensional method for anti-counterfeiting / product authentication significantly increases the difficulty of forging the dual-code multi-dimensional authentication boxes according to the present invention, thereby enhancing their anti-counterfeiting performance.

[0189] Figure 20 FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a product authentication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, generally designated as 1000. The system 1000 includes at least one dual-code product authentication container 1010 according to the present invention (e.g., one of the product authentication boxes 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700), a terminal 1020, and a server 1030.

[0190] The terminal 1020 may be a portable terminal device, including but not limited to a smart phone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, a scanner, etc. The terminal 1020 is used to scan the authentication layers of the container 1010 (including at least a first authentication layer 1012 and a second authentication layer 1014) to obtain a first authentication information carried by or accessible via the first authentication layer 1012 of the container 1010 and a second authentication information carried by or accessible via the second authentication layer 1014 of the container 1010. The terminal 1020 also has the ability to connect to the Internet.

[0191] As an exemplary embodiment, the purchaser of the product contained in the product authentication container 1010 may connect the terminal 1020 to the Internet, access the official web page of the brand owner of the product, and navigate to the verification / authentication page. Then, the purchaser scans the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 of the container 1010 with the terminal 1020 to obtain the first authentication information and the second authentication information respectively. Considering that forgers can easily create fake verification web pages and fake links to such web pages, and also considering that users can more easily distinguish the authenticity of the official web page, neither the dual-code authentication container 1010 itself nor the process of scanning the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 involves displaying a link to the verification / authentication web page. The purchaser can directly access the verification web page through the official web page for verification / authentication purposes.

[0192] When scanning the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014, the first authentication information and the second authentication information obtained thereby are sent to the server 1030 for analysis to check whether both the first authentication information and the second authentication information are authenticated (e.g., matching information stored on or accessible by the server 1030), and whether the first authentication information and the second authentication information are associated with each other (e.g., whether they satisfy a predefined relationship, or whether the derived authentication information formed or derived from the first authentication information and the second authentication information matches the information stored on or accessible by the server 1030).

[0193] Although it is assumed in the subsequent discussion that the server 1030 is a cloud server, it should be understood that the server 1030 only needs to be a server accessible by and communicable with the terminal 1020 via a global computer network (such as the Internet).

[0194] Based on the inspection result, the cloud server 1030 then transmits an authentication result message to the terminal 1020. If it is found that the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information on the cloud server 1030 or the information accessible by the cloud server 1030 (and thus are authenticated) and are associated with each other (i.e., it is found that they have the correct corresponding relationship with each other), the cloud server 1030 transmits a positive authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020, and the authentication page displayed on the terminal 1020 shows the "authentication successful" message, so that the user can determine that the product in the container 1010 should be authenticated. If the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information on the cloud server 1030 or the information accessible by the cloud server 1030, but are not associated with each other, or the first authentication information and / or the second authentication information do not match the information on the cloud server 1030 or the information accessible by the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 transmits a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020, and this message is displayed on the authentication page shown on the terminal 1020, so as to indicate to the user that the product in the container 1010 may be counterfeit. By using both the first authentication information and the second authentication information as the authentication information for the dual-code product authentication container 1010, the anti-counterfeiting performance of the container 1010 and the anti-counterfeiting performance of the product authentication system 1000 including the container 1010 can be enhanced.

[0195] As another exemplary embodiment, when the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information stored on or accessible by the cloud server 1030 and are associated with each other, the cloud server 1030 further determines the respective scan counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014. It should be understood that when the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 are scanned by any terminal connected to the cloud server 1030 via the Internet (or any other computer network connecting the terminal 1020 and the cloud server 1030), the cloud server 1030 obtains and stores the current scan count and time. If, after the current scan of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 by the terminal 1020, the updated cumulative scan count of both the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 is 1 (which means this is the first scan of the authentication layers 1012, 1014), the cloud server 1030 transmits a positive authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020. If the scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 and / or the second authentication layer 1014 is greater than 1 (which means that one or both of the two authentication layers 1012, 1014 have been scanned previously), when the cloud server 1030 still transmits a positive authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020, it also transmits the scan time of the first scan (s) to the terminal 1020 for display by and on the terminal 1020 to warn the user to be cautious.

[0196] As yet another exemplary embodiment, when the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information stored on or accessible by the cloud server 1030 and are associated with each other, the cloud server 1030 will transmit a feedback message to the terminal 1020, the content of which is based on the scan information of the first authentication layer 1012 and the scan information of the second authentication layer 1014, and the feedback is a positive authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) or a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message). The scan information includes one or more of the following: the updated cumulative scan count, the real-time geographical location of the terminal (s) at the time of scanning, and the scan time. It should be understood that when the authentication layers 1012 and 1014 are scanned by any terminal connected to the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 obtains the current scan count, the real-time geographical location of the terminal, and the current scan time as scan information, which is then stored in the cloud server 1030 or a database accessible by the cloud server 1030.

[0197] If the update cumulative scan counts of both the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 are 1 (which means that the authentication layers 1012, 1014 have not been scanned previously), the cloud server 1030 transmits a positive authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0198] If the update cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 and / or the second authentication layer 1014 is greater than 1 (which means that it / they have been scanned previously), the cloud server 1030 needs to further analyze the scan time and real-time geographical location of the current scan and the scan time and real-time geographical location of the previous scan(s), for example, by checking whether the scan times and real-time geographical locations of the two scans satisfy the relationship: where d1 represents the real-time geographical location of the terminal at the time of the previous scan, d2 represents the real-time geographical location of the terminal performing the current scan, t1 is the scan time of the previous scan, t2 is the scan time of the current scan, d(d2, d1) is a function for calculating the distance between d1 and d2, and a can be set according to actual needs, for example, 100 km / h.

