Product reuse

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of sustainability, and in particular to product reuse. Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and reuse instructions or control data configured to control the reuse of at least one used product, such as at least one used tire, and chemical input materials produced from the at least one used product, such as at least one used tire, by using control data.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Technical Field The present disclosure relates to the field of sustainability, and in particular to product reuse. Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and reuse instructions or control data configured to control the reuse of at least one used product, such as at least one used tire, and chemical input materials produced from the at least one used product, such as at least one used tire, by using control data. [Background technology]

[0002] Technology background Chemical products are used in a variety of applications and ultimately end up in multiple supply chains. Used products containing chemicals cannot be easily reused. This hinders the reliable re-supply of used products into the reuse chain and the creation of a circular ecosystem. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] overview In one aspect, a method, particularly a computer-implemented method, for processing at least one used product, for example to generate control and / or monitoring data for the processing, comprising: providing at least one reuse trigger including at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product; collecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product, wherein the physical and / or chemical characteristic is a measured characteristic of the used product and / or the physical and / or chemical characteristic is determined from product data collected via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product; generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to recycle the used product and / or generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to recycle the used product; providing control and / or monitoring data including machine-readable instructions for processing the used products by one or more devices configured to recycle the used products; A method, particularly a computer-implemented method, comprising:

[0004] In another aspect, an apparatus for processing at least one used product, for example to generate control and / or monitoring data for the processing, the apparatus being configured to perform the steps of: For example, an apparatus for processing at least one used product to generate control and / or monitoring data for processing, wherein the at least one used product is controlled and / or monitored via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes of a distributed network, the apparatus including one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, to cause the apparatus to perform the following steps: providing at least one reuse trigger including at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product; collecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product, wherein the physical and / or chemical characteristic is a measured characteristic of the used product and / or the physical and / or chemical characteristic is determined from product data collected via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product; generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to recycle the used product and / or generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to recycle the used product; Providing control and / or monitoring data including machine-readable instructions for processing the used products by one or more devices configured to recycle the used products.

[0005] In another aspect, an apparatus for processing at least one used product, e.g., to generate control and / or monitoring data for the processing, comprising: a trigger providing unit configured to provide at least one reuse trigger including at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product; a data collection unit configured to collect at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product, wherein the physical and / or chemical characteristic is a measured characteristic of the used product and / or the physical and / or chemical characteristic is determined from product data collected via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product; a control data generator configured to generate control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to recycle the used product and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to recycle the used product; a control and / or monitoring data provider configured to provide control and / or monitoring data including machine-readable instructions for processing the used products by one or more devices configured to recycle the used products; The device includes:

[0006] In another aspect, disclosed is a system for processing at least one used product, comprising: an apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing at least one used product as disclosed herein; and / or For example, the following devices configured to receive device-generated control and / or monitoring data in accordance with the methods disclosed herein: one or more devices configured to recycle used products; at least one physical processing device for refurbishing used products or parts thereof; Chemical and / or physical processing equipment for recycling used products or their parts; Chemical and / or physical treatment equipment for recovering chemical materials from used products or their components At least one of It is a system including:

[0007] In yet another aspect, disclosed is a method, particularly a computer-implemented method, of processing at least one used product, e.g., to generate control and / or monitoring data for processing, wherein the at least one used product is controlled and / or monitored via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes of a distributed network, the method including the steps of: providing at least one reuse trigger including at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product; collecting at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used product, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the used product and / or the product data is collected via at least one distributed identifier, e.g., from one or more computing nodes or participant nodes of the distributed network, and the physical and / or chemical property is determined from the product data; generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to recycle the used product and / or generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to recycle the used product; Providing control and / or monitoring data including machine-readable instructions to one or more computing nodes of the distributed network, the computing nodes configured to initiate a process for repurposing at least one used product.

[0008] In yet another aspect, disclosed is an apparatus for processing at least one used product, e.g., to generate control and / or monitoring data for processing, wherein the at least one used product is controlled via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes of a distributed network, the apparatus configured to perform the steps of: For example, an apparatus for processing at least one used product to generate control and / or monitoring data for processing, wherein the at least one used product is controlled via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes of a distributed network, the apparatus including one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, to cause the apparatus to perform the following steps: providing at least one reuse trigger including at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product; collecting at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used product, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the used product and / or the product data is collected from one or more participant nodes of the distributed network via at least one distributed identifier, and the physical and / or chemical property is determined from the product data; generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to recycle the used product and / or generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to recycle the used product; Providing control and / or monitoring data including machine-readable instructions to one or more computing nodes of the distributed network, the computing nodes configured to initiate a process for repurposing at least one used product.

[0009] In yet another aspect, disclosed is a method, particularly a computer-implemented method, for generating control and / or monitoring data for recycling at least one used product, the method comprising the steps of: an apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data for recycling at least one used product, the apparatus being configured to perform the steps of: 1. An apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data for reclaiming at least one used product, the at least one used product being controlled via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes of a distributed network, the apparatus including: one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, to cause the apparatus to perform any of the following steps: providing at least one reuse trigger including at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product and status data associated with at least one characteristic of the used product; collecting product data from, for example, one or more computing nodes or participant nodes of a distributed network via at least one distributed identifier, the product data relating to the production and / or use of used products; generating control and / or monitoring data for recycling the at least one used product based on the at least one recycling trigger and the collected product data; providing control and / or monitoring data to initiate a process for recycling at least one used product; and / or One of the following steps: providing at least one reuse trigger including at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product and status data associated with at least one characteristic of the used product; collecting product data from, for example, one or more computing nodes or participant nodes of a distributed network via at least one distributed identifier, the product data relating to the production and / or use of used products; generating control and / or monitoring data for recycling the at least one used product based on the at least one recycling trigger and the collected product data; Providing control and / or monitoring data to one or more computing nodes of the distributed network, the computing nodes configured to initiate a process for repurposing at least one used product.

[0010] In yet another aspect, disclosed is a system for controlling and / or monitoring the recycling of at least one used product, comprising: an apparatus for treating or controlling the recycling of at least one used product as disclosed herein; Optionally, a product collector configured to receive the control and / or monitoring data and initiate a process for recycling at least one used product or part thereof; a plant operator of a chemical and / or physical processing plant configured to optionally receive the control and / or monitoring data and to initialize a process for recycling at least one used product or part thereof, the plant operator may be associated with a chemical product producer, a product manufacturer and / or a product recycler; Optionally, a chemical and / or physical processing plant for recycling at least one used product or part thereof to recover chemical materials, the chemical and / or physical processing plant being associated with a chemical product producer, a product manufacturer and / or a product recycler. A system including:

[0011] In another aspect, disclosed are recycling instructions or control and / or monitoring data configured to control and / or monitor recycling of at least one used product, e.g., generated and / or used according to the methods disclosed herein or by the devices or systems disclosed herein.

[0012] In another aspect, disclosed are one or more chemical materials produced from at least one used product or part thereof, for example, according to the methods disclosed herein or by using control and / or monitoring data generated and / or used by the devices or systems disclosed herein.

[0013] In another aspect, disclosed is a system including at least one used product and control and / or monitoring data configured or used to control and / or monitor the reclamation of the at least one used product according to the methods disclosed herein or by the devices or systems disclosed herein, wherein the at least one used product is associated with the control and / or monitoring data.

[0014] In another aspect, disclosed is a control and / or monitoring data consumption service and / or control and / or monitoring data provision service configured to control and / or monitor the reuse of at least one used product according to the methods disclosed herein or by the devices or systems disclosed herein.

[0015] In another aspect, disclosed is a control and / or monitoring data providing service configured to generate control and / or monitoring data for controlling and / or monitoring the reuse of at least one used product according to the methods disclosed herein or by the devices or systems disclosed herein.

[0016] In another aspect, disclosed is the use of control and / or monitoring data provided according to the methods disclosed herein or provided by the apparatus or system disclosed herein to control and / or monitor the recycling of at least one used product and / or to re-supply chemical materials recovered from the recycling of at least one used product to one or more chemical production processes.

[0017] In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a computing element, such as a computer program or computer-readable medium having instructions configured to perform the steps of a method disclosed herein or to be performed by an apparatus or system disclosed herein, when executed on one or more computing nodes of a distributed network, for example.

[0018] Any of the disclosures, embodiments, and examples described herein relate to the methods, systems, devices, products, chemicals, instructions, uses, services consumed, services provided, and computer elements described above and below. Advantageously, benefits provided by any of the embodiments and examples apply to all other embodiments and examples as well.

[0019] Embodiment To ensure product reuse and reduce the environmental impact of products, a data-driven generation of control and / or monitoring data for controlling and / or monitoring reuse is proposed. In particular, reuse can be structured so that used products can be repurposed for the same or other uses or resupplied to the chemical infrastructure. By using a data-driven approach incorporating the history of used products, reuse can be controlled by taking into account the details of the used products and minimizing the environmental impact. In this way, the flow of materials can be controlled from the collection of used products to their processing, and from used products to the reuse of recycled chemical materials. The approach proposed herein makes it possible to ensure the reuse of products until the chemical materials are resupplied to the chemical production chain. Thus, a circular value chain that reduces the environmental impact of material flows can be enabled.

[0020] In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure are outlined by way of examples, and it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and / or examples.

[0021] A used product may include any final product in a product ecosystem that can be used by an end user. A used product may relate to a manufactured product used by an end user. A product or used product may include any product containing carbon. A product or used product may contain or be produced from at least one organic compound. A product or used product may include a product containing extruded foam and / or textiles, such as a mattress. A product or used product may include a product containing rubber, silica, carbon black, steel, and / or textiles, such as tires. A product or used product may include a product containing any type of plastic, such as packaging materials or plastic toys. A product or used product may include a product containing any type of metal, such as precious metals. A used product may be a used product containing carbon, a used product containing at least one organic compound, a used product containing a metal, such as a precious metal, a used battery, an electronic device, a used car, a used textile, a used mattress, a used car component, or a used tire. In this disclosure, product-related terms, such as product data, product user, and product producer, may also be used in connection with and designated by a specific product. For example, in the case of tires, the product data may be tire data, the product user may be a tire user, the product producer may be a tire producer, etc. Or, for example, in the case of batteries, the product data may be battery data, the product user may be a battery user, the product producer may be a battery producer, etc.

[0022] A product ecosystem may include different stages, including production, use, and reuse. In these stages, one or more ecosystem participants may contribute to the production, use, or reuse of a product. For example, the production stage may include raw material producers, intermediate material producers, and / or final product producers. Further, for example, the use stage may include product users, product maintainers, and / or product distributors. Further, for example, the reuse stage may include collectors, sorters, dismantlers, recyclers, restorers, and / or refurbishers.

