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Methods and systems for authenticating contents of a bottle

Methods and systems for authenticating contents of a bottle description/claims

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/890,149, entitled “Impeccable and Efficient Distribution of Wines Combined With Consumer Insight” filed Feb. 15, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for authenticating alcoholic beverages. In particular, the present disclosure relates to methods and systems for authenticating the contents of a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage during its progress through a distribution channel.

Each year, 38 billion bottles of wine are produced in the world. The most critical component of certifiable value to the consumer, provenance (typically defined as authenticity, traceability and knowledge of storage temperatures), is anecdotal at best, and unverifiable. When a wine maker ships wine to a consumer, there are various intermediaries between the wine maker and the end consumer, including master distributors, negociants, importers, wholesalers, wine retailers and restaurants. Many of these entities are customers of the previous entity in this distribution channel and in between them all are various forms of shippers and movers. Untracked temperature fluctuations during transport can harm the quality of this asset, yet no standard methods for temperature monitoring exist through this process. Wine producers care profoundly about the quality of their wines—it is the mainstay of the value of their brand. Yet they have had no way to consistently monitor the care given to their products in transit.

Furthermore, as fine wine increases in value, the sophistication of counterfeiting efforts grows, more and more counterfeit bottles are appearing, and many of these counterfeits go undiscovered. As it becomes more difficult, especially for the average wine consumer, to discern authentic from counterfeit, the need for winemalkers to protect their brand, by enabling consumers to feel sure that they have an authentic bottle, mounts.

Additionally, counterfeit bottles are disruptive to the secondary markets such as fine wine auctions. Increasing amounts of testing are required for participation in fine wine auctions, especially by the more well known houses, such as Sotheby's. Many auctions planned over long periods of time have had to be cancelled or modified due to the unexpected discovery of counterfeit bottles in a collector's cellar. The ensuing legal battles from these discoveries result in negative publicity for all involved and may reduce the number of participants in fine wine auctions.

Counterfeiting is a serious issue among spirits as well as wines. The spirits market consists of the sale of brandy, gin & genever, liqueurs, rum, specialty spiras, tequila & mezcal, vodka and whisky. The global spirits market generated total revenues of $179.7 billion in 2005. Exports of all European spirits such as whisky and vodka to China reached 200 m in 2007, from just 8 m in 1999. In November of 2007, a quarter of all spirits brands claiming to be of European origin now sold in China are counterfeit, according to Jamie Fortescue, director general of the European Spirits Organisation. Fortesque stresses that the problem of fake brands is not unique to China—or for that matter Asia—by adding that there were also growing concerns regarding counterfeiting of alcohol in many Eastern European nations among others.

Manufacturing similar-looking counterfeit bottles, labels and capsules is also a common practice. In this case, a high-volume manufacturing operation produces a counterfeit alcoholic beverage and fills the counterfeit bottles, complete with counterfeit labels and capsules, with the counterfeit beverage. It may be difficult to distinguish a counterfeit bottle and its contents from an authentic bottle and its contents without opening the bottle and analysing the contents.

Refilling authentic spirits bottles with counterfeit beverages is a frequently used method in the counterfeiting of spirits. Conventional methods to validate content have to this point required chemical testing and typically require opening the bottle. Counterfeit spirits often include considerable health issues as substances such as methanol are known to be used in the production of the counterfeit beverages. Methanol can create health issues such as severe abdominal pain, drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision leading to blindness, and coma with breathing difficulties. The symptoms of methanol poisoning can be delayed for several hours further obfuscating cause and effect conclusions.

Spirits can have considerably higher alcohol content than wine; some even in the 30% range. As such “freezing” temperatures are less of an issue with spirits than with wines, but temperature-controlled containers for shipping are still required for most spirits especially in warmer climates and seasons to avoid issues with heat. Spirits, like wines, can be “cooked” at higher temperatures.

In one aspect, a method for authenticating the contents of a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage during its progress through a distribution channel includes the step of authenticating, periodically, by a first reader, a neck seal of a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage by detecting an invisible security taggant deposited on the neck seal. The method includes the steps of retrieving, periodically, by a second reader, from a radio-frequency identification tag, a bottle tag number. The method includes the steps of authenticating, by the server, the contents of the bottle responsive to identifying an association between a neck seal identification number imprinted on the neck seal and the retrieved bottle tag number.

In another aspect, a system for authenticating contents of a bottle during its progress through a distribution channel includes a neck seal, a first reader, a second reader, and a server. The neck seal is attached to a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage and includes a neck seal identification number and an invisible security taggant. The first reader periodically scans the neck seal, detects the presence of the security taggant, and authenticates the neck seal. The second reader periodically retrieves, from a radio-frequency identification tag, a bottle tag number. The server authenticates the contents of the bottle responsive to identifying an association between the neck seal identification number and the retrieved bottle tag number.

In one embodiment, the second reader is a radio-frequency identification tag reader. In another embodiment, a bar code inscribed on the neck seal is associated, during a bottling process, with the bottle tag number stored by a radio-frequency identification tag attached to the bottle. In still another embodiment, the invisible security taggant includes an authentication code detectable by the first reader.

In still another aspect, a method for certifying provenance of alcoholic beverages by tracking environmental conditions of a bottle containing the alcoholic beverage during its progress through a distribution channel includes the step of measuring, periodically, by a radio-frequency identification tag associated with a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage, a plurality of values of an environmental condition of the bottle. The method includes the steps of storing, by the radio-frequency identification tag, the plurality of measured values of the environmental condition and of receiving, by a server, the plurality of measured values for analysis. The method includes the step of providing, by the server, via a user interface, a description of a provenance of the alcoholic beverage in the bottle, the description generated responsive to an analysis of the received plurality of measured values.

In one embodiment, the radio-frequency identification tag measures, upon receipt of the bottle by a channel member, the value of the environmental condition of the bottle. In another embodiment, the radio-frequency identification tag measures, during transit to a channel member, the value of the environmental condition of the bottle. In still another embodiment, a sensor in the radio-frequency identification tag measures an ambient temperature of the bottle. In still even another embodiment, a sensor associated with the radio-frequency identification tag identifies a location of the bottle. In yet another embodiment, a sensor in the radio-frequency identification tag measures a level of humidity.

In one embodiment, the server provides, via the user interface, to a purchaser of the bottle, the description of the provenance of the alcoholic beverage. In another embodiment, the server provides, via the user interface, to a producer of the alcoholic beverage in the bottle, the description of the provenance of the alcoholic beverage. In still another embodiment, the server provides, via the user interface, to a distributor of the bottle, the description of the provenance of the alcoholic beverage.

In yet another aspect, a system for certifying provenance of an alcoholic beverage by tracking environmental conditions of a bottle containing the alcoholic beverage during its progress through a distribution channel includes a server and a radio-frequency identification tag associated with a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage. The radio-frequency identification tag measures, periodically, a plurality of values of an environmental condition of the bottle and stores the plurality of measured values of the environmental condition. The server receives the plurality of measured values for analysis and provides, via a user interface, a description of a provenance of the alcoholic beverage, the description generated responsive to an analysis of the received plurality of measured values.

In one embodiment, the radio-frequency identification tag includes a sensor for measuring temperature. In another embodiment, the radio-frequency identification tag includes a sensor for measuring a level of humidity. In still another embodiment, the radio-frequency identification tag includes a sensor for measuring a level of vibration of the bottle. In yet another embodiment, the radio-frequency identification tag is associated with a global positioning system receiver attached to the bottle and identifying a location of the bottle.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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