[0199] When the scan times and real-time geographical locations of the terminal(s) performing the previous scan and the current scan satisfy formula (14), the cloud server 1030 transmits a positive authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020. When the scan times and real-time geographical locations of these two scans do not satisfy formula (14), the cloud server 1030 transmits a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0200] As another exemplary embodiment, when the first authentication information and the second authentication information match and are associated with each other with the information stored on or accessible by the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 further determines the previous successful authentication counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014. It should be understood that when any terminal connected to the cloud server 1030 scans the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014, the cloud server 1030 obtains and stores the successful authentication counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014. If the counts of the previous successful authentications of both the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 are 0, the cloud server 1030 transmits an affirmative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020 and displays it on the terminal 1020. If the count of the previous successful authentication of the first authentication layer 1012 and / or the second authentication layer 1014 is greater than or equal to 1, the cloud server 300 transmits a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message) back to the terminal 1020 for display on the terminal 1020.

[0201] As yet another exemplary embodiment, if the code (e.g., a QR code) scanned by the terminal 1020 does not belong to the first authentication layer 1012 and / or the second authentication layer 1014 of the product authentication container 1010, the cloud server 1030 cannot obtain any authentication information that matches the information in the predefined database (of or accessible by the server 1030). When the cloud server 1030 fails to locate any authentication information corresponding to the information read by the terminal 1020 from the predefined database, or if no information is read within a predefined time period (e.g., 30 seconds after the user accesses the scan page via the terminal 1020), the cloud server 1030 will transmit a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0202] As another exemplary embodiment, when the user scans the first authentication layer 1012 with the terminal 1020, an authentication web page link will be displayed on the terminal 1020, and the user can enter the authentication web page through the link and input his / her user identifier, which can be a phone number or an ID card number or a part thereof. The terminal 1020 then sends the user identifier to the cloud server 1030.

[0203] After receiving the user identifier, the cloud server 1030 determines the current cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012. If the current cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 is 1, the cloud server 1030 sends the first authentication information to the terminal 1020. If the current cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 is greater than 1, the cloud server 1030 does not send the first authentication information to the terminal 1020. In other words, in this example, the first authentication information can only be obtained when the first authentication layer 1012 is scanned for the first time.

[0204] When the user scans the second authentication layer 1014 with the terminal 1020, the authentication web page link will be displayed on the terminal 1020, and the user can enter the authentication web page through this link and input the first authentication information and the second authentication information. The terminal 1020 then sends the second authentication information to the cloud server 1030. If the second authentication information is associated with the first authentication information, for example, the second authentication information and the first authentication information together form derived authentication information that matches the information stored in or accessible by the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 sends back a positive authentication result message (such as an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0205] As an advanced option, when the user enters the authentication web page through the link under the second authentication layer 1014, the cloud server 1030 can also track the number of clicks on the link under the second authentication layer 1014. If the click count is greater than 1, the cloud server 1030 sends a message indicating the number of clicks on the link to the terminal 1020, thus warning the user to be cautious.

[0206] As yet another exemplary embodiment, the cloud server 1030 also obtains the current cumulative successful authentication count of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014. When the current cumulative successful authentication count of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 is greater than 1, the cloud server 1030 sends additional feedback information to the terminal 1020, including the identity identifier of the terminal that performed the first scan of the first authentication layer 1012 and the current cumulative scan count(s) of the second authentication layer 1014. The identity identifier of the terminal can be the above-mentioned user identifier or any part thereof. Providing the identity identifier of the terminal that initially scanned the first authentication layer 1012 and the current cumulative scan count of the second authentication layer 1014 in the feedback or return message can further enhance the anti-counterfeiting performance.

[0207] As another exemplary embodiment, the user can use the terminal 1020 to access the authentication web page of the brand owner or dealer of the product through an official authentication channel (such as an official website or an official mobile application) to scan the first authentication layer 1012 and simultaneously input his / her user identifier. The user identifier can include a phone number or an ID card number or a part thereof. When the terminal 1020 sends the user identifier and the first authentication information to the cloud server 1030, the first authentication layer 1012 is activated.

[0208] After receiving the user identifier and the first authentication information, if the predefined database of the cloud server 1030 or the predefined database accessible by the cloud server 1030 contains the user identifier corresponding to the first authentication information, the cloud server 1030 will send the third authentication information to the terminal 1020 based on the current scan count of the first authentication layer 1012, and link the user identifier to the predefined product identifier corresponding to the first authentication information. As an example, when the current cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 is 1, the cloud server 1030 sends the third authentication information (which is generated with the user identifier and the first authentication information as seeds) to the terminal 1020. If the current cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 is greater than 1, the cloud server 1030 does not send the third authentication information to the terminal 1020, and it does not link the predefined product identifier to the currently input user identifier. In other words, the third authentication information can be obtained only when the first authentication layer 1012 is activated for the first time, and the process of linking the predefined product identifier to the user identifier occurs only when the first authentication layer 1012 is activated for the first time. If the predefined database does not contain the product identifier corresponding to the code scanned by the terminal 1020, the cloud server 1030 will not send the third authentication information to the terminal 1020, but will send a negative authentication result message (such as an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020, and the authentication process ends.

[0209] After the cloud server 1030 sends the third authentication information to the terminal 1020 and / or confirms the existence of a predefined product identifier corresponding to the first authentication information therein, the authentication webpage redirects the user to a webpage where he / she can input the third authentication information and scan the second authentication layer 1014. Then, the user inputs the third authentication information and scans the second authentication layer 1014 with the terminal 1020, and the second authentication information and the third authentication information are sent to the cloud server 1030. When it is found that the first authentication information, the second authentication information, and the third authentication information are properly associated with each other, for example, the first authentication information is associated with the second authentication information and the first authentication information is associated with the third authentication information, the cloud server 1030 transmits a positive authentication result message (such as an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020. It also displays the user identifier or partial information used to generate the third authentication information, as well as the cumulative scan counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014, to help the user verify whether the authentication-related information matches the relevant facts.