[0023] The product ecosystem participants may be connected via a distributed network. The distributed network may include computing nodes associated with the product ecosystem participants and may be configured to conduct data transactions. The computing nodes associated with the product ecosystem participants may be associated with producers, users, or reusers of physical products, such as chemical product producers, intermediate product producers, end product producers, end product users, used product users, or product reusers. The data transactions may be based on a transaction protocol including an authentication and / or authorization mechanism. Based on the authentication and / or authorization mechanism, peer-to-peer communication between the computing nodes associated with the product ecosystem participants may be established. Each node of the distributed network associated with the product ecosystem participants may be configured as a trigger consuming service, a trigger providing service, a control and / or monitoring data consuming service, a control and / or monitoring data providing service, a product data providing service, and / or a product data consuming service.

[0024] The one or more authentication mechanisms may be associated with or linked to a decentralized identifier associated with the physical entity of the product. The one or more authentication mechanisms associated with the decentralized identifier may be provided to participant nodes. The one or more authentication mechanisms associated with the decentralized identifier may be accessible by data providing services and / or data consuming services. The decentralized configuration enables more efficient use of computational resources and increases control by data owners of the decentralized network.

[0025] The one or more authorization mechanisms may include at least one authorization rule for controlling access to data under the control of the data owner. Computing nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem may be configured to provide data consumption services and / or data provisioning services. The data provisioning services may be configured to provide or transmit data to another participant node in the distributed network. The data consumption services may be configured to ingest or receive data from another participant node in the distributed network. Providing data to a data provisioning service for access by the data consumption service may include indirect or direct access of the data to the data.

[0026] The reuse trigger may be associated with a trigger associated with an end-of-life event of a used product. The reuse trigger may be associated with the reuse of a used product. The reuse trigger may be generated based on an end-of-life event of a used product. The end-of-life event may be predefined, for example, by the passage of time, or may be defined by a user, for example, by indicating an end-of-life event. The reuse trigger may be generated by at least one node of the distributed network. Such a node may be associated with a user of a used product or a collector of used products. The reuse trigger may include at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product. The reuse trigger may be generated upon reading a physical identifier associated with the used product. The physical identifier may be connected to or physically attached to the product, for example, via an identification number, an electronic tag such as an RFID tag, or a code such as a QR code. The physical identifier may be connected to a distributed identifier associated with the used product. The reuse trigger may be generated based on predetermined criteria, such as a predetermined period of use, a predetermined location, and / or a predetermined event. The distributed identifier associated with the used product may be provided for generation of the reuse trigger.

[0027] The reuse trigger may include or relate to status data associated with at least one characteristic of the used product. The status data may represent at least one characteristic of the used product's usage. The status data may include or relate to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product. The status data may include or relate to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic associated with the type of used product or the materials contained in the used product. The status data may include or relate to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic associated with the usage of the used product. The status data may include or relate to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic associated with the location of the used product.

[0028] At least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product may be related to one or more characteristics determined at the end of life of the used product. In this regard, end of life may refer to the used product being no longer usable for its current purpose or by its current user. At least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product may be related to one or more characteristics determined during the production and / or life cycle of the used product. At least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product may be derived from measurements and / or data accessible via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product. For example, at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product may be measured at end of life to determine the status of the used product at end of life. Further, for example, at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product may be measured or derived from product data collected at any time during the production and / or life cycle of the used product.

[0029] The control and / or monitoring data may be generated by correlating or associating status data, particularly at least one chemical and / or physical characteristic, of the used product with processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product and / or generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product. The processing characteristics may represent characteristics of the used product that are suitable for reuse by one or more devices configured for reuse, respectively. The processing characteristics may be associated with one or more chemical and / or physical characteristics of the used product. The processing characteristics may be associated with the reuse of the used product by the respective devices configured for reuse. Thus, the processing characteristics may associate the chemical and / or physical characteristics of the unused product with the respective reuse. The machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product may be associated with the provision of the used product to the respective devices configured for reuse. For example, the location of the used product and the respective devices configured for reuse may be associated for controlling and / or monitoring the provision of the used product to the respective devices configured for reuse, or in other words, the transport of the used product to the respective devices configured for reuse.

[0030] In one embodiment, the at least one physical and / or chemical property is collected by optically measuring the at least one physical and / or chemical property. The at least one physical and / or chemical property may be provided, for example, as part of status data, in association with or along with at least one reuse trigger. The physical and / or chemical property may include a property provided by a sensor configured to measure the physical and / or chemical property. For example, the physical and / or chemical property may include a property provided by a sensor in a mobile device, such as a camera, or an infrared spectrometer, such as a near-infrared spectrometer. The measurement and provision of the physical and / or chemical property may be triggered by receiving a reuse trigger. For example, a user may be guided to take a measurement, such as taking an image or measuring with an infrared spectrometer. The measurement and provision of the physical and / or chemical property may be provided along with the reuse trigger.

[0031] In another embodiment, the physical and / or chemical properties are determined from product data collected via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product. The at least one physical and / or chemical property may be provided in association with or along with at least one reclamation trigger, for example, as part of status data. The data collection and provision of the physical and / or chemical property may be triggered by receipt of the reclamation trigger. The product data may be provided along with the reclamation trigger.

[0032] The distributed identifier may connect the physical entity of the product or used product to product data associated with the product or used product. The product data associated with the product or used product may be associated with different stages of the product ecosystem. The product data may relate to historical information or data associated with the use and / or production of the product, for example, collected at different stages of the product ecosystem related to the used product. The product data associated with the used product may be stored by or associated with one or more nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem. The product data may be distributed across multiple nodes of a distributed network associated with different participants in the product ecosystem. The used product may be associated with one or more distributed identifiers representing a digital twin of the product's physical entity. The distributed identifier may be a digital identifier of the used product in or for the distributed network. The distributed identifier may include one or more digital identifiers provided to computing nodes associated with the distributed network and / or participants in the product ecosystem. The distributed identifier may represent the physical entity of the product or used product for participant nodes of the distributed network. The distributed identifier may be linked according to a physical relationship between the physical product entity or used product entity and other physical entities, such as those used to produce the product or used product, or those with which the product or used product is used or used in connection with. In this way, participant nodes in the distributed network may be able to interpret distributed identifier relationships that correspond to physical relationships of physical product entities or used product entities with other physical entities, and the distributed identifier links allow for determining the nodes that store the product data.

[0033] The distributed network may be configured to provide access to product data stored by one or more nodes associated with at least one participant in the product ecosystem. Access may be provided according to a distributed network protocol that includes authentication and / or authorization. Product data collection may include providing at least one request to one or more nodes associated with the participants in the product ecosystem based on a distributed identifier. For collection, a node may be selected based on a link between at least one distributed identifier associated with a used product and at least one other distributed identifier associated with a physical entity to which the used product is or was physically associated.

[0034] The product data may be collected from one or more network nodes associated with product producers and / or users connected via a distributed network. The network nodes from which the product data is collected may be selected based on a distributed identifier associated with the used product. The product data may be collected from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers or one or more users of the product via at least one distributed identifier. The product data may be provided from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers or one or more users of the product via at least one distributed identifier. The product data may include production data provided by one or more producers of the used product and / or monitoring data provided by one or more users of the used product.

[0035] In one embodiment, at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic may be collected by requesting product data associated with the used product via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product. The requested product data may be related to monitoring data collected during use of the product. The physical and / or chemical characteristic may be determined from the monitoring data. The requested product data may be related to production data collected during production of the product. The physical and / or chemical characteristic may be determined from the production data. The physical and / or chemical characteristic may be determined from the monitoring data and / or the production data.

[0036] The product data may be associated with historical data related to the production of the used product. The production data may be related to one or more material compositions used to produce the used product or parts thereof. The product data may include composition data associated with the used product or parts thereof.

[0037] The product data may be associated with historical data related to use of the used product. The monitoring data may be related to at least one physical and / or chemical property affected by use of the product or parts thereof. The at least one physical and / or chemical property affected by use may be derived from the monitoring data. The product data may include the monitoring data and / or the at least one physical and / or chemical property derived from the monitoring data.

[0038] In one embodiment, the processing characteristics of one or more devices are collected from one or more network nodes associated with product recyclers connected via a distributed network. The network nodes from which the processing characteristics of the one or more devices are collected may be selected based on at least one characteristic of the used product. The processing characteristics may be related to a recycling process performed by the device and / or physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used product. In this manner, the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used product may be matched to each device configured for recycling using the processing characteristics.

[0039] In one embodiment, one or more devices configured to reuse used products process used products by repurposing, refurbishing, or recycling the used products. The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to repurpose or refurbish used products may be related to at least one physical characteristic of the used products. The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to repurpose or refurbish used products may be related to at least one damage state of the used products. The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to recycle used products may be related to at least one chemical characteristic of the used products. The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to recycle used products may be related to at least one material type contained in the used products.

[0040] In one embodiment, recycled material data related to one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers is collected, and control and / or monitoring data is generated by correlating and / or associating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with the recycled material data. The recycled material data may relate to recycled material flows associated with producible recycled material through recycling of the used product or its components. For example, the recycled material data may be collected from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers, such as chemical producers or product producers. The collection may include using at least one distributed identifier of the used product and / or product data, such as material composition data. The recycled material data may relate to one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers. The recycled material data for the recycled material compositions may relate to an amount of recycled material resupplied to the production of one or more producers. This amount may represent a demand for the one or more recycled material compositions.

[0041] The control and / or monitoring data may be generated by matching production data associated with one or more material compositions contained in a used product or a component thereof with recycled material data associated with one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers. Based on the matching, control and / or monitoring data for producing the matching recycled material composition may be generated. The control and / or monitoring data may, for example, be associated with a used product for producing recycled material that is requested and / or resupplied to the production of one or more producers. The control and / or monitoring data may, for example, include one or more distribution identifiers associated with a used product for producing recycled material that is requested and / or resupplied to the production of one or more producers. The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing the used product.

[0042] In another embodiment, the control and / or monitoring data, such as machine-readable instructions for processing a used product, includes at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product and / or at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or machine-readable instructions may further include instructions for processing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may be related to repurposing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may be related to refurbishing or second-life use of the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may be related to recycling the used product.

