Genetic Material Provenance Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for tracking the origins and chain of custody of products are cumbersome and inefficient, making it difficult to determine authenticity and compliance with regulatory and licensing requirements.
Innovation Solution
The use of genetic material, such as artificial plasmids, to encode and associate information with products, allowing for the extraction and analysis of provenance and other relevant details, enabling secure and reliable tracking of product origins and handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional product identification tags are used to track origins and chain of custody, then product tracking is achieved, but the process becomes cumbersome and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical product identification tags with genetic material-based tracking systems. Genetic material (DNA/RNA) is used as an information carrier to encode product provenance data, replacing traditional barcode/RFID tag systems. This substitution enables more efficient and reliable tracking while reducing operational complexity through biological rather than mechanical means.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of information storage from synthetic materials (tags, barcodes) to biological materials (genetic sequences). By encoding product information in genetic material that can be naturally integrated into or associated with the product, the system achieves more efficient tracking with higher reliability for authenticity verification.
2Productivity
If genetic material is used to encode product information, then tracking efficiency and authenticity verification improve, but the complexity of information encoding and extraction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs genetic material's natural properties to perform information encoding and storage functions. The genetic material itself serves as both the carrier and the encoding mechanism, utilizing natural biological processes rather than requiring complex external encoding systems. This self-service approach reduces operational complexity while maintaining high tracking efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses genetic material's ability to replicate and store information through natural biological mechanisms. Product provenance information is encoded into genetic sequences that can be copied and extracted without complex equipment, leveraging nature's information storage and replication systems to simplify the overall process.
3Loss of information
If conventional tracking methods are used, then basic product identification is achieved, but determination of regulatory compliance and licensing requirements becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a multi-functional genetic tagging system that simultaneously provides product identification, provenance tracking, and regulatory compliance verification. The same genetic material encodes multiple types of information including origin data, handling history, and compliance certificates, eliminating the need for separate tracking systems and making regulatory verification straightforward through single-point access to all product information.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for provenance tracking and/or identification of a product using genetic material are claimed. In various embodiments, genetic material such as plasmids may be incorporated into and/or otherwise persistently associated with a product. The genetic material may be encoded with, among other things, information that may uniquely identify the product, provide details relating to the origins of the product, the handling, distribution, and/or chain of custody of the product, intellectual property rights and/or other rights associated with the product, and/or the like. By extracting and analyzing the genetic material from the product, information encoded in the genetic material may be obtained by an interested party.