[0210] As an additional advanced option of the above exemplary embodiment, the user can update the user identifier linked to the predefined product identifier through a two-layer SMS authentication process. As an example, the user opens the official website on the terminal 1020 and navigates to the webpage for updating the owner information of the product. He / she scans the first authentication layer 1012 and inputs the phone number linked to the predefined product identifier. After the cloud server 1030 obtains the first authentication information and confirms that the phone number matches the information stored in or accessible by the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 sends an SMS containing the information update password corresponding to the predefined product identifier to the phone (such as a smart phone) of the phone number. The owner of the smart phone of the aforementioned phone number reads the SMS on his / her smart phone and provides the information update password to the current user. The current user inputs the password on the product owner information update page through his / her own terminal 1020. The cloud server 1030 verifies that the password corresponds to the predefined product identifier and allows the current user to update the user identifier associated with the predefined product identifier through the terminal 1020. This exemplary embodiment allows multiple authentications while enhancing the anti-counterfeiting performance. Even if the product changes hands multiple times, consumers can still accurately determine its authenticity.

[0211] As yet another exemplary embodiment, the first authentication information may further include reward information (such as coupon information). The reward is intended to serve as a "bait" and a "trap": its purpose will be discussed below.

[0212] When the user scans the first authentication layer 1012 through or with the terminal 1020, reward information (such as coupon information) will be displayed on the terminal 1020, and a coupon redemption command can be triggered based on the coupon information. When the user sends a coupon redemption command from the terminal 1020 to the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 retrieves the product identifier and checks whether the corresponding predefined product identifier exists in the predefined database of the cloud server 1030 or in a predefined database accessible by the cloud server 1030. After confirming that the predefined product identifier exists in the database, the cloud server 1030 sends the coupon to the terminal 1020, allowing the user to redeem the coupon through the terminal 1020. If the predefined product identifier does not exist in the predefined database, the cloud server 1030 stops sending the reward to the terminal 1020 and sends a "coupon redemption failed" message to the terminal 1020 to notify the user accordingly.

[0213] As described above, according to an exemplary embodiment, the first authentication information may include reward information (such as coupon information), such as coupon redemption information. The user opens the official website on the terminal 1020, enters the authentication page, and scans the first authentication layer 1012. The terminal 1020 transmits the first authentication information and the product identifier obtained from or via the first authentication layer 1012 to the cloud server 1030. The cloud server 1030 analyzes whether the predefined database of the cloud server 1030 or a predefined database accessible by the cloud server 1030 contains a predefined product identifier corresponding to the product identifier and the first anti-counterfeiting information. After confirming that the predefined product identifier corresponding to the product identifier and the first authentication information exists in the database, the cloud server 1030 sends a confirmation result to the terminal 1020, and the terminal 1020 displays the coupon redemption information, enabling the user to trigger a coupon redemption command based on the coupon information.

[0214] When the user sends a coupon redemption command to the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 checks the coupon redemption status associated with the coupon redemption command (which is uniquely associated with the container 1010) in its own database (or a database accessible to it). The coupon redemption status can be "coupon already redeemed", "coupon redemption successful", or "coupon not redeemed". If, when receiving the coupon redemption command, the cloud server 1030 finds from the database that the coupon redemption status associated with the container 1010 is "coupon not redeemed", the cloud server 1030 sends the coupon to the terminal 1020 for the user to redeem through the terminal 1020, sends the message "‘coupon redemption successful’" to the terminal 1020, and at the same time updates the coupon redemption status to "coupon already redeemed". The cloud server 1030 also sends a positive authentication result message (such as an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0215] If, upon receiving a coupon redemption command, the cloud server 1030 finds that the coupon redemption status associated with the container 1010 is "coupon already redeemed", the cloud server 1030 sends a "coupon already redeemed" message to the terminal 1020 to notify the user accordingly. The cloud server 1030 also sends a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020. If the coupon redemption status is "coupon not redeemed", the cloud server 1030 sends an affirmative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020 together with a coupon redemption reminder.

[0216] As an exemplary embodiment, if the cloud server 1030 transmits the "authentication successful" message to the (one or more) terminals more than once based on the unique product identifier, the terminal 1020 will receive and display from the cloud server 1030 the cumulative count of the provided "authentication successful" feedback messages, the (one or more) geographical locations of the (one or more) terminals that have received the (one or more) messages, and / or the user identifier associated with such (one or more) terminals.

[0217] As another exemplary embodiment, the first authentication information may include reward information, such as coupon information. When the user scans the first authentication layer 1012 using the terminal 1020, the cloud server 1030 retrieves the product identifier. If the predefined database of the cloud server 1030 or a predefined database accessible by the cloud server 1030 does not contain the predefined product identifier corresponding to the scanned product identifier, the cloud server 1030 transmits a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020. If the cloud server 1030 determines that the predefined database contains the product identifier, it analyzes the coupon redemption information. The coupon redemption information includes a "coupon already redeemed" message or a "coupon not redeemed" message.

[0218] If the coupon redemption information is "coupon not redeemed", the cloud server 1030 will prompt the terminal 1020 to change to the coupon redemption page. The user can trigger the coupon redemption command or choose not to trigger it and continue to scan the second authentication layer 1014 to continue the authentication process. If the coupon redemption information is "coupon already redeemed", the cloud server 1030 will transmit a feedback message "coupon already redeemed" to the terminal 1020 together with the time when the coupon redemption command was triggered. The coupon redemption prompt will not be displayed, and the user can continue to scan the second authentication layer 1014 to continue the authentication process.