[0043] The control and / or monitoring data may be configured to provide the used product or at least one component thereof to a chemical and / or physical processing plant associated with a producer, such as a chemical product producer or product producer or recycler. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to chemical and / or physical processing of the used product or component thereof to recover chemical materials as recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to suitable chemical and / or physical processing methods for processing the used product or component thereof to produce recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data may be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used product. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to one or more nodes of the distributed network, where one or more nodes may be associated with a recycler, for example, for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing. The control and / or monitoring data may include a specification of a reuse method, such as a recycling method for producing recyclables, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. For example, processes for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling and / or reusing used products may be initiated and / or controlled based on the generated control and / or monitoring data.

[0044] A reuse trigger can be generated by a node associated with a participant triggering an end-of-life event associated with a used product, where the identification information of the used product can be read via an ID reader or manually entered into an application such as a mobile app.

[0045] Based on providing the used product identification information, a distributed identifier associated with the used product can be obtained via a distributed network. For example, the used product identification information can be provided to a distributed database or a distributed registry that stores distributed identifiers in association with the used product identification information. The distributed database can be a database including distributed identifiers for used products. The distributed database can include a distributed ledger and enable verification of the product identifier. Further, for example, the distributed identifier can be obtained from a registry that stores a distributed identifier associated with the used product identification information and associated with the participant triggering the reuse trigger. Further, for example, the distributed identifier can be retrieved from a registry associated with any participant in the product ecosystem, such as a product producer or a product user. The participant triggering the reuse event can connect to nodes associated with other participants in the product ecosystem via authentication and / or authorization protocols of the distributed network, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

[0046] The reuse trigger may include a distributed identifier associated with the product and status data associated with the used product. The status data may include characteristics of the used product that declare it end of life. This may include visual inspection data, such as image data provided by a smartphone camera.

[0047] The reuse trigger, which includes a distributed identifier associated with the used product, can be provided to any node associated with a participant in the product ecosystem that collects the product. For example, the reuse trigger can be provided to a node associated with a product producer, a chemical producer that feeds the product production chain, or a recycler. The reuse trigger can be transmitted to the node associated with each participant.

[0048] Based on the provision of the reuse trigger, control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of the used product may be generated. To generate the control and / or monitoring data, further data, particularly related to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product, may be obtained from nodes associated with different participants in the product ecosystem. For example, product production data including composition data associated with materials constituting the used product may be obtained from a product producer. Furthermore, product usage data including, for example, monitoring data associated with the product during its use may be obtained from a node associated with a product user. Furthermore, product usage data including, for example, lifetime data associated with the product may be obtained. Furthermore, for example, sensor data associated with measured characteristics of the used product may be obtained from any node. In this manner, physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used product may be collected. The physical and / or chemical characteristics may be measured characteristics of the used product, such as images or IR sensor data. The physical and / or chemical characteristics may be determined from product data collected via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product, such as composition data or usage data related to monitoring data from the use or lifetime of the product.

[0049] The control and / or monitoring data may be generated by correlating and / or associating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product. The processing characteristic may be related to a recycling process performed by the device. Depending on the provided physical and / or chemical characteristic, the processing characteristic required for recycling, and therefore a suitable device configured to reuse the used product, may be determined. The device configured to reuse the used product processes the used product by repurposing, refurbishing, or recycling the used product.

[0050] The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to repurpose or refurbish used products may depend on physical characteristics, which may be provided via measurements such as one or more images depicting the product.

[0051] The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to recycle used products can be related to at least one chemical characteristic of the used products, and the chemical characteristic, such as product composition or the content of a particular component of the product, can be provided via a peer-to-peer communication network upon request and data transfer between nodes of the distributed network.

[0052] The processing characteristics of one or more devices that match the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used product may be stored in a central or distributed database or storage device. The processing characteristics may be collected from one or more network nodes associated with product recyclers connected via a distributed network. The network nodes from which the processing characteristics of one or more devices are collected may be selected based on at least one characteristic provided for the used product. A suitable device configured for reuse may be selected based on such a match. In this manner, control and / or monitoring data may be generated by correlating and / or associating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with the processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product. Thus, the control and / or monitoring data may include at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product and / or at least one distributed identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product. In addition to the match, machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product may be generated. Such instructions may associate multiple distributed identifiers associated with the used product with at least one distributed identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product. In this manner, products may be digitally assigned to specific devices according to their end-of-life characteristics. In other words, the method may provide a second life or recycling recommendation that ensures that used products end up in a rational reuse stream, such as refurbishment, repurposing, or recycling.

[0053] In addition to simply matching and finding suitable reuse, matching can be further refined by collecting recycled material data regarding one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to the recycled material data. The recycled material data can relate to recycled material flows associated with recyclable materials that can be produced through recycling of the used product or its components. For example, the recycled material data can be collected from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers, such as chemical producers or product producers. The recycled material data can relate to one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers. The recycled material data for a recycled material composition can relate to the amount of recycled material resupplied to the production of one or more producers. This amount can represent a demand for one or more recycled material compositions. Based on the material composition data collected for a plurality of used products, a recycled material composition to be produced from such used products can be determined.

[0054] The control and / or monitoring data may be generated by matching production data associated with one or more material compositions contained in a used product or a component thereof with recycled material data associated with one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers. Based on the match, control and / or monitoring data for producing the matching recycled material composition may be generated. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with a used product for producing recycled material requested and / or resupplied to the production of one or more producers, for example, via a distribution identifier associated with the used product, such as provided by a reuse trigger. The control and / or monitoring data may include, for example, one or more distribution identifiers associated with the used product for producing recycled material requested and / or resupplied to the production of one or more producers. The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing the used product.

[0055] The control and / or monitoring data and / or machine-readable instructions may further include instructions for processing used products. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to repurposing used products. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to refurbishing or second-life use of used products. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to recycling used products.

[0056] The control and / or monitoring data may be configured to provide the used product or at least one component thereof to a chemical and / or physical processing plant associated with a producer, such as a chemical product producer, a product producer, or a recycler. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to chemical and / or physical processing of the used product or component thereof to recover chemical materials as recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to suitable chemical and / or physical processing methods for processing the used product or component thereof to produce recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data may be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used product. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to one or more nodes of the distributed network, where one or more nodes may be associated with a recycler, for example, for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing. The control and / or monitoring data may include a specification of a reuse method, such as a recycling method for producing recyclables, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. For example, processes for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling and / or reusing used products may be initiated and / or controlled based on the generated control and / or monitoring data.

[0057] The control and / or monitoring data for initiating reuse of a used product may be provided to any node associated with a participant in the distributed network. For example, the control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node associated with a participant that triggered a reuse event, or the control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node associated with a participant that needs to reuse a used product, such as a refurbisher, diversion merchant, collector, recycler, and / or producer that reuses used products or recycled materials.

[0058] The reclamation trigger may include a product identifier, in particular a distribution identifier. The reclamation trigger may include or be associated with status data representing the status of the used product. The status data associated with the product may relate to characteristics of the used product. The status data may relate to physical and / or chemical properties of the used product. The status data may include at least one chemical and / or physical property of the used product. The status data may include image data related to the condition of the used product.

[0059] Product data associated with the used product may be collected from one or more participant nodes of the distributed network based on a distributed identifier provided by the reuse trigger. The product data may be obtained from different nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem, such as the product producer or any user of the product. The product data may be associated with the history of the used product. The product data may include product characteristics. The product data may be collected from different nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem. For example, monitoring data may be collected from nodes associated with any participant in the product ecosystem or may be received by the reuse trigger. Production data may be collected from nodes associated with the product producer. Further monitoring data related to the use of the product may be collected from nodes associated with any participant in the product ecosystem or may be received by the reuse trigger.

[0060] A distributed product identifier may be used for collecting production and / or monitoring data. The distributed product identifier may be linked to a distributed user identifier or a distributed manufacturer identifier. Such a link may be available to one or more participants in the product ecosystem. The distributed product identifier may be provided in a distributed database in which links between distributed identifiers associated with products, users, and / or manufacturers may be stored. In another example, a reuse trigger may include link information. Based on the distributed user identifier, monitoring data may be obtained. Based on the distributed manufacturer identifier, production data may be obtained.

[0061] Collected product data associated with the used product may be analyzed to generate control and / or monitoring data. The analysis may be based on used product condition from status data, product production data, product monitoring data, and / or recycled material data associated with the product. At least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product may be determined from the collected production and / or monitoring data via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product.

[0062] The physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used product may relate to the physical and / or chemical product condition of the product. Based on such condition, control and / or monitoring data may be generated. The physical and / or chemical characteristics may represent a product degradation condition, such as a damage or repair condition, location / area, and / or age of the used product. Based on such condition, control and / or monitoring data may be generated. The control and / or monitoring data may include a product degradation condition, such as a damage or repair condition, location / area, and / or age of the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may include one or more devices configured for reuse of the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node associated with one or more devices configured for reuse, such as refurbishing, repurposing, and / or recycling.

[0063] Through such decision trees, control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to processing characteristics of one or more devices configured for reuse of the used product. Control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated.

[0064] The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing the used product, including at least one distribution identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product and at least one distribution identifier associated with the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with one or more process steps for recycling the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to chemical and / or physical processing of the used product or parts thereof to recover chemical materials for recyclability.

[0065] The control and / or monitoring data may be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used product. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to one or more nodes of the distributed network, where the one or more nodes may be associated with a recycler, for example, for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing used products. The control and / or monitoring data may include specifications for a reuse method, such as a recycling method for producing recycled materials, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses recycled materials as input materials to produce new output materials. For example, a process for reusing used products, for example, for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing, may be initialized based on the generated control and / or monitoring data. Based on the generated control and / or monitoring data, a process for reusing used products, for example, for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing, may be controlled and / or monitored. For example, a recycling process may be controlled and / or monitored according to a material composition represented by the control and / or monitoring data.

[0066] The distributed identifier may be uniquely associated with the used product and product data, including production and / or monitoring data. The distributed identifier may be associated with an identifier element for each product. The identifier element may include any physical structure that associates the product identifier with the product or at least one component of the product. The identifier element may include passive or active elements, such as, but not limited to, a number printed on the product, a QR code, or an RFID tag. The identifier element may be a physical identifier physically connected to the product or at least one component of the product. The identifier element may include a marker embedded in a material, a product number, a tag such as a barcode, a QR code, an RFID tag, or a similar physical structure that allows the product or at least one component of the product to be digitally identified.

[0067] The identifier element may be uniquely associated with the product. The identifier element may be uniquely associated with the digital product identifier. The digital product identifier may be uniquely associated with the product. In this way, product data may be provided per product or for individual products. The product identifier may be associated with one or more decentralized identifiers that are uniquely associated with the product. The product identifier may be associated with one or more decentralized identifiers that represent a digital twin of the product's physical entity. The decentralized identifier may be a digital identifier of the decentralized network or a digital identifier related to the decentralized network. In other words, the decentralized identifier may uniquely identify the product with respect to a node of the decentralized network. The decentralized identifier may be a digital identifier provided to the decentralized network and a participant node of the decentralized network. Thus, the decentralized identifier may refer to the product's physical entity in the decentralized network, and the participant node may be able to interpret the relationship between the decentralized identifier and the product's physical entity.

