Authenticatable articles, fabric and method of manufacture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Counterfeit goods, particularly in the apparel industry, pose significant challenges due to the inability to effectively authenticate fabrics and articles, leading to lost revenue and authenticity concerns, especially in collectible items and memorabilia.
Innovation Solution
The method involves breaking down original fabric or memorabilia items into DNA fiber components, blending them with virgin fibers to create a DNA fiber blend yarn, and weaving or knitting a fabric that forms a binary code with multiple authentication points throughout the manufacturing process, including early and late stage markers, which are recorded in a database like blockchain to secure ownership and authenticity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional labels (holograms, barcodes, alphanumeric codes) are used for authentication, then authentication capability is provided, but the labels can be pirated and applied to counterfeit apparel or the label itself can be counterfeited
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system is segmented into multiple independent components: luminescent markers embedded in fibers, binary code patterns woven into fabric, and multi-stage verification processes. This segmentation ensures that counterfeiters cannot simply replicate a single label but must duplicate the entire integrated system, significantly raising the barrier to counterfeiting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds luminescent markers within individual fibers, which are then woven into fabric patterns that encode binary codes. This nested structure (markers inside fibers inside fabric) creates multiple layers of authentication that are difficult to replicate, as each layer must be precisely reproduced in the correct hierarchical arrangement.
2Ease of operation
If labels are separated from the final fabric article, then the label can be authenticated independently, but the authentication and therefore value of the final fabric article may be irrevocably lost
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication markers are merged directly into the fabric structure through luminescent fiber embedding and binary code weaving. This integration ensures that the authentication capability cannot be separated from the article itself, eliminating the risk of label removal or detachment while maintaining continuous verification capability throughout the product lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite fibers by incorporating luminescent materials into textile fibers, resulting in a material that simultaneously provides structural function and authentication function. This composite approach ensures that authentication is inherently tied to the fabric itself rather than being a separate attachable component.
3Reliability
If high concentrations of luminescent materials are used for reliable detection in ambient light, then detection reliability is improved, but the materials are not practicable or cost-effective for tracking industrial process materials which are generally low-value commodity materials
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly distributing high concentrations of luminescent materials throughout the entire fabric, the patent places markers at specific locations within fibers and arranges them to form binary code patterns. This localized approach reduces overall material usage while maintaining detection reliability at critical authentication points.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes luminescent materials with specific emission wavelengths and decay characteristics that allow detection at low concentrations. By selecting materials with optimal photophysical parameters, reliable detection is achieved without requiring high material concentrations, making the system cost-effective for industrial applications.
4Quantity of substance
If trace amounts of luminescent materials are used, then cost-effectiveness is improved, but sophisticated and bulky laboratory spectrometers are required for detecting luminescence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs luminescent markers that emit light at specific wavelengths when excited, creating a spectral fingerprint that can be detected by simple optical filters or color sensors. This approach allows trace amount detection without requiring complex spectrometers, as the authentication relies on characteristic emission colors rather than full spectral analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical spectrometer systems with simpler optical detection methods such as LED excitation sources and photodetector arrays. This substitution maintains detection capability for trace luminescent materials while dramatically reducing device complexity, size, and cost for practical deployment.
5Measurement precision
If laboratory detection equipment is used for luminescence detection, then detection accuracy is improved, but detailed sample preparation by a trained analytical chemist is required and it is not amenable to high-throughput mass screening of samples
Solution Approach 1:
The luminescent markers are designed to be inherently stable and self-indicating, requiring no complex sample preparation or chemical treatment. The markers naturally emit luminescence when excited by standard light sources, allowing direct detection without trained analytical chemists or elaborate preparation protocols, thereby enabling high-throughput screening.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the periodic nature of luminescence emission following excitation, with characteristic rise and decay times that serve as authentication signatures. This temporal periodicity allows rapid automated detection and differentiation of authentic vs. counterfeit samples, enabling high-throughput screening while maintaining precision through time-resolved measurement protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
An article and method of manufacturing an authenticatable finished fabric and article comprising the steps of: obtaining an original fabric article comprising DNA fiber, the original fabric article being possessed by a celebrity at some time; breaking the original fabric article into DNA fiber components; blending the DNA fiber components with virgin fiber to make a DNA fiber blend; generating a DNA fiber blend yarn; weaving or knitting a finished fabric that is configured to form a binary code from a mixture of the DNA fiber blend yarn and a filling yarn; and creating a first level authentication and a second level authentication of the finished fabric.