[0219] If the cloud server 1030 determines that the first authentication information is associated with the second authentication information and the cumulative update scan counts of both the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 are 1, the cloud server 1030 will transmit an affirmative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020. If the cumulative update scan count of one or both of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 is greater than 1 (which means that one or both of these authentication layers 1012, 1014 have been scanned previously), then when transmitting an affirmative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020, the cloud server 1030 will also return the scan times of the first scans of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014, thus warning the user to exercise caution. If the coupon redemption information is "coupon not redeemed", then together with the affirmative authentication result message, the cloud server 1030 will also prompt the terminal 1020 to display a coupon redemption reminder. If the first authentication information is not associated with the second authentication information, the cloud server 1030 will transmit a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0220] As another exemplary embodiment, the second authentication information includes scan information of the first authentication layer 1012. The scan information of the first authentication layer 1012 includes one or more of the following: the geographical location of the (one or more) terminals, the (one or more) terminal identity identifiers, and the scan time. The scan time includes the first scan time and the most recent scan time. The cloud server 1030 provides feedback to the terminal 1020 based on the second authentication information.

[0221] The following provides an exemplary explanation of the analysis results of the cloud server 1030 regarding the first authentication information and the second authentication information Figure 21 and Figure 22 gives an exemplary explanation.

[0222] Referring to Figure 21 , the cloud server 1030 transmits an affirmative authentication result message (e.g., the message "authentication successful") back to the terminal 1020, and the authentication page shown on the terminal 1020 displays the message "authentication successful".

[0223] Referring to Figure 22 , the cloud server 1030 transmits a negative authentication result message (the message "authentication failed") back to the terminal 1020, and the authentication page shown on the terminal 1020 displays the message "authentication failed".

[0224] It should be understood that the product authentication system does not necessarily have to be used in combination with a box. The first authentication layer and the second authentication layer can be located on various packaging materials (such as bags, bottles, and cans), and can also be provided as a label for a shirt or printed inside a handbag.

[0225] It should also be understood that the reward information used can be a coupon or some other valuable thing, including rebates, discount codes, extended warranties, gift redemption coupons, loyalty points, participation in lucky draws, etc.

[0226] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a product authentication method. Figure 23 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a product authentication method 2000 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which can be implemented by an electronic device such as a terminal 1020 and a cloud server 1030.

[0227] Reference Figure 23 , the product authentication method 2000 may include the following steps: S2010: Scan the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 at different positions (e.g., inside) of the dual-code product authentication container 1010 to obtain first authentication information and second authentication information, respectively. S2020: Send the first authentication information obtained from or via the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication information obtained from or via the second authentication layer 1014 to a server (e.g., cloud server 1030), thereby allowing the server 1030 to analyze the first authentication information and the second authentication information.

[0228] The analysis of the first authentication information and the second authentication information by the cloud server 1030 may include the cloud server 1030 analyzing whether the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information stored on or accessible by the cloud server 1030, and whether the first authentication information and the second authentication information are associated with each other, and transmitting a feedback message to the terminal 1020 based on the analysis result. The feedback message can be a positive authentication result message (e.g., "authentication successful" message) or a negative authentication result message (e.g., "authentication failed" message). If the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information in the database of the cloud server 1030 or the database accessible by the cloud server 1030, and are associated with each other (i.e., have a predefined relationship), the cloud server 1030 transmits a positive authentication result message back to the terminal 1020. On the other hand, if the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information in the database of the cloud server 1030 or the database accessible by the cloud server 1030, but are not associated with each other, or one of the first authentication information and the second authentication information does not match the information in the database of the cloud server 1030 or the database accessible by the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 transmits a negative authentication result message back to the terminal 1020.

[0229] As another exemplary embodiment, when the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information on the database of the cloud server 1030 or on a database accessible by the cloud server 1030, and the first authentication information and the second authentication information are associated with each other, the cloud server 1030 further determines the corresponding updated cumulative scan counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014. It should be understood that when the first authentication layer 1012 and / or the second authentication layer 1014 are scanned by any terminal connected to the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 will obtain and store the current scan count and the current scan time. If the scan counts of both the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 are 1 (which means that these two layers 1012, 1014 have not been scanned previously), the cloud server 130 transmits an affirmative authentication result message to the terminal 1020. If the (one or more) scan counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and / or the second authentication layer 1014 are greater than 1 (which means that one or both of these two layers 1012, 1014 have been scanned previously), the cloud server 1030 transmits back the scan time of the first scan to the terminal when sending the affirmative authentication result message, thereby warning the user to be cautious.

[0230] As an exemplary embodiment, when the first authentication information and the second authentication information match the information stored on the cloud server 1030 or accessible by the cloud server 1030 and are associated with each other, the cloud server 1030 will transmit feedback to the terminal 1020 based on the scan information of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014, and the feedback is an affirmative authentication result message or a negative authentication result message. The scan information includes one or more of the following: updated cumulative scan count, real-time geographical location of the terminal, and scan time. It should be understood that when each of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 is scanned by any terminal connected to the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 will obtain the current scan count, the real-time geographical location of the terminal, and the current scan time as scan information, which is then stored in the database of the cloud server 1030 or in a database accessible by the cloud server 1030.

[0231] If the updated cumulative scan counts of both the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 are 1, the cloud server 1030 transmits an affirmative authentication result message to the terminal 1020.