[0068] A decentralized identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with a data owner and an item. A decentralized identifier may include one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) or digital identifiers (DIDs). A decentralized identifier may be issued by a central or decentralized identity issuer. A decentralized identifier may include authentication information. Through the decentralized identifier and its unique association with the data owner and product data, access to the product data may be controlled by the data owner. This contrasts with centralized authority schemes, in which identifiers are provided by, and access to data is controlled by, such a centralized authority. In this context, decentralized refers to the use of identifiers controlled by the data owner.

[0069] The decentralized identifier may include one or more identifiers used in the decentralized network to enable data exchange over the decentralized network, which may include discovery of the decentralized identifiers of network nodes of the decentralized network, authentication of network nodes of the decentralized network, and / or authorization of data transfer via peer-to-peer communication between network nodes of the decentralized network.

[0070] The distributed identifier may be uniquely associated with a product and product data related to the production of the product and / or monitoring the product during use. The unique association or connection between the distributed identifier and the product data associated with the product allows the product data to be accessed using the distributed identifier regardless of the node that stores or makes accessible the product data. In this manner, the depth of data accessible in the distributed network can be expanded and used for processing used products.

[0071] A reclamation trigger may be generated upon an end-of-life event of a used product. The reclamation trigger may include at least one distributed identifier and status data associated with the condition of the used product at the end of life. The status data may include physical and / or chemical characteristics related to the end of life, such as degradation data associated with the degradation condition of the product at the end of life or damage data associated with the damage condition of the product at the end of life. The status data associated with the condition of the used product at the end of life may be obtained, collected, or aggregated based on the distributed identifier. The status data may be provided separately from the reclamation trigger.

[0072] Product data related to the production of used products and / or the use of used products can be collected via at least one distributed identifier. The product data can include production data associated with the production of used products and / or monitoring data associated with the use of used products. Physical and / or chemical properties of the product can be provided and / or derived from the product data. For example, the material composition of the used product can be provided by the production data. Further, for example, the deterioration status of the used product can be derived or can be derived from the monitoring data. The deterioration status can be related to the amount of use, age, number of repairs, and / or number of refurbishments during the product's life.

[0073] Based on the collected or gathered data, control and / or monitoring data may be generated. For this purpose, chemical and / or physical characteristics of the used product may be used to match corresponding process characteristics of an apparatus configured for reuse of the used product. The process characteristics of the apparatus configured for reuse of the used product may be related to the chemical and / or physical characteristics of the used product. In this manner, a suitable apparatus configured for reuse of the used product may be selected based on the chemical and / or physical characteristics of the used product. The apparatus configured for reuse of the used product may be associated with at least one distributed identifier that digitally identifies the apparatus. Based on such a match, machine-readable instructions for processing the used product may be generated by one or more apparatus configured for reuse of the used product. The machine-readable instructions may include a distributed identifier associated with the used product and a distributed identifier associated with the apparatus configured for reuse of the used product. The machine-readable instructions may associate a location of the used product with an apparatus configured for reuse of the used product. The machine-readable instructions may specify a reuse method, such as refurbishing, repurposing, or recycling. The machine-readable instructions may specify one or more process steps of a reuse method, such as refurbishing, repurposing, or recycling.

[0074] The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing the used product, including at least one distribution identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product and at least one distribution identifier associated with the used product. The machine-readable instructions may be associated with one or more process steps for recycling the used product. The machine-readable instructions may relate to chemical and / or physical processing of the used product or parts thereof to recover chemical materials for recyclability.

[0075] The machine-readable instructions may be configured to initialize a process for repurposing at least one used product. The machine-readable instructions may be provided to one or more nodes of a distributed network, where the one or more nodes may be associated with a repurposing entity for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing used products, for example. The machine-readable instructions may include specifications for the repurposing method, such as the repurposing method, the purpose for which it is used, and / or a diversion identifier or recycling method associated with an entity performing the diversion, the recycled material produced, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses the recycled material as an input material to produce new output materials. For example, a process for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or repurposing used products may be initialized based on the generated machine-readable instructions. For example, a process for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or repurposing used products may be controlled and / or monitored based on the generated machine-readable instructions. For example, the recycling process may be controlled and / or monitored according to a material composition represented by the generated machine-readable instructions.

[0076] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present disclosure will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0077] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic representation of a tire as a possible example of an exemplary product. [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic representation of an example of the layers of material that make up a tire in the tread area. [Figure 3] An example of a tire ecosystem is shown as a possible example of a product ecosystem. [Figure 4] As one possible example of a product ecosystem, an example method or apparatus for exchanging tire data between participants in a tire ecosystem is generally illustrated. [Figure 5a]1 illustrates generally an example of a method or apparatus for providing data associated with tire production, tire use, and used tire handling across a tire ecosystem among participants connected via a distributed network. [Figure 5b] 1 illustrates generally an example of a method or apparatus for providing data associated with tire production, tire use, and used tire handling across a tire ecosystem among participants connected via a distributed network. [Figure 5c] 1 illustrates, in a simplified form, an example of a method or apparatus for providing data associated with tire production, tire usage, and used tire handling across a tire ecosystem among participants connected via a distributed network. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a schematic flow chart of a method for generating control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires as an example of a used product. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates generally an example of a method or apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires as an example of a used product. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates, in a simplified form, an example of a method or apparatus for exchanging tire data and control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires among participants in an exemplary tire ecosystem product ecosystem. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface for recycling used tires as an example of a used product. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0078] Detailed Description The following embodiments are merely examples for implementing the methods, apparatus, systems, distributed network services or applications disclosed herein and should not be considered as limiting.

[0079] In the following description, tires are used as an exemplary product. Other products may be treated in a similar manner, and the examples should not be considered limiting. Other products may include foam-based products such as car seats, mats, or insulation panels, plastic-based products such as packaging or automotive interior trim, and metal-based products such as electronic devices and battery electrode active materials.

[0080] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a tire as a possible example of an exemplary product.

[0081] The tire may be a tire for a vehicle, which may include motor vehicles such as cars, vans, minivans, buses, SUVs (sport utility vehicles), trucks, lorries, semi-trucks, tractors, motorcycles, trailers, ATVs (all-terrain vehicles), pickup trucks, bulldozers, heavy duty movers such as mobile cranes and earth movers, airplanes, and other transportation means that are typically provided with one or more tires.

[0082] Vehicle tires can be used for a limited time. Therefore, tires are periodically discarded, and tire waste accumulates to a considerable amount. Because tires are made of different materials that must be separated, the recycling rate of tires remains low.

[0083] As shown generally in Figure 1, the tire 100 may include a tread section 102 and a sidewall section 104. The sidewall section 104 may include beads that connect to a rim 106. The tread section 102 may include a layered structure 110 and a tread 108 with different liners, as further described in Figure 2.

[0084] One of the main materials used in tires is rubber, such as natural or synthetic rubber. Another main material is fillers such as carbon black or silica. Other materials include steel or textiles such as polyester, nylon, aramid, or rayon cord. Additional materials include chemical components such as antioxidants, sulfur, zinc oxide, or antiozonants.

[0085] FIG. 2 shows a schematic example of the layers of material that make up a tire in the tread area. Figure 2 shows a layered structure 112 of a tire as shown in Figure 1 at 112. A first layer 120 may include a synthetic rubber inner liner. A second layer 118 may include a rubber ply with fiber wire embedded in it. A third layer 116 may include a rubber casing ply with steel wire embedded in it. A fourth layer 114 may include a rubber-embedded nylon wire. An outermost layer may include a tread 108 including rubber, carbon black, and silica.

[0086] To reuse used tires, different methods may be applied, such as reuse, regrooving, retreading, or recycling, even for different vehicles. Recycling may enable the recovery of rubber and fillers. Such recycled materials may be used to produce new tires or other end products. In this way, materials from tires can be used multiple times, and circularity of the material stream may be achieved. However, existing collection and recycling chains are highly decentralized, and only a small portion of used tires is reused or fed back into the material stream. To improve the reuse rate of used tires and reduce the environmental impact, the methods, devices, and systems proposed herein provide a more robust and efficient handling of used tires.

[0087] Figure 3 shows an example of a tire ecosystem as a possible example of a product ecosystem. The tire 100 may be a vehicle tire as described in connection with Figures 1 and 2. The tire ecosystem section 306 may be related to the production of the tire 100.

[0088] Tires may be produced by a tire manufacturer via tire production 304. Tires may be produced in one or more production steps. Tires may be produced, for example, from one or more chemical materials 302. Chemical materials 1302 may include, for example, raw chemical materials or intermediate chemical materials. Raw chemical materials may include water glass and monomers used to produce rubber, such as butadiene, styrene, and polyisobutene. Intermediate chemical materials may include rubber, such as natural rubber and / or synthetic rubber, oil, steel, fillers (such as carbon black and silica), polymers, tackifiers, antioxidants, accelerators, and antiozonants. Chemical materials 302 may be supplied by one or more chemical suppliers, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 5A.

[0089] The tire may include a tread section and a sidewall section as described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. The produced tires may be supplied from tire production 304 to any participant who uses the tires in use phase 305. The produced tires may be supplied from tire production 304 to a vehicle manufacturer. The produced tires may be supplied from tire production 304 to a workshop. The produced tires may be supplied from tire production 304 to a tire dealer (not shown). The tire dealer may supply the tires to a workshop and / or a vehicle owner (not shown). The supply of tires may be performed using one or more distribution centers (not shown). The vehicle manufacturer may produce vehicles fitted with tires produced by tire production 304, e.g., new tires. The produced vehicles may be provided to an end user who may use the vehicles, and thus the tires fitted to the vehicles, in use phase 305.

[0090] The use phase 305 may include repairing tires. The use phase 305 may include replacing tires present on a vehicle. Tire repair and / or tire replacement may be performed at a workshop. For example, the workshop may replace used tires (e.g., tires that can no longer be used on a vehicle) installed on a vehicle with new tires produced by tire production 304. For example, the workshop may repair punctured tires to extend the use of the tires.

