Embedded QR Canvas Authentication for Artwork Provenance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Artists face challenges in protecting their original artwork from fraudulent reproductions and ensuring its authenticity at a minimal cost while maintaining the integrity of the creative process.

Innovation Solution

A system that embeds a unique QR code or Non-Fungible Token (NFT) into the substrate of the artwork during manufacturing, linking it to a blockchain for registration, tracking, and royalty management, ensuring the artwork's authenticity and enabling secure digital provenance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a QR code is embedded in the substrate during manufacturing, then authentication reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication reliabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The QR code is embedded in the substrate during the manufacturing process rather than being added later. This preliminary action ensures the authentication mechanism is already in place before the artwork is completed, eliminating the need for subsequent complex authentication procedures and ensuring reliability from the outset.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a QR code as a digital copy that contains encoded information about the artwork's authenticity, creation date, and ownership. This digital copy can be scanned and verified without affecting the physical artwork, providing reliable authentication while keeping the system relatively simple.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If a blockchain is used to store artwork metadata, then authentication reliability is improved, but loss of information increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication reliabilityVSAvoiddata storage loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential authentication information (creation date, artist name, artwork description) and stores it on the blockchain, rather than storing all possible data about the artwork. This selective extraction maintains authentication reliability while minimizing data storage requirements and potential information loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The QR code acts as an intermediary between the physical artwork and the blockchain database. It contains encoded information that links the physical piece to its digital record, enabling authentication without requiring direct access to the blockchain for every verification, thus reducing information processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If the QR code is chemically bonded into the substrate, then authentication reliability is improved, but ease of manufacture decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses composite materials by combining the QR code with the substrate through chemical bonding. This creates a unified structure where the authentication element becomes an integral part of the artwork material, ensuring reliability while the chemical bonding process is a standard manufacturing technique that maintains ease of production.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentUS12554956B2System for securing and authenticating art property rights

Publication Date: 2026.02.17 LLOYD KATHRYN

AI summary

A computer driven system is proposed to allow for embedding of unique identification devices physically embedded in canvas, creating artwork on the canvas, scanning the original artwork, and then sending the scanned images to a master controller for purposes of registering the artwork. Rather than sending scanned images to a master controller remotely, a public website can be established to receive the scanned images.