[0232] If the (one or more) updated cumulative scan counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and / or the second authentication layer 1014 are greater than 1, the cloud server 1030 further analyzes the scan times and real-time geographical locations of the (one or more) terminals performing the current scan and the previous scan during the scan, for example, by checking whether the scan times and real-time geographical locations of the (one or more) terminals performing two scans during the scan satisfy the above formula (14). When the scan times and real-time geographical locations of the terminals performing two scans satisfy formula (14), the cloud server 1030 transmits a positive authentication result message back to the terminal 1020. When the scan times and real-time geographical locations of the two scans do not satisfy formula (14), the cloud server 1030 transmits a negative authentication result message back to the terminal 1020.

[0233] As an additional exemplary embodiment, when the first authentication information and the second authentication information match and are associated with each other with the information stored in the database of the cloud server 1030 or a database accessible by the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 further determines the previous successful authentication counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014. It should be understood that when any terminal connected to the cloud server 1030 scans the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014, the cloud server 1030 obtains and stores the successful authentication counts of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014. If the previous successful authentication counts of both the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 are 0 (which means that there has been no previous successful authentication based on the first authentication information and the second authentication information), the cloud server 1030 transmits a positive authentication result message to the terminal 1020. If the successful authentication count of one or both of the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 is greater than or equal to 1 (which means that there has been a previous successful authentication based on one or both of the first authentication information and the second authentication information), the cloud server 1030 transmits a negative authentication result message back to the terminal 1020.

[0234] The method 2000 further includes step S2030: displaying the feedback information in response to the feedback information received from the cloud server 1030 based on the analysis result of the first authentication information and the second authentication information. The feedback information includes at least one of a positive authentication result message and a negative authentication result message.

[0235] When the cloud server 1030 transmits back a positive authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020, the authentication page on the terminal 1020 displays the positive authentication result message, enabling the user to determine that the product within the container 1010 should be authenticated. When the cloud server 1030 transmits back a negative authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020, the authentication web page shown on the terminal 1020 displays the negative authentication result message, indicating to the user that the product within the container 1010 may be counterfeit. Utilizing both the first authentication information and the second authentication information to derive or form the derived authentication information can enhance the anti-counterfeiting performance of the dual-code product authentication container 1010 and method 2000.

[0236] As an exemplary embodiment, when the user scans the first authentication layer 1012 of the container 1010 with the terminal 1020, an authentication web page link will be displayed on the terminal 1020, and the user can enter the authentication web page through this link and input his / her user identifier, which can be a phone number or an ID card number or a part thereof. The terminal 1020 then sends the user identifier to the cloud server 1030. Upon receiving the user identifier, the cloud server 1030 determines the updated cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 and sends the first authentication information to the terminal 1020 based on the updated cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012. For example, if the updated cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 is 1 (which means this is the first time scanning the first authentication layer 1012), the cloud server 1030 sends the first authentication information to the terminal 1020. If the updated cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 is greater than 1 (which means the first authentication layer 1012 has been scanned previously), the cloud server 1030 does not send the first authentication information to the terminal 1020. In other words, the first authentication information can only be obtained when scanning the first authentication layer 1012 for the first time.

[0237] When the user scans the second authentication layer 1014 with the terminal 1020, an authentication web page link will be displayed on the terminal 1020, and the user can enter the authentication web page through this link and input the second authentication information. The terminal 1020 then sends the second authentication information to the cloud server 1030. If the second authentication information is associated with the first authentication information (i.e., they satisfy a predefined relationship), the cloud server 1030 transmits back a positive authentication result message (e.g., an "authentication successful" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0238] The cloud server 1030 further obtains the successful authentication count of the first authentication layer 1012 and the successful authentication count of the second authentication layer 1014. When the successful authentication count of the first authentication layer 1012 and the successful authentication count of the second authentication layer 1014 are greater than 1 (which means that the two authentication layers 1012, 1014 have been scanned previously), the cloud server 1030 provides additional feedback information to the terminal 1020, and the feedback information includes the identity identifier of the terminal that performs the first scan on the first authentication layer 1012 and the updated cumulative scan count of the second authentication layer 1014. The identity identifier of the terminal can be the user identifier or any part thereof. Providing the identity identifier of the terminal that initially scans the first authentication layer 1012 and the cumulative scan count of the second authentication layer 1014 as part of the feedback information can further enhance the anti-counterfeiting performance of the container 1010, the product authentication system according to the present invention, and the product authentication method according to the present invention.

[0239] As an exemplary embodiment, the first authentication information may further include reward information, such as coupon information. When the user scans the first authentication layer 1012 through the terminal 1020, the coupon information will be shown on the terminal 1020. The user can trigger a coupon redemption command based on the coupon information. When the user triggers the coupon redemption command, this will be sent to the cloud server 1030. After receiving the coupon redemption command, the cloud server 1030 retrieves the product identifier and checks whether the corresponding predefined product identifier already exists in the predefined database of the cloud server 1030 or the predefined database accessible by the cloud server 1030. After confirming that the predefined product identifier exists in the predefined database of the cloud server 1030 or the predefined database accessible by the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 sends a coupon to the terminal 1020 for the user to redeem through the terminal 1020. If such a predefined product identifier does not exist in the predefined database of the cloud server 1030 or the predefined database accessible by the cloud server 1030, the cloud server 1030 sends a "coupon redemption failed" message to the terminal 1020.