[0091] The tire value chain may further include used tire collection 310. Used tires may be collected at a return point. Used tires may be provided to the return point by a workshop. Used tires may be provided to the return point by a tire dealer (not shown). Used tires may be collected from the workshop and / or tire dealer and stored at the return point. The return point may be an initial collection center. The initial collection center may provide the collected used tires to a centralized return point. The return point may be a centralized return point. At a return point, such as a centralized return point, the received used tires may be inspected and further handling may be determined. Used tires may be provided to a tire recycler if they can no longer be used in a vehicle. Used tires may be provided to a retreading company if they can be retreaded. Used tires may be provided to a regrooving company (not shown) if they can be regrooved. Used tires may be provided to an incineration facility or disposed of in a landfill.

[0092] Considering multiple options for reusing tires, existing collection and recycling chains are highly decentralized, allowing only a small portion of used tires to be reused or fed back into the material stream. To improve reuse rates and reduce environmental impacts of used tires, the methods, apparatuses, and systems proposed herein provide more robust and efficient handling of used tires. In particular, connecting participants in the tire ecosystem through a decentralized network enables data sharing or exchange among participants in the decentralized network, improving tire reuse. Tires are just one example to which the methods, apparatuses, and systems proposed herein may be applicable. Other products may be handled in a similar manner, and the example of tires as one anticipated product to be handled should not be construed as limiting.

[0093] FIG. 4 illustrates, in a simplified manner, an example of a method or apparatus for exchanging tire data between participants in a tire ecosystem, as one possible example of a product ecosystem.

[0094] Tires 110 produced by tire manufacturers may be provided in association with a tire passport. The tire passport may include a tire identifier. The tire identifier may include one or more decentralized identifiers. The decentralized identifiers may be identifiers in a decentralized network that enables data exchange over the decentralized network. The data exchange may include discovery of decentralized identifiers for participants in the decentralized network, authentication of participants in the decentralized network, and / or authorization of data transfer via peer-to-peer communication between participants in the decentralized network. The tire passport may include data related to the tire. The tire passport may include a digital representation of tire data associated with the tire 110.

[0095] The tire passport may further include or be associated with authentication and / or authorization information linked to the tire identifier. The authentication and / or authorization information may be provided for authentication and / or authorization of the data providing service and / or data consuming service 210, 214. The tire identifier may include, be, or be associated with at least one decentralized identifier uniquely associated with the tire. The decentralized identifier may be connected to a digital representation of tire data associated with the tire 110. The digital representation may include a representation for accessing the tire data or a portion thereof. The decentralized identifier may include a universally unique identifier (UUID) or a digital identifier (DID). The decentralized identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data owner and / or the tire. The data owner may be the tire manufacturer. Access to the tire data may be controlled by the data owner via the decentralized identifier and its unique association with the data owner and / or the tire.

[0096] The tire passport, which includes a digital representation of the tire data, may be stored in a distributed database 200. The tire data may be stored in a database 202 associated with a data owner, such as a tire manufacturer 304.

[0097] The tire 110 may be physically delivered to a user who will use the tire 110. The tire may be associated with an identification number that encodes a tire identifier, particularly a distributed identifier. The tire user may read the identification number via an ID reader 206. The tire identifier may be provided to a database 208 associated with the tire user. In other embodiments, the tire user may obtain the tire identifier via the distributed database 200.

[0098] The data owner in this example could be a tire producer, any intermediate product producer that produces intermediate products for tires, or any producer that produces chemicals to produce tires. Tire users, tire workshops, used tire recyclers, collectors, or sorters could be data owners in the tire ecosystem. A data owner could include any entity in the tire production chain that generates data. A data generating node could be tied to the data owner or an entity that owns or produces the physical product from or for which the data is generated. Data could be generated by a third-party entity on behalf of the entity that owns the physical product from or for which the data was generated.

[0099] The data consumption services 210, 214 may include computer-executable instructions for accessing and / or processing data, such as tire data, associated with the data owners. The data providing services 210, 214 may include computer-executable instructions for providing and / or processing data, such as tire data, associated with the data owners for access and / or processing by the data consumption services 210, 214.

[0100] The tire identifier may be provided from database 208 to data consumption service 210, as represented by arrow 222. Based on the received tire identifier, a request to access tire data associated with the tire identifier may be triggered by data consumption service 210, as represented by arrow 212. The tire identifier may be provided to a data providing service 214 associated with or of a tire producer 304. Additionally, authentication and / or authorization information may be provided. The request may be authenticated and / or authorized to access tire data associated with the tire identifier. Based on successful authorization and / or authentication, access to tire data associated with the tire identifier may be granted.

[0101] The tire identifier may be provided to a data providing service 214 for access, as represented by arrow 212. The data providing service 214 may use the received tire identifier to obtain tire data associated with the tire 304, as represented by arrows 218 and 221. The tire data associated with the tire provided to the data providing service 214 may be provided to a data consuming service 210, as represented by arrow 216. The tire data associated with the tire may be stored in a database 208 associated with a tire user, as represented by arrow 220.

[0102] Through a tire identifier, particularly a decentralized identifier, tire data can be uniquely associated with a tire. Through a decentralized network, tire data can be transferred between tire producers and tire users. In this way, tire data can be shared directly between ecosystem players without a central intermediary, with a unique association to the tire. This enables transparency of tire data across the tire ecosystem.

[0103] Similar to providing tire data, reuse triggers, control and / or monitoring data, and / or reuse instructions can be provided. Through tire identifiers, particularly distributed identifiers, reuse triggers, control and / or monitoring data, and / or reuse instructions can be uniquely associated with used tires. Through the distributed network, reuse triggers, control and / or monitoring data, and / or reuse instructions can be transferred between participants in the tire ecosystem, such as workshops, recyclers, sorters, and / or collectors. In this way, reuse triggers, control and / or monitoring data, and / or reuse instructions, due to their unique association with used tires, can be shared directly among participants in the distributed network, possibly without a central intermediary. Such mechanisms enable more efficient recovery of materials used in tires and reuse, for example, through reuse, regrooving, retreading, or material recycling. Thus, the digital backbone structure enables more environmentally friendly use of used tires and tire materials. The digital backbone structure ensures that used tire materials can be re-fed to the production of new materials. In this way, the circular use of materials can be enhanced and expanded to a diverse set of end products made from such materials. The digital backbone structure will ensure that used tires are reused and reduce the environmental impact of materials. Digital tracking of materials will thus enhance material reuse and ensure that waste is disposed of in an environmentally friendly and effective way.

[0104] 5a-5c schematically illustrate an example method or apparatus for providing data associated with tire production, tire use, and used tire handling to participants connected via a distributed network across a tire ecosystem.

[0105] FIG. 5a illustrates a portion of a tire ecosystem including tire production 304 and use of produced tires 308, for example, to manufacture vehicles. In this example, input material providers, tire producers, and tire consumers may be connected via a distributed network, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4. Data regarding input materials and produced tires may be provided in the form of passports associated with physical entities, such as input materials, tires, or vehicles on which the produced tires are mounted, via an ID-based protocol as described in connection with FIG. 4. IDs associated with different entities may be linked such that physical connections between the physical entities are reflected through digital links between the respective IDs. For example, linked IDs associated with physical entities may be provided via a distributed database or via a registry of the distributed network. Participant nodes associated with participants in the tire network may obtain such links or linked IDs associated with physical links between physical entities in the tire ecosystem. The IDs may include a decentralized identifier of the distributed network.

[0106] The input material provider may provide input materials 302. The input materials 302 may include raw materials or intermediate materials such as dispersants, fillers, monomers, and polymers, as described in relation to Figures 1 to 3. Input material data for the input materials 302 may be provided through a data provider (also referred to as a data providing service or node associated with the input material provider) 602 associated with the input material provider connected to a distributed network, as described in relation to Figure 4, for example.

[0107] A tire manufacturer may produce tires 404 from input materials 302 provided to the tire production, for example, as described in connection with FIGS. 1-4 . The tire manufacturer may access input material data associated with the input materials 302, for example, via a data consumer (also referred to as a data consumption service or node associated with the tire manufacturer) 606 connected to the distributed network, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4 . The input material data may be obtained from a data provider 602 associated with each input material provider, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4 . The tire manufacturer may generate a tire passport associated with the produced tires 404, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4 . The tire manufacturer may provide the tire passport and tire data via the passport through a data provider 602 connected to the distributed network, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4 . A tire consumer, such as a vehicle manufacturer or a workshop, may access tire data associated with the produced tires 404 or parts thereof, for example, via a data consumer 606 connected to the distributed network, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4 .

[0108] Respective data owners in this example may be an input producer, a tire producer, and a tire consumer. A data owner may include any entity that generates data. A data generating node may be coupled to a data owner or an entity that owns or produces the physical product from or for which the data is generated. Data may be generated by a third-party entity on behalf of the entity that owns the physical product from or for which the data is generated.

[0109] In the example of FIG. 5a, a tire passport decentralized identifier may be associated with the tire. Such a decentralized identifier may be provided to nodes associated with ecosystem participants. Data associated with the tire may be aggregated across nodes associated with ecosystem participants, including, for example, production chain participants or tire-using participants assigned to the tire-specific decentralized identifier, via the tire-specific decentralized identifier. For example, one or more environmental attributes associated with the tire may be derived from environmental attributes associated with the input materials 302 or any other product entities present in the tire value chain. Tire data collected during production may include static or dynamic characteristics of the tire. The tire data may relate to or include properties of chemical materials used to produce the tire. Data associated with the tire may be collected during use of the tire mounted on a vehicle. For example, such usage data may be collected at a workshop, by sensors associated with the tire, or by the vehicle on which the tire is mounted. The decentralized identifier associated with the tire may be used to access tire data generated during use of the tire, such as life data or repair data. The usage data may include data related to the use of the tire, such as mileage, life expectancy, the type of vehicle the tire is installed on, the manufacturer of the vehicle the tire is installed on, tire wear, the current weight of the tire, repair data, and / or weather conditions.

[0110] In this manner, the tire data may represent a digital twin of the tire, including the tire's production history and / or the tire's use history. Collecting data related to the tire's use allows the tire's digital twin to be updated to reflect the tire's use history. Data regarding the components used to produce the tire and data regarding the tire's use may be used by return points, retread companies, and / or recyclers to determine appropriate handling of used tires based on the data. For example, a tire recycler (see, e.g., FIG. 5b) may determine appropriate recycling operations based on the data.

[0111] Used tires may be provided to a tire recycler, as described in connection with FIG. 3. The used tires may correspond to input materials 302 for a tire recycler 608, as shown in FIG. 5b. Tire data for the used tires 302 may be provided through a data provider 602 associated with a tire producer and / or a vehicle manufacturer, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4, via a distributed network. The tire recycler 608 may recycle the used tires provided to the tire recycler, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 3. The tire recycler may access the used tire data associated with the used tires 302 through a data consumer (also referred to as a data consumption service) 606, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4, via a distributed network.