[0240] The cloud server 1030 further retrieves the coupon redemption information, which can be a "coupon redemption failed" message, a "coupon redemption successful" message, or a "coupon not redeemed" message. When the coupon redemption information is a "coupon redemption failed" message or the cloud server 1030 has sent a "coupon redemption successful" message before the current verification, the cloud server 1030 transmits a negative authentication result message (such as an "authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0241] As an exemplary embodiment, the first authentication information may include reward information, such as coupon information, where the value of the coupon is random, and the values of coupons associated with different product identifiers for the same product may be the same or different. When the user scans the first authentication layer 1012 using the terminal 1020, the coupon information will be displayed on the terminal 1020, and the user can trigger a coupon redemption command based on the coupon information. When the user triggers the coupon redemption command, the command is sent to the cloud server 1030, and the cloud server 1030 then retrieves the real-time value of the coupon. If the real-time value of the coupon is greater than 0, the cloud server 1030 sends the real-time value of the coupon to the terminal 1020, enabling the user to redeem a random coupon with a preset value less than or equal to the real-time value of the coupon through the terminal 1020. If the real-time value of the coupon is 0, the cloud server 1030 sends a message "Coupon redemption failed" to the terminal 1020.

[0242] When receiving the coupon redemption command from the terminal 1020, the cloud server 1030 further obtains the identity identifier of the terminal 1020 and checks whether the coupon redemption record database of the cloud server 1030 or the coupon redemption record database accessible by the cloud server 1030 contains a predefined identity identifier corresponding to the obtained identity identifier. If it is confirmed that there is a predefined identity identifier in the coupon redemption record database, the cloud server 1030 sends a message "Coupon redemption failed" to the terminal 1020. If it is confirmed that there is no corresponding predefined identity identifier in the coupon redemption record database, the cloud server 1020 sends the real-time value of the coupon to the terminal 1020, enabling the user to redeem a random coupon with a preset value equal to or less than the real-time value of the coupon through the terminal 1020.

[0243] The cloud server 1030 further retrieves the coupon redemption information, which can be a "Coupon redemption failed" message, a "Coupon redemption successful" message, or a "Coupon not redeemed" message. When the coupon redemption information is a "Coupon redemption failed" message or a "Coupon redemption successful" message, the cloud server 1030 sends a negative authentication result message (such as an "Authentication failed" message) to the terminal 1020.

[0244] As an exemplary embodiment, the second authentication information includes the scan information of the first authentication layer 1012, and the scan information of the first authentication layer 1012 may include one or more of the following: the geographical location of the terminal 1020, the identity identifier of the terminal 1020, and the scan time. The scan time may include the first scan time and the most recent scan time. The cloud server 1030 sends feedback information to the terminal 1020 based on the second authentication information.

[0245] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a product authentication method.Figure 24 A schematic diagram showing a product method 3000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3000 may be implemented by an electronic device such as a cloud server 1030.

[0246] Referring to Figure 24 , the product authentication method 3000 may include the following steps: S3010: Receive first authentication information and second authentication information about the dual-code authentication container 1010 from the terminal 1020, where the terminal 1020 obtains the first authentication information and the second authentication information by scanning a first authentication layer 1012 and a second authentication layer 1014 located at different positions of the container 1010, respectively. S3020: Analyze the first authentication information and the second authentication information, and send feedback information to the terminal 1020 based on the analysis result, where the feedback information may be a positive authentication result message (such as an "authentication successful" message) or a negative authentication result message (such as an "authentication failed" message).

[0247] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a product authentication method, including: - The terminal 1020 obtains first authentication information and second authentication information by scanning a first authentication layer 1012 and a second authentication layer 1014 located at different positions of the container 1010, respectively, where at least one of the authentication layers 1012 and 1014 is not visible from the outside when the container 1010 is intact; - Receive first authentication information associated with the product authentication container 1010 from the terminal 1020 and second authentication information; - Analyze the first authentication information and the second authentication information; and

[0248] As an exemplary embodiment, the first authentication layer 1012 is located on the inner surface of the container 1010 and remains invisible when the container 1010 is intact, and the second authentication layer 1014 is located on the outside of the container 1010 and can be scanned and thus has second authentication information that can be read and obtained without opening the container 1010. The user accesses the authentication web page on the terminal 1020 by opening the official website and navigating to the authentication section. Then, the user selects the transfer registration option and provides his / her identity identifier, which can include at least one of a username, an account name, an account password, an ID card number, or a phone number. Once the cloud server 1030 verifies that the entered identity identifier matches the information in the predefined user database of the cloud server 1030 or the information in the predefined user database accessible by the cloud server 1030, the terminal 1020 responds to the matching information from the cloud server 1030 and redirects to the registration page. The user can register the phone number of the assignee and any other user identity identifier, as well as the geographical location where the product transfer occurs. The cloud server 1030 obtains this information and sends a text message with the provided verification code to the user and the assignee. The user reads the message on his / her terminal, and the assignee reads the message on his / her own terminal. The user and the assignee each access the transfer verification web page and enter the password provided in the message. After the cloud server 1030 confirms that both the user and the assignee have entered passwords that match the predefined product identifier, it provides feedback to the terminal 1020 and the assignee's terminal with the message "Transfer registration successful". The assignee can open the official website on his / her terminal and navigate to the authentication section, select the transfer registration option, and enter his / her assignee identity identifier to register the transfer initiated by him / her, following the steps. Subsequent assignees can also perform the same operation. The transfer of the product does not prevent the verification (i.e., authentication) of its authenticity.

[0249] The end - user who takes out the product contained in the product authentication container 1010 can open the official website of the brand owner of the authenticated product through the terminal 1020, access the authentication web page, and scan the first authentication layer 1012 and the second authentication layer 1014 of the container 1010. The cloud server 1030 retrieves the first authentication information and the second authentication information. If the cloud server 1030 verifies that the first authentication information and the second authentication information are associated with each other (in the sense that they bear a predefined relationship with each other or they combine to form predefined derived authentication information), and the updated cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 is 1, then the cloud server 1030 transmits back a positive authentication result message (the message "Authentication successful") to the terminal 1020. If the updated cumulative scan count of the first authentication layer 1012 is greater than 1, then when feeding back the positive authentication result message, the cloud server 1030 simultaneously feeds back to the terminal 1020 the scan time of the first scan of the first authentication layer 1012, thereby warning the user to be cautious. If the first authentication information and the second authentication information are not associated with each other, then the cloud server 1030 transmits back a negative authentication result message (such as the message "Authentication failed") to the terminal 1020.

[0250] Although the present invention has been discussed so far in the context of scanning at least two authentication layers 130, 140, 230, 240, 330, 340, 430, 440, 530, 530, 1012, 1014 contained in the containers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 1010, in fact, at a more fundamental level, the present invention also lies in the concept of seeking to at least reduce forgery activities by offering rewards to consumers of authenticated products, and denying such rewards to consumers of counterfeit products sold in used containers.

[0251] An exemplary embodiment of such a method can be achieved by providing only one authentication layer in the container of the authenticated product. The consumer of the authenticated product is allowed the opportunity to scan (through a terminal such as a smart phone) the authentication layer that bears or allows access to the authentication information to allow the consumer to verify that the product he / she purchased is authenticated. If this is the first scan of the authentication layer, the back - end server of the system operating the method will also send a reward (such as a coupon) of a predetermined value to the terminal in response to the scan of the authentication layer. Generally, once such a reward has been sent once, no additional reward will be sent if the same authentication layer is scanned again. Therefore, if the container of the authenticated product is reused to contain a counterfeit product for subsequent sale, and if the consumer of the counterfeit product in the used container or with the used container is misled into believing that this is an authenticated product, then he / she can also scan the authentication layer, but he / she will be denied the reward. This will indicate that what he / she has purchased is a counterfeit, and he / she can return to the store where he / she purchased the counterfeit to file a complaint or seek compensation.

[0252] Of course, not all consumers of the certified product will take the trouble to scan the certification layer, and thus, there is a probability that consumers of the certified product and / or consumers of the counterfeit product contained in the used container will not scan the certification layer. Therefore, the value of the reward (e.g., coupon) should be determined at such a level as to enhance the likelihood that the certification layer will be scanned by consumers of the certified product.

[0253] As described above, the probability of the certification layer being scanned should be considered to calculate the value of the reward, and as described above, the probability can be obtained by the following formula: where b0 and b1 are each independent constants.

[0254] The value of the reward is obtained by the following formula: P′ t =[1 - P(R)]P z -(C f +C c ) Formula (9). where P′ t is the profit from selling the counterfeit product in the used container with the certification layer, P(R) is the estimated probability that the certification layer will be scanned, P z is the selling price of the counterfeit product in the used container, C f is the cost of producing the counterfeit product, and C c is the cost of obtaining the used container for packaging the counterfeit product.

[0255] Embodiments of the present invention are also disclosed herein, in which the product authentication device can be implemented as a terminal or a server and can include at least one processor and at least one memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, thereby enabling the execution of the methods described in the above exemplary embodiments.

[0256] Figure 25 A schematic block diagram showing an exemplary product authentication device that can be used to implement the above exemplary embodiments is shown. The product authentication device is intended to be various forms of digital processing units or components, computers or servers. The product authentication device can also be a mobile device capable of running a computer program. The depicted components, their connections and relationships, and their functions are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the embodiments disclosed and / or claimed herein.

[0257] As Figure 25As shown, a product authentication device (generally designated as 4000) according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown to include a processor 4010, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a computer program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 4020 or loaded into a random access memory (RAM) 4030 from a storage device 4080. Programs and data required for the operation of the product authentication device can also be stored in the RAM 4030. The processor 4010, the ROM 4020, and the RAM 4030 are interconnected via a bus 4040. An input / output (I / O) interface 4050 is also connected to the bus 4040.

[0258] Many components of the product authentication device 4000 are connected to the I / O interface 4050, including an input unit 4060, an output unit 4070, a storage device 4080, and a communication unit 4090 (which can be a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, etc.). The communication unit 4090 enables the product authentication device 4000 to exchange information / data with other devices via a computer network (such as the Internet and / or various telecommunication networks).

[0259] The processor 4010 can be various general-purpose and / or special-purpose processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of the processor 4010 include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), different special-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, a processor for running machine learning algorithms, a digital signal processor (DSP), and any appropriate processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. The processor 4010 executes the above-described method and process according to the present invention. In some embodiments, the computer program or a part thereof can be loaded and / or installed on the electronic device via the ROM 4020 and / or the communication unit 4090. When the computer program is loaded into the RAM 4030 and executed by the processor 4010, one or more steps of the method described in the previous text can be executed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the processor 4010 can be configured to execute the planned method by any other suitable means (such as with the help of firmware).

[0260] Various embodiments of the above systems and techniques can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuit systems, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on a chip (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various embodiments can include implementing one or more computer programs that can be executed and / or interpreted on a programmable system of at least one programmable processor. The programmable processor can be a special-purpose or general-purpose programmable processor that can receive data and instructions from (one or more) storage systems, at least one input device, and at least one output device, and can transfer the data and instructions to the storage systems, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device.

[0261] Program code for implementing the methods disclosed herein can be written in one programming language or a combination of multiple programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functionality / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram to be performed. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partly as a stand-alone software package on the machine and partly on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0262] On the other hand, the embodiments disclosed herein provide a machine-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any of the above embodiments. In the present disclosure, the machine-readable medium can be a tangible medium that can contain or store a program for a system, apparatus, or device to execute instructions, or a program used in conjunction with a system, apparatus, or device for executing instructions. The machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium can include electrical connections based on one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disk drives, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0263] The above content is only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art of this technology can make various improvements and substitutions without departing from the technical principle of the present invention. Such improvements and substitutions should also be considered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for determining a reward to prompt a consumer who has obtained a product to respond to a request from a product seller, including using an R 最优 formula to determine an R 最优 value, thereby determining the reward.