[0112] The tire data may be obtained from a data provider 602 associated with a tire producer and / or a vehicle manufacturer. A tire recycler may generate a recycled product passport associated with products obtained from recycling, such as pyrolysis oil or carbon black 404. Pyrolysis oil may be formed, for example, by pyrolysis of shredded tires, as described in connection with FIG. 3. A tire recycler may generate a pyrolysis oil passport containing compositional data for the pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil compositional data may represent a mixture of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons having 5 to 46 carbon atoms. The hydrocarbons may be saturated or unsaturated. The unsaturated hydrocarbons may include aromatic hydrocarbons. Examples of aromatic hydrocarbons may include single-ring mono-aromatics, two-ring aromatics, and three-ring aromatics, as well as poly-aromatics. Examples of non-aromatics may include paraffins, single-ring naphthenes, two-ring naphthenes, and cycloalkanes. Pyrolysis oil composition data may represent up to 30 wt.% hydrocarbons having 5-10 carbon atoms, up to 60 wt.% hydrocarbons having 11-20 carbon atoms, up to 10 wt.% hydrocarbons having 21-30 carbon atoms, and less than 10 wt.% hydrocarbons having 31-46 carbon atoms.

[0113] The tire recycler 608 may provide the recycled product data included in the recycled product passport, or portions thereof, through a data provider 602 connected to the distributed network, for example, according to a protocol such as that described in connection with Figure 4. The respective data owners in this example may be the tire producer 304 and / or the vehicle manufacturer and the tire recycler 608.

[0114] In the example of FIG. 5b, a decentralized identifier may be associated with the recycled product. Such a decentralized identifier may be provided to tire ecosystem participants. Via the decentralized identifier, data associated with the recycling of the tire may be collected and assigned to the decentralized identifier. The decentralized identifier may be associated with a tire-specific decentralized identifier. In this way, data about the tire used to produce the recycled product may be derived from the decentralized identifier included in the recycled product passport. For example, the recycled material passport may include data about the decentralized identifier included in the tire passport and the relationship between the decentralized tire identifier and the decentralized identifier included in the recycled material passport.

[0115] Products obtained from recycled tires, such as carbon black, may be provided to a tire producer 304 and used as input materials 302 for producing new tires (see, e.g., FIG. 3). Data regarding such products may be obtained by the tire producer 304 via a data consumer 606 from a data provider 602 associated with a tire recycler 608, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4. The input material provider for the tire producer 304 may correspond to a raw material supplier, an intermediate product producer, or a tire recycler.

[0116] Products obtained from recycled tires, such as pyrolysis oil, can be provided to chemical producers that use pyrolysis oil as input 302 to produce chemical materials, such as raw materials and intermediate products. Thus, pyrolysis oil produced by a tire recycler 608 can correspond to input 302 of a chemical producer operating a chemical production network 610, as shown in FIG. 5c, for example. Pyrolysis oil data for the pyrolysis oil 302 can be provided through a data provider 602 associated with the tire recycler 608 connected to a distributed network, as described in connection with FIG. 4, for example. The chemical production network 610 can produce one or more raw materials and / or intermediate products 404, such as the raw materials and intermediate products described in connection with FIG. 3. Examples of raw materials include monomers used to prepare synthetic rubber. Examples of intermediate products include dispersants, fillers, and polymers (such as synthetic rubber). The chemical producer operating the chemical production network 610 can access the pyrolysis data associated with the pyrolysis oil 302 through a data consumer 606 connected to a distributed network, as described in connection with FIG. 4, for example. The pyrolysis oil data may be obtained from a data provider 602 associated with a tire recycler 608. A chemical producer may generate a chemical product passport associated with produced chemical products, such as monomers, polymers, fillers, and dispersants. The chemical producer may provide the chemical product data included in the chemical product passport, or a portion thereof, through a data provider 602 connected to a distributed network, as described in connection with FIG. 4, for example. The chemical product data may include environmental attributes associated with the chemical product, such as recycled content from the use of pyrolysis oil obtained from recycled tires. The respective data owners in this example may be the tire recycler 608 and the chemical producer operating the chemical production network 610.

[0117] In the example of FIG. 5c, a decentralized identifier may be associated with a chemical product. Such a decentralized identifier may be provided to value chain participants. Data associated with the produced chemical product may be collected via and assigned to the decentralized identifier. The decentralized identifier may be associated with a pyrolysis oil-specific decentralized identifier and / or a tire-specific decentralized identifier. In this way, data regarding tires indirectly used to produce the chemical product may be derived from the decentralized identifier included in the chemical product passport. Furthermore, environmental attributes associated with the pyrolysis oil may be derived from the decentralized identifier included in the recycled material passport associated with the pyrolysis oil produced by the tire recycler 608.

[0118] Chemical products produced by the chemical production network 610 may be provided as input materials 302 to a tire production 304, as shown in FIG. 5a, for example. The tire producer 304 may obtain chemical product data provided by a data consumer 606 associated with the chemical production network 610 via a data consumer 606, as described in connection with FIG. 4. The decentralized identifier of a chemical product passport may be associated with the decentralized identifier of a tire passport associated with tires produced from the chemical product. In this manner, the environmental attributes of the chemical product and the tires produced from the chemical product 302 may be traced through the value chain to the tires. Tracking the environmental attributes of tires in this manner allows information to be transparent throughout the tire ecosystem, while the flow of information can be controlled by participants in the tire ecosystem. Additionally, the environmental attributes may be handled by the production operations system according to the needs of individual participants. Overall, such tracking enables tracking of positive environmental impacts by individual tire value chain participants, which provides transparency to and attributes positive environmental impacts to individual tire value chain participants.

[0119] 6 illustrates a schematic flow chart of a method for generating control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of a used product, such as a tire, as an example of a used product. In this example, tires are used for illustrative purposes only and are equally applicable to other used products, such as batteries.

[0120] A reuse trigger can be generated by a node associated with a participant in the tire ecosystem. A participant can be a workshop that repairs or replaces tires on vehicles or a collector of used tires. A tire's identification information can be read via an ID reader or manually entered into an application, such as a mobile app, for the generation of a reuse trigger. A tire can reach its reuse stage when its tread has worn down to, for example, less than 4 mm or when the tire has an irreparable defect.

[0121] Based on providing the tire identification information, a decentralized identifier associated with the used tire may be obtained via a distributed network. For example, the tire identification information may be provided to a distributed database or a distributed registry that stores decentralized identifiers related to the tire identification information. The distributed database may be a database including decentralized identifiers for tires in the tire ecosystem. The distributed database may include a distributed ledger and enable verification of the tire identifier. Further, for example, the decentralized identifier may be obtained from a registry that stores decentralized identifiers related to the tire identification and associated with the participant triggering the reuse trigger. Further, for example, the decentralized identifier may be retrieved from a registry associated with any participant in the tire ecosystem, such as a tire producer or a tire user. The participant triggering the reuse event may connect to nodes associated with other participants in the tire ecosystem via authentication and / or authorization protocols of the distributed network, for example, as described in connection with FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

[0122] The reuse trigger may include a distributed identifier associated with the tire and status data associated with the used tire. The status data may include characteristics of the used tire, such as tread depth or tire defects declaring the tire at end of life, and visual inspection data, such as image data such as provided by a smartphone camera.

[0123] The reuse trigger, including the decentralized identifier associated with the used tire, may be provided to any node associated with a participant in the tire ecosystem that collects the tire. For example, the reuse trigger may be provided to a node associated with a tire producer, a chemical producer, or a recycler that feeds the tire production chain. The reuse trigger may be transmitted to the node associated with each participant.

[0124] Based on the provision of the reuse trigger, control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires may be generated. To generate the control and / or monitoring data, further data, particularly related to at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used tires, may be obtained from nodes associated with different participants in the tire ecosystem. For example, tire production data including composition data associated with materials constituting the used tires may be obtained from a tire producer. Furthermore, tire usage data including, for example, repair data associated with the tires during their use may be obtained from a node associated with a workshop, or workshop data associated with vehicles on which the tires were used may be obtained from a node associated with the workshop. Furthermore, tire usage data including, for example, lifespan data associated with the tires may be obtained from vehicles on which the tires were used. Furthermore, for example, sensor data associated with measured properties of used tires may be obtained from any node associated with a workshop or a collector. In this manner, physical and / or chemical properties of used tires may be collected. The physical and / or chemical properties may be measured properties of used tires, such as images or IR sensor data. The physical and / or chemical properties may be determined from tire data collected via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used tire, such as composition data or usage data related to repairs, retreads, regrooves, etc.

[0125] The control and / or monitoring data may be generated by correlating and / or associating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used tire with a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used tire, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used tire by one or more devices configured to reuse the used tire. The processing characteristic may be related to a recycling process performed by the device. Depending on the provided physical and / or chemical characteristic, the processing characteristic required for recycling, and therefore a suitable device configured to reuse the used tire, may be determined. The device configured to reuse the used product processes the used product by repurposing, refurbishing, or recycling the used product.

[0126] The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to repurpose or refurbish used products may depend on physical characteristics such as tread depth. The physical characteristics such as tread depth may be provided via measurements such as one or more images of the tire showing the tread. The tread depth may be reconstructed from one or more images of the tire by image analysis including, for example, object detection or reconstruction. The physical characteristics such as tread depth may be provided by measurements such as depth measurements via IR sensors or other distance-sensitive sensors.

[0127] The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to recycle the used products can be related to at least one chemical characteristic of the used products, such as tire composition or the content of a particular tire component, such as carbon black, can be provided via a peer-to-peer communication network upon request and data transfer between nodes of the distributed network.

[0128] The processing characteristics of one or more devices that match the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used product may be stored in a central or distributed database or storage device. The processing characteristics may be collected from one or more network nodes associated with product recyclers connected via a distributed network. The network node from which the processing characteristics of one or more devices are collected may be selected based on at least one characteristic provided for the used product. For example, if a sensor measurement indicates a tread depth of less than 4 mm and a retread status provided by a workshop indicates that the product has already been retreaded, the node to which the reuse trigger is provided may collect the processing characteristics of one or more devices configured for reuse, for example, by recycling, and match them with the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used tire. A suitable device configured for reuse may be selected based on such a match. In this manner, control and / or monitoring data may be generated by correlating and / or associating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used tire with the processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product. Thus, the control and / or monitoring data may include at least one distributed identifier associated with the used tire and / or at least one distributed identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used tire. In addition to matching, machine-readable instructions for processing used tires can be generated by one or more devices configured to recycle used tires. Such instructions can associate multiple distributed identifiers associated with used tires with at least one distributed identifier associated with at least one device configured to recycle used tires. In this manner, tires can be digitally assigned to specific devices according to their end-of-life characteristics. In other words, the method can provide a second-life or recycling recommendation that ensures used tires ultimately end up in a rational reuse stream, such as refurbishing, retreading, or recycling.

[0129] In addition to simply matching and finding suitable reuse, matching can be further refined by collecting recycled material data regarding one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to the recycled material data. The recycled material data can relate to recycled material flows associated with recyclable materials that can be produced through recycling of the used product or its components. For example, the recycled material data can be collected from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers, such as chemical producers or product producers. The recycled material data can relate to one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers. The recycled material data for a recycled material composition can relate to the amount of recycled material resupplied to the production of one or more producers. This amount can represent a demand for one or more recycled material compositions. Based on the material composition data collected for a plurality of used products, a recycled material composition to be produced from such used products can be determined.

[0130] The control and / or monitoring data may be generated by matching production data associated with one or more material compositions contained in a used product or a component thereof with recycled material data associated with one or more recycled material compositions resupplied to the production of one or more producers. Based on the match, control and / or monitoring data for producing the matching recycled material composition may be generated. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with a used product for producing recycled material that is requested and / or resupplied to the production of one or more producers, for example, via a distribution identifier associated with the used product, such as provided by a reuse trigger. The control and / or monitoring data may include, for example, one or more distribution identifiers associated with the used product for producing recycled material that is requested and / or resupplied to the production of one or more producers. The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing the used product.

[0131] The control and / or monitoring data and / or machine-readable instructions may further include instructions for processing used products. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to repurposing used products. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to refurbishing or second-life use of used products. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to recycling used products.

[0132] The control and / or monitoring data may be configured to provide the used product or at least one component thereof to a chemical and / or physical processing plant associated with a producer, such as a chemical product producer, a product producer, or a recycler. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to chemical and / or physical processing of the used product or component thereof to recover chemical materials as recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to suitable chemical and / or physical processing methods for processing the used product or component thereof to produce recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data may be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used product. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to one or more nodes of the distributed network, where one or more nodes may be associated with a recycler, for example, for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing. The control and / or monitoring data may include a specification of a reuse method, such as a recycling method for producing recyclables, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. For example, processes for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling and / or reusing used products may be initiated and / or controlled based on the generated control and / or monitoring data.

[0133] The control and / or monitoring data for initiating reuse of used tires may be provided to any node associated with a participant in the distributed network. For example, the control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node associated with the participant that triggered the reuse event, or the control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node associated with a participant that needs to reuse used tires, such as a retreader, regroomer, collector, recycler, and / or producer that reuses used tires or recycled materials.

[0134] FIG. 7 illustrates generally an example of a method or apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data associated with the recycling of used tires as an example of a used product and for controlling and / or monitoring the processing of used tires.

[0135] The reclamation trigger may be generated and provided as described in connection with FIG. 6 . The reclamation trigger may be generated, for example, by a reclamation trigger generator node 802 associated with, for example, a workshop participant or a tire user. The reclamation trigger may be associated with a tire. The reclamation trigger may include a tire identifier. The reclamation trigger may include or be associated with status data representing the status of the used tire. The status data associated with the tire may relate to characteristics of the used tire. The status data may relate to physical and / or chemical properties of the used tire. The status data may include at least one chemical and / or physical property of the used tire. The status data may include image data related to the condition of the used tire. The image may be analyzed via an image algorithm to provide status data such as tread depth or tread condition. The status data may include near-infrared data. The near-infrared data may be analyzed to provide status data such as the material composition of the used tire or at least a portion of the material condition of the used tire. The status data may relate to the tread depth of the used tire, the age of the used tire, the damage or repair status of the used tire, the tread condition of the used tire, some of the material composition of the used tire, the material condition of the used tire, or a combination thereof.

[0136] Control and / or monitoring data associated with the tire reclamation may be generated by the control data generator node 804 based on the reclamation trigger. Tire data associated with the tire may be collected from one or more participant nodes of the distributed network, for example, by a tire data collector, based on a distributed identifier provided by the reclamation trigger. The tire data may be obtained from different nodes associated with participants in the tire ecosystem, such as tire producers or any users of tires. The tire data may be associated with the history of the used tire. The tire data may include tire characteristics such as original tread depth, tire type, tire production date, tire material composition, tire retread status, tire repair status, tire supplier, or a combination thereof. The tire data may be collected from different nodes associated with participants in the tire ecosystem. For example, monitoring data such as tread depth, retread status, and / or repair status of a used tire may be collected from nodes associated with a workshop participant or may be part of the reclamation trigger. Production data such as tire type, tire age, material composition of the tire or its components, tire supplier, etc. may be collected from nodes associated with a tire producer. Further monitoring data relating to the use of tires associated with vehicles may be collected from nodes associated with vehicles or vehicle manufacturers participating in the tire ecosystem.

[0137] A distributed tire identifier may be used for production and / or monitoring data collection. The distributed tire identifier may be linked to a distributed vehicle identifier or a distributed manufacturer identifier. Such a link may be available to one or more participants in the tire ecosystem. For example, if monitoring data for a tire may be collected during use on a vehicle, the distributed tire identifier may be provided to a distributed database, where a link between the distributed identifier associated with the tire and the vehicle may be stored. In another example, a reuse trigger may include link information to the vehicle. Monitoring data may be obtained based on the distributed vehicle identifier.

[0138] For generation of control and / or monitoring data, the collected tire data associated with the used tires may be analyzed, for example, by a tire data analyzer. The analysis may be based on used tire condition from status data, tire production data, tire monitoring data, and / or recycle data associated with the tires. At least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used tires may be determined from the collected production and / or monitoring data via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used tires.

[0139] The physical and / or chemical characteristics of a used tire may relate to the physical and / or chemical condition of the tire. Based on such condition, control and / or monitoring data may be generated, for example, by a control data provider. The physical and / or chemical characteristics may refer to the wear of the used tire, including tread depth, current tread wear condition, damage or repair condition, contamination status, regroove or retread condition, location / area, size, and age. The regroove or retread condition may be determined based on the tire's distributed identifier and tire data associated with the tire.

[0140] If the tread depth exceeds a minimum threshold, e.g., 4 mm, tread wear is evident, e.g., via image recognition, the damage or repair status is indicated as undamaged or unrepaired, and the age is below a minimum threshold, e.g., less than six years, control and / or monitoring data may be generated for diversion of the tire. Such control and / or monitoring data may include the tread depth of the used tire and a distribution identifier for the used tire. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a diversion node 806, for example, associated with a tire dealer selling the used tire.

[0141] If the tread depth exceeds a minimum threshold, e.g., less than 4 mm, the regrooving condition indicates no regrooving, and the age is below a minimum threshold, e.g., less than 6 years, control and / or monitoring data for regrooving may be generated. Such control and / or monitoring data may include the tread depth to be regrooved and a distribution identifier for the used tire. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node for regrooving 808, e.g., associated with a regrooving vendor.

[0142] If the tread depth does not exceed a minimum threshold, e.g., less than 4 mm, the repair, damage, or retread condition does not represent damage, repair, or retread, the material composition allows for retreading, and the age represents less than a minimum threshold, e.g., less than 6 years, control and / or monitoring data for retreading may be generated. Such control and / or monitoring data may include at least a portion of the tire's material composition and a distribution identifier for the used tire. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided, for example, to a node 810 for retreading associated with a retreader.

[0143] If the tread depth does not exceed a minimum threshold, e.g., less than 4 mm, but still exceeds a lower limit, such as 3 mm, indicating that any of the damage, repair, regrooved, or retreaded conditions are true, or the age exceeds a minimum threshold, e.g., greater than 6 years, control and / or monitoring data for recycling may be generated. Such control and / or monitoring data may include at least a portion of the tire's material composition and a distribution identifier for the used tire. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node for recycling 812, for example, associated with one or more participants in the recycling chain or one or more recyclers.

[0144] Through such decision trees, control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated by correlating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of a used tire to a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used tire. In the case of repurposing, tread depth as a physical characteristic can be correlated and / or related to a minimum tread depth for the repurposing device. In the case of retreading, tread depth and material composition as physical and chemical characteristics can be correlated and / or related to a minimum tread depth and a material composition suitable for the retreading device. In the case of recycling, material composition as a chemical characteristic can be correlated and / or related to a material composition suitable for the recycling device.

[0145] In particular, a used tire composition, or a portion thereof, may be provided to a node associated with a recycler. The material composition may represent a tire composition including PET, PA6, PA6.6, steel, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, or a combination thereof. A decentralized identifier for a used tire may be linked to a decentralized identifier associated with one or more recycling devices. The assignment of a decentralized identifier for a used tire linked to a decentralized identifier associated with one or more recycling devices may be based on the material composition of the tire. For example, a tire having PET fibers may be assigned separately from a tire having PA6 fibers. Recycling devices may include mechanical recycling devices, chemical recycling devices such as pyrolysis devices, or desulfurization devices. For example, a used tire may be provided to a mechanical recycling device to separate the PET, PA6.6, or PA6 or steel tire cord. The remaining portion may be provided to a chemical recycling device to recover silica, carbon black, and / or rubber. In other embodiments, the used tire may be shredded, or the remaining portion after separation of the tire cord may be provided to a device for repurposing shredded tires. Recycling may include shredding the used tire. Shredded tires can be used for different purposes depending on their size. For example, coarse pieces between 50 and 250 mm in size can be used as drainage material and as a substitute for natural gravel. Fine pieces between 15 and 50 mm in size can be used as a base for ground for water purification and as a substitute for natural gravel. Granules with a particle size of up to 6 mm can be used as filler in rubber asphalt, foundry tiles, or for artificial turf. The powder can be mixed into paints to dampen sound or used as a secondary ingredient in the manufacture of new tires or other molded products.

[0146] In addition to the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the tires, recyclate data related to the recyclate flow being resupplied to one or more producers' production may be collected, for example, from nodes associated with chemical producers. When recyclate flows associated with recyclable components of used tires are needed to produce new materials, control and / or monitoring data for recycling may be generated.

[0147] The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing used tires, including at least one distribution identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse used tires and at least one distribution identifier associated with the used tires. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with one or more process steps for recycling used tires. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to chemical and / or physical processing of used tires or components thereof to recover chemical materials for recyclability.

[0148] The control and / or monitoring data may be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used tire. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to one or more nodes of the distributed network, where the one or more nodes may be associated with, for example, a recycler for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing used tires. The control and / or monitoring data may include specifications for a reuse method, such as a recycling method for producing recycled material, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses recycled material as an input material to produce a new output material. For example, a process for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing used tires may be initialized based on the generated control and / or monitoring data. For example, a process for repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and / or remanufacturing used tires may be controlled and / or monitored based on the generated control and / or monitoring data. For example, a recycling process may be controlled and / or monitored according to a material composition represented by the control and / or monitoring data.

[0149] FIG. 8 illustrates, in schematic form, an example of a method or apparatus for exchanging tire data and control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires among participants in an exemplary tire ecosystem product ecosystem.

[0150] In an example, a reclamation trigger may be provided to a node associated with chemical producer 700. The node associated with the chemical producer may generate control and / or monitoring data. Such control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node associated with used tire holder 702 and used to recycle the used tires. FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a user interface for reclamation of used tires when used tires may be provided to used tire holder 702. User interface 900 may display information about the tire, such as end-of-life indication and end-of-life parameters 902. User interface 900 may display reclamation instructions 904, such as those to be recycled. User interface 900 may display a pickup date 908 and location 910 to inform used tire holder 702 of next steps.

[0151] Used tires may be transported to a used tire recycler 704 for mechanical and / or chemical recycling, such as pyrolysis of the used tires or at least a portion thereof. Recycling may include devulcanization of the used tires. Devulcanization may be performed by a tire recycling company. Devulcanization may be performed using the tread of the used tires. Devulcanization may be performed using mechanical, microwave, chemical, or biological processes to break the sulfur bonds formed during vulcanization. The recycled material may be blended into new tires and other rubber products that may be used for sound, vibration, and impact absorption. Recycling may include pyrolysis of the used tires. Pyrolysis may be performed at a tire recycling company. The used tires may be shredded and heated in an oxygen-free atmosphere.

[0152] The resulting products of pyrolysis can include oil, steel, and non-condensable gases. From a single tire, approximately one-third of the weight is steel, one-third is pyroblack (carbon black with additives), and the final one-third is oil / gas. A tire pyrolysis system can include an indirect-fired rotary kiln, steel recovery, char processing, a crushing and pelletizing circuit, an oil condensation system, and a gas cleaning system.

[0153] Recycled products such as pyrolysis oil or PA6 can be provided to chemical producer 700 for the production of new materials. Used tire recyclers can provide recycled material data regarding the composition of the recycled material to chemical producer 700. A portion of the recycled material can be reused to produce new tires. For example, carbon black obtained from pyrolysis and / or material obtained from desulfurization can be provided to tire production 304.

[0154] By treating used products such as tires as proposed, the materials used in such products can be effectively reused. This reduces the environmental impact of the material stream by reusing the product through a second use until the used product cannot be reused for a second use. Once such end-of-life situation is reached, the materials used in such products can be recycled and re-supplied as recycled material for the production of new products. By processing used products in a data-driven manner based on their physical and / or chemical properties via a distributed peer-to-peer network, reuse can be controlled in an effective manner, allowing more used products to be reused, thus increasing the number of reused products and reducing the environmental impact of such products.

[0155] The examples given above with respect to tires are equally applicable to other used products, such as used batteries, used cars, used textiles, used mattresses, used car parts, etc.

[0156] For example, in the case of a battery, the logic described herein may be applied. A reuse trigger may be provided as described in connection with FIGS. 6-8. The physical and / or chemical characteristics may be related to measured characteristics of the used battery. For example, the measured characteristics may be related to a damage status, such as that derivable from image data or charge-discharge cycles. The physical and / or chemical characteristics may be determined from battery data collected via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used battery. For example, the battery data may be related to the composition of the battery's cathode active material, which represents the battery's chemical characteristics. Based on the physical and / or chemical characteristics, control and / or monitoring data may be generated by correlating and / or associating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used battery with processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse used batteries and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used battery by one or more devices configured to reuse used batteries. The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse used batteries may be related and / or correlated to the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the battery. For example, if a used battery exhibits physical damage, the battery may not be diverted and offered for recycling. Furthermore, for example, if the capacity derivable from a charge / discharge curve measured for, for example, a used battery is below a threshold, e.g., 20-30% below that of an equivalent unused battery, the battery may be diverted for a second-life application. For example, an electric vehicle battery may be diverted as a buffer in an energy grid application. Furthermore, for example, if the capacity derivable from a charge / discharge curve measured for, for example, a used battery is below a threshold, e.g., 40-70% below that of an equivalent unused battery, the battery may be recycled. In addition to the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the battery, recycled material data related to recycled material flows resupplied to one or more producers' production may be collected, for example, from nodes associated with chemical producers.If the recycled material flow associated with the recyclable components of the used batteries is required to produce new materials, control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated.

[0157] Further, for example, in the case of textiles, the logic described herein may be applied. A reuse trigger may be provided as described in connection with FIGS. 6-8. The physical and / or chemical properties may be related to measured properties of the used textile. For example, the measured properties may be related to a damage status, such as that derivable from image data. The physical and / or chemical properties may be determined from textile data collected via at least one distributed identifier associated with the used textile. For example, the textile data may be related to the composition of the textile fibers, which represents the chemical properties of the textile. Based on the physical and / or chemical properties, control and / or monitoring data may be generated by correlating and / or associating at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used textile with a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used textile and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used textile by one or more devices configured to reuse the used textile. The processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used textile may be related and / or correlated to the physical and / or chemical properties of the textile. For example, if the textile exhibits no damage, the textile may be resold. Further, for example, if the used textile exhibits physical or chemical damage, the textile may be diverted as insulation or padding material, or may be offered for textile recycling if unsuitable for diverting based on textile composition. In addition to the physical and / or chemical properties of the textile, recycled material data related to recycled material flows resupplied to one or more producers' production may be collected, for example, from nodes associated with chemical producers. Control and / or monitoring data for recycling may be generated if recycled material flows associated with recyclable components of used textiles are needed to produce new materials.

[0158] Beyond the examples explicitly outlined herein, further examples and embodiments may be realized based on the concepts of the present disclosure outlined herein, and the explicit examples should not be considered limiting, but merely illustrative of the concepts outlined herein.

[0159] Although the disclosure has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments and examples, other variations can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the claims.

[0160] Any steps presented herein may be performed in any order. The methods disclosed herein are not limited to a particular order of these steps. It is also not required that different steps be performed at a particular location or on a particular computing node of a distributed system; i.e., each of the steps may be performed on a different computing node using different equipment / data processing.

[0161] As used herein, "determining" also includes "initiating or causing a decision," "generating" also includes "initiating and / or causing a generation," and "providing" also includes "initiating or causing a determination, generation, selection, transmission, and / or reception." "Initiating or causing the performance of an action" includes any processing signal that triggers a computing node or device to perform the respective action.

[0162] In the claims as well as in this specification, the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage in implementations.

[0163] Any disclosures and embodiments described herein relate to the methods, systems, devices, and computer program elements outlined above, and vice versa. Advantageously, benefits provided by any of the embodiments and examples apply to all other embodiments and examples as well, and vice versa.

[0164] All terms and definitions used herein are to be broadly understood and have their ordinary meaning.

Claims

1. A method for treating at least one used product (100), comprising: providing at least one reuse trigger including at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product (100); collecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product (100), wherein the physical and / or chemical characteristic is a measured characteristic of the used product (100) and / or the physical and / or chemical characteristic is determined from product data collected via the at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product (100); generating control and / or monitoring data by relating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product (100) to processing characteristics of one or more devices (806-812) configured to recycle the used product (100) and / or generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product (100) by one or more devices (806-812) configured to recycle the used product (100); providing said control and / or monitoring data, including said machine-readable instructions for processing said used product (100) by one or more devices (806-812) configured to recycle said used product (100); A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one physical and / or chemical property is collected by optical measurement of the at least one physical and / or chemical property.

3. 10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic is collected by requesting product data associated with the used product via the at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product.

4. 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the requested product data relates to monitoring data collected during use of the product, and wherein the physical and / or chemical properties are determined from the monitoring data.

5. 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the requested product data relates to production data collected during production of the product, and wherein the physical and / or chemical properties are determined from the production data.

6. 10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the product data is collected from one or more network nodes associated with one or more product producers and / or users connected via a distributed network, the network nodes from which the product data is collected being selected based on the distributed identifier associated with the used product.

7. 10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing characteristics of one or more devices are collected from one or more network nodes associated with product reusers connected via a distributed network, and the network nodes from which the processing characteristics of one or more devices are collected are selected based on at least one characteristic of the used product.

8. 10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more devices configured to reuse the used products process the used products by repurposing, refurbishing or recycling the used products.

9. 10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing characteristic of the one or more devices configured to repurpose or refurbish the used product is related to at least one physical characteristic of the used product, and the processing characteristic of the one or more devices configured to recycle the used product is related to at least one chemical characteristic of the used product.

10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein recycled material data relating to one or more recycled material compositions that are resupplied to the production of the one or more producers is collected, and control and / or monitoring data is generated by relating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to the recycled material data.

11. 10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the machine-readable instructions for processing the used product include at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product and at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product.

12. 1. An apparatus for processing at least one used product, comprising: a trigger provider (802) configured to provide at least one reuse trigger including at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product; a data collector (804) configured to collect at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product, wherein the physical and / or chemical characteristic is a measured characteristic of the used product and / or the physical and / or chemical characteristic is determined from product data collected via the at least one distributed identifier associated with the used product; a control data generator (804) configured to generate control and / or monitoring data by relating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product to processing characteristics of one or more devices (806-812) configured to reuse the used product and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices (806-812) configured to reuse the used product; a control data provider (804) configured to provide the control and / or monitoring data including the machine-readable instructions for processing the used products by one or more devices (806-812) configured to recycle the used products; An apparatus comprising:

13. 1. A system for processing at least one used product, comprising: An apparatus for processing at least one used product according to claim 12; The following equipment: one or more devices (806-812) configured to recycle said used products; a physical processing device for refurbishing said at least one used product or part thereof; chemical and / or physical processing equipment for recycling said used products or parts thereof; Chemical and / or physical treatment equipment for recovering chemical materials from said used products or parts thereof At least one of A system including:

14. One or more chemical materials produced from said at least one used product or part thereof according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 11 or by using said control and / or monitoring data generated by the apparatus of claim 12 or by the system of claim 13.

15. 13. Use of the control and / or monitoring data provided according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 11 or by the apparatus of claim 12 for controlling and / or monitoring the recycling of at least one used product and / or for re-supplying chemical materials recovered from at least one used product into one or more chemical production processes.

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