2. The method according to claim 1 further includes a first step of setting a first R 最优 value.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The first step is an informed guess, and then the second step is to obtain the desired R value through the binary search method. 最优 value.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The products include edible bird's nest, wild cordyceps, pistachios, wine, sportswear, watches, and designer bags.

5. A system for reducing or preventing counterfeit products by providing rewards to consumers, comprising: A product registration method; And Provide incentives to encourage acquirers to comply with the reaction method, where the incentives can be rewards determined by the formula of R 最优 formula.

6. A method for identifying a sufficient number of products that will incentivize consumers to become R 最优 objects, comprising the steps of: i. A product verification method, the product verification method including having at least one authentication layer in the products sold; ii. A method for promoting compliance with the product certification method, the method including providing an incentive to consumers for motivating the sold product into an R 最优 object; And A method for determining the value of the reward for the consumer, the method comprising R 最优 formula.

7. A method of driving counterfeiters to apply used containers to their counterfeit production, Including the following steps: i. The system for reducing or preventing counterfeit products by providing rewards to consumers according to claim 5; ii. Use R 最优 formula to determine the R 最优 value, at or above which, a forger who does not apply a used container will have a lower profit than a forger who applies a used container.

8. A system for reducing or preventing counterfeiting, comprising: Recording the appearance (or a part thereof) of the product before selling the product; A system for comparing the appearance (or a part thereof) of the product before and after selling the product; A method for prompting consumers to participate in the system, the method including providing a reward to the consumers, wherein the reward is determined by formula R 最优 Formula 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein, The first authentication information includes reward information, and wherein the server is configured to: Upon receiving a reward collection command from the terminal, obtain a product identifier; and Determine whether the product identifier exists in a predefined database; When it is determined that the product identifier exists in the predefined database, send the reward to the terminal, so that the user can collect the reward through the terminal; and When it is determined that the product identifier does not exist in the predefined database, stop sending the reward to the terminal.

10. The system according to claims 8-9, wherein, The first authentication information includes reward information, and Wherein the server is configured to: Upon receiving a reward collection command from the terminal, retrieve the real-time value of the reward; When the reward has a positive real-time value, send the real-time value of the reward to the terminal, so that the user can collect a random coupon with a customized value, the customized value being lower than or equal to the real-time value of the reward; and When the reward has a zero real-time value, send a reward collection rejection message to the terminal.

11. The system according to claims 8-10, wherein, The reward has a random value pre-determined by the merchant.

12. A system for reducing or preventing counterfeit products by providing rewards to consumers, comprising: A product authentication method; And Offer rewards to enable consumers to comply with the product certification method, where the rewards are determined by R 最优 formula.

13. The system according to claim 12, the steps of which include scanning at least 2 codes.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein, Consumers can request a reward by scanning any one of the codes, or wherein at least one code is hidden, and the leakage of the code will involve leaving a visible damage mark on the packaging of the product, or wherein at least one code is unhidden and visible without causing any damage to the packaging of the product.

15. A container for containing a product, comprising: A first authentication layer, the first authentication layer carrying or allowing access to first authentication information; A second authentication layer, the second authentication layer carrying or allowing access to second authentication information associated with but different from the first authentication information; Wherein, the container can be moved between a closed configuration and an open configuration. In the closed configuration, access to the first authentication information from or via the first authentication layer and / or access to the second authentication information from or via the second authentication layer are prevented. In the open configuration, access to the product, access to the first authentication information from or via the first authentication layer, and access to the second authentication information from or via the second authentication layer are allowed.

16. A product authentication method, comprising the following steps: i. Scanning the first authentication layer and the second authentication layer of the container according to any one of the above claims to obtain the first authentication information and the second authentication information respectively; ii. The server receiving and analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information; And iii. The server providing an authentication result message based on the results of analyzing the first authentication information and the second authentication information.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein The analyzing of the first authentication information and the second authentication information includes determining (i) the authentication and association between the first authentication information and the second authentication information, and (ii) the updated scan counts of the first authentication layer and the second authentication layer; Or wherein, the analyzing of the first authentication information and the second authentication information includes determining the time when the first authentication layer and / or the second authentication layer are scanned for the first time, or wherein, the first authentication information includes reward information; and wherein, the method further comprises: triggering a reward collection command based on the reward information, sending the product identifier of the container to the server; when the server verifies that the product identifier exists in a predefined database, displaying the reward and enabling the user to collect the reward; and when the server verifies that the product identifier does not exist in the predefined database, displaying a reward collection rejection message.

18. A method for determining the value of a reward for a consumer, comprising the following steps: i. Estimating the duration required to scan the first authentication layer and / or the second authentication layer of the container as described above; ii. Determining the average wage per unit time of the consumer; And iii. Multiplying the estimated duration, the average wage per unit time, and a magnification value greater than 1 to obtain an initial value of the reward for the consumer.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the following steps: i. Determining the market value of a used container of the authenticated product; ii. Determining the average market price of the authenticated product; iii. Determining the cost of selling a counterfeit of the authenticated product minus the market value of the used container; And iv. Adjusting the value of the reward for the consumer at least partially based on the estimated probability that the reward is collected.

20. A product authentication method, comprising the following steps: i. Scanning the authentication layer of the container through a terminal to obtain authentication information; ii. Determining the value of the reward at least partially based on the probability that the authentication layer is scanned; And iii. Sending the reward of the value to the terminal in response to the scanning of the authentication